A mother won a small claims settlement of 4,500 miles against American Airlines on Friday for "breach of contract" and "negligent infliction of emotional distress" after she said a flight attendant harassed her over the seating of her twin infants during a flight. Erika Hamilton, a lawyer from Oregon, was on a February flight with her 18-month-old twin daughters from Portland to Tallahassee, Florida, with a layover in Dallas, according to a copy of the complaint filed to the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon for the County of Multnomah. In the complaint, Hamilton wrote how she purchased tickets for one daughter to sit in her lap and the other in a seat – which followed American Airlines' policy at the time. Infants under the age of 2 "must either travel in a safety seat approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or be able to sit upright in their seat without assistance and have their seatbelt securely fastened during taxi, takeoff, landing and whenever the 'fasten seatbelt' sign is on." The mother ended up being "belittled and harassed" by a flight attendant, Hamilton said via email, "when I was doing something that is absolutely allowed and that is already just really hard – flying alone with two kids under the age of two." "American strives to provide a positive and welcoming experience to everyone who travels with us, while ensuring their safety and comfort while in our care," American Airlines said Wednesday. "We are in touch with Ms. Hamilton and will be refunding 4,500 miles for the ticket in question."<br/>
oneworld
Qatar Airways more than doubled net profits for the six months ended 30 September 2023, driven by increased passenger yields and load factors. The Oneworld carrier posted a net profit of QR3.7b ($1b) over the first half of its financial year, an increase of 114% over the same period a year earlier. Qatar lifted passenger capacity by almost one-fifth compared with the same period last year, aided by the return to service of a ”majority” of its temporarily grounded Airbus A350 fleet. Passenger numbers over the six months climbed 22% to reach 19.1m. That also reflects an increase in load factor to 83.3% for the period. This, combined with yields up 3.6%, helped drive passenger revenue up 28%. Overall revenue, though, increased less sharply, by 7%, to reach QR40.1b. The airline did not disclose a revenue figure for its cargo business, which had increased activity sharply during the pandemic. These are the last set of financial results released under the leadership of CE Akbar Al Baker, who this month steps down after 27 years at the helm of the carrier. ”The interim results this year indicate that the group is tracking towards another very strong year, which builds upon over $2.75b cumulative profits from the previous two years,” says Al Baker. The airline though does flag headwinds over the second half, including ”geopolitical tensions in a number of parts of the world” which it says ”could have an impact on passenger demand for air travel, as well as potentially create operational constraints”. Qatar Airways, which cites fuel costs as the single largest concern, also highlights the impact of exchange rate fluctuations resulting from a strengthening US dollar. However the airline adds: ”Management expects to continue the strong performance despite the headwinds in the second half of 2023-2024.”<br/>
Royal Jordanian believes disruption from the Israeli-Gaza conflict will badly affect Q4 performance and set back the airline’s efforts to return to profitability this year. The carrier had disclosed profits at the nine-month point but CE Samer Majali, speaking to FlightGlobal during the Arab Air Carriers Organization conference in Riyadh, said that break-even was probably the “best we can hope for”. “I was telling my staff how we’re now super-experienced in dealing with crises, as we lurch from one to the next in our part of the world,” he says. Majali states that the airline was supposed to be slightly profitable in Q4 and he had been expecting a full-year surplus. “Now it’s probably going to be wiped out,” he says. Jordan is an access point to the Levant region, but is geographically close to the conflict. Royal Jordanian, which is entering a tourism season, is recording a 10-15% reduction in reservations to the end of this year. Along with this loss of revenues, the airline is also having to cope with higher fuel costs, as well as the suspension of Tel Aviv flights and the need to fly longer routes – over Egypt rather than Israel – to avoid conflict airspace. “The biggest thing is flying over Israel,” says Majali. “All of our western flights normally go over Israel. Now they have to go south, west, then north again – a dog-leg.” Majali says the airline has overcome a series of dramatic events which have directly or indirectly affected the region, but he finds the Israel-Gaza situation particularly frustrating. “It’s really a testament to the lack of global need to solve this 70-year old crisis, and the impact on human beings that it’s had – not only directly but in the economic development of the region. The region has huge economic potential, huge tourism potential,” he says. “It’s time for people to have the chance to develop, prosper and live peacefully. And the world is just not focused on fixing it.”<br/>