AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS

*JETBLUE has added a new, one-off tailfin color scheme which it calls "Building Blocks" to its Airbus A320 fleet. The new tailfin design is a one-of-a-kind livery designed by a Long Beach Airport operations staffer for the carrier. The design was chosen from several in a 2010 online contest as part of JetBlue’s 10th anniversary celebrations. The A320s new color scheme were unveiled this week at ceremonies at the Long Beach Airport.

*US prosecutors say a former CONTINENTAL AIRLINES sales agent made over $1m in a fraud that preyed on bewildered passengers. The woman pleaded guilty to scamming travellers at Newark Liberty International Airport by selling them phony vouchers compensating for cancellations and other travel nightmares. She stole real vouchers from Continental, but then sold them pretending they were redeemable for a round-trip ticket anywhere in the world, in many cases to Israel. Continental offers no such program. When customers began trying to obtain the promised tickets, she sometimes obliged by using some of her ill-gotten proceeds to make the purchase and dampen suspicions. Most, though, were unable to redeem their fake vouchers. The women pled guilty on Tuesday and faces up to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced.

*Boeing is floating the possibility of using vibrating cockpit seats as an alternative mechanism to visual and aural indicators on the flightdeck. Its suggestion is contained in a newly published patent document that details a proposal for a module mounted beneath the Pilot's seat which, once triggered, would provide a tactile signal to the crew. While the document mentions various types of alerts requiring immediate Pilot action, such as terrain-avoidance or stall-warning alarms, it says there are several other instances during flight where the crew may need to act in a less-urgent manner, to maintain safety.

*The budget that US President Barack Obama submitted to Congress on Monday proposes to slap a $5.50 fee on every visitor from Canada who travels to the US by air or by sea. Currently, visitors from Canada, Mexico and a number of Caribbean countries are exempt from "passenger inspection fees." It's an exemption these countries have enjoyed since 1997. According to Statistics Canada, more than 16.3 million passengers took trans-border flights between Canada and the United States in 2009. The proposal is drawing massive negative reaction from Canadian carriers and the general public.

*The oldest Hawker Siddeley 125 Dominie T1 trainer has been flown into retirement at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, Shropshire.The 1st of 20 Dominie trainers to have flown, on December 30, 1964, aircraft XS709, was flown to Cosford from the service’s Cranwell base in Lincolnshire. XS709 will be placed on public display in the next few weeks, having ending its operational life with a little over 16100 flight hours recorded. The UK recently withdrew the Dominie's from service.

*ETIHAD AIRWAYS has unveiled a special livery on a newly delivered A330-300. The aircraft's "Visit Abu Dhabi in 2011" livery is part of the carrier's promotion to increase tourism to the United Arab Emirates. The A330 will fly on services to London, Geneva, Frankfurt, Paris and Mumbai.

*A SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS Fight Attendant was arrested at the Airport Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday, after she was found with 11lbs of cocaine on her person. The F/A was due to work a flight to Johannesburg when she was arrested.

*VIRGIN BLUE is set to hike the fuel surcharge levy on tickets and charge up to twice the amount for baggage, blaming rising fuel prices. On the Airline's international flights on V AUSTRALIA to the US, it is increasing the fuel surcharge levy by $30 each way, up from $85 to $115. The increase applies to tickets sold from March 9. Baggage charges are also rising starting March 1,some as high as 50%, whether pre-purchased online or charged at the Airport, on national and international flights. The increase also applies to its PACIFIC BLUE flights.

*Net profits for QANTAS have risen 4 fold in the 1st half of the fiscal year, despite the cost of having to ground its A380 planes last year following engine problems. Net profit was A$241m compared with A$58m during the same period a year earlier. The Airline said the disruption had cost A$55m in the 1st half and would add up to A$80m by the end of the year. It also warned that the floods and cyclone in Australia would take A$70m off its 2nd half profits. Qantas did say that trading conditions were continuing to improve and it expected 2011 to be a better year than 2010.

*QANTAS has announced that the A380 damaged last November during an uncontained Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine failure will return to service this year. The aircraft has been parked at Singapore's Changi Airport undergoing repairs since the November incident. The carrier said the the cost to repair VH-OQA, the 1st A380 delivered to Qantas, will exceed A$100m. Insurance and contractual agreements with Rolls-Royce will cover the repairs. Qantas said that it could take up until the end of September before repairs are complete, but said it will definately be back in service before 2011 ends.

*V AUSTRALIA Flight 2, a Boeing 777, requested police meet the aircraft upon its arrival in Sydney, Australia, today, February 17. According to media reports, while enroute from Los Angeles, the crew sent the following communication regarding 2 male passengers: "Smoking, aggressive behaviour and not following the orders of staff". Police met the aircraft and detained the 2 men, however they were later released. It is not known if any charges will be filed. The men were identified as 2 judges from the TV show "Austraila's Got Talent" pop singer Brian McFadden and Kyle Sandilands. McFadden said on Twitter after being released: "Wasn't arrested! Didn't smoke on the flight. And the Virgin staff were very nice. I did have a few drinks but I was not smashed and abusive. If reports were true then I would have been arrested, fined and wosrt! Banned from my favourite airline V Australia. Storm in a tea cup". However, passengers interviewed on Australian TV said that the pair were definately causing problems for the flight crew and were smoking and abusive.

*LUFTHANSA Flight 2418, an A319, had to make an emergency diversion to Copenhagen, Denmark, on Tuesday, February 15, due to a cracked cockpit windshield.

*AIR WISCONSIN Flight 3886, a CRJ200 on service for US AIRWAYS, had to make an emergency landing in Ottawa, Canada, on Sunday, February 13, due to fumes in the cockpit. Once on the ground, the crew stopped on the taxiway and evacuated the passengers via the main doors. According to the Canadian TSB, the fumes were traced to a failed APU.

*AIR CHINA CARGO Flight 1050, a Boeing 747, had to make an emergency return to Copenhagen, Denmark, on Sunday, February 13, due to technical problems with the nose gear. The 747 was repaired in Copenhagen and was able to depart on Tuesday, February 15.

*JAZZ Flight 3001, a Boeing 757, had to make an emergency diversion to Jacksonville, Florida, on Friday, February 11. While enroute at 35000 feet, and near Jacksonville, Florida, the crew declared PAN PAN PAN. The crew reported that they had detected a fuel imbalance and the confirmed a fuel leak on the right hand side. The 757 safely landed in Jacksonville about 20 minutes later.