American Airlines is investigating how a 67-year-old woman in a wheelchair was left alone overnight at Chicago O'Hare International when her flight was canceled. The incident started Friday night when Olimpia Warsaw's flight from Chicago to Detroit was canceled and a porter was assigned to take care of her. Her son says Warsaw was offered a hotel room but when nobody would take her, the porter said his shift was over and left. The family grew concerned and called security, and the woman who suffers from Parkinson's disease and has trouble communicating was located. An American spokesman says the airline met with the family, refunded Warsaw's ticket and was taking steps to "ensure this does not happen again." <br/>
oneworld
Passenger-door seal damage caused by a catering truck caused unnerving on-board noise that led the pilots of a Qantas Airbus A380 to return to Sydney 2 hours into a scheduled flight to the US, an ATSB report found. The A380 conducted a routine departure from Sydney Airport on a scheduled flight to Dallas/Fort Worth International Aug 29. As it passed FL250, “a loud noise was detected coming from a door on the upper deck,” ATSB said. The crew determined the door was closed and locked “correctly and not at risk of opening.” But “passenger discomfort” combined with “the unknown nature of the issue” convinced the flight crew to return to Sydney. The aircraft dumped fuel and completed an “uneventful” arrival, ATSB said in its report, released Nov 29. <br/>
The battle for premium travellers in Singapore is heating up, with Qatar Airways now offering its Qsuite business class cabin, with seats that can be converted into a double bed, on flights to and from Singapore. The product, which made its debut on the Doha-London route in June last year, is now available for Singapore travellers on the airline's Airbus 350-1000. It is currently offered on 2 of the 3 daily Doha-Singapore services. The airline expects that by April next year, all 3 daily flights to Singapore will offer the Qsuite cabin. Qatar Airways, which now has 30 A-350s and Boeing 777 planes that offer the Qsuite cabin, said the market is becoming more competitive. "Flat beds and direct aisle access are now the standard for business class travellers," said an executive for the carrier. <br/>
Japan Airlines is broadening its US network with new codeshare destinations via Seattle through an expanded partnership with Alaska Airlines. JAL is scheduled to launch flights from Tokyo Narita to Seattle March 31, using Boeing 787-8s. The new Alaska Airlines codeshare routes will begin at the same time, although they went on sale from Dec 3. JAL’s Narita-Seattle route is also part of its joint venture agreement with American Airlines, a fellow oneworld member. The Japanese carrier already codeshares with Alaska Airlines via its existing US gateways. The arrangement currently covers 25 US codeshare routes and 16 unique destinations. Under the expanded agreement, JAL will codeshare on 55 Alaska Airlines routes via Seattle to US and Canadian cities. <br/>