American Airlines will be the first US carrier to serve Tokyo from New York when it launches service to Haneda from JFK on June 28. “This new service will complement flights offered by our joint business partner, Japan Airlines, giving more ways for our customers travel between the US and Japan,” Brian Znotins, American’s Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning said. Travelers from JFK would previously have had to fly ANA or Japan Airlines, or connect through another city to reach Tokyo. Tickets for the flights went on sale on Feb. 26. The Japan-bound flight will depart JFK at 11:25 a.m. and arrive in Haneda at 2:30 p.m. the next day. The return flight leaves Haneda at 4:30 p.m. daily and arrives at JFK at 4:35 p.m. the same day. Flights take about 12 hours and 50 minutes between the two airports, but because they cross the international dateline, it seems like the return to the US takes no time at all. United Airlines offers direct flights from Newark to Narita, Japan.<br/>
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The Malaysian government said Sunday it is open to resuming the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 that went missing en route to Beijing nearly 10 years ago, citing a potential collaboration with a US ocean exploration company. Speaking at a ceremony organized by family members of the crash victims ahead of the anniversary of the Boeing 777's disappearance, Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook said he will try to persuade the Cabinet to approve the search. "This is the biggest aviation mystery in the whole world. We must solve this mystery," he said. The search is expected to be conducted on a "no-find, no-fee" basis, the minister said, noting that he has instructed the transport ministry to invite Ocean Infinity to Malaysia to be briefed on the matter. Flight MH370 vanished from radar less than 40 minutes after taking off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport just after midnight on March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers and crew on board. Based on radar and satellite communications, it was calculated that the plane diverted from its flight path and plunged into the southern Indian Ocean, sparking a massive international hunt led by Australia. The Australian-led search spent nearly three years and $200m scouring 120,000 square kilometers of one of the world's largest oceans before the hunt was declared over in January 2017, with no significant piece of wreckage ever being found. In January 2018, Ocean Infinity took over the operation under a "no cure, no fee" agreement and combed a further 112,000 square km that also yielded nothing by the time its contract expired in May. An independent international investigation team led by Malaysia concluded in its report released in 2018 that there was no way to determine what caused the plane's disappearance because there was no major wreckage or flight data information for the team to examine.<br/>
Relatives of passengers on a Malaysia Airlines plane that mysteriously vanished 10 years ago pushed for a new search on March 3 as they spoke of enduring grief and the struggle to find closure. Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 aircraft carrying 239 people, disappeared from radar screens on March 8, 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Despite the largest search in aviation history, the plane has never been found. About 500 relatives and their supporters gathered on March 3 at a shopping centre near the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur for a “remembrance day”, with many visibly overcome with grief. They lit 239 candles, one for each passenger lost on the flight. Some relatives came from China, where almost two-thirds of the passengers of the doomed plane were from. “The last 10 years have been a non-stop emotional roller coaster for me,” Grace Nathan, a 36-year-old Malaysian lawyer whose mother, Ms Anne Daisy, 56, was on the flight, told AFP. Speaking to the crowd, she called on the Malaysian government to conduct a new search. “MH370 is not history,” she said. Madam Liu Shuang Fong, 67, from China’s Hebei province, lost her 28-year-old son Li Yan Lin, who was a passenger on the plane. “I demand justice for my son. Where is the plane?” said Madam Liu, who flew to Malaysia for the event. “The search must go on,” she added.<br/>
Fiji Airways has told Bloomberg News that it aims to apply for full membership of the Oneworld alliance later this year, with its sponsors reportedly including founding members American Airlines and Cathay Pacific. The process, which could take more than 12 months to finalise from the application date, would see the Fijian flag carrier become the 16th and smallest member of the alliance. It is currently a Oneworld connect member. Fiji Airways operates a fleet of three A330-200s, one A330-300, four A350-900s, five B737-8s, and one B737-800s. It flies to 23 destinations around the Pacific rim, while the airline's Fiji Link brand services the domestic network.<br/>
Qantas’s first pair of Airbus A220-300s have begun commercial flights, kicking off the narrowbody fleet replacement process as the airline looks to take seven more examples by the middle of the year. The pair of A220s (VH-X4A, VH-X4B) operated flights between Melbourne and Canberra on 1 March. Qantas says the type, which are operated by subsidiary QantasLink, will also be deployed on flights from Melbourne to Brisbane. Qantas has 29 A220s on order, and the aircraft type will replace its aging fleet of Boeing 717s as part of a domestic fleet renewal programme. A third A220 is currently in production in Airbus’ Mirabel facility in Canada, and Qantas says another six aircraft are expected to be delivered by mid-2024. The A220s will be based in Melbourne and are scheduled to also operate to Hobart in July, as well as to Coffs Harbour from October and to Launceston from November. Qantas on 22 February unveiled details of the improved cabin product available on the A220s, when it announced its half-year results. Among other features, all A220s - configured to seat 137 passengers in two classes - will have wi-fi installed. <br/>