United Airlines said it was saddened by the death of Engracia Figueroa, a disabilities rights advocate who died after developing complications to injuries she sustained while using a wheelchair the carrier provided after her customized mobility device was allegedly destroyed during a July flight. “We were saddened to hear about Ms. Figueroa’s passing and we offer our condolences to her friends and family,” a United spokesperson said Sunday. Her death has fueled outrage on social media about how airlines need to use greater care with wheelchairs and other mobility aids for the people with disabilities who depend on them. Engracia Figueroa’s custom-made wheelchair was “destroyed” during a flight from Washington, DC, to California in July, according to a blog post on the website of a group she worked with. She was injured while using a broken replacement wheelchair during the five hours she was at the airport following the flight and was later hospitalized after returning home, according to the group. Her conditioned worsened over the ensuing months before she eventually developed an infection that required emergency surgery, the group said. She died Oct. 31, according to the post. United initially refused to replace her wheelchair, instead offering to pay to have it repaired. The carrier later agreed to replace the device that was valued at $30,000, according to the group.<br/>
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Asiana Airlines said Monday it will increase the number of flights to Singapore starting this month as the two countries recently signed a travel bubble agreement. A travel bubble refers to a quarantine-free travel partnership between two or more cities or countries with similar levels of COVID-19 cases. Asiana has been operating three flights a week ― on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays ― on the Singapore route, and passengers are required to undergo a two-week mandatory quarantine in both countries. Under the agreement, Asiana will add one flight on Saturdays starting Nov. 15 and another on Sundays beginning Dec. 1 to keep pace with increasing outbound travel demand amid the nationwide vaccination campaign, the company said in a statement. Starting Nov. 15, those who have had two weeks elapse since their second round of vaccinations and submit negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results will be exempt from the mandatory self-isolation, it said. The quarantine-free vaccinated travel lane (VTL) will be available for flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, but the VTL won't be applied to flights on Saturdays, the company said. "It means only fully vaccinated people who tested negative in the PCR coronavirus test will be allowed to use the VTL," a company spokesman said.<br/>
Taiwan’s two largest carriers — China Airlines and EVA Air — were back in the black for the third quarter of the year, helped by a steady increase in revenue. EVA Air swung to an operating profit of NT$2.3b. This compares to the NT$1.3b loss it made in 2020. It saw revenue increase 40% year on year to NT$25.8b, while expenses rose 21% to NT$21.5b. The Star Alliance carrier disclosed an attributable profit of nearly NT$1.5b, reversing the NT$⅛b net loss in 2020. Story also details China Airlines results. Neither carrier provided a management notes or an earnings forecast for their latest financial results. In previous quarters, both carriers pointed to strong cargo performance as a key factor in boosting their earnings. <br/>
A Singapore Airlines flight from San Francisco to Singapore was cancelled on Wednesday after the wing of the plane made contact with another aircraft on the ground. Flight SQ33 had been scheduled to depart from San Francisco at 9.50pm (12.50pm Singapore time), said an SIA spokesman. "The wing of a Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900 aircraft that was taxiing for departure from San Francisco International Airport made contact with another aircraft on the ground," the spokesman added. The aircraft returned safely to the gate for inspections by engineers, the spokesman said. There were no injuries to the crew or passengers on board the plane. The flight was cancelled, and SIA made arrangements for affected passengers' overnight hotel stays and to book them on an SQ33 flight the next day. Flight data showed that the SQ33 flight left San Francisco at 10.11pm on Thursday. The airline said a different plane was used. The airline was unable to provide further comment as investigations into the incident are ongoing.<br/>