Airbus calls for wider seats on aircraft

Airbus has called on the aviation industry to set a minimum seat width of 18 inches for long-haul aircraft.

The manufacturer said its rivals were "eroding passenger comfort" by using narrow seat widths.

The call comes after London-based research showed that sleep quality can improve substantially if seats are a little wider.

Airbus already has an 18-inch minimum width in its long-haul economy cabins, with business and first-class passengers having wider seats.

The company told Sky News: "However, other manufacturers are eroding passenger comfort standards by going back to narrower seat widths from the 1950s in order to remain competitive."

Airbus released details of research conducted by Harley Street medical practice The London Sleep Centre.

Tests were done on a selection of passengers, which included monitoring brainwaves, and eye, abdominal, chest, hip and leg movement.

The tests revealed that a minimum seat width of 18 inches improved passenger sleep quality by 53% compared with the 1950s-style 17-inch standard.

Dr Irshaad Ebrahim, of The London Sleep Centre, said: "The difference was significant. All passengers experienced a deeper, less disturbed and longer night's sleep in the 18-inch seat."

Kevin Keniston, Airbus's head of passenger comfort, said: "If the aviation industry doesn't take a stand right now then we risk jeopardising passenger comfort into 2045 and beyond, especially if you take into account aircraft delivery timetables combined with expected years in service.

"Which means another generation of passengers will be consigned to seats which are based on outdated standards."

Japan Airlines confirms $9.5bn Airbus order

By Phil Davies 

Japan Airlines has confirmed its first order for Airbus aircraft with a deal for 31 wide-body jets worth $9.5 billion.

The agreement also includes options for a further 25 aircraft.

The deal covers the purchase of 18 A350-900s and 13 A350-1000s, with the first aircraft due to enter service from 2019. The aircraft will gradually replace its ageing fleet over a six-year period.

It is the first order the European manufacturer has had from Japan for A350 EWB (extra wide-body) aircraft.

The A350-900 seats more than 300 passengers in a typical three-class configuration on routes as long as 8,100 nautical miles. The A350-1000 is the largest member of the A350 XWB Family, seating 350 passengers on flights of up to 8,400 nautical miles.

Jal president Yoshiharu Ueki said: "We will utilize the A350 XWB to maximum, which offers high level of operational efficiency and product competitiveness, while positively catering to new business opportunities after slots at airports in Tokyo are increased.

"In addition to improving profitability with advanced aircraft, we always aim to deliver unparalleled services to customers with the latest cabin and steady expansion of our route network."

Airbus president and chief executive Fabrice Brégier said: "We sincerely welcome Japan Airlines as a new Airbus customer and feel honoured by this first-ever order from Japan for our all-new A350 XWB.

"It fills us with pride to see a leading Japanese airline start a new chapter with us. This highlights a very bright and flourishing future for both of us, Jal and Airbus."

The first A350-900 is due into commercial service in the second half of 2014. Airbus now has more than 750 firm orders for the A350 XWB from 38 customers worldwide.

Child in hospital after Disney cruise pool incident

By Phil Davies

A four-year-old boy was airlifted to hospital after being found unresponsive in a swimming pool on a Disney Cruise Lines ship.

The unnamed child was discovered on the Disney Fantasy on Saturday afternoon.

It was the second similar incident in a month for the company which does not have permanent lifeguards at its pools, the Daily Mail reported. Warnings are posted by the side of the water that lifeguards are not on duty.

A 13-year-old from Missouri died after he was found at the bottom of a pool at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, near the Epcot theme park in Orlando on March 10.

Disney Fantasy was briefly docked at Port Canaveral at the time of the incident.

After the boy was discovered Disney staff gave him medical attention. The boy was then airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando.

A spokesman confirmed: “On Saturday afternoon, our medical personnel responded when a child was unresponsive at one of the pools on the Disney Fantasy.

"The child was quickly transported to the hospital and is receiving medical treatment.  Our focus is on assisting the family, and our thoughts are with them during this difficult time.

"The ship was at Port Canaveral when the incident occurred."

Exclusive first look at Norwegian Breakaway float out

By Melanie Hall

Travel Weekly has been given an exclusive first look at Norwegian Breakaway’s float out from its dock in Germany this morning.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s vessel, the largest ship built in Germany, was floated out of Meyer Werft’s covered building dock earlier today in Papenburg, where the 146,600-tonne ship has been under construction since September 2011.

The 4,000-passenger ship, with her signature hull artwork designed by pop icon Peter Max, departed the building dock as the first ship to depart bow-first.

Norwegian Breakaway has an overall length of 324 metres, and is 39.70 metres wide.

The ship’s float out represents a major milestone in the vessel’s construction as it denotes that the ship has now moved into the final phase of construction with delivery taking place in just 58 days.

Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer, said: “Norwegian Breakaway represents a significant achievement both for Meyer Werft and Norwegian Cruise Line in terms of innovation and design.

“Celebrating her float out today brings us closer to her much-anticipated delivery on April 25 when she will make her debut in Europe before arriving in her homeport of New York City on May 7. We can’t wait.”

Bernard Meyer, managing partner of Meyer Werft, said: “This new vessel is a further milestone for us. Its construction complies with the latest safety standards, and the ship meets all valid environmental regulations.

"Beyond that Norwegian Breakaway includes a lot of unique design elements and technical innovations.”

Following the float out, tests were carried out in the harbour and the ship was berthed alongside the yard's outfitting pier. On March 4, the first crew members will move into their staterooms on board, and begin to familiarise themselves with the ship, readying her for guests.

Norwegian Breakaway's conveyance down the river Ems towards the North Sea, where she will prove her seaworthiness, is scheduled for March 10, weather permitting.

Airbus opts for 'Plan B' for A350 after 787 battery problem

By Phil Davies

Airbus will not use lithium-ion batteries in its forthcoming A350 aircraft because of problems that have grounded rival Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

The European manufacturer is to use traditional nickel-cadmium batteries instead, as already used in the A380 superjumbo and other models.

Investigations are continuing after battery problems came to light on 787s operated by Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways which left 50 Dreamliners grounded around the world.

Airbus said it was "confident" that the lithium-ion battery it had been developing with French battery-maker Saft was "robust and safe".

It added that A350 test flights would continue with the lithium batteries.

"However, to date, the root causes of the two recent industry Li-ion main batteries incidents remain unexplained to the best of our knowledge," Airbus said.

"In this context, and with a view to ensuring the highest level of programme certainty, Airbus has decided to activate its Plan B and therefore to revert back to the proven and mastered nickel-cadmium main batteries for its A350 XWB programme at entry into service.

"Airbus considers this to be the most appropriate way forward in the interest of programme execution and A350 XWB reliability."

The firm said it did not expect any further delays to the launch of the A350, intended as a rival to the 787. The maiden flight is due to take place later this year, with the first passenger flight expected in the second half of 2014, the BBC reported.