An American Airlines flight from Miami to Barbados returned to the airport after fumes filled the cabin, officials said. Flight 338 departed Miami International Airport at Wednesday night, but had to return due to a strong chemical odor coming from a passenger's carry-on item, spokesman Greg Chin told The Associated Press. Passengers and crew exited the plane on the airfield and were evaluated by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Chin said. They were then bussed back to the terminal. American Airlines said that all customers were offered hotel accommodations. The flight was rescheduled for Thursday morning. It was not clear how many passengers were on the plane.<br/>
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Qatar Airways is boosting its workforce by 10,000 to handle an influx of passengers flying into Doha for the soccer World Cup and in line with a broader post-pandemic expansion, the airline told Reuters. The Doha-based carrier is in the midst of a recruitment drive which will lift its total workforce to more than 55,000 from around 45,000 currently, a spokesperson, who declined to be named. "Qatar Airways is on a growth trajectory following COVID and with World Cup preparations in full swing it is ramping up recruitment across the airline," the company said in a statement to Reuters this week. The airline declined to say how many of the new positions would be permanent. It cut staff levels to below 37,000 in 2021 after reducing its destinations to 33 cities during the height of the pandemic in 2020. It has since ramped operations back up to more than 150 destinations. Recruitment events were held in the Philippines, India and other countries at the end of September, the spokesperson said.<br/>
Qantas Airways surprised the market with a stronger-than-expected profit forecast on Thursday that underscored how Asian airlines are recovering from the pandemic at vastly different paces as demand rebounds. Carriers that benefited from strong external funding or government support, earlier openings, large domestic markets and surging cargo rates are thriving, while those with longer-lasting quarantine rules, weaker balance sheets and more aircraft in storage are struggling to gain ground as the economic outlook darkens. Qantas saw shares surge 9% for the day after it revealed results in the first half ending Dec. 31 would reach as much as A$1.3b ($815.75m), more than double market expectations, with consumers willing to pay higher fares despite rising inflation and interest rates. "There is still a massive amount of pent-up demand," Qantas CE Alan Joyce told analysts, adding that the airline predicts there will be less supply for several years, particularly internationally. International rivals have been slower to bring back long-haul capacity and the stronger US dollar makes it less attractive for carriers from the United States and Middle East, in a trend that also helped Air New Zealand to get back in the black this half. Singapore Airlines, meanwhile, has also reaped rewards from the city-state's fully opening its borders in April, strong financial support from government-owned investment arm Temasek Holdings as well as its hub position. "Given the supply-demand imbalance, air fares and yields have been very high, leading to a return of profitability for those airlines that have been able to bring back a significant amount of capacity," Singapore-based independent analyst Brendan Sobie said. This phenomenon, however, could be temporary, with airline profits at risk next year amid weakening demand while capacity rebounds as lagging carriers bring more planes into service, he added. In North Asia, airlines have suffered from a lack of customers, though the outlook is improving as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea ease quarantine and testing rules.<br/>
Qantas has claimed to have performed better than rival Virgin on delays in September – despite months of it being the worst-performing airline in Australia. The business said in its latest market update that its ‘on-time performance’ increased from 67% in August to 69% the following month. While the numbers have yet to be publicly verified by the department of transport, it would prove a remarkable turnaround after slumping to just 45% in July. In 2022, the Flying Kangaroo has faced a string of problems, including huge delays at Easter, hours-long call wait times, and even a revelation that the cabin crew of a Qantas A330 were made to sleep across seats in economy. Across the industry, school holidays have led to the worst delays on record in April, June and July as carriers battled COVID sick leave, skill shortages and bad weather. However, on Thursday, Qantas claimed its current October cancellation rate of 1.7% was “market leading” and “better than pre-COVID” levels.<br/>