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Qantas has picked Airbus jets to fly its ultra long haul routes, dealing a blow to rival plane maker Boeing. The airline selected the A350-1000 for its planned non-stop Sydney to London service, which would be the world's longest commercial flight. Qantas also delayed a final decision on whether to begin those, and other long haul services, until March 2020. Still, the win for Airbus comes as Boeing deals with the grounding of its 737 Max fleet after two deadly crashes. Qantas has been testing the ultra long haul flights as part of its "Project Sunrise" plan. Two years ago, the airline challenged the world's two biggest plane makers to design passenger jets for the project that could fly in excess of 17,000km, which means being in the air for up to 20 hours. "After detailed evaluation of the Boeing 777X and Airbus A350, Qantas has selected the A350-1000 as the preferred aircraft if Sunrise proceeds," the airline said. The Australian carrier said it would work closely with Airbus on a deal for as many as 12 aircraft, but no orders have yet been placed. Qantas wants to run direct services from Australia's east coast to London, New York, Paris, Frankfurt as well as destinations in Latin America and Africa.<br/>

American Airlines is pushing back the return of its Boeing 737 Max planes another month, removing the plane from its schedule until April 7. American said Thursday that it based the decision on the latest guidance from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Transportation Department and Boeing. The airline said that if the FAA certifies the plane, it could operate flights with only employees and invited guests before April 7. American had 24 Max jets when they were grounded in March after fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia and expected to receive more during the year. It has canceled thousands of flights because of the grounding. American CEO Doug Parker has said Boeing, not American, will shoulder the cost of those cancellations. <br/>

American Airlines is apologising after a passenger says she was forced to remove her "Hail Satan" shirt or get off the flight. The incident happened in October, when passenger Swati Runi Goyal boarded an American Airlines flight from Miami to Las Vegas wearing a shirt that read "Hail Satan". Goyal, a 49-year-old from Key West, says members of the flight crew asked her to change her shirt or get off the flight because it was "offensive." "At first (the flight attendants) asked me to gather my things and come to the front of the plane, at which point I thought ‘Oh great, we’re being upgraded,' " Goyal said. "After a little bit of back and forth, my husband realized that the (flight attendant) was serious about us getting up from the flight. We quickly realized that there was a problem." American Airlines issued a statement about the incident: "We apologize to Ms. Goyal for her experience, and have reached out to her to understand what occurred."<br/>