The family of a man who had an asthma attack and died last year on a British Airways flight from London to New York is now suing the carrier, claiming that flight attendants never even made an announcement asking if there was a doctor onboard. The plane was roughly an hour out from landing when Shimon Breuer, 25, began to have difficulty breathing, according to a wrongful death lawsuit his brother filed in Brooklyn federal court. It says a panicked Breuer “gasped for air,” and “begged for help,” but that the cabin crew “failed to provide… prompt and proper medical attention,” resulting in his death. News reports at the time said Breuer had accidentally dropped his rescue inhaler between seats, preventing him from saving his own life, and that after Breuer blacked out, crew members attempted — unsuccessfully — to administer CPR and oxygen, not realizing the London resident’s airways had completely closed up from the asthma. But attorney Abe Bohrer told The Independent that the inhaler narrative “proved inaccurate” upon further investigation. “It is shocking and shameful that the airline would seek to blame the innocent victim for his own death,” Bohrer said in an emailed statement on Tuesday. “This airline had a responsibility to this young man, they failed him, and now his family is left to pick up the pieces.”<br/>
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Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. plans to start a new round of negotiations to buy long-haul jets from next year as the airline looks to position itself for growth in the next decade. “The end of the decade is not far away. We have got to place our orders now,” Alex McGowan, Chief Operations and Service Delivery Officer said Tuesday. The comments come shortly after the company committed to spending HK$100b mostly on new aircraft through 2030. McGowan said the likely review of new aircraft purchases would examine widebody jets as small as the Boeing Co. 787 and as large as a 777-9. The airline’s next long-haul aircraft order will be “the final component” in a series of deals in recent years, the Cathay executive added, speaking on the sidelines of a CAPA aviation conference in Hong Kong, where the carrier is based. Cathay’s interest in ordering more aircraft opens the door for Boeing after the US planemaker lost out to arch-rival Airbus SE on consecutive single-aisle and widebody passenger and freighter deals. Earlier Tuesday, Boeing workers voted to accept a new labor contract, ending a strike that had crippled jetliner production for 53 days. Cathay is edging towards a full recovery following the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on global travel and is now operating at around 90% of its pre-pandemic flight levels, McGowan said earlier on-stage at the event.<br/>
Malaysia is preparing to relaunch the search for the long-lost Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 which vanished in 2014 with 239 people aboard, following what officials describe as a “credible” proposal pinpointing a new area in the southern Indian Ocean. On 5 November, transport minister Anthony Loke confirmed to parliament that Malaysia is in advanced talks with Ocean Infinity, a US-based marine exploration company, over a plan submitted in June 2024 to resume the search in a 15,000sqkm zone off the coast of Western Australia. The proposal adheres to a “no find, no fee” structure, meaning that Malaysia would only incur costs if wreckage is located. “Based on the latest information and analysis from experts and researchers, Ocean Infinity’s search proposal is credible and can be considered by the Malaysian government as the flight’s official registrar,” said Mr Loke, adding that the company is requesting a fee of $70m if successful – an amount similar to what was proposed in an earlier attempt. “The terms and costs requested are in the same draft agreement currently being negotiated between the government and Ocean Infinity. Should it be finalised, cabinet approval will be required, and I will make a public announcement,” he said. Since its disappearance during its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, it has become the biggest mystery in aviation history and theories of what happened to the 227 passengers and 12 crew members have been extensively evaluated. Satellite data analysis showed the plane likely crashed somewhere in the southern Indian Ocean, off the coast of western Australia. However, two major searches failed to come up with any significant findings. After the original search led by Malaysia, China, and Australia was suspended in 2017, and a private effort by Ocean Infinity concluded without success in 2018, interest in reopening the search has gathered momentum.<br/>