Finnair reported a second consecutive quarterly loss on Wednesday and said the final three months of the year are likely yield a similar result as restrictions curb air travel. “We estimate that the ramp-up in terms of demand starting to pick will materialise on a bigger scale at the start of the summer season, so basically end of March, April, next spring,” CE Topi Manner said. Finnair, which is 55.9% state owned, made an underlying operating loss of E167m for July-September, compared with a E174.3m loss in the previous quarter and a profit of E100.7m a year earlier. “Travel restrictions, which are particularly strict in Finland, led us to deviate from our plans and we continued to operate a restricted network throughout the quarter,” Manner said. Evli analysts said Finnair’s loss in the quarter was smaller than markets had expected, but revenue, which decreased by 88.7% to E97.4m, was below market expectations. The airline said it would increase its cost-cutting target by E40m to E140m and reduce headcount by almost 1,100 from the levels at the start of the year. For more savings and to ensure competitiveness after the pandemic, Finnair said it was in talks to remove some index increments from its staff pensions and that the change was pending approval from authorities. The airline said the planned reduction in pension expenses, which it has not yet included in its renewed cost-cut target, would have a one-off positive impact of at least E85m on Q4 earnings, without an immediate impact on cash flow.<br/>
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Finnish investigators have determined that poor communication regarding signals to ground vehicles led a flight attendant to fall from a mobile staircase as it pulled away from a Finnair Airbus A320. The flight attendant was seriously injured in the 3.5m fall at Helsinki Vantaa airport on 13 January. Finland’s Safety Investigation Authority says that, after the passengers had disembarked, a cabin crew member had given the staircase driver the signal to withdraw from the aircraft’s left rear door. But the staircase vehicle could not move immediately because it was blocked by a bus which, in turn, was waiting for a taxiing aircraft to clear. Investigators state that the senior cabin crew member realised the bus was not moving, and asked the crew whether its driver had been given the all-clear. Another flight attendant – believing she was responsible for the signal, and not realising it had already been given – opened the left rear door and stepped onto the staircase, in order to see the bus. As the flight attendant stepped back into the aircraft, the staircase vehicle pulled away, and she overbalanced, falling onto the apron. “Only [one cabin crew member] was aware that the [all-clear] sign had been given, meaning that the situational awareness of the crew was not at the same level,” says the inquiry. It recommends that Finnair clarifies the responsibilities of cabin crew and ensures flight attendants are instructed in maintaining uniform situational awareness.<br/>
Qantas has announced it will operate more scenic flights following the success of its first "flight to nowhere" earlier this month. This time there's a twist - with some state borders now open, the trips will be "flights to somewhere", the airline said. Rather than simply flying over destinations and returning to its point of departure, the next scenic flights will involve landing at a destination for an overnight stay. The next flight will take 110 passengers on board a Boeing 737 to Uluru over the weekend of December 5, departing from Sydney. Passengers will stay at Sails In the Desert at the Voyages resort at Uluru and the flight will include low-level flyovers of the rock and nearby Kata Tjuta (the Olgas). The flight goes on sale at 2pm on Thursday. The first scenic flight, which departed from Sydney and flew over sights including Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef before returning to the city, sold out in 10 minutes. Qantas CE Alan Joyce said the airline had received "fantastic" feedback on the first scenic flight. "Now that more borders are starting to open, we're partnering with tourism operators on the ground to offer special flights to special destinations," he said. "Across Qantas and Jetstar, we're currently operating at just under 30% of our pre-COVID domestic capacity and if borders continue to be relaxed, we're hoping that will reach about 50 per cent by Christmas."<br/>