Qantas said Friday it would cut more international capacity this month as it grapples with falling demand due to an escalation in the coronavirus outbreak in countries beyond China. The latest cuts to destinations including Tokyo, Sapporo, Osaka, Hong Kong and Auckland are on top of its grounding the equivalent of 18 planes as it cut international and domestic capacity last month. “The coronavirus situation and its impact on international travel demand is evolving and we’re monitoring closely,” the Australian airline said Friday. “Further changes are expected.” With the virus spreading rapidly, international tourist bookings to Australia plunged by 56% over the last month, the country’s tourism minister, Simon Birmingham, said on radio.<br/>
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A passenger tried to open the exit door on an airplane when there wasn't an emergency, and it didn't go over too well. An American Airlines flight from Chicago to Dallas/Fort Worth was diverted Tuesday to St. Louis after an unruly passenger attempted to open the emergency exit door mid-flight. He was unsuccessful in doing so. Flight 2300 left Chicago O'Hare International airport around 6:30 p.m. and made an emergency landing at St. Louis Lambert International less than an hour after takeoff. The passenger was removed from the plane and detained by airport police who contacted federal authorities to investigate, Jeff Lea, a St. Louis Lambert spokesperson said. Fellow passengers helped subdue the man to prevent him from opening the exit door. <br/>
A veteran airline mechanic was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for sabotaging an American Airlines jetliner with 150 people aboard in a bid to earn overtime fixing the plane. In sentencing 60-year-old Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani, US District Judge Marcia Cooke said she found no evidence to support allegations that Alani had links to the Islamic State extremist group or any terrorist organization. Those allegations had surfaced in previous hearings. “The indictment doesn’t charge anything related to terrorism or terrorist activity,” Cooke said. “I don’t see anything.” Alani is a naturalised US citizen originally from Iraq who had been an airline mechanic for 30 years. Prosecutors said he has a brother in Iraq who may be involved with the Islamic State group and that Alani had made statements wishing Allah would use “divine powers” to harm non-Muslims. There were also Islamic State videos found on his cellphone, they said. But Assistant US Attorney Randy Hummel said investigators found “no linkage” between Alani and any extremist groups. “I do think the evidence suggests extreme recklessness,” Hummel said.<br/>