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A Southwest Airlines captain has filed a complaint against the airline, which sacked him over his decision to speak to passengers rather than fly the plane during an emergency last year. David Legeros was in command of a Boeing 737 that saw an engine burst into flames moments after takeoff from Houston Hobby Airport in August 2023 on the way to Cancun. The plane’s right-hand engine suffered “severe damage” during the emergency, but rather than take the controls the captain chose to let the First Officer fly the plane. Instead, Legeros communicated with air traffic control for a return emergency landing back in Houston, according to court documents obtained by The Independent. In an application for an injunction against the airline filed in a New York district court in April, Legeros states that flames could be seen from inside the cabin, making the passengers “unsurprisingly terrified.” The court papers state that Legeros then spoke in Spanish and English to the passengers to try and reassure them that the situation was under control. Following the incident he says that he was reprimanded by the airline, as Southwest’s standard operating procedures instruct the captain to take control of the aircraft during an emergency situation, according to PYOK. The former captain claimed that if he had taken control of the plane, the aircraft could have suddenly jolted and detached the burning engine, leaving the risk of it falling to the ground. “Had SWA (Southwest Airlines) decided to reward Mr Legeros, or even ignore him, following his heroics, this story would be over, but SWA decided to punish him,” the petition states. The court documents claim that the airline found that Legeros “engaged in serious misconduct” after they investigated the incident on Flight WN307.<br/>

Travelers looking for airfares on Google Flights will now see Southwest ticket prices listed alongside other airlines. It’s a big change for Southwest, which previously only advertised fares on its own site. For years that’s made comparison shopping more complicated for travelers in Southwest’s cities with users having to check multiple websites for every trip. The change was first reported by Thrifty Traveler, and appears to have gone into effect only recently. Southwest confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY that would-be travelers can search for its fares on Google Flights as part of a pilot now, but bookings must still happen through the airline's website. "We’re extending the reach of Southwest.com by giving users of Google Flights enhanced visibility into our available flights, fares, and the benefits of our products and services. In our initial piloting of this partnership, we’ve made it possible for Google Flights users to compare our different fare options and click directly into Southwest.com to book their selected itinerary," the statement said. The airline did not specify how long the pilot would go on, or if fares will eventually be listed on other third party booking platforms as well. <br/>

WestJet Airlines plans to launch a new cheaper fare category that would be available to travellers willing to fly without a carry-on bag. CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech told a Calgary business audience Wednesday that the new "ultra-low" fare category will be introduced within "a couple of weeks" and will appeal to the most budget-conscious travellers. He said the move will also free up overhead bin space for other passengers. Travellers who purchase the cheapest fare will not have the option to put a bag in the overhead bins, though they will still be permitted to store a knapsack, purse or small personal item underneath the seat in front of them. "Those guests will not be allowed to bring a carry-on bag. We expect this will significantly reduce the amount of carry-on bags," von Hoensbroech said. He acknowledged that having large numbers of passengers jockeying for limited overhead bin space has become a problem on full flights — particularly when the plane is an older model of aircraft. "On the older airplanes that we have, they are smaller, you actually get less bags in them," he said. WestJet is not the first airline in Canada to offer a "no carry-on" discounted fare. Edmonton-based Flair Airlines lets passengers fly with one free small bag or personal item that can be stored beneath the seat, but any bag destined for the overhead bin space costs extra. The idea of "unbundling" airline fares so that passengers pay only for the specific services they need has become more common in recent years due to the rise of the ultra-low-cost carrier model.<br/>

WestJet has its eye on a number of used aircraft it hopes to add to its fleet to offset delays on pending aircraft deliveries from Boeing, the CEO of the Calgary-based carrier said. Alexis von Hoensbroech told a Calgary business audience Wednesday that WestJet is in the market for used planes in the wake of the ongoing situation at the embattled U.S. aircraft manufacturer. The airline has a firm order for 58 new Boeing airplanes to be delivered between now and 2028, but a door plug blowout on a Boeing Max 737 plane flown by Alaska Airlines in January prompted U.S. regulators to halt a production expansion at the U.S. aircraft maker until an investigation can be completed. Von Hoensbroech said WestJet remains confident in the safety and quality of Boeing airplanes, but the manufacturer's challenges are inhibiting WestJet's own plans to grow its fleet and add new routes. "It’s slowing us down right now. We were supposed to receive eight aircraft this year ... right now we are down to four (expected) and my best guess is we’ll get probably two," he said. One possible source of used planes that WestJet is keen on to fill its unmet demand are the nine Boeing Max 8 planes previously leased by Lynx Air. Lynx was a Calgary-based discount carrier that shut down in February, a few days after receiving creditor protection and less than two years after launching its first flight. Von Hoensbroech said he is optimistic WestJet will be able to obtain "at least a share" of those planes. "We are trying to get through this (Boeing delay) from the used market. And I guess over the next couple of weeks we'll probably have some news that we've been successful," he said.<br/>

WestJet Group plans to increase its presence in Latin America and the Caribbean and introduce planes with more seats after buying a competitor. WestJet, which is owned by private equity firm Onex Corp., completed the acquisition last year of low-cost carrier Sunwing Airlines and Sunwing Vacations, which focuses on travel packages to warm-weather spots. WestJet now plans to fly to 39 destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean this year, 10 more than in 2022, the company said in a statement, as it works to integrate Sunwing. It estimates that half of all flights from Canada to “Latin Caribbean” markets this year will be on its aircraft. Flights from Western Canada have also been a focus for the Calgary-based company, which has added new routes from Manitoba and Saskatchewan to US cities. The airline has pulled back on some Eastern Canada routes, where it faces much greater competition from Air Canada and Porter Airlines — in fact it halted flights between Toronto and Montreal this past winter. The airline is also focused on expanding its capacity via new Boeing 737 Max 10 planes. Those aircraft will have 212 seats each, giving the company a “significant seat-cost advantage” and allowing for lower fares, it said. <br/>

Gulf Air said its growth plans are being held back by glitches the national carrier of Bahrain is experiencing with jet engines as well as the availability of aircraft delivery slots. The airline, which operates a fleet of about 40 aircraft, is having durability issues with the Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc-made engines on its Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliners, as well as the CFM models powering its Airbus SE 320 and 321 aircraft, Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Goh said. “Both manufacturers realize the challenges, but they need to really step up in terms of finding solutions to the reliability of their engines,” Goh said in an interview. At the same time, expanding the fleet is proving complicated because of the lack of availability of new aircraft, Goh said. Both Airbus and Boeing are sold out on their bestselling models for the better part of this decade, and Boeing has experienced the additional issue of restrained output as it seeks to improve its production processes. As a result, Gulf Air is recalibrating its network to drive more traffic while being limited in how much capacity it can increase, according to Goh, who spent 16 years at Star Alliance, including six as the CEO. Goh urged Boeing, in particular, to “have more humility and be focused on customers,” regardless of the size of an airline’s fleet. The airline flies to 50 destinations. Goh said demand has remained robust, with passenger numbers rising 7% in Q1.<br/>

Saudi Arabian start-up carrier Riyadh Air is aiming to begin certification flights in September, as it seeks to commence commercial services next year. The airline’s chief executive, Tony Douglas, stated at the Future Aviation Forum in Riyadh on 20 May that it had hired its initial cadre of 38 pilots including instructors. He says the certification flights, as the carrier works to secure an air operator’s certificate, would take place over September-November. The airline will operate a fleet of Boeing 787s. “We’ll go into service in the summer of next year,” he adds. “The energy in the place is absolutely palpable. It’s all about the excitement of a start-up.” Riyadh Air has also newly received its third intake of cabin crew, says Douglas, signalling that the airline would unveil cabin crew uniforms during the upcoming Paris Fashion Week event in June.<br/>He says this will give a “statement of what this brand’s all about”, adding that the airline will also show off its digital proposition later this year. While the relationship between Riyadh Air and current flag-carrier Saudia has yet to become clear – particularly in relation to competition for transfer traffic – the two airlines will hub in different cities, Riyadh Air in the capital and Saudia in Jeddah. Douglas points out that the two cities are 800km apart, some 2h flying time. “We’ve a need to get from Riyadh – the capital city – far greater connectivity,” he says. “We’re going to connect to way over 100 destinations by 2030.”<br/>

At least 39 flamingos have been killed after an aircraft hit them in the western Indian city of Mumbai, sparking concerns among environmentalists.<br/>The Emirates flight, which had more than 300 passengers, made a safe landing on Monday night after the incident. Officials say it is not clear yet whether the birds deviated from their normal route to come in the flight's path. The incident has sparked anger, with environmentalists blaming excessive construction for the tragedy. Every year, thousands of flamingos migrate to Mumbai around November, making the city's wetlands their home for a few months. Their brief stay is a much-anticipated event for locals, who gather in huge numbers to admire and photograph the pink visitors. An Emirates spokesperson told local media that its flight from Dubai to Mumbai was "involved in a bird strike upon landing".<br/>"The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew disembarked without injury. However, sadly, a number of flamingos were lost and Emirates is cooperating with the authorities on the matter," the spokesperson said. The flamingo deaths came to light late on Monday night after a group of children in Ghatkopar, a suburb in Mumbai, spotted carcasses on the road. Residents then told wildlife officials that flamingo carcasses were spread over a 500m (0.5km) radius, the Indian Express newspaper said. “Around 29 carcasses were found late Monday night, and another ten on Tuesday morning,” forest official Amol Bhagwat told the newspaper.<br/>

Cebu Pacific, operated by Cebu Air, Inc. is expected to announce its supplier for the airline’s $12b aircraft order by June, the company’s top official said on Wednesday. “[We have] not yet selected. We will make the announcement, I think, in the next couple of months. Maybe by June,” Lance Y. Gokongwei, chairman of Cebu Air, said on the sidelines of the BusinessWorld Economic Forum 2024. The budget carrier is planning to order more than 100 narrow-body aircraft from Boeing or Airbus valued at roughly $12b based on current list of prices, Cebu Pacific said. The airline company is nearing the completion of its aircraft order, which is expected to boost its overall fleet amid its plan to increase flight frequencies to serve the growing demand for air travel. “We are close to the finish line for [our aircraft order]. We have not put a date yet, but we are still close to the timetable,” Alex B. Reyes, chief strategy officer of Cebu Pacific, said separately on the sidelines of an aviation forum.<br/>