oneworld

American Airlines is returning to New Zealand with daily, non-stop flights between Auckland and Dallas Fort Worth in Texas from October to March. The Texas-headquartered airline, which is the largest in the world, has not flown to New Zealand since the start of the pandemic. American Airlines vice president of international José Freig said the service would launch on October 29 and operate until March 25. American Airlines would service the flights with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, he said. “With Auckland returning to our network, we continue to strengthen American’s Asia-Pacific footprint,” Freig said. In October 2019, American Airlines first announced plans to fly the route, but in April 2020 delayed its launch, along with a new winter seasonal service it had planned from Los Angeles to Christchurch. American Airlines entered the New Zealand market in June 2016 with a non-stop service between Auckland and Los Angeles, which last operated in March 2020. American Airlines has not announced its plans for the Los Angeles-Christchurch and Auckland-Los Angeles services.<br/>

Qatar Airways and Airbus both said they wanted to settle a bitter billion dollar dispute out of court after the latest hearing Thursday in which each side claimed victory. The airline and leading plane maker have been fighting in the British courts for months over peeling paint on 23 A350 jets which have been grounded. A London high court judge agreed Thursday to the airline's demand for a speeded up trial schedule but refused to order Airbus to stop trying to resell jets intended for Qatar Airways to other airlines whilst they wait for a final ruling. Qatar Airways CE Akbar Al Baker, in a rare public comment on the case, told reporters in Doha: "Every partnership has disputes and I just hope that this dispute could be resolved outside the courts of law." The airline, which is demanding about $1 billion in damages, said that it was "pleased" that the latest judgement called for an "expedited trial" and more details on the peeling paintwork that it has said is a threat to the A350's lightning conductor. "We will finally be able assess the cause of the damage to our aircraft and the expedited trial will provide a swift resolution of this unprecedented dispute." Airbus, which is counter-claiming for damages and has retaliated by suspending a $6b deal with Qatar Airways for 50 A321 planes, welcomed the judge's refusal of the airline's demand for the case to be split in two. "The matter can now proceed with all due speed to focus on the main topic of the misrepresentation by Qatar Airways of safety and airworthiness of the A350 - which we will continue to defend," Airbus said. But it also called for renewed efforts outside of court. "Airbus continues to favour engagement and an amicable solution to resolve the dispute. The continued litigation is not in the interests of either party," it added.<br/>

Qatar Airways has tied up with four regional carriers to connect FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 ticket-holders to Doha via match day shuttle flights for 24-hour experiences during the tournament period. The regional airlines include flydubai, Kuwait Airways, Oman Air and Saudia, officials revealed Thursday. The new partnership between the GCC national carriers was sealed with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) during the press conference. Football fans based in Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia or the UAE, will soon be able to book the match day shuttle flights, officials said. "This service is designed with the purpose of connecting fans seamlessly to Qatar so they can attend their respective matches, capture the sights and sounds of the host country, before departing Doha on the same day. Match day shuttle tickets will kick-off at extremely competitive prices along with rotating frequencies from Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait City, Muscat and Riyadh," officials said. <br/>