American Airlines will cut service to four cities because of a pilot shortage. As of Sept. 7, the airline will no longer serve Islip or Ithaca in New York; Toledo, Ohio; or Dubuque, Iowa. All four cities are currently served by AA's regional affiliates and have up to two daily flights to larger hubs. "We have 100 regional aircraft on the ground that we want to fly but can’t due to lack of regional pilots," American Airlines spokesperson Brian Metham said. "Like many network carriers, we have reduced our regional flying in recent months in response to the regional pilot shortage." American will continue serving other airports less than 100 miles from each of the four cities that are losing service. The airline said it is taking other steps, including boosting regional pilot pay rates, to make its operation more reliable this summer. Pilots, however, worry that these cuts are just a sign of things to come. "If you look at the deal they (American) sent to the wholly owned, the regional pilots, that's for two years," said Dennis Tajer, spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American's aviators, referring to the higher pay rates American's affiliates will offer their pilots. "They think they're going to have issues for two years. That's what that tells us." Tajer, who is also an active 737 pilot at the airline, said the men and women on the flight deck are just as frustrated as passengers by the airline's issues this summer. "You sold tickets in the spring that you knew you wouldn't be able to fulfill this summer," he said, adding that so far in June, over 600,000 American passengers have been affected by cancellations and delays citing internal company data.<br/>
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A senior airline industry official criticised a decision by Airbus to revoke a plane order from Qatar Airways, saying the move would encourage airlines to take their own decisions to cancel deals whenever unhappy with planemaker performance. Willie Walsh, DG of the International Air Transport Association, issued the warning as the head of Qatar Airways told the same news conference that manufacturers should not take advantage of "market dominance" to bully airlines. Airbus and Qatar Airways are locked in a dispute over the A350 that spilled over to the A321neo earlier this year when Airbus revoked a deal for the smaller plane on the grounds that the two deals were contractually linked.<br/>
Two high-tech Airbus A350 jets sit idle with their windows taped and engines covered in a floodlit hangar in the Gulf, hobbled by an international legal dispute between European industrial giant Airbus and Qatar's national carrier. From a distance, the planes might seem like any other long-haul jetliners crowding the busy Doha hub. But a rare on-site visit by Reuters journalists showed what appeared to be evidence of damage to the surface of wingtips, tail and hull. The two planes, worth around $300m combined according to analysts, are among 23 grounded A350s at the centre of a $1b London court battle over whether the damage represents a potential safety risk, something Airbus strongly denies. The planes were grounded by Qatar's regulator after premature paint erosion exposed damage to a metallic sub-layer that provides protection to the fuselage from lightning strikes. Other airlines continue to fly the A350 after European regulators declared the aircraft safe. Reuters journalists were granted rare first-hand access after requesting the visit on the sidelines of an airline industry meeting in the Qatari capital, Doha, this week. Sporadic surface flaws on the A350s viewed by Reuters included an elongated stretch of blistered and cracked or missing paint along the roof or crown of the jets. In some areas, the protective lightning mesh that sits between the hull and the paint appeared exposed and corroded. Story has more.<br/>
Japan Airlines plans to make a decision in a year or two on the replacement of its ageing fleet of Boeing 767s and Embraer regional jets, a senior executive said on Tuesday. JAL will consider the 787 and Airbus A321neo families as possible replacements for its 767 fleet and the A220 and E2 models for regional jets, said Ross Leggett, the airline's head of route marketing, international relations and alliances. "We have got a fairly large 787 fleet, so whether it is an A321 that could then be used quite well within Asia as well, we really haven't looked at the full decision," he told Reuters on the sidelines of an airline industry gathering in Doha. JAL has 31 767s, 18 Embraer E-170s and 14 E-190s in its fleet, according to its website. Leggett said the airline had returned domestic capacity to 100% of pre-pandemic levels in May, though demand was running at about 85% to 95% of 2019 levels.<br/>
An ATSB investigation has criticised Qantas’s safety video after passengers escaping a smoke-filled cabin took to the emergency slides while carrying their hand luggage. It came following a safety incident in 2019 that saw a “haze” form in the cabin after an A330 returned back to Sydney due to a hydraulic leak. The report also suggested cabin crew, who had detected an “unusual smell” upon landing, failed to pass that information on to the flight crew. Qantas said in response it now provides additional training for pilots and cabin crew in responding to similar situations, and also updated its safety video. “The ATSB found limitations and inconsistencies in how Qantas’s safety video and briefing card described emergency slide use and what to do with cabin baggage in an emergency,” said ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell. “For example, the pre-flight video showed a passenger sitting down and placing their bag next to them, just prior to sliding. “The management of passengers in an emergency situation is the last line of defence to avoid injuries and fatalities, so it is important passengers are well informed through the provision of sufficient and accurate communication about what they may be required to do.”<br/>