Airbus has lost a contest with Boeing to sell wide-body jets to American Airlines, dealing a blow to the planemaker’s efforts to boost A330neo orders in the US. Talks with American over the re-engined model have ended, Airbus said, saying it was unwilling to match the price Boeing offered. The carrier had been studying the A330neo and Boeing 787 Dreamliner as a possible substitute for an old and no-longer-wanted deal for 22 of Airbus’s A350 twin-aisle aircraft. American said it hasn’t yet made any final decisions on the aircraft order. American had planned the A350 as a replacement for Boeing 767s and 777s that it’s slowly retiring. But the carrier put off delivery of the A350s in both 2016 and 2017, and said earlier this year it was looking at Boeing’s Dreamliner and the A330-900 instead. <br/>
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American Airlines received notification Friday from the Association of Flight Attendants that the union intends to file suit against American and uniform supplier Twin Hill if the two parties do not immediately take action to deal with the alleged hazard Twin Hill uniforms pose to AA workers. Those Twin Hill uniforms still worn by tens of thousands of AA employees are believed to be tied to symptomatic reactions experienced by thousands of AA flight attendants, customer service agents and pilots since the outfits were rolled out in September of 2016. AFA has repeatedly encouraged American to remove the toxic uniforms from the property with a temporary replacement. While the airline has chosen a new future vendor, it will be years before the new uniform fully replaces the toxic uniforms.” <br/>
Australia's first direct flight to Britain took off Sunday from the western city of Perth, cutting flying time roughly 3 hours by skipping stopovers in Singapore or the Middle East, Qantas officials said. The 17-hour flight, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, will touch down in London at 5:05 am, having covered a distance of more than 14,484 km. It is the world's second-longest flight after a Qatar Airways service between Doha and Auckland that covers 14,529 km. About 730,000 British tourists visit Australia every year and the new service could boost interest in the state of Western Australia, often overlooked in favour of the country's east coast, said tourism minister Steven Ciobo. Qantas plans to introduce non-stop flights from Australia's east coast to Britain in the next few years. <br/>
Qantas and Emirates said Saturday that they welcomed the reauthorisation of their partnership by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The agreement will last until 2023. According to airlines, the continuation of the joint business, announced in August 2017, will deliver expanded services, greater schedule choice, increased frequent flyer benefits and an ongoing commitment to the development of world class products and travel experiences. “The ACCC’s reauthorisation of our joint business is an important milestone in helping us continue deliver benefits for travellers and Australian tourism for the next 5 years,” said Qantas International CE Alison Webster. <br/>