Virgin Atlantic has revealed that it is in talks with Flybe that could include a "possible offer" for the carrier. Following "recent media speculation", Virgin Atlantic confirms it is "reviewing its options" in regard to Flybe, which range from "enhanced commercial arrangements to a possible offer". Virgin Atlantic, which is 49% owned by Delta Air Lines, adds that there can be "no certainty" that an offer will be made nor as to the terms of any offer. Flybe says Virgin is "one of the parties" it is in discussions with as part of the formal sale process it announced Nov 14. The carrier says that the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, the body which regulates takeovers and mergers in the UK, has agreed that discussions with third parties may be conducted within the context of a formal sale process. <br/>
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One of Indonesia’s aviation chiefs has revealed that the pilot of the Lion Air plane that crashed last month fought to keep the plane in the air to the end, even after it was nose-diving to the ground. Addressing the Indonesian parliament in Jakarta, Nurcahyo Utomo, the aviation head of the national transportation safety committee, said data retrieved from the flight recorder showed that the pilot “continued to fight until the end of the flight”. Nurcahyo also confirmed the aircraft had experienced “the same obstacles” on the previous day’s flight from Denpasar to Jakarta but on that occasion the pilot had managed to keep control of the plane. Analysis of the flight data recorder confirmed the 737 Boeing had no engine problems. Investigators are still searching for the cockpit voice recorder. <br/>
Boeing was slapped with 2 more lawsuits this week by relatives of the victims of a Lion Air jet that plunged into the Java Sea almost a month ago. One of the lawsuits alleges the crash was caused by a defective anti-stall system and Boeing’s defective flight manual and operating procedures. The claim for unspecified damages was filed at a court in Cook County, where the airline manufacturer is headquartered. The lawsuits come days before Indonesian investigators are scheduled to make public their initial findings of the causes that led to Boeing’s 737 Max jet’s fatal dive. They have indicated that a faulty system may have caused the nation’s worst aviation disaster in 2 decades, prompting Boeing to reinforce its pilot manual to airlines operating the latest generation of its best-selling model. <br/>
Flair Airlines is apologising for a situation at Vancouver International that saw a pilot call the police to deal with frustrated passengers at the gate, some of whom had been waiting 14 hours before their flight was cancelled. The Flair flight, scheduled to depart at noon Tuesday, was delayed repeatedly due to maintenance issues before being cancelled at about midnight. RCMP officers arrived at the gate after 11 pm and explained re-booking and accommodation options to passengers. A Flair spokeswoman says a pilot called the RCMP, but he did not ask the officers to relay customer service information to passengers. A Passenger rights advocate called the incident “egregious” and says police should steer clear of civil matters between passengers and airlines. <br/>
Passengers of IndiGo will have to shell out up to INR800 (US$11.32) extra if they opt for web check-in, as the airline has revised its policy. "As per our revised policy all seats are chargeable for web check-in. Alternatively you may check-in at the airport for free. Seats will be assigned as per the availability," IndiGo said Sunday. The airline reported its first quarterly loss at INR6.51m in July-September period amid high fuel cost and rupee depreciation. The revised policy is effective from Nov 14, it said. Accordingly, IndiGo will charge between INR100-800 for such selection online, depending upon the position of the seat. For web check-in of a first-row seat, a passenger will have to pay as much as INR800 extra. Earlier, the carrier charged only for particular types of seats like a window or aisle seat or seat having extra legroom. <br/>
Loss-making SA Express is in last-minute negotiations with banks to extend ZAR640m (US$46.23m) in loans, which fall due at the end of November. If SA Express were to default on its debt, the govt would have to settle it under the guarantee it has extended to the airline, which was allocated a ZAR1.249b bailout in the medium-term budget policy statement. Avril Halstead, the acting deputy director-general for transport enterprises told parliament’s two appropriations committees Friday that engagements with banks were under way to extend the loans for a couple of months in case the money allocated by the budget policy statement did not flow through in time. The remaining debt was staggered over 7 years, but the department wanted to have an upfront payment of the debt because some of it was at high interest rates. <br/>