A number of passengers aboard an American Airlines flight that caught fire at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in 2016 refused to leave behind their carry-on bags in one of four incidents in the past several years in which an evacuation was hampered by travellers grabbing carry-on luggage, according to the NTSB. The NTSB recently completed its investigation into the October 2016 fire aboard the jetliner, blaming it on an engine problem — microscopic "fatigue" cracks in a turbine disk caused it to break apart at incredible velocity, piercing a fuel line and tank and igniting one side of the aircraft, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The NTSB is asking the FAA to look into the luggage issue and whether anything can be done to discourage passengers from trying to grab carry-on bags during emergencies. Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the NTSB, said that it's worth exploring whether passengers who refuse to leave behind their bags should be fined. He said that's up to the FAA to decide. The NTSB is asking the FAA to conduct research to "measure and evaluate the effects of carry-on baggage on passenger deplaning times and safety during an emergency evacuation." It's also recommending that the FAA "identify effective countermeasures to reduce any determined risks, and implement the countermeasures."<br/>
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Airline pilots, still resentful over pensions yanked away in a wave of industry bankruptcies, see growing company profits as a chance to reclaim some of those lost benefits. Unions at American Airlines and Delta are studying ways to reconstitute or replace retirement plans that were scrapped or frozen during the carriers’ past financial struggles. The efforts suggest that pilots are ready to play hardball over the issue in the next round of labor talks, starting early next year at American. The three biggest US carriers have reported combined adjusted profits of about $47b over the past five years. But reviving old retirement plans would be a big new expense for the companies just as other costs, such as fuel, are rising. “This company is flush with money,” said Dan Carey, president of the Allied Pilots Association, which represents aviators at American. At the same time, “we have a high demographic of middle-age pilots and we’re approaching retirement age with insufficient pension security. This is an immediate problem.” Discussions are in early stages, and any changes would require buy-in both by union members and the companies. Most airlines now have defined-contribution retirement plans like a 401(k). Those are less expensive and less risky for companies than defined-benefit pension plans that guarantee certain payouts but can become underfunded if investments don’t keep up with obligations.<br/>
The planned resumption of Russian flights to Egypt over two years after they were banned by Moscow over security concerns has been postponed until April, Cairo airport officials said Tuesday, citing delays in booking procedures and the reopening of offices of the countries' national airlines. Modern baggage-scanning equipment has been installed and Russian security will be allowed to oversee operations in Cairo as part of the reopening of the route, initially planned for February, they said, hinting that the main requirements placed by Russia have been met and the reason for the delays could lie elsewhere. The move comes as a setback for Egypt, which has hoped for a resumption of the flights for months, when its warm winter weather draws tourists from countries to the north, including what was once a large amount from Russia. Airport officials gave no further reason for the delay. Moscow banned the flights following the deadly bombing of a Russian airliner. Its Transport Ministry did not give much of an explanation for the delay, saying only in a statement that "all political decisions" on the resumption of the flights have been made, and calling on "all parties involved" to speed up the planned resumption. <br/>
A pilot group responsible for aviation safety inspections said Tuesday that budget cuts had weakened government oversight and triggered a spike in airline accidents and near misses in 2017, after years of improving flight safety. According to preliminary figures from the Transportation Safety Board (TSB), the number of aircraft accidents rose to 239 last year, up from 230 in 2016. Commercial aviation had a particularly dangerous year, with 94 accidents reported, compared with 63 the previous year. This included a December crash in northern Saskatchewan province that was the first fatal accident involving a Canadian airliner since 2011. Total aviation incidents, meanwhile, rose to 921, "which represents a significant increase compared to the previous year (833) and the five-year average (737)," the TSB said. "These data, especially the sharp increase in incidents, tell me a major accident is coming," warned Greg McConnell, chair of the Canadian Federal Pilots Association. The pilots association represents some 450 government pilots responsible for aviation inspections, pilot flight testing, licensing, certification, developing operating standards and investigating accidents. It said Transport Canada's "systematic dismantling of aviation safety oversight has accelerated in recent years due to budget shortfalls. "Most recently, the safety regulator handed off checking the skills and competencies of commercial pilots to the airlines."<br/>
British lawmakers should force Heathrow to promise not to raise passenger charges before they give the airport the green light to build a new runway, airline bosses said Tuesday. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has said that the government aims to give the formal go-ahead to a new runway at Europe’s busiest airport in the first half of 2018 subject to consultation work and securing the backing of parliament. Heathrow has pledged to keep down costs but the bosses of BA owner IAG and Virgin Atlantic said that the government should demand a guarantee that the airport would not become more expensive as it gets bigger. “They (Heathrow) should give the commitment that they’ve so far refused to give which is a guarantee that passenger charges will not increase,” IAG CEO Willie Walsh told the Transport Committee of lawmakers. Walsh warned that if building the new runway and associated terminals and new infrastructure gets too expensive, the expansion won’t bring the extra flights that the government hopes will boost trade and the economy. “You won’t get additional flights if Heathrow becomes even more expensive,” he said. Virgin Atlantic CE Craig Kreeger said a guarantee would incentivise Heathrow to stick to its spending plan. “They should bear the risk of their estimate being grossly off-target rather than where we find ourselves today, (which is) being quite concerned that we and our customers, or some combination thereof, would be left holding the bag for any overspending,” he said.<br/>
As a record number of people took to the skies in the US last year, the airline industry found customer satisfaction edged lower. The annual Air Travellers in America Survey by an industry trade group found 81 percent of those questioned were satisfied with their overall travel experience. That is down from 85% in 2016. The drop in satisfaction may not be a surprise since airplanes are more crowded than ever as a healthy economy and relatively low airfares have convinced many to take more flights. In fact, last year there was an increase in annual trips by every age group and household income, with the exception of those who earned more than $150,000, according to Airlines for America. The survey found the biggest jump in trips came from households earning $75,000—$99,999. Last year, people in that category took an average of 5.1 trips, up from 3.4 trips in 2016. "The strides airlines are making to improve the flight experience—from varying fares that can fit any budget, in-flight entertainment options, gourmet food offerings and advancements in technology, both on the ground and in the air— are resonating with customers and leading to more Americans traveling more often by air," said John Heimlich, vice president and chief economist at Airlines for America.<br/>
An extra 1m international passengers passing through Sydney Airport's gates last year has helped boost its annual pre-tax earnings by 8% to nearly $1.2b. Australia's largest airport also benefited from a 13% increase in retail revenue due to strong demand for shop space in its terminals, easily outpacing a 2% rise from its car parking and ground transport operations. Total revenue rose almost 9% to $1.48b last year. The airport's net profit increased 9% to almost $350m for the year. With continued growth in passengers forecast, the airport expects to spend up to $1.5b over the next four years on improvements to its terminals and airfield. That includes as much as $420m this year on projects such as resurfacing runways, expanding terminal gates and road works aimed at reducing congestion at peak periods. The airport's new CE, Geoff Culbert, said a 7% increase in international passengers to a total of 16m underpinned the full-year results. "This result reflects management initiatives, investment, positive macro tailwinds from increasing global tourism and travel, our proximity to Asia, larger and more fuel-efficient aircraft and the continued liberalisation of air rights," he said. International travellers are more than twice as valuable as domestic passengers because they spend longer hours in terminals, hand over more cash in duty-free shopping and pay more in airport charges.<br/>
Handing over a new aircraft is usually a celebratory affair: the customer inspects the new toy, the planemaker breathes a sigh of relief, and everyone poses with a big smile. For Airbus SE’s second-in-command Fabrice Bregier, the delivery of the first A350-1000 model came with a bitter-sweet tinge: his last day at the European manufacturing giant after being overlooked for the top job. Bregier, 56, at least had the satisfaction of seeing the A350 through to the end of its launch phase, with the stretched -1000 model representing the culmination of a program whose production problems took some of the gloss off its sales success during his final years at the company. “I could have stayed a bit longer, but I think I am one of the top managers who has spent the longest time running Airbus,” Bregier, Airbus’s COO and the head of its main jetliner arm, said at a ceremony in Toulouse, France, after handing the plane to Qatar Airways. Frenchman Bregier insisted that he had “only good memories” of 15 years at Airbus, before which he led the company’s MBDA missiles joint venture. His exit was announced in December after he failed to muster sufficient boardroom support to succeed Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders, who plans to stand down next year when his current term expires. The news came as a shock, with Bregier having been regarded as heir-apparent given Airbus’s routine of alternating between French and German leaders. As recently as Dec. 14 he made clear that he was still keen to run the group. Helicopters chief Guillaume Faury is now seen as favorite to become chief after being chosen to head the jetliner arm, albeit not as COO.<br/>