ANA Holdings Inc, Japan’s biggest airline by revenue, plans to expand its budget airline business into medium-length international flights due to robust travel demand in Asia after it notched strong Q3 earnings. In a new four-year strategic plan, ANA said Thursday it also planned to use smaller jets in the Japanese domestic market to boost profits and it would look to expand its international flights to new markets such as South America, Africa and Russia. The airline said it was aiming for Y2.45t (US$22.4b) in revenue in the fiscal year 2022, up 27% from the Y1.925t seen in the current fiscal year through March. It also expects 50% growth in its core international service, in part by strengthening partnerships with foreign airlines. The carrier is a major player in the growing budget aviation market in Japan, where its brands Vanilla Air and Peach Aviation compete against Jetstar Japan, a joint venture between JAL and Qantas, as well as a newly re-launched AirAsia Japan. ANA said Tokyo-based Vanilla and Osaka-based Peach would look to launch medium-haul flights of up to eight hours flying time from Japan, from around 2020. ANA on Thursday said it planned to introduce “a new small size medium-haul aircraft” for the business, without referring to any particular model. Operating profit jumped around 25% in the three months to December, to about Y50.9b. ANA maintained its forecast that operating profit for the year to March would hit Y160b.<br/>
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United wants to see more paperwork before passengers fly with emotional-support animals — and don't even try to bring a peacock on board. The airline announced Thursday that it will tighten rules starting March 1. The changes are similar to those coming at Delta. United said owners will have to confirm that their animal is trained to behave in public, and they will need a vaccination form signed by a veterinarian. The vet will have to vouch that the animal isn't a health or safety threat to other people. The airline said the number of comfort animals has jumped 75% in the last year and there has been a big increase in animal-related incidents. On Sunday, United bounced a passenger who showed up at the airport with a peacock for emotional support. United already bans exotic animals and non-household birds. Still, the fact that a passenger tried to bring a peacock on board "helped illustrate why we needed to revise our policy," said a United spokesman. A spokeswoman for American Airlines said the carrier was still studying the issue. Guide dogs have been occasional flyers for years, but recently there has been a surge of emotional-support animals. Federal regulations allow them — if they're not too big or exotic — but airlines can ask for a doctor's note verifying that the passenger needs the animal.<br/>