The Week in Brief 3 November 2011

In an award ceremony this week at the 64^th annual International Air Safety Seminar in Singapore, the Flight Safety Foundation presented the Flight Safety Foundation Professionalism Award in Flight Safey to the crew of Qantas Flight 32: Capt. Richard Champion de Crespigny, pilot-in-command; Capt. David J. Evans; Capt. Harry Wubben; Fist Office Matthew Hicks; Second Officer Mark Johnson; and Klaus Michel von Reth, Customer Service Manager.

Qantas has accepted the ACCC's request that it compensate passengers for "all reasonable" losses incurred as a direct result of the fleet grounding. Qantas says that it has always intended to ensure that disrupted customers incur no financial loss.
In addition to this commitment, Qantas "will shortly be announcing further measures as an apology to affected customers".

Virgin Australia has commenced sales of its Business Class product between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for travel from 18 January, 2012.

FedEx Express has been named Accumulate Employer of Choice (more than 1000 employees category) at the 2011 Australian HR Awards, held at the Hilton Sydney Hotel on Friday evening, October 28. 

IATA's September figures show that global pax traffic was 5.6 per cent higher tha September last year. Iata's Tony Tyler described that number as "a pleasant surprise". Asia Pacific carriers recorded a 4.3 per cent increase in demand, but that was way behind the 6.3 per cent increase in capacity. Average load factor for the region was 76 per cent compared with the global figure of 79.5 per cent, again reflecting that surge in capacity as new aircraft were delivered.

After leading the regional office of the Airports Council International for five years, Maggie Kwok has retired with effect from November 1, 2011; and Mrs Patti Chau is now the new ACI Regional Director.

The US Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety and Security is looking into The Aviation Workforce: Industry and Labor Perspectives on Training Needs and Challenges. It is examining local and Federal efforts to foster the development of the aviation workforce. Key issues being addressed are: employer and worker needs; efforts to develop and expand educational programs that support aviation and aerospace training; workforce initiatives that establish, prepare, and grow a pipeline of students who are career-ready for scientific, technical, engineering, and maths opportunities; life-long learning strategies; and government efforts to partner with industry to foster innovation and collaboration.