A JetBlue flight from New York to San Diego landed safely in Kansas after the crew received an alert about smoke in the cargo area, authorities said. The airline said it turned out to be a false alarm. Flight 1189, with about 130 people on board, departed Kennedy International Airport at about 4 p.m. Saturday and was headed to San Diego International Airport. The Airbus A320 landed at Salina Regional Airport in Kansas around 6:30 p.m. local time. The Federal Aviation Administration said it will investigate. No injuries were reported, and the local fire department helped people off the plane. “The pilot came on and let us know that he was seeing an alert for smoke in the cargo bay,” said passenger Seth Odell, NBC News reported. “Some passengers did report hearing a loud bang, too, and so we descended incredibly rapidly and landed in the extremely small airport in Salina.” Odell said people were starting to “freak out.” “Some people were crying. It was a little bit intense for a few minutes,” he said. JetBlue said in a statement that the plane landed without incident. “Upon inspection, we determined the smoke indication presented to our pilots was a false indication,” the statement said.<br/>
unaligned
With the outlook for travel weakening as consumers pull back on spending, short sellers are betting that one budget airline will fare worse than its European peers. Shares out on loan, an indication of short interest, represent 13% of Wizz Air Holdings Plc’s stock available for trading, according to the latest data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. That compares to less than 1% for rivals EasyJet Plc and Ryanair Holdings Plc. Skeptics point to plenty of reasons for the bearish bets: Wizz Air is loaded up with a lot more debt than its competitors, it’s been hit by an engine issue in Airbus SE planes it operates and the Budapest-based carrier flies mainly in and from eastern Europe, putting it close to war-torn Ukraine. The stock, which trades in London, has already fallen 41% this year to 1,311 pence, weighed down by a profit warning in August, and some analysts say it very well could stumble again, given the fare competition among carriers. “There’s a lot of uncertainty about Wizz’s ability to meet full-year guidance,” said Sathish Sivakumar, an analyst at Citigroup Inc. He’s one of five analysts tracked by Bloomberg who has a sell rating on the stock, a stance he has held since October of last year. A Wizz Air spokesperson declined to comment on the bearish bets on the stock. The carrier is among those that have been the hardest hit by engine problems that required its Airbus A321 aircraft to be pulled in early for maintenance. With aircraft availability uncertain, Wizz Air has leased flight-ready planes to preserve its schedule, cutting into profit. It’s also been suffering from price wars, with Ryanair predicting ticket prices could fall even further, while indebtedness is also an issue, said Gerald Khoo of Panmure Liberum, who also has a sell on the stock.<br/>
AirAsia has been named the world's best low-cost airline at the 2024 World Airline Awards by Skytrax, for the 15th year in a row. It was also ranked 30th among the world's best airlines, up one place from No. 31 last year. Capital A Bhd CEO Tony Fernandes thanked travellers who voted for the airline and recognised its efforts to deliver best-in-class quality and excellence for the 15th consecutive year. "No other companies come to my mind in achieving such a winning streak, and we are very proud of it. "We dedicate this award to all of our Allstars who worked tirelessly to make (this) happen, and also to everyone who has remained loyal to us through the ups and downs AirAsia has experienced," he told Skytrax recently. Malaysia Airlines ranked 39th this year, up from 47th last year. Qatar Airways was voted the World's Top Airline, followed by Singapore Airlines and Emirates.<br/>