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Australia's Qantas, the world's third-oldest airline, on Monday marked its 100th birthday during its toughest year yet due to the coronavirus pandemic but is looking to the future with optimism, its CE said. “Qantas every decade has literally reinvented itself,” CE Alan Joyce said. “That is why it has survived as long as it has.” The airline, founded in Australia's outback as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services in 1920, is the world's third-oldest operating carrier behind Dutch airline KLM and Colombia's Avianca Holdings. Qantas’ centenary will include a 100-minute low-level flyover of Sydney’s famous harbour at sunset on Monday evening for 100 employees as well as frequent flyers.<br/>At the start of the year, the airline had been in a strong financial position and was expecting to order up to 12 Airbus A350 jets for routes including the world's longest-ever non-stop flights between Sydney and London. It has since announced cuts to nearly 30% of its workforce and grounded the bulk of its fleet. It doesn’t expect a return to most international travel until the second half of 2021 as Australia’s borders remain largely closed. The domestic market outlook is brighter as state borders begin to reopen, with the airline expecting to return to as much as 50% of normal capacity by Christmas.<br/>

Qantas CE Alan Joyce expects Australia's largest carrier to stop burning through cash and restore seat capacity to at least half its pre-virus levels by Christmas, a rare note of optimism from an airline industry devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. Australia's adept handling of the Covid-19 crisis and tough calls made by the carrier's management will allow Qantas to come out of the pandemic ahead of its rivals, Joyce said. As state borders reopen in a nation on the brink of eliminating local transmission of the virus, Qantas should be able to achieve cash breakeven, begin rebuilding its balance sheet and target opportunities following the worst crisis in aviation history, he said. “We are very optimistic. When we open up borders we’re seeing this massive surge in pent up demand,” said Joyce, who on Monday will launch Qantas’ centenary celebrations in Sydney. Joyce said passenger numbers for European, US and Middle Eastern carriers were dropping due to surging Covid-19 cases while domestic rival Virgin Australia is still recovering from administration. The re-opening of Australia, which contributes two thirds of Qantas’ profit, should enable the carrier to claim 70% of the domestic market, up 10 percentage points on pre-Covid-19 levels, he said. “We think we could be way over our 50% [seat capacity] target by the time we get to Christmas, and that by far is one of the leading amounts of capacity being added anywhere in the world at the moment,” Joyce added.<br/>

American Airlines plans to cut much of its service to London next month from major U.S. airports due to weak demand in the pandemic, the carrier said Sunday. The move comes as coronavirus cases have climbed in both countries and officials instated new restrictions in response to help curb the spread of the virus, driving down demand on what was one of the most profitable and popular international routes pre-pandemic. The carrier won’t operate flights from Charlotte, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Chicago O’Hare to London Heathrow next month, a total of 16 weekly flights to London. Customers in Chicago and New York can alternatively book on British Airways, American’s trans-Atlantic partner. American will continue to operate cargo-only flights from Chicago and New York and London, “until daily passenger service resumes in January,” a spokeswoman said in statement. No other American Airlines December Europe service was cancelled over the weekend. “We’re constantly evaluating our network to match supply and demand and have been making regular schedule adjustments since March,” the spokeswoman said. “In an effort to match low demand resulting from coronavirus (COVID-19), we continue to operate a reduced schedule.”<br/>

A Muslim woman who was arrested on an American Airlines plane Saturday before its departure from New Jersey said that she was wrongfully singled out following a dispute with a white man traveling in first class. Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, an activist and blogger, described alleged details about the dispute about an hour before her apparent arrest, saying it began at a TSA checkpoint in Newark Liberty international airport. Story has details of her describing incident. She claimed that she was being removed while the man wasn’t. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said: “This morning, the port authority police department received a request from American Airlines personnel at Newark Liberty international airport, who indicated the airline had directed a passenger to deplane from a flight, and that police assistance was needed. Police responded, and briefly took the individual into custody; she has been released. The port authority’s independent inspector general has begun an investigation.” The port authority said she was charged with delay of transportation and trespass. Story has more.<br/>

Japan Airlines plans to reduce this year’s winter bonus for employees by 80% from the previous year’s level due to the firm’s sharply deteriorating earnings traced to a plunge in travel demand amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. JAL notified its labor union of the reduction on Thursday. The airline’s winter bonus will be equivalent to half a month’s wages, down from 2.5 months a year before. The firm’s summer bonus this year was equivalent to a month’s wages, half of that in the previous year. The size of reduction will be expanded for the winter bonus due to the harsh business environment. The total bonuses at the company for fiscal 2020 are expected to be equivalent to 1.5 months of wages as a result, the lowest level since fiscal 2010, when no bonus was paid following its bankruptcy. Meanwhile, special allowances of Y100,000 per person will be given out to assist workers’ living.<br/>

Cathay Pacific cut capacity in October — the first time in nearly half a year — as it saw passenger load factor for the month plummet to its lowest since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. Releasing its traffic results for the month, Cathay blamed a resurgence in coronavirus cases in many parts of Europe for killing off travel demand to the UK and other parts of Continental Europe. That, coupled with a tapering off in demand for student travel in early October, made for a “very difficult” month for the embattled carrier. In October, Cathay Pacific and its now-shuttered regional unit Cathay Dragon, carried just over 38,500 passengers, nearly 99% lower year on year. It was also an 18% decline compared to September. Cathay adds that on average, it flew just over 1,200 passengers a day for the month. The two carriers operated only 8.4% of planned capacity in October, lower than September’s 9%. This was the first such capacity decline to be reported since May, when the carriers operated just 2.5% of planned capacity, down from April’s 2.7%. RPKs for the month tumbled 98% year on year, leading to passenger load factor to plunge to a record low of 18.2%, 59.3 percentage points lower year on year. Cathay notes that November continues to see sluggish demand. <br/>