A medium-sized bird and a series of unfortunate events have been blamed for an AirAsia X engine failure on the Queensland Gold Coast last year.

The culprit was a masked lapwing, a bird usually weighing between 230 and 400 gms and one the Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engine was designed to handle.

But testing by the engine manufacturer found a rare combination of factors caused a fan blade tip to fracture on the AirAsia X A330 as it took off on July 3, 2017 with 357 passengers and crew on board.

READ: AirAsia X to add first aircraft since 2015.

The crew was alerted to an engine stall and a loud banging noise shortly after take-off, according to a report rleased Wednesday by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. They followed procedures and made a PAN PAN call to alert authorities there was a problem.

The pilots upgraded the call to a MAYDAY and requested a diversion to Brisbane Airport after receiving an alert there was an engine failure and a fire. The plane landed safely and there were no injuries.

Bird remains found on the runway were found not have passed through the engine but a DNA analysis of organic material found on various parts during a detailed inspection by Rolls-Royce discovered that at least one lapwing did.

The manufacturer concluded that multiple birds had hit the fan but the damage at the tip of the fan blade was due to a single bird.

It found of material from the fan blade tip caused the fan to run out of balance when the engine was at take-off thrust and the combination of the two damaged the fan rear seal.

Fragments of the seal likely entered the engine core, causing significant damage to the compressors and resulting in a series of compressor stalls.

A problem with an oil seal as a result of a bolt unwinding prompted in an oil leak and this ignited either from frictional heat generated by seals rubbing or components moving.

The resulting fire between the front bearing housing and fan disc caused failure and melting of aluminum alloy components but was not enough to damage structural components with higher melting points.

Rolls told investigators the AirAsia X event had not been experienced during the medium bird certification test when eight birds of at least 680 gms (1.5lbs) were fired into the engine at least 168 knots.

Nor did it undermine the capability of the Trent 700 engine, which had experienced more than 430 reported birdstrikes with only five resulting in fan material loss, it added.

ATSB executive director of transport safety Nat Nagy said it was rare for a bird strike to lead to an engine failure.

“Scenario testing by the manufacturer indicates this occurrence was a rare combination of the height of the fan blade at which the birdstrike occurred, the angle the bird struck the fan blade and the aircraft and engine speeds,” he said.

“It is very unlikely a similar event would reoccur, and extremely unlikely that it would occur on multiple engines at the same time.”

Reviews of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders showed the flight crew effectively managed the unusual situation.

“Airlines still need to ensure they have robust emergency procedures in place, supported by training and regular proficiency checks, to help flight crews respond appropriately to events like this,” Nagy said.

“By following their procedures, having good communication and falling back on their training, this flight crew managed to respond appropriately and produce a safe outcome from such a rare and unexpected event,” Nagy said.

AirAsia welcomed the report and the findings on its flight crew.

“This was an unprecedented incident and, as the report confirms, the crew were well-trained and prepared to manage this rare and unexpected situation,’’ spokesman Kris Taute said.

“Safety at AirAsia has always been our number one priority. As part of this commitment, AirAsia X recently attained its Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) registration for the third consecutive time.

“IOSA certification is regarded by the industry as the global benchmark for safety management.”

One of the most dramatic examples of a bird strike occurred with 2009’s “Miracle on the Hudson” when a USAirways  Airbus A320  struck a flock of Canada geese after take-off from New York and lost all engine power.

Pilots Chesley Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles glided the plane to ditch in the Hudson River with no loss of life.

Tigerair Australia passengers could face delays and flight disruptions this weekend after pilots at the low-cost airline gave notice protected industrial action will start on Friday unless a deal can be reached in negotiations being held today and Wednesday.

The industrial action will include pilots not performing any duties not prescribed on their originally published roster, not accepting duty call outs on rostered days off or annual leave days, and refusal to fly aircraft with any permissible un-serviceability as described in the Minimum Equipment List.

Read: Merren McArthur to head up Tigerair Australia.

VIPA, which represents Tigerair pilots, said the decision to take action is not one the pilots have taken lightly.

“After more than 12 months of negotiations, we’re disappointed that the pilots have had to take industrial action to ensure they have comparable employment conditions to flying for all other major airlines in Australia,” VIPA President John Lyons said in a statement.

“But the Tigerair pilots we represent in these negotiations voted overwhelmingly to take these actions to send a clear message to the business that they are seeking significant improvements in what is being offered to them to bring their next enterprise agreement in line with basic industry standards, both in terms of pay and work-life balance.

“Tigerair pilots are simply looking for a fair deal.”

The union says that the pilots’ conditions, including a reduced number of days off and restrictions on access to rostering lifestyle benefits, is well below their peers in other Australian airlines.

Tigerair, which operates daily flights from Perth to Sydney and Melbourne, said it was currently negotiating a new enterprise agreement for pilots with the Australian Federation of Air Pilots and VIPA.

“Tigerair has plans in place to minimize any disruption to our customers including re-accommodation onto other Tigerair and Virgin Australia services,” a spokeswoman said. “We will notify customers as soon as possible via SMS/email if there is any disruption.

“Customers are advised to please plan to arrive for flights as scheduled unless otherwise notified by the airline directly.”

The airline said it was important that customers provide it with the correct details so it can contact them if needed.

The narrow body jet revolution will gain a further foothold in Australia from July 2 when Philippine Airlines replaces a widebody A340 with a single-aisle A321neo on its non-stop Brisbane-Manila service.

The four times weekly A321neo service will the feature the first flat-bed business product on a narrowbody aircraft operated to Australia and will replace three flights a week operated by the bigger aircraft.

The move is part of a trend which is seeing the new breed of longer range, single-aisle planes replace bigger aircraft on routes of up to eight hours and part of an ongoing expansion by the Filipino carrier.

The new Phillippine Airlines (PAL) planes offer 12 flatbed business class seats and 156 economy seats with in-seat power, seat back screens and wi-fi access across all cabins.

Philippine Airlines president Jamie Bautista was optimistic business and tourism travel to the Philippines would be stimulated as the airline also expands nonstop services to Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland.

These include a boost from three to five weekly Manila-Melbourne services from June 1 as rival Cebu Pacific expands its reach to the Victorian capital with three times weekly flights from August.

READ: Malaysia Airlines returns to Brisbane.

“Brisbane is an important part of our plan to introduce more Australians to the Philippines as a high-value holiday destination,” Bautista said, noting that airline was building up a fleet that was among Asia’s youngest.

Brisbane Airport chief executive Julieanne Alroe said the new aircraft would see a near doubling of seat capacity from about 38,000 to 70,000 seats per annum.

“With the Philippines one of the fastest growing economies and aviation markets in Asia, this new non-stop flight is sure to result in increased passenger numbers in both directions,’’ she said.

“Indeed, the investment and trust Philippine Airlines has made in making Brisbane its first ever A321neo destination demonstrates the confidence they have in the market potential.’’

PAL  has some 21 aircraft arriving in 2018 and 2019 and plans to expand its hubs in Davao, Cebu and Clark.

It already offers an extensive Asia network, as well as flights to London Heathrow, the Middle East and several North American destinations including New York, Toronto and Los Angeles.

This year’s deliveries include six new A321neos from May, four A350-900s from June and five Bombardier Q400s.

A further six aircraft will arrive in 2019 as part of a fleet build-up that will continue until 2024.

The airline’s 2018 expansion includes non-stop flights between Manila and New York JFK from October 28.

Also on the cards in the last quarter of the year are non-stop flights New Delhi and Mumbai as well as Japanese city of Sapporo.

Routes on which PAL is boosting frequencies include Cebu-Siargao, Davao-Tagbilaran, Davao-Clark, and Cebu-Bangkok.

“We are no longer just a Manila-centric airline,” Bautista told a recent press briefing. “Our new aircraft and our new hubs are a winning combination that will help expand our market reach both domestically and worldwide.”

Passengers have new options to fly the Virgin brand between the UK and Australia thanks to a codeshare partnership between Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia on sale from  May 1.

The new partnership allows passengers to connect between Hong Kong or Los Angeles and gives Atlantic passengers domestic Australian connections to eight Australian cities.

It also permits a passenger to fly around the world on Virgin-branded jets on routes such as London-Hong Kong-Sydney-Los Angeles-London.

New connections on the Virgin domestic network include Adelaide-Sydney, Adelaide-Melbourne and Canberra-Melbourne.

The codeshare includes Virgin Australia’s new daily Sydney-Hong Kong flights from July 2 as well as its existing Melbourne-Hong Kong service and its 18 weekly Boeing 777-300ER flights from Australia to the US.

Virgin Australia a big winner.

Until July 2, the Australian carrier will operate daily Melbourne-Hong Kong flights at which point they reduce to five a week as the carrier launches the Sydney-Hong Kong flights.

Atlantic flies up to three daily services between London Heathrow and Los Angeles with a daily service to Hong Kong. Both routes are operated by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.

The codeshare agreement gives frequent flyer members from both airlines the ability to earn points and status credits on each other’s flights as well as access to each other’s lounges.

Virgin Australia also codeshares with part-owners Etihad and Singapore Airlines on flights to Europe.

The idea is to offer seamless travel between the UK and Australia, Virgin Australia group executive Rob Sharp said in the announcement.

“Virgin Australia is always looking for opportunities to provide more options to our customers and to improve the end-to-end travel experience,” he said.

Virgin Atlantic chief commercial officer Shai Weiss said the codeshare partnership meant more customers could travel around the world using only Virgin airlines.

“It will also streamline the travel experience by providing a single check-in and baggage drop for the entire journey,’’ he said. “We are thrilled to be working with Virgin Atlantic to provide travellers with our renowned Virgin service and product all the way between Australia and the UK.”

The partnership comes as the Virgin brand has disappeared in the US after the takeover of Virgin America by Alaska Airlines.

Read: Alaska retires Virgin America flight numbers.

Separately, Virgin Australia has started charging for high-speed wi-fi on the 12 domestic aircraft fitted out with the technology. Slower internet remains free but those wanting to use broadband capable of supporting streaming services will pay $A8.99 per trip.

Will they climb over you to get to the loo?

Toilet and seat recline etiquette are conflicting Australian air travelers, according to a new passenger survey.

The Expedia, 2018 Airplane Etiquette survey reveals that passengers are stuck in quandary about how to get to the toilet if in a window seat or aisle seat and also confused about the rules of when and when not to recline their seat.

WATCH: Reach for the sick bag

Expedia’s report has reinforced the importance of seat allocation for Australian travelers with 98 percent opting for an aisle or window seat.

The survey found that the majority of Australian air travelers chicken out of waking up their fellow passenger to get to the aisle to go to the toilet, opting for a few risky maneuvers.

Only 31 percent would wake up another passenger with 44 percent opting to climb over the passenger and 25 percent hoping the person in the aisle seat will wake up.

Another major dilemma that many face is what is the best time to recline their seat.

Again, the survey found that Australian air travelers are divided on what to do with 40 percent stating you should only recline your seat for flights over 3 hours.

WATCH: Emirates A380 snowy blast

In fact, 20 percent travelers say it’s rude to recline your seat.

The survey found that 47 percent will only recline their seat if they’re going to sleep, 20 percent only after the meal service has taken place.

However, 17 percent said they recline their seat as soon as the seatbelt sign goes off after take-off.

To make the journey more pleasant Expedia suggests that air travelers should introduce themselves before the flight and establish some ground rules, such as if to wake someone up.

In the survey respondents also revealed the most annoying and offensive airport and plane behaviors with the seat grabber taking the number one spot annoying close to 60 percent of Australians.

Another annoying type is the inattentive parent, who do not look after their children, with 45 percent of respondents listing it as a major gripe.

Poor hygiene and the passenger who gets too close or falls asleep on or near you on the flight are also major issues for travelers.

The battle to stop the economy class crush as airlines cram more seats into aircraft may have reached a turning point after a key US vote on minimum size standards.

The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee bill that includes a requirement that the Federal Aviation Administration set minimum size standards for aircraft seating.

The seating requirement was part of a reauthorization bill that guarantees funding for the FAA for the next five years and which came stuffed with other consumer-focused extras. The Senate still has to vote on the reauthorization.

These include a prohibition on voice calls during flights, a ban on bumping passengers who have already boarded an aircraft and greater transparency about computer system failures and other disruptions.

The seat requirement is still vague and gives the FAA a year to develop regulations on minimum standards for seating, including seat pitch, width and length.

It does not specify what these should be other than to say they would be “minimum dimensions for passenger the safety and health of passengers”.

Nor does it give any indication how the rules would relate to cramped seating already in place.

There is some speculation is that it could establish a floor for seat pitch at 28 inches and a minimum width of 16.5 inches, dimensions that would still be cramped for many people.

US Congressman Steve Cohen, who added the Seat Egress in Air Travel (SEAT) Act to the larger FAA bill, said the vote was a win for passengers and safety.

“Airlines should never be allowed to put profits ahead of safety and health,” he said. “Passengers need to be able to evacuate quickly and safely in the event of an emergency, and the FAA needs to make sure they can.”

Yet to enter the mix is an FAA response to a Federal Court order requiring it to prove that tighter seating does not affect safety.

READ: Airfares may triple if passengers refuse to leave baggage during evacuations.

The FAA  was forced to revisit the issue after a federal court judge last year ordered it to address concerns about what she described as “the incredibly shrinking airline seat”.

“As many have no doubt noticed, aircraft seats and the spacing between them have been getting smaller and smaller, while American passengers have been growing in size,” Judge Patricia Millett said.

The court ruling came after advocacy group Flyers Rights petitioned the FAA in 2015 to regulate seat space.

The agency refused so Flyers Rights took legal action, arguing that narrower seats and closer spacing were  “endangering the safety, health and comfort of airline passengers.”

In her ruling, Willet expressed doubts about an FAA assertion that seat spacing did not affect the safety or speed of passenger evacuations.

“To support that conclusion, the Administration pointed to (at best) off-point studies and undisclosed tests using unknown parameters,” she said.

Flyers Rights says seat width has shrunk from some 18.5 inches in the early part of the 21st Century to 17 inches in the middle of this decade. At the same time, it says seat pitch (the distance between seats) has gone from 35 inches to 31 inches and, in some planes, to 28 inches.

Flying aircraft with more seats benefits airline profits but the carriers argue customers also gain because they are able to get lower fares. They also contend new seat designs allow them to fit in more seats without significantly affecting “personal space”.

The FAA said in March this year it was still evaluating how to address the court’s finding, but it expected to release its decision “soon”.

Watch: Reach for the sick bag! Crosswind landings and take-offs.

The reauthorization bill’s provision relating to bumping of involuntary passengers also calls on the Transportation Secretary to clarify current regulations regarding compensation offered to bumped passengers.

This includes a requirement that an airline must proactively offer to pay a passenger subject to involuntary denied boarding rather that wait for a request for compensation.

In the case of widespread disruptions, airlines would be required to prominently publish on their websites a clear statement saying whether an affected traveler would be provided with accommodation, ground transportation, meal vouchers and travel on another airline.

The prohibition on voice calls would see a current Federal Communications Commission ban on mobile phones extended to other devices capable of using services such as Skype and FaceTime.

A rule popular with consumer advocates and due to be wound back prevents airlines  advertising fares without including taxes and charges.

Requirements that airlines advertise  “all-in” fares have been championed by competition regulators around the world to give consumers a better and more immediate grasp of the total cost of travel.

The US legislation would again allow base fares to be advertised provided the taxes, charges and total cost are “clearly and separately” disclosed.

This could be in the form of a link or pop-up on an internet site or mobile phone app, the bill said.