American Airlines diverted one of its flights to Denver after a passenger carried out "one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we've ever witnessed," the company's CEO said Thursday. Flight 976 was en route from New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Calif., on Wednesday when the violence happened. "Last night, @AmericanAir had one of the worst displays we've seen, when a passenger violently assaulted one of our flight attendants," CEO Doug Parker said in an Instagram post. "Thankfully, our flight attendant is recovering and we are making sure she and her fellow crew members have the support they need." Paul Hartshorn, a spokesman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, said the passenger punched the flight attendant at least two times, causing her to have "multiple broken bones in her face." "We are still trying to understand what happened," Hartshorn told The Dallas Morning News. "As far as we know, she may have bumped him. She wasn't even working in this particular cabin class when it happened." Parker said the passenger involved will be permanently banned from flying on American Airlines and the company was working to ensure they they are prosecuted "to the full extent possible."<br/>
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American Airlines CE Doug Parker on Thursday sounded the alarm about disruptive and violent incidents onboard US airplanes after a flight attendant was physically assaulted, prompting a flight diversion. "This type of behavior has to stop," Parker said in a video posted on Instagram. "American Airlines will not tolerate airport or inflight misconduct of any kind." American said a New York to Santa Ana, California, flight on Wednesday diverted to Denver after a passenger assaulted a flight attendant. US airlines have reported a record number of violent incidents this year and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pledged a "zero tolerance" approach. Parker called the latest incident "one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we’ve ever witnessed." A passenger on the flight said that the flight attendant had blood splattered on her mask after she had been punched. The passenger was arrested when the plane made its unplanned stop in Denver. Through Monday, there have been 4,941 reports of unruly passenger incidents, including 3,580 related to pandemic face covering regulations.<br/>
British Airways and Iberia owner International Airlines Group’s has offered concessions to address EU antitrust concerns over its E500m bid for Spain’s Air Europa, a European Commission filing showed on Thursday. IAG put in its offer on Wednesday. The EU executive, which did not provide details in line with its policy, extended its deadline for a decision on the deal to Jan. 4. IAG signed a deal with Spanish airline Volotea in March last year to buy several of IAG’s routes to bolster competition on the domestic market in an attempt to allay regulatory concerns but did not detail which routes. The EU antitrust watchdog is now expected to seek feedback from rivals and customers before deciding whether to accept IAG’s offer or demand more concessions in return for the green light. It had previously said the deal would reduce competition on Spanish domestic and international routes.<br/>
Lawyers who represent the families of 298 people who died when a Malaysia Airlines jet was shot down over Ukraine in 2014, are being intimidated and have been offered protective measures, Dutch broadcaster RTL reported on Thursday. Several members of the team of lawyers, representing the families in the ongoing Flight MH17 Dutch murder trial of three Russians and a Ukrainian citizen, reported being followed home from the court building or seeing suspicious men checking out their home addresses, the RTL report said. "In general terms, all parties concerned with the (MH17) trial are aware of physical and digital threats. We never comment on specific security measures," Dutch national anti-terrorism agency NCTV spokesperson Anna Sophia Postumus told Reuters in an email. The NCTV would not comment on the details of the report. RTL said the agency had organised a briefing for victims' lawyers late September where they were told Russia was likely behind the alleged intimidation and offered protective measures. The lawyers also declined to comment.<br/>
When flight attendant Megan Walmsley takes off at 10.25 on Monday night aboard QF11 from Sydney to Los Angeles - her first such service for two years - she understandably expects to feel a sense of elation and relief. She won't be the only one. For passengers aboard the flight, a good many who will be heading to the US to reunite with loved ones, there will no doubt be a sense of catharsis after having completed new and onerous airport pre-boarding procedures and protocols. Qantas, which is set to resume international flights on November 1, has provided insights into what its fully-vaccinated passengers will face when flying and what it plans to do to help alleviate their stress. One thing is for sure. The days of cutting it fine will be well and truly over. Even though passengers are asked to check-in for flights online with Qantas via "revamped digital booking and pre-departure experience tailored to each customer's journey" on its website and app, they will also be required by the airline to arrive at the airport four hours before departure. That's roughly the equivalent of a flight between Sydney and Perth, should any of us be able to fly there. As expected, they will also be required to wear a mask from the moment they set foot in the terminal, as well as on the aircraft, removing it only for food service. They will also likely have to keep it on until they leave the terminal at their destination. Not since post-September 11, 2001, will flying overseas be such a complex and stressful process with passengers still having to deal with the full range of security procedures combined with added COVID-19 measures and paperwork.<br/>