The US Justice Department's antitrust division and the Department of Transportation will start a broad-focused public inquiry into competition in the country's airline sector. The agencies say they are seeking public information on consolidation, anticompetitive conduct, and "a wide range of issues affecting the availability and affordability of air travel options". The topics covered in the agencies' joint request for information (RFI) include previous airline mergers, exclusionary conduct, airport access, aircraft manufacturing, airline ticket sales, pricing, and rewards practices, and the experiences of aviation workers. "Competition in air travel is a vehicle for better quality, better fares, and better choices for Americans," states assistant attorney general Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department's antitrust division. "With this inquiry, we hope to learn more from the businesses and travellers at the centre of this essential industry. Their feedback will ensure the Justice Department can continue to build on its historic efforts to protect competition in air travel." The departments are inviting passengers, airline staff, analysts and travel agents, among others to provide comments. The deadline for submissions is 23 December 2024. The inquiry comes in the context of the Justic Department went to court to block the merger of JetBlue and Spirit on competition grounds, and to unwind JetBlue's Northwest Alliance with American Airlines.

Qantas will refurbish the economy cabins on 10 Airbus A330-200s from mid-2025, with the new upgraded aircraft to enter service by the end of that year on Asian routes. The aircraft will be refitted with the same economy seats the airline chose for its Project Sunrise Airbus A350-1000s, 13.3in OLED entertainment touchscreens, plus USB-C fast charging and Bluetooth connectivity. Fleets data shows that it has selected the Recaro CL3810 seat for the A350s. Qantas adds that the existing business suites on the A330s will be retained as they "continue to receive positive feedback from customers" and are consistent with the product offered on its A380s and Boeing 787-9s. The airline will complete the work at its Brisbane maintenance facility, with all 10 aircraft expected to complete their refit by the end of 2026. Fleets data shows that the carrier has 12, A330-200Es in its fleet that are aged between 11.9 and 16.9 years. It also has four other -200s that are between 21.5 and 21.9 years old. All 16 of the A330-200s are currently fitted with Recaro CL3610 seats in economy, while 14 of them have Panasonic Avionics eX3 in-flight entertainment systems featuring either 8in or 11.1in screens. The remaining two have Lufthansa Systems' Board Connect IFE.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has imposed a $50 million penalty on American Airlines for violations of disability protection laws between 2019 and 2023. The DOT stated on 23 October that the penalty is 25 times larger than its previous largest penalty and "sets a new precedent for how DOT will enforce against such violations going forward". The DOT's investigation into American Airlines "uncovered cases of unsafe physical assistance that at times resulted in injuries and undignified treatment of wheelchair users, in addition to repeated failures to provide prompt wheelchair assistance". It adds: "American also mishandled thousands of wheelchairs by damaging them or delaying their return, leaving travellers without the device they need for mobility." The penalty involves a $25 million fine which American must pay to the US Treasury, while American will have to put the other $25 million towards systems to prevent delays and damage to wheelchairs and compensation for passengers that were affected during the timeframe of the investigation. If that expenditure is not made, the additional $25 million will be paid as a fine to the US Treasury. American reported a profit of $822 million for the full-year 2023. The airline says in a statement released the same day that it has a "long-standing commitment to serving passengers with disabilities", having served more than eight million passengers who requested assistance, and transported more than 146,000 wheelchairs and other personal mobility devices in 2023. It adds that the services are provided "in accordance with all regulations free of charge and in challenging airport environments around the world where weather, air traffic control, and other complexities can make travel difficult for all passengers". In 2024, it invested more than $175 million in services, infrastructure, training and new technology "to help ease their journey and transport their specialised equipment", it says. American says that out of those eight million requests for wheelchair assistance received in 2023, less than 0.1% of these customers submitted a disability-related complaint to American. Customer claims for mishandled wheelchairs and scooters have declined by more than 20% over the last two years, it adds. "Despite American's best efforts, if a wheelchair or other mobility device is damaged or delayed during a customer's journey, American pays for or provides repairs, replacements and loaners. The vast majority of cases are resolved directly with the passenger, without a lawsuit or the passenger escalating the matter to the DOT for resolution," it says. US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says the $50 million penalty sets "a new standard of accountability for airlines that violate the civil rights of passengers with disabilities". "By setting penalties at levels beyond a mere cost of doing business for airlines, we're aiming to change how the industry behaves and prevent these kinds of abuses from happening in the first place." The DOT says its regulations require airlines to "timely return" wheelchairs and other mobility devices in the condition in which they were received and to provide passengers with disabilities "prompt assistance" to get on and off aircraft including moving within the airport. The department adds that the problems are "not unique to American Airlines" and claims allegations of wheelchair mishandling and inadequate wheelchair assistance are "far too common", and it is investigating similar violations at other US airlines.