Qantas Airways

Officials announced that airplane maker Airbus has changed its mind and will bring the first U.S. test flight of the world's largest plane to Los Angeles and New York on the same day this month. In a carefully negotiated deal, the company agreed to land the double-deck behemoth at Los Angeles International Airport around 9 a.m. March 19 -- at about the same time another aircraft will touch down at John F. Kennedy International Airport. "Being part of the A380's inaugural visit to the U.S.

Airline passengers will get their first chance to fly out of Los Angeles on Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner in January, when United Airlines begins daily nonstop flights to Narita, Japan. United, the first U.S. carrier to operate the twin-aisle aircraft, announced Thursday its first routes for the massive plane. Its flights using the 787 from Los Angeles International Airport will begin Jan. 3 with daily, nonstop trips to Narita and to Shanghai starting March 30, United said. Although the aircraft can hold up to 290 passengers, the configuration United will use for these flights will carry a maximum of 219. "The 787 is the right aircraft for these routes because of its many passenger-friendly amenities and superior operating economics," said Greg Hart, United's senior vice president of network.

1.Cuba has loosened restrictions on travel abroad. Cubans no longer need a letter of invitation from someone in the host country or an exit visa. 2.An amethystine python lodged itself next to an exterior engine on a Qantas Airways flight from Cairns, Australia, to Papua New Guinea. The constrictor did not survive the trip. 3.A State Department warning on Israel, issued last month, urges travelers to avoid the Gaza Strip and exercise caution in the West Bank and at religious sites in Jerusalem.

Boeing Co. today picked up another $1 billion in business with jetliner orders from Japan Air System Co. and Qantas Airways. Japan Air System ordered four Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets and took options for four more, Boeing Commercial Airplane Group said. Qantas ordered one 747-400 and four 767-300 wide-body jets, worth about $560 million, including spare parts.

British Airways and Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd. said Tuesday that they were holding talks about a potential merger, sparking hopes of consolidation in the hard-hit aviation industry. Both companies issued statements saying they were exploring a potential merger with each other "via a dual-listed company structure." Neither British Airways nor Qantas provided further details.

American Film Institute's International Film Festival opened June 18 with a screening of "Sarafina!" at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Entertainment Weekly sponsored the gala. More than $100,000 has been donated to AFI by Entertainment Weekly, California Arts Council, Films Inc. Home-Vision and AT&T to underwrite the festival, which will run another week.

Boeing Co., the world's second-largest maker of commercial airplanes, said Monday that Air New Zealand Ltd. had finalized an order for four additional 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft valued at $700 million at list prices. The order, which was first announced in December, will bring the airline's total Dreamliner order to eight, Boeing said. The four airplanes will be delivered between 2011 and 2013.