THAI went into the red last year as it felt the impact of fierce market competition and higher fuel costs. The carrier posted an overall net loss of THB2.072b in 2017, despite making an operating profit of THB2.856b -- marking a drop of THB1.215b or 29.8% from 2016, according to Kanok Thongpurk, the executive VP of THAI in charge of legal management and general administration. The airline blamed jet fuel prices which rose 24.2% last year, a 7.7% drop in passenger yields resulting from stepped-up competition and a reduction in the fuel surcharge as major contributors to the negative performance. It also faced other issues such as foreign-exchange losses and impaired aircraft and assets. THAI's revenue last year rose 6.3% to THB191.94b due to improved passenger fares, air freight charges and other service fees. <br/>
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A United Airlines flight from New Jersey to Tampa was unable to take off on time Sunday evening after a passenger escaped the plane by opening the emergency exit door and jumping off using the inflatable slide. United Airlines Flight 1640 was parked at the gate at Newark Liberty International when the passenger popped a chute and slid down, according to law enforcement sources. When officers got to the scene, the panicked passenger was yelling that he didn’t belong on the plane because it was the wrong flight, according to the airline. Despite the claim he was on the wrong flight, Port Authority said he was ticketed to be on the plane to Tampa. The flight was delayed for more than 5 hours. <br/>
Air India has invited bids for 150 iPads to replace defective video screens on some of its planes. The tender is for new tablets for 18 aircraft in Air India's fleet and is for the period of 1 year. The bid document seeks to "lease new iPads with preloaded content by using the current IFE (in-flight entertainment) content for service recovery on board its aircraft." An airline official said that these iPads are a backup option and will be provided to passengers in premium classes whose IFE screens are unserviceable. He added that these tablets would be used for Air India's Boeing 777 planes. Air India CMD Pradeep Kharola had said last month that in order to woo premium travellers and improve its seat occupancy in business class, the airline would look at offering them better services. <br/>