Judges hearing the case against four defendants in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine rejected on Wednesday a defence request for more time to investigate alternative explanations for the crash. MH17 was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down by a missile fired from territory held by pro-Russian rebels during fighting with Ukrainian government troops, international investigators say. All 298 people on board were killed, two-thirds of them Dutch nationals. After years of collecting evidence, a Dutch-led international Joint Investigation Team (JIT) last year said the missile launcher used to hit the civilian airplane came from a Russian army base just across the border. The Dutch government holds Moscow responsible, and three Russians and a Ukrainian are on trial for murder. None of the suspects are in custody. One, Russian Oleg Pulatov, is represented in court proceedings; the other three are being tried in absentia. Judge Hendrik Steenhuis said the defence had not provided a clear alternative scenario to investigate, while information on several other possible explanations was already part of the case file. Steenhuis said the court would like to hear Pulatov in person, and would not submit written questions to him as his lawyers had requested. He added the court would also like to hear from the other suspects -- Russians Sergey Dubinsky and Igor Girkin, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko -- who have never cooperated with the court. The court also called for a new questioning of witnesses who reported seeing the missile launcher on July 17, 2014, as well as the owner of the field from which the missile is believed to have been launched. The hearing of the case will resume on Feb 1, 2021.<br/>
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American Airlines has reversed a policy change that would have prohibited some motorized wheelchairs on smaller regional jets due to their weight. American had previously set a weight limit of 400 pounds on its Embraer and 300 pounds on Canadair regional jets. That created a problem for passengers who use motorized wheelchairs, which can often exceed 400 pounds due to the heavy batteries they need to operate. American only uses regional aircraft at more than 100 airports nationwide. John Morris, an advocate for travelers with disabilities, wrote in a late October blog post that when he checked in for a flight from Gainesville, Florida, to Roswell, New Mexico, via Dallas, American wouldn't let him board with his motorized wheelchair, which weighs 450 pounds. Morris wrote that he had flown 50 flights with a motorized wheelchair, including 21 times on American. American Airlines has done away with a policy that placed a weight limit on wheelchairs flying on smaller regional jets like the Embraer E170. "Flying isn’t new to me and I have taken my power wheelchair on regional jets countless times," he wrote. He calculated that the weight restriction would prevent many wheelchair users from flying American planes to 130 regional airports nationwide, including airports such as Roswell, which are served solely by American. "This means that large swaths of the United States could now be inaccessible to power wheelchair users on American Airlines, creating an air transportation 'desert,' " Morris wrote.<br/>
Qantas Airways Ltd said on Thursday it will offer top-tier members of rival frequent flyer programmes a fast-track to higher status as its main domestic rival, Virgin Australia, pursues a less premium strategy under its new owner. The move could help boost Qantas’ market share in lucrative corporate and high-end leisure travel as domestic flights ramp up in Australia due to the reopening of state borders. “With so much uncertainty in the market, we’ve seen a spike in requests from people wanting us to match their status with other airlines,” Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth said. “If they are willing to bring their travel across to Qantas, we will fast track them to Gold status.” Qantas Gold status includes access to its large network of airport lounges, priority check-in and boarding and preferential seating. By early December, Qantas expects 30 of its 35 domestic airport lounges will be open, whereas Virgin last week said it would maintain only six domestic lounges as part of its shift to becoming a more value-focused mid-market airline. Qantas also includes free Wi-Fi on its domestic flights, while Virgin is reviewing the future of its Wi-Fi offering, which had previously been complimentary.<br/>
An American Airlines passenger claims he was met off a flight by police and questioned after he complained to a flight attendant that he had seen members of the crew without masks. Andy Eisenmann, an arts educator, was flying from Dallas Fort Worth to Palm Springs on 22 November when he spotted what he alleged were maskless American Airlines employees at the airport before the flight. He took a picture of the two men, who do not appear to be eating or drinking – the only times masks are not required – and shared it on social media. “AA no masker [flight attendants] at DFW. 30+ minutes at gate,” tweeted Eisenmann. He claims that, 30 minutes before the plane landed, he “quietly” complained to a flight attendant that he had been “offended” by the crew’s decision not to wear masks at the airport. When the aircraft touched down, Eisenmann alleges he was met by police for being “unruly” and taken to a small hold room with no vents for questioning. “Their PSP ops person questioned me in close quarters for doing nothing at all wrong,” he said. “AA won’t tell me HOW I was ‘unruly’. Empowered horrid employee had me BASELESSLY LOCKED UP W POLICE!” He claimed that the flight attendants “lied to police saying I was unruly” and said he was “humiliated” by the experience. An AA spokesperson said that Eisenmann was not detained and that law enforcement had been called as a precaution after a disturbance was reported onboard the flight.<br/>