Lawyers for one of Canada's biggest airlines were in a B.C. court on Monday, arguing against an injunction ahead of a future trial over its reimbursement policy. Consumer advocacy group Air Passenger Rights has taken WestJet to court, fighting what it claims is a deceptive reimbursement policy. At issue is how much WestJet says passengers can claim in reimbursement after being stranded due to events within the airline's control, and when the airline does not provide vouchers.<br/>Until recently, the company’s website said domestic passengers could claim up to $150 a night and international passengers could claim up to $200 a night for hotels. It also said passengers could claim $45 a day for meals. Air Passenger Rights said no such limits exist under the law, and while WestJet has removed the language from its website, the group wants the court to grant an injunction preventing WestJet from using the policy in direct conversations with customers.<br/>
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Province of Buenos Aires Governor Axel Kicillof said he would try to block any federal government efforts to sell or shut down the loss-making national carrier, Aerolineas Argentinas SA. President Javier Milei is looking to push a bill through congress that would clear the way to the airline’s privatization, part of his plans to shrink the size of the state in the debt-ridden nation. “If the country proposes to sell the airline’s shares, transfer it to the workers, declare it bankrupt or dissolve it, we will prevent it as far as possible,” Kicillof told reporters Monday. Milei and his team want to revamp an airline industry plagued by labor strikes and high costs, which pushed the operating deficit at Aerolineas Argentinas to 264.5b pesos ($267.6m) in the first half of the year, according to a bill in congress. The airline has disputed those figures, saying it was only $79m in the red between January and July. Kicillof said that he is ready to rally the support of other Argentine governors to support the carrier, pointing out that Aerolineas Argentinas flies to destinations within the country that other airlines would deem “unprofitable.”<br/>
A passenger on a domestic flight in Mexico who tried to divert an aircraft to the United States by force said that he was under threat by criminals who had kidnapped one of his relatives, authorities said. Mexico’s Public Safety Department said late Sunday the man had been detained by National Guard officers in the western city of Guadalajara, where the flight was diverted following the incident. Videos posted on social media showed other passengers subduing the man on a Volaris airline flight Sunday from the central city of Leon, in Guanajuato state, to the border city of Tijuana. “Airline personnel said the aggressor said a close relative of his had been kidnapped, and at the moment the flight lifted off from Leon, he had received a death threat if he traveled to Tijuana,” the department said in a statement. Guanajuato state has long been dominated by warring drug cartels, and has the highest number of homicides of any state in Mexico. But that wasn’t all. The federal Attorney General’s office said the man tried to break into the airline’s cockpit, to force the pilots to land in U.S. territory. Once he was in National Guard custody, he tried to grab one of the guard officer’s guns, causing the vehicle he was being transported in to crash, injuring him and the officers. The suspect is being treated for his injuries at a hospital. Videos appeared to show the man lunging toward one of the doors on the plane, in what may have been an attempt to open it mid-flight, before other passengers wrestled him and subdued him.<br/>
Air Haifa is currently operating all its flights from Ben Gurion airport but from December 22, Air Haifa will commence operating flights from its home base at Haifa airport. Israeli airline Air Haifa will launch a new route between Haifa and Athens on Thursday, January 2. The airline will operate five weekly flights with return fares of $348 in January, according to the company website. The company is already operating three daily flights to Larnaca in Cyprus for $118 return and two daily flights to Eilat for NIS 380 return. Air Haifa is currently operating all its flights from Ben Gurion airport but from December 22, Air Haifa will commence operating flights from its home base at Haifa airport. This was the original plan when the company began operations in September but due to the closure of Israeli airspace in the nor<br/>
An Australian man who allegedly uttered threatening words at Changi Airport, including stating that he would crash a plane, was handed two harassment charges on Dec 9. According to court documents, Marli Curtis Philip Moncrieff, 36, was on board a Perth-bound Jetstar Australia plane at around 5.40am on Nov 20 when a cabin crew member allegedly heard him saying: “I wish the aircraft to crash and kill everyone... I want the aircraft to crash.” The police said in a statement on Dec 8 that he was later escorted to a holding room, where he allegedly uttered similar words again. He is accused of saying: “If you put me on another plane, I am (going to) do the same thing. I will tell the pilot I will crash the plane.” The police did not disclose what happened next, but the court heard on Dec 9 that Moncrieff is expected to plead guilty on Dec 18. For each count of harassment, an offender can be fined up to $5,000.<br/>