Massachusetts State Police escorted a flight attendant from an American Airlines passenger jet after a complaint of a camera allegedly placed in a bathroom aboard the aircraft. Passengers aboard American Airlines flight 1441 flying from Charlotte to Boston reported to local media that a woman reported her teenage daughter noticed the camera in the first-class lavatory. Law enforcement officers met the plane at the gate after it landed Sept. 2. Massachusetts State Police initially reported to WSOC-TV in North Carolina that the episode involved a juvenile, a flight attendant and a cell phone. But State Police later deferred to the FBI as the primary investigating agency because the episode happened in the air, where the FBI has jurisdiction. An FBI spokesperson said the agency had no comment on Friday. “We take this matter very seriously and are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation, as safety and security are our highest priorities,” American Airlines said.<br/>
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Australia’s transport minister blocked a request from Qatar Airways to operate more flights into the country without consulting Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles. Marles, who was standing in for the prime minister when the decision was made in July, said in an interview with Sky News on Sunday that the call was “within the purview” of Transport Minister Catherine King. “She makes the decision on any specific application,” Marles said, adding that “we want to see greater access into the Australian market.” The refusal of the Qatar request has come under intense political scrutiny. Australia’s aviation market is highly consolidated and public anger toward Qantas Airways Ltd., which controls about 61% of the domestic market, has been growing for months. Outrage over fake-ticket allegations, exorbitant fares and canceled flights culminated in the airline’s CEO, Alan Joyce, stepping down on Tuesday, two months earlier than expected. Traveler rage reached its peak in July last year, when Joyce’s Sydney home was pelted with eggs and toilet paper. The Qatar request was blocked after lobbying by Qantas and fueled the perception that the government was protecting the dominant carrier at the expense of rival airlines and consumers. Bridget McKenzie, deputy leader of the opposition National Party and chair of a government inquiry into the decision over Qatar Airways, told Sky News that the government’s approach to the airline was inconsistent. She said the aviation sector was not included in a two-year review of competition laws and policy that was announced last month. “I believe they’re running a protection racket for Qantas,” she said on Sunday. Marles cited “our national aviation interest” as one of a range of factors behind the decision and said that a 2020 incident at Qatar’s main airport, during which five Australian women were strip-searched, was also “a factor.” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously said he did not know about the Qatar decision until after it was made. <br/>
Malaysia Airlines is to expand its operations in India with the addition of three new cities, as part of wider network ramp-up to “key markets” in Asia and Australia. The Kuala Lumpur-based carrier will from early November launch twice weekly flights each to Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram and Ahmedabad, bringing the total number of Indian cities served to nine. The flights will be operated with Boeing 737-800s, the airline adds. Malaysia Airlines currently flies to New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. Pointing out that India is a “key market” for Malaysia Airlines, Izham Ismail, group managing director of airline parent Malaysia Aviation Group, says: “We are looking at restoring our pre-Covid-19 capacity back in the Indian market by the end of this year and will also look to increase flight frequencies to other destinations as we support seamless travels in Malaysia and beyond.” The airline is also ramping up operations to Australia, with Melbourne and Sydney seeing one and two additional weekly flights respectively, from December. In China, Malaysia Airlines will increase flights to Guangzhou (five to seven weekly flights), Beijing Daxing (three to seven weekly flights), as well as Shanghai Pudong (nine to 10 weekly flights). Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh city will see increased frequencies in December. Compatriot Batik Air Malaysia, meanwhile, is launching thrice-weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to Karachi in Pakistan. The flights, which will be operated using 737-800s, will launch on 31 October. It is Batik Air Malaysia’s second Pakistani city after Lahore, which it launched in 2016. Indian low-cost operator IndiGo also announced the roll-out of several routes to the Middle East and Asia.<br/>
Hong Kong's Competition Commission has closed an investigation into a proposed joint venture agreement between Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines after the two airlines abandoned the idea. In a September 7 statement, the regulator said the two airlines had wanted to enter into a metal-neutral joint business agreement for all their scheduled passenger services between Hong Kong and Malaysia. Distinguishable from a simple codeshare agreement, the joint venture, first flagged in May 2022, would have seen the two airlines sharing revenue and costs on a given route regardless of which carrier operated the actual flight. However, in late July 2023, Malaysia Airlines and Cathay Pacific told the Competition Commission that they would not proceed with the joint venture plan. Both airlines compete on the Kuala Lumpur - Hong Kong route (along with AirAsia and Batik Air Malaysia), while Cathay Pacific also flies the Penang - Hong Kong route. The dominant airline on the country pair is AirAsia, providing 43.06% of the weekly seat capacity. AirAsia is followed by Cathay Pacific (37.2%) and Malaysia Airlines (11.92%). If the joint venture had gone ahead, the two cooperating airlines would have a 49%+ market share (in terms of seat capacity). Fourteen indirect services between Hong Kong and Malaysian destinations with transfer at Kuala Lumpur were also included in the proposed joint venture.<br/>
Malaysia Airlines is experiencing some passenger discontent after ending its pre-existing catering contract on September 1 without having locked in another provider. Consequently, some passengers are complaining about being served packaged food such as biscuits and bread on flights rather than the traditional in-flight meal. Malaysia Airlines has long enjoyed a strong reputation for its inflight catering. As previously reported in ch-aviation, Malaysia Airlines' parent company, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), ended its 26-year catering contract with Brahim's Food Services Sdn Bhd (BFS) on September 1 after failing to agree on certain new contractual clauses. As a result, Malaysia Airlines implemented its business continuity plan to ensure catering still reached its departing flights. Pending negotiating a new contract, the airline is now using eight providers, including Pos Aviation Sdn Bhd and MAS Awana Services Sdn Bhd. Pos Aviation had previously catered for certain Malaysia Airlines flights, including flights to Japan and South Korea. They have since taken on the catering for flights to the United Kingdom, the Middle East, and Australasia. Consequently, normal food and beverage service continues on these routes. However, catering on other routes, primarily short and medium-haul routes, is affected. Passengers on the impacted routes are being advised that all special meals, the Chef-on-Call service, meal upgrades and pre-booked meal options are paused. Depending on the class of travel and route, passengers may get pre-packaged meals rather than fresh meals. Additionally, on some longer flights, there may be a "revised meal structure," although the airline does not specify what that entails.<br/>