LOW cost carrier Virgin Blue is expected to make a decision soon on it will begin long-haul flights to the US.

Overall, Virgin Blue is now well positioned and we expect benefits from revenue and cost initiatives developed in the past year, to deliver further value,” Chairman Mark Rowsthorn said at the airline’s annual general meeting in Brisbane today.

Hopfully any action taken to move into the US will cause a price war, and flights will get a little cheaper…a guy can dream right?

The Musicians’ Union in the UK is planning to lobby the British Pariament over some security measures put in place which ban instruments from being taken on to planes as carry on luggage.

A spokesman for the Union says this new ban is affecting union members’ livelihood.

When Paraliment starts a new session next month the union plans to table a motion lifting the bans.

Passengers flying from the UK can take only one item of hand luggage no bigger than a laptop case.

Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander indicated yesterday that the anti-terror restrictions could be eased.

A US Airways jet had a landing gear fire after arriving at Miami International Airport, officials said. No one was hurt, fire officials said.

The Boeing 737 had 94 passengers and six crew members on board, airport spokesman Marc Henderson said. The airline said 109 people were on board. The discrepancy could not immediately be explained.

Airline spokesman Morgan Durrant said two of the plane’s tires blew out after landing and that a small fire ignited on one of them. Television crews showed the flames were extinguished on the plane, which was surrounded by white foam.

The escape slides were deployed from the plane’s exits, and the passengers and crew were evacuated, officials said.

The plane was made in 1989, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.

QANTAS is to test new technology allowing passengers to use their mobile phones and personal digital assistants during flights.

Company spokeswoman Lesley Grant said the three-month trial from early next year will be tested on Boeing 767 plying domestic routes.

“Qantas will be one of the first airlines in the world to offer this service,” Ms Grant said.

Ms Grant said the trial follows strong demand from customers, especially for email access by business travelers.

Protocols for using mobiles in-flight would be developed during the trial, Ms Grant said.

Until now phones have been banned because the devices can interfere with navigation equipment, with the new technology developed with Telstra, Panasonic and AeroMobile.

If it wasn’t already assumed, most US flights out of Manchester now have armed guards aboard. Every flight now has a team of undercover federal air marshals. Their job is to stop terrorists from taking over or destroying airlines.

There has been controversy over the introduction of air marshals. Members of the British Airline Pilots’ Association threatened to strike over the issue three years ago.

Air Carriers in the United Kingdom may soon be switching their “No Smoking” signs for “No Mobiles” very soon. Airlines are looking for ways to control annoying on-board cell phone chit-chat that force passengers to switch their cell phones off during take-off and landing, as well as during designated “night” periods.

This idea sounds like a great one to me! There is nothing worse than trying to get some sleep on a long flight, only to have the guy next to you talking loudly on his cell phone to his work buddy about the awesome time they had at the company retreat.

British Airways and Ryanair Holdings canceled flights today as disruptions at London airports dragged on for a sixth day because of the heightened security checks.

British Airways dropped 52 outbound flights, while Ryanair said it was forced to scratch eight flights because of the slowness of security screening and blamed BAA, owner of Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick airports, for the backup.

Transport Canada has added juice and aerosols to a growing list of banned products on departure flights in an attempt to prevent terrorist attacks following a botched bomb plot in the UK this week.

Meanwhile in the US the Transportation Security Administration said Sunday small doses of liquid medication, low-blood-sugar treatments, solid lipsticks, powdered cosmetics and baby food will now be permitted in carry-on bags taken aboard planes, a change from rules put into place last week after news of a terrorist plot involving flights between the United States and United Kingdom.

Laptop computers, electronic devices and cell phones are still allowed to be taken in carry-on luggage aboard domestic flights and flights leaving the United States.

British authorities, however, continued their ban on any carry-on luggage for flights leaving from airports in the United Kingdom. All items, including laptops, purses, even books and magazines, have to be checked, a situation that’s created chaos at Heathrow Airport where one-third of flights were cancelled due to the extra security measures.

Here are airline restrictions put in place since the discovery of an alleged terror plot aimed at airliners flying between Great Britain and the United States:

• Travelers boarding commercial flights at a U.S. airport will not be allowed to carry “any liquids, including beverages, hair gels, and lotions” onto airliners.
• Passengers on flights from Great Britain are prohibited from carrying electronics on board. There are no such restrictions on people traveling on domestic flights or from the U.S. to Great Britain.
• Beverages purchased beyond security checkpoints must be consumed before boarding — they will not be permitted aboard the aircraft.
• TSA screeners will recheck every bag at boarding gates for banned items, preventing passengers from carrying items purchased in boarding areas.
• Gate-side inspections are taking place for all passengers on flights to Great Britain. On other flights, the TSA is conducting random gate-side inspections.
• Federal security directors — the top TSA officials at airports — have discretion on how to implement the new policy. They can also use any resource available to conduct the inspections, meaning they can use their own screeners, state and local law enforcement personnel or airline personnel.

Source: CNN

U.S. airlines canceled UK flights Thursday, waived penalties for ticket changes and extra checked baggage, and asked passengers to arrive earlier in response to tighter security measures after British police said they foiled a plan to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners.

American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp. , said it had canceled six flights between London’s Heathrow airport and New York, Chicago and Boston. UAL Corp.’s United Airlines said it was expecting delays of more than two hours on flights from London.

Delta Air Lines Inc., which flies to London’s Gatwick airport, said its flights were operating normally.

The British government banned carry-on baggage on flights from the UK to the United States.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security tightened security on domestic flights, prohibiting passengers from bringing any liquids, gels or lotions in their carry-on baggage. It made exceptions for baby formula and medicines.

Delta said it was waiving excess baggage charges, while JetBlue Airways Corp. said it is allowing passengers to check in a third bag without extra fees, as passengers move newly banned items into their checked baggage.

United said it revised its ticketing policy, allowing some people traveling between the UK and United States to make one change to their itinerary without any fees.