British Airways passengers faced widespread delays throughout the airline’s network Thursday as a technical problem led to cancellations and frustrated travellers. The problem, which a BA spokesman could only describe as “a technical issue,” began overnight Nov 20-21, causing what he described as “less than a handful” of cancellations on flights scheduled to head to the UK. Widespread comments on social media platforms described delays of up to 12 hours and some cancellations leading to passengers having to wait almost 24 hours for the next service. A few passengers said pilots had spoken of problems with the flight-planning system. The spokesman said he was not sure of the average delay to fights, “but we wouldn’t argue with some of the reports we’ve seen out there.” <br/>
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American Airlines' flight attendants union will determine this week if it has sufficient grounds to sue Boeing for damages resulting from the March 2019 grounding of 737 Max aircraft. “The voting board of directors of the APFA has expressed an interest in exploring the possibility of a lawsuit to seek damages from Boeing," said Lori Bassani, APFA's national president. A local APFA president and other members have expressed internally a desire for the union to consider suing Boeing, as Southwest Airlines' flight attendants union has done, Bassani states. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association filed a lawsuit against Boeing seeking damages for lost compensation during the Max grounding, while the TWU that represents Southwest's flight attendants has publicly explored the option of suing Boeing, stopping short of litigation. <br/>
Khazanah Nasional's MD, Shahril Ridza Ridzuan opined that Malaysia faces an overcapacity issue, which is reflected in Malaysia Airlines’ persistent losses. The country has 4 main carriers in a market of 30m people, representing "roughly about" 1.7 seats for every flying passenger, he said at a parliamentary committee in April, of which the transcript was released last month. Shahril noted that Malaysian carriers have been facing revenue pressure due to intense competition, and the airlines are pricing their tickets to cover their variable costs but not the fixed asset costs. The Malaysian govt, which owns 100% of Malaysia Airlines through Khazanah, is facing a dilemma as to whether it should continue providing money to the carrier, due to the knock-on effect the airline has on the Malaysian economy. <br/>
JAL now holds 50% of the voting rights stock in Jetstar Japan, after acquiring Mitsubishi Corporation’s entire 16.7% stake in the airline. JAL did not disclose the value and timeline of the transaction but tells Cirium at this point, it has no plans to increase its stake in Jetstar Japan any further. “According to the company’s medium-term management plan, JAL looks to strengthen the LCC market in Japan and offer competitive fares that match the needs of price-sensitive customers, while increasing demand from our overseas customer base,” JAL tells Cirium. “(Jetstar Japan’s) business model will continue to focus on the LCC market in Japan. An external board director from Mitsubishi Corporation will retire from the position and a representative from JAL will replace the position.” <br/>