A Philadelphia man sustained third-degree burns “and has been left with disfiguring scars on his penis, testicles and thighs” following a hot tea spill while flying home aboard Frontier Airlines, according to a federal lawsuit obtained by The Independent. Sean Miller’s injuries include “highly unsightly and embarrassing discoloration on his penis, scrotum/testicles,” along with “significantly decreased sensation in his penis,” “post-traumatic stress disorder,” and “lack of self-esteem,” plus at least one herniated disc he suffered while writhing in distress, the lawsuit states. Miller, 56, was rushed to the hospital immediately upon landing, after which he was transferred to an area burn center for specialized treatment “due to the severity” of his wounds. “Due to the tightly-situated plane seat configuration, Miller was unable to get up from his seat after the spill and, instead, was trapped in agonizing pain while his body was being burnt,” his attorney, Adam S. Barrist, told The Independent. Miller, a warehouse worker, has been left with “permanent scarring” on and around his genitalia, and “has been encountering sexual dysfunction since this incident,” Barrist said.<br/>
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Brazilian carrier Azul boosted profitability and revenues in the third quarter as the low-cost carrier struck a positive note on the rest of this year and beyond. Azul, which has reached key deals with OEMs, lessors and bondholders in recent weeks to help de-leverage the business and strengthen its balance sheet, increased revenues 4% to R5.1b ($884m) in the third quarter. This reflects an improved demand picture over the second quarter and higher load factors. ”As we mentioned on our last call, we started to see signs of recovery in bookings and revenue and now you can see clearly we are back on a normal revenue trajectory, with RASK up 12% on the second quarter,” said Azul chief executive John Rodgerson during a third quarter earnings call on 14 November. ”Looking ahead to our peak summer season, we see a positive contribution of overall demand and industry discipline, which gives us confidence of continued strong revenue performance going forward.” Azul increased operating profit by 7% to just over R1b in the third quarter and made a net profit of R360m – a marked improvement on losses of almost R1.3b at the same stage last year. The performance boost came even with the closure of Porto Alegre airport during the third quarter – which accounts for around 10% of Azul’s domestic revenues – due to floods in southern Brazil earlier this year. Last month’s partial reopening of the airport provides a further reason for the carrier’s optimism going forward. ”We are firmly back on our earnings growth trajectory,” says an upbeat Rodgerson. ”2024 will be our biggest year ever in terms of revenue, EBIT and EBITDA. And our outlook for 2025, with a projected record EBITDA of R7.4b, is even brighter.”<br/>
Italy's antitrust authority (AGCM) said on Thursday it had dropped a case against Ryanair after the low-cost airline committed to refund more than E1.5m to customers who incurred in extra check-in costs. Ryanair Italy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The National Union of Consumers welcomed the announcement from AGCM, but said the regulator should have also fined the airline. The authority said it had opened an investigation in 2023 into possible unfair commercial practices after complaints that Ryanair had misled passengers about its online check-in policy. AGCM said passengers were not adequately informed about a 55-euro surcharge for in-person check-in at the airport if they missed a deadline for doing it online. It also found that customers who paid for priority boarding and a hand luggage allowance on their outbound flight were automatically charged for those services on their return flight. To settle the case, AGCM said Ryanair pledged to refund all customers who during 2021-2023 filed a complaint about the 55-euro surcharge, and pay back 15 euros or give a 20-euro voucher to all passengers who paid the fee during the period. The airline also pledged to give clearer information about online check-in deadlines, to no longer automatically apply outbound charges to return flights, and to refund passengers who complained about those charges.<br/>
Air Belgium is awaiting details on potential bids for the carrier, after extending a deadline for submission of proposals. The revised deadline will expire on 15 November. Air Belgium says the extension of the bidding period is intended to “ensure solid and binding offers”. It adds that it “reflects the serious interest of potential buyers” in view of the “complexity” of the aviation sector. Once the bids have been received, a commercial court hearing is set to take place on 5 December to validate a report from the overseeing practitioner, Bernard Vanham. Air Belgium, an Airbus A330 operator, has been heavily loss-making and last year axed its scheduled passenger business, in favour of focusing on charter and wet-lease activity. It opted for judicial restructuring and emerged from this process in September, claiming that it was showing signs of improved profitability. But its future has remained uncertain and the company has been in discussions with several potential investors in order to address cash-flow pressures.<br/>
A 79-year-old woman, who was escorted off a plane by armed police in Turkey after she refused to pay for a "frozen tuna roll", denied the airline's claim that her behaviour was "disruptive". Lily, from Hertfordshire, flew from Stansted Airport, in Essex, to Bodrum on a Jet2 flight on 3 November and ordered a £9 tuna bap. She said it was frozen in the middle and refused to pay, but claimed the airline said she had to as she had opened the wrapper. On landing, she was greeted by police, but was let go. Jet2 said Lily "displayed a catalogue of disruptive behaviour on board... including the unauthorised consumption of her own alcohol that she had brought on board". Lily told The JVS Show on Three Counties Radio when the flight landed, all the passengers were told to stay in their seats, but she and her daughter were told to make their way to the exit. She said: "They called the police. Not one... but four police at the end, at the door. I was in shock, I was saying to people, 'I think I've been arrested over a sandwich'." She added: "The policemen were there with their guns."<br/>
Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways reported a 66% increase in net profit in the first nine months of the year, helped by a double-digit increase in passenger traffic. The state-owned airline made 1.4b dirhams ($381m) as of Sept. 30, it said in a statement on Thursday, compared to 814m dirhams in the same period a year earlier. Total revenue increased 21% to 18.4b dirhams with the airline carrying 13.6m passengers over the year, which Etihad said marked a 35% increase compared to the previous year. The airline has added flights and new routes. "This impressive growth is driven by strong results in both passenger and cargo revenues, underscoring the effectiveness of our strategy and the strength of our growth trajectory," CE Antonoaldo Neves said in the statement.<br/>
Restructuring Indian low-cost carrier Spicejet will add more flights using reactivated De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400s after disclosing a settlement to take ownership of 13 of the twin-turboprops. SpiceJet says it has paid $22.5m to settle a $90.8m dispute with Export Development Canada (EDC) covering 13 Q400s the government agency had financed, noting this results in a ”substantial reduction” in operating costs and strengthens its operational capabilities. The Indian carrier has spent much of the last two years battling to improve its financial position and trying to reactivate a string of aircraft grounded as its challenges mounted. It describes the settlement with EDC, one of the largest in its history, as a “major financial milestone”. SpiceJet managing director Ajay Singh says: “This resolution allows us to move forward with a strengthened balance sheet and focus on getting our Q400 aircraft back into service as quickly as possible. ”We are excited to expand our regional operations and enhance connectivity across key routes with our revitalised fleet.” The airline is using Q400 turboprops for the launch of a number regional flights and services under India’s regional air connectivity scheme, UDAN. It launched 32 routes at the end of October and plans to roll out another 18 flights in phases as more Q400 aircraft return to service.<br/>
Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific reported a drop in third-quarter earnings – despite seeing passenger volume growth – as they warned of “pressures” from falling yields and rising costs. Philippine Airlines reported an operating profit of $27m for the three months ended 30 September, down more than 79% year on year. The national carrier also saw its net profit decline - at $13m during the quarter compared to $98m a year ago. Philippine Airlines president Stanley Ng notes that the decline comes “as market conditions normalise”. “We are continuing to see a moderation in growth and a more challenging business environment where rising costs exert greater pressure on the economics of airline operations,” Ng states. The airline’s parent company, PAL Holdings, reported a 12% drop in third-quarter revenues to Ps41.5b ($705m), while expenses kept steady against the year-ago period, at Ps39.8b. Philippine Airlines carried 11.7m passengers for the first nine months of the year, up 6% year on year. The airline attributes the general revenue decline to “significant industry capacity growth”, which has impacted yields. As for Cebu Pacific, it saw a 1% dip in its third-quarter revenues to Ps23.1b, against a 14% increase in passenger numbers during the same period to 6m. The rise in passenger numbers was through “stimulation efforts” as a result of lower average fares, which fell 15% year on year.<br/>
Royal Brunei Airlines is eyeing network opportunities in North Asia and India, as it looks to “key regions” for future network growth. Airline commercial chief Joshua Law says: “We are currently in a situation where we are evaluating a few key regions…predominantly on the North Asia side, all the way to the Indian subcontinent.” Law was speaking to FlightGlobal at the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) assembly of presidents in Brunei. He notes that travel demand out of India to the Southeast Asia region has been strong since the easing of pandemic restrictions more than a year ago. The airline made its return to India – after a 20-year hiatus – on 5 November, launching thrice-weekly flights from Brunei to Chennai. Royal Brunei previously operated to Kolkata but exited the India market in 2004. On China, Royal Brunei is seeing a mixed demand picture. The national carrier in late-October suspended its twice-weekly flights to Beijing’s Daxing airport, citing “market conditions”. FlightGlobal understands that demand has been slower to recover than expected, since Mainland China’s reopening. <br/>