After several false starts Citilink is finally launching Perth to Bali flights on November 8.

Return fares start at about A$435 but are shown as US dollars on the website so passengers must be careful when booking.

Bookings are now open.

The proposed Perth to Bali service went into limbo after Citilink blocked the flight on its website after announcing its intention to fly the route.

The service was due to start from October 28 but the airline then moved to block every service stating they were FULL.

There was no response for an explanation, although insiders suggested that the service may be delayed until early next year.

WATCH: How tough is an Emirates A380?

The proposed Citilink flight QG542 leaves Denpasar at 1.00am and arrives in Perth at 4.40am, while the flight back to Bali departs at 9.40am and arrives at 1.30pm…. perfect for check-in.

Citilink is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia in much the same way as Qantas and Jetstar.

The airline serves 30 destinations in Indonesia with a fleet of 57 aircraft as well as Phnom Penh in Cambodia, Kunming in China, Penang in Malaysia and Dili in East Timor.

Later this year the airline is expanding to Frankfurt and Kuala Lumpur.

Citilink will do battle with Jetstar, Batik Air, its owner Garuda, and Indonesia Air Asia on the Perth route.

Try to grab a furtive e-cigarette on Korean Air and you’ll end up explaining yourself to the local constabulary.

The Korean carrier has warned it is taking a tough stance on smoking and anybody caught out will be handed directly to the local police immediately upon landing, regardless of the severity of the offense.

READ: AirAsia takes the A330neo Downunder

Cabin crew are also being reminded about e-cigarettes, trained to be aware of diverse designs due and to take “proper and strong action” if passengers disregard the regulations.

The airline noted that smoking during flights is strictly prohibited due to the risk of inciting fires and because of the impact on other passengers and in-flight air filtration equipment.

It said the number of smoking incidents generally had declined from 266 in 2016 to 208 in 2018 and 120 up to September 2019.

But there had been in a surge in the use of e-cigarettes, with 34 percent of the devices on board found to be smoked on the plane in 2018, rising to 54 percent this year.

People were also now smoking the electronic devices in the cabin as well as in the toilets.

Smoking on flights is heavily regulated throughout the world and South Korean law allows a fine of up to 10 million won ($US8546).

“The smoke detector attached to the airplane’s toilet does not only detect regular cigarette smoke, but also that of e-cigarettes,” a Korean Air spokesperson said.

“Passengers’ cooperation is essential to tackle in-flight smoking, including that of e-cigarettes, which is an illegal act that seriously undermines the safety of the aircraft and is harmful to the health of passengers.”

AirAsia is introducing its newest and most fuel-efficient aircraft Downunder to operate its Brisbane-Bangkok flights

The low-cost carrier group started flying the three times weekly route October 29 using a Thai AirAsia X A330neo.

It began flying to Brisbane in June 2019 after gaining support from the Queensland government.

READ: American claims first with flights to New Zealand’s South Island.

“We are delighted to bring this revolutionary aircraft to our newest Australian port, Brisbane,” said AirAsia X Group chief executive Nadda Buranasiri.

“Not only does the A330neo deliver significant cost benefits, which can be passed on to guests in the form of great value fares, but it also unlocks network expansion opportunities such as Brisbane, Australia.

“As the world’s best low-cost airline for the 11th consecutive year, the A330neo signifies a new era for low-cost flying with numerous features such as ambient mood lighting and power sockets in every seat, so guests are able to make full use of their own devices in-flight.

“This is in addition to AirAsia favorites, the kid-free Quiet Zone and Premium Flatbeds.”

The carrier is introducing the new aircraft with one-way fares booked before November 2 starting at  $A299 for members of its BIG loyalty program or $A300.50 for those who are not members.

AirAsia X Thailand received its A330-900 in August and the aircraft features  377 seats in a two-class configuration that includes 12 Premium Flatbed offerings and 365 standard economy seats.

AirAsia X currently operates A330-300s and is the biggest customer for the A330neo with 66 on firm order.

The A330neo is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines and sports new Sharklet wingtip devices that deliver  25 percent lower fuel burn per seat than previous generation competitors.

AirAsia says other advantages of its new specification aircraft include more personal space for guests, larger cabin storage and the quietest cabin in its class.

The low-cost carrier has a strong presence in Australia with flights to Brisbane, Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast.

United Airlines is joining the expanding universe of Star Wars aircraft liveries and taking it a step further with a themed safety video featuring characters from “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”.

Watch the new Star Wars safety video here:

It is one of several airlines to have become one with the Force as Disney ends the original run of Skywalker films and after it opened its new “Galaxy’s Edge” attraction in Florida.

United’s striking Boeing 737-800 features X-wing and TIE fighters and a different colored light-sabre on each side of a black tail. It will take flight in November.

The airline is also offering “The Rise of Skywalker” themed amenity kits while passengers will be greeted during boarding with Star Wars music and headrests will sport the emblems of the fims dueling factions, the Resistance and First Order.

READ: Lufthansa expands basic economy.

Star wars fanatics who don’t get to fly on the themed plane will be able to follow its progress on FlightAware via a special X-wing fighter icon.

And MileagePlus members have a chance to bid for tickets at the US premiere of the movie as well as other items and experiences.

“We are thrilled to join forces and help promote the concluding chapter of the Skywalker story, while at the same time enlisting help from our new friends from the Star Wars universe to demonstrate the importance of safety for our customers and colleagues,” said United marketing vice president Mark Krolick.

Equally eye-catching is All Nippon Airways’ brightly colored C-3PO Boeing 777-200, which will be flying between Tokyo Haneda and the Japanese cities of Itami and Fukuoka in early December.

The colorful  tribute to the popular Star Wars Andriod  will fly the routes to coincide the release of  “The Rise of Skywalker”.

And the colorful message doesn’t stop at the door, the interiors follows the same theme.

“ANA seeks to inspire joy in all of our passengers, and we believe the C-3PO^TM ANA JET allows us to showcase our more playful side,” said Mitsuo Tomita, senior vice president of ANA.

“It is our goal to make every trip with ANA a memorable experience, and this aircraft is sure to provide long-lasting memories for each passenger.”

The C-3P0 livery comes after ANA in 2015 revealed a Boeing 787-9 designed to represent the golden android’s pal, R2-D2. The jet made appearances around the world and was the first to feature a Star Wars character.

Other Star Wars liveries to appear in 2019 include this Virgin Atlantic 747 emblazoned with the Millennium Falcon to promote Disney’s new “Galaxy’s Edge” attraction  in Florida:

And another Galaxy’s Edge aircraft from LATAM:

The biggest version of the Airbus A350 family — the A350-1000 — has made its commercial debut in Australia with Cathay Pacific flights to Melbourne and Perth.

Cathay is putting the bigger aircraft into the market despite weaker leisure demand in Australia and a traffic slump in its home hub of Hong Kong due to political unrest.

READ: Cathay expects tough times to continue.

It is also upgrading one of its Sydney flights from an A330 to an A350-900.

The A350-1000 is the contender put forward by Airbus for the Qantas Project Sunrise flights from Australia’s East Coast to New York and London.

Cathay’s configuration carries 334 passengers, 54 more than its A350-900 aircraft serving Sydney, with 46 lie-flat beds in business and 32 premium economy seats.

It is similar to its smaller sibling in that it brings together improved aerodynamics, engine technology and composite construction to boast a 25 percent change in fuel efficiency compared to older planes.

Like the Boeing 787, higher humidity and cabin pressure combine with lower ambient noise to give passengers a more comfortable ride.

One important advantage over its Boeing Dreamliner competitor, at least for economy passengers, is the wider cabin.

This allows Cathay to offer 18-inch wide seats with a 32-inch seat pitch as opposed to the more cramped seating in a nine-across 787 or Cathay’s more recent 10-across Boeing 777s.

Premium economy comes with a generous 40-inch seat pitch while business customers get a comfortable 70.5-inch bed.

The Hong Kong airline has recently boosted its inflight entertainment offering and all its A350s are equipped with inflight Wi-Fi.

READ: Cathay quadruples inflight entertainment offering.

“At Cathay Pacific, our passengers remain our top priority,’’ said Cathay South-West Pacific regional general manager Rakesh Raicar.

“The launch of this aircraft will allow us to deliver further enhanced features that improve the comfort and overall travel experience of our guests.”

Move over, faintly disturbing #lampbear: Doha airport, the hub for Qatar Airways, is planning a major expansion despite growing concerns about overcapacity in the region.

The aim is to make Hamad International Airport, in its own words,  “more than a gateway”.

It’s important to remember that Qatar-the-state treats its airport and airline like an exercise in public diplomacy, which is the principal reason why it likes to have the very best of everything.

Hence the upgrade, despite the regional political and aviation context.

Our ultimate aim at #HIAQatar is to become more than a gateway. We are a destination in our own!
Engr. Badr Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer at #HIAQatar #HIAQatarExpansion pic.twitter.com/dzsOKf2DMb

— Hamad Int'l Airport (@HIAQatar) October 22, 2019

To understand the plans, take a look at the shape of the airport’s terminal. In essence, it combines an upside-down T with a Y.

Concourse A is to the left of the main center atrium, with Concourse B on its right, and together they make up the crossbar of the upside-down T.

Concourse C is the span between A+B and the arms of the Y-shaped concourses D (on the left) and E (on the right). Concourse C spans roughly half a kilometre which the airport estimates as a nine-minute walk or a 90-second trip on the airport train (which is actually a horizontal cablecar)

The basic plan is first to create a second center atrium at the junction between concourses C, D and E.

Confusingly, the airport is talking about its expansion using the letters A and B, despite the actual expansion involving concourses D and E. No, I don’t understand either.

“The second phase of HIA’s expansion consists of Phase A and B. Phase A of the current expansion will comprise of the central concourse linking concourses D and E,” the airport says.

“Construction is to commence by early 2020 and will increase the airport’s capacity to more than 53 million passengers annually by 2022.”

It’s not entirely clear how a bunch of shops, a new lounge and a forest increases passenger numbers in this first phase.

Perhaps there will also be some expansion of other areas to add bus gate space for when the next phase starts or some rearrangement as the airline’s Airbus A380 fleet departs, removing the necessity for the ultra-large gates?

On to the second phase.

“Phase B, which will be completed after 2022, will extend concourses D and E to further enhance the airport’s capacity to more than 60 million passengers annually,” says the airport.

So, essentially, the plan is to create another swanky space full of stores and lounges where the arms of the Y meet starting next year.

Cue the lofty superlatives: “a spectacular 10,000 sqm indoor tropical garden in a central concourse”, “a 268 sqm water feature which will be the focal point of the expansion project”, and “9,000 sqm of world-class Al Mourjan lounge located above the retail space with dramatic views looking towards the tropical garden”.

The Al Mourjan, for those playing along at home, is the business-class-for-business-class-booked-passengers lounge at Doha, and this will roughly double the space in this category — useful since the current one gets very busy at peak transit times.

In terms of the gate expansion starting in 2022, some of these spaces are already being used as bus gates. Take a look at the Google satellite image: these look like stands that can vary between widebody and narrowbody aircraft, which is, of course, smart in the current unstable global climate (and especially given regional geopolitics).

It looks to me as if the airport can add eleven widebody gates to each of concourses D and E, and/or a correspondingly larger number of narrowbody gates.

This is all notional, of course, and the details are still scant. It will, nonetheless, be fascinating to see just how flexible the airport can be once the concrete is poured, the steel welded and the glass installed.