More than two dozen passengers on a flight operated by India’s biggest full-service carrier, Jet Airways, were treated for minor injuries on Thursday after their plane lost cabin pressure and was forced to turn back, aviation authorities said. Shortly after takeoff from the financial capital of Mumbai, the flight crew forgot to select a switch to maintain cabin pressure and oxygen masks were deployed, India’s civil aviation regulator said. The plane returned to Mumbai, where 30 of its 166 passengers were treated for minor injuries, including headaches and bleeding from the nose or ears, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said. Jet Airways said the flight’s cockpit crew had been taken off scheduled duties until an investigation into the incident was completed. The airline will also cooperate with the DGCA on the investigation, Jet said.<br/>
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A significant minority of Ryanair shareholders voted against the re-election of the airline’s long-serving chairman on Thursday but they overwhelmingly rejected calls by trade unions to oppose CE Michael O’Leary. The votes at the company’s annual meeting were the first chance for investors to give their verdict on a series of strikes and a year of management mis-steps that have seen the share price fall 17%. After a number of shareholders in the lead up to the vote publicly called for Chairman David Bonderman, 75, to step down, he was re-elected with 70.5% of votes, a significant fall from the 89% he received last year. Bonderman has chaired the company since 1996. But they reaffirmed their support for O’Leary, who has pursued a tough line with trade unions, with 98.5% re-electing him to the board, down from 99% last year. O’Leary, 57, said he would now negotiate a new contract to take him beyond 2019, but was reluctant to get tied into a five-year contract at his age. “The overwhelming majority of our shareholders are supportive [of chairman David Bonderman] ... and we should be very appreciative,” O’Leary told the meeting.<br/>
Italy's competition authority Antitrust has opened an inquiry into low-cost airline Ryanair's decision to charge passengers for hand luggage, a which the body described an "essential" item for travellers. From November, non-priority customers of the no-frills airline will only be allowed to take one "small personal bag", such as a handbag or laptop case, into the plane's cabin as long as it can fit under the seat in front. However they will be charged if they want to take on a 10kg holdall or suitcase. Hand luggage is "an essential element of transport" so Ryanair, and all other carriers, should include the price in the cost of a plane ticket, Antitrust said in a statement cited by the Italian press. The new Ryanair policy could amount to unfair commercial practice in that it distorts the final price of the ticket and does not allow a true comparison with other airlines' prices, according to Antitrust. Ryanair announced last month that customers who want to bring more than a small bag into the cabin will have to pay extra charges ranging up to E9. Italian consumer associations had complained to Antitrust about the Ryanair decision.<br/>
RwandaAir is prioritizing adding new routes and overhauling its existing fleet over short-term profitability as the state-owned airline focuses on supporting the country’s growing tourism industry, CEO Yvonne Manzi Makolo said. Rwanda earned $438m from tourism last year and is targeting doubling that in five years to accelerate economic growth that has averaged more than 7% since 2000. The industry is the biggest generator of foreign exchange for the East African nation. “The government has put a lot of focus in terms of developing the aviation sector in order to drive tourism,” Makolo said. “This is not the right time for us to consolidate. It’s time for us to grow.” The Kigali-based carrier, which flies to 26 destinations, is reviewing its fleet of 12 aircraft. In 2019, four more -- two Airbus A330neo and two Boeing Co. 737 Max planes -- will begin operating. RwandAir will reduce its aircraft categories to three from four and will use planes from Airbus for long haul flights, Boeing for mid-range routes and Bombardier for regional destinations.<br/>
A former Southwest employee has filed a discrimination lawsuit claiming the airline allowed employees to create a whites-only break room at Houston’s Hobby Airport. Jamel Parker, who was fired by Southwest last year, says he learned about the so-called “WB” when he started working for the airline in 2013. He claims it existed for years until a recent renovation of Hobby Airport. Parker’s lawsuit also claims black employees found a noose made of bungee cords at a Southwest gate at Hobby. His lawsuit alleges black employees are held to a higher standard than their white counterparts. Parker claims he was fired in 2017 after he ran over a power cord and failed to report it. He cites two similar cases involving white employees who were disciplined but not fired. Southwest said in a statement that it wouldn’t comment on matters relating to litigation, but that the company works “to foster an environment that is diverse and inclusive. We do not tolerate or condone discrimination of any kind.”<br/>
Southwest will co-fund a new $130m regional maintenance facility at Baltimore/Washington International airport, to better meet its needs at the second busiest airport in its network. Construction of the 12,080 m2 line maintenance facility will begin early next year, with completion in 2021. Southwest will invest $80m, with the Maryland Aviation Administration contributing the remaining $50m. The three-bay hangar will be the first of its kind for Southwest in the northeast, complementing six maintenance hangars in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Orlando and Phoenix. The facility will include additional exterior parking spots for eight aircraft, as well as office space. Southwest CE Gary Kelly says the facility is yet another signal of the airline's "serious commitment" to Baltimore/Washington. Construction of the hangar is expected to create 450 jobs, but will not significantly grow maintenance employee numbers at the airline. Southwest currently employs more than 120 technical operations staff at the airport, which is its largest line operation and has the most number of Southwest aircraft remaining overnight.<br/>
Spirit has turned to Florida for its newest destination. The “ultra low-cost carrier” will add two new routes from Jacksonville, launching daily service to both Chicago O’Hare and Detroit on Dec. 20. Jacksonville becomes Spirit's 69th overall city and continues its rapid build-up in Florida. The airline already operates its busiest hub at Fort Lauderdale and has its headquarters nearby. Earlier this summer, Spirit also announced a “big deal” expansion in Orlando. Spirit also flies from the Florida cities of Fort Myers, Tampa and West Palm Beach. As for the new Jacksonville service, Spirit will offer one daily round-trip flight on both of the new routes. “Beyond a proud military presence, the Jacksonville area offers beautiful warm beaches, amazing golf courses, lively festivals, sporting events, and family friendly attractions that will no doubt be a draw for our guests,” said Laurie Villa, a Spirit senior. “As we continue to expand, we want to make sure we continue to serve our neighbours with ultra-low fares right here in our home state.” But it wasn’t all good news for Jacksonville on Wednesday. On the same day that Spirit announced its new Jacksonville flights, small regional outfit Silver Airways said it would discontinue its service at the airport.<br/>
Frontier Airlines is lowering its ticket change fees, a move that will give it one of the most generous policies among US carriers. The biggest change: travellers who change a ticket more than 90 days before departure will pay no change fee. The previous fee was $99. Travellers making changes less than 90 days before their trip but at least two weeks before their trip will pay $49, half the previous cost. Frontier is not changing its policy for last-minute ticket changes. The fee for changes made 13 days or less from travel will remain $99. In all cases, travellers must still pay any fare difference. "We (already) have a more customer friendly change policy than the vast majority of our competitors," said Daniel Shurz, senior VP, commercial for Frontier. The lower fees "should make us more attractive as an airline to fly, simply because we're offering a better value product.''<br/>