Carry On: News for business travellers

Alliance takes wing on Sunday
The first passengers to experience the new Qantas-Emirates alliance will be flying out of Sydney to London, via Dubai, on Sunday. Regulatory approval has come, as expected, just days before the alliance takes effect on March 31.

Qantas says its new hub operation is Dubai is complete. Running it is Qantas’ former regional manager New Zealand and Pacific Rohan Garnett. Qantas and Emirates will offer a combined total of 98 flights a week between Australia and Dubai, with Qantas continuing to operate daily services from Melbourne and Sydney through to London.

From Dubai, passengers will be able to connect to 65 one-stop destinations in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Almost all of these connections to Europe and most to North Africa are available within four hours of landing in Dubai.

As part of the approval decision by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Qantas and Emirates have committed to maintain at least their current levels of capacity on the four routes that both airlines fly between Australia and New Zealand. Subject to approval in New Zealand, the ability to cooperate on these transtasman routes creates the potential for the two airlines to market both Australia and New Zealand to their global networks.

New nightmare for Dreamliner
While Boeing is doing its darnest to regain permission for its 787 Dreamliner to resume flights, the company faces what could be a costly new challenge: a temporary ban on some of the long-distance, trans-ocean journeys that the jet was intended to fly. Aviation experts and government officials say the US Federal Aviation Administration may shorten the permitted flying time of the 787 on certain routes when it approves a revamped battery system. The entire fleet of 50 787s in service was grounded worldwide two months ago after lithium-ion batteries overheated on two aircraft.

Losing extended operations, or ETOPS, would deal a blow to Boeing and its airline customers by limiting use of the fuel-saving jet, designed to lower costs on long-distance routes that don't require the capacity of larger aircraft. Such a loss could even lead to cancellation of some routes. Grounding the 787 already has cost Boeing an estimated $US450 million in lost income and compensation payments to airlines. Further restrictions on the 787's range could send the airlines' claims - and Boeing's costs - higher.

Passenger security charges to increase
The Civil Aviation Authority is increasing the passenger security charges paid by airlines for departing passengers. The increases, which take effect from June 1, will see the international charge rise by $3.98 to $11.98 (GST inclusive) and the domestic charge rise by 90c to $4.60 (GST inclusive). Authority chairman Nigel Gould says these increases come after two years of reduced charges, introduced to eliminate a projected $27 million accumulated surplus by June 2013.

“When the reduction was announced in 2011, the government signalled that passenger security charges would need to increase again from 2013, once the accumulated surplus had been redistributed to air travellers,” he says.