Qatar Airways has confirmed it will start double-daily Sydney services from February 13 with a  “tag”  flight connecting Australian capital Canberra.

The airline will use a 358-seat Boeing 777-300 aircraft to fly Doha-Sydney-Canberra and then Canberra-Sydney-Doha.

The big jet will be flying the short Sydney-Canberra hop alongside ATR and Q 400 turboprops but it will not be able to fly domestic passengers between the two Australian cities.

It will be competing for passengers with Singapore Airline’s direct flight between Singapore and Canberra.

Singapore recently retimed that flight to improve connections with other flights in its network and make the service more efficient.

Qatar had used up its rights under the current bilateral air services agreement to service Australia’s major gateway airports of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane.

However, it is allowed an additional seven frequencies a week to one of the major airports provided it operates the “via or beyond to a point in Australia other than Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth’’.

“The services intended to be operated by Qatar Airways to Canberra via Sydney are accommodated under this entitlement,’’ a spokeswoman for Transport Minister Darren Chester said.

Qatar Airways group chief executive Akbar Al Baker described Canberra as an important addition to the global route map that further boosted ties between the countries.

“We are confident our highly-acclaimed product will appeal greatly to government, business and leisure travellers alike and we look forward to welcoming our passengers on board very soon,”  he said in a statement.

US travellers started 2017 with a first-quarter average domestic airfare at its lowest point for 22 years when inflation was stripped out.

Newly released Department of Transportation figures show the inflation-adjusted average airfare of $US352 was the lowest first-quarter result since the DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics started collecting airfares in 1995.

It was also 5 per cent lower than the same period in 2016, 28 per cent down from the highest adjusted figure reached in 1991 and 26.5 per cent below the 1995 figure. But it was 1.5 per cent higher than the fourth quarter of 2016 – the second successive quarterly increase after six consecutive quarters of falls.

In addition to being adjusted for inflation so fares can be compared in 2017 constant dollars, the overall average includes taxes and charges as well as one-way fares accounting for about 34 per cent of total domestic tickets. It does not include ancillary fees for items such as checked baggage.

The one-way average domestic fare for the quarter was $US256, while the average round-trip fare was $US417.

When inflation was not considered, the $US352 figure was the lowest first-quarter average since 2010 when the figure was $US328. It was also 2.6 per cent down on the same quarter of 2016 and 9.4 per cent lower than 2015’s first quarter.

Travellers also did well compared to other consumers when it came to fares.

“Since 1995, unadjusted fares rose 18.5 percent compared to a 61.3 percent increase in overall consumer prices,’’ the department said.

However, the figures showed airlines have increased their reliance on ancillary fees: the percentage of total revenue from ticket sales fell from 87.6 per cent in 1995 to 73.7 per cent in this year’s first quarter.

The airport from which passengers flew also made a difference, with smaller airports costing more.

“Of airports grouped by the number of originating passengers in the first quarter of 2017, the 13 airports with between 50,000 and 99,999 originating passengers had the highest average fares ($US386),’’ the bureau said.  “Airports with 1.0 to 1.49 million originating passengers had the lowest average fares of any group ($US314).’’

A  Singapore Airlines plane approaching Canberra in February twice breached minimum altitude requirements and at one point was 700ft below the lowest height at which it was safely allowed to fly.

High terrain around Canberra meant the Boeing 777-200 with 13 flight crew and 235 passengers was supposed to fly no lower than 5300ft on a sector between two waypoints known as SCBSG and SCBSI but the plane descended to 4600ft.

This was after it had previously breached a minimum altitude of 7500ft on another sector, according to a report released Thursday by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

The incident on February 22 this year came after air traffic control surprised the crew by instructing them to conduct a different arrival to the one they expected.

The aircraft was operating Singapore’s Capital Express service to the Australian Capital and its New Zealand counterpart, Wellington, in good visual conditions.

The new approach used ground-based VHF transmitters but the crew wanted to continue using GPS waypoints and needed to reprogram the flight management computer to accommodate this.

When they manually entered the SCBSI waypoint, they erased SCBSG and removed a 7500ft minimum sector altitude constraint.  The captain manually re-entered the missing waypoint but did not notice the altitude constraint was missing.

This saw the aircraft descend to about 7000ft as it headed towards SCBSG without the crew noticing. A warning from air traffic control prompted them to disconnect the autopilot and climb back to 7500ft.

Prior to passing SCBSI, the crew elected to conduct a visual approach but did not tell air traffic control, as required by standard operating procedures.

The first officer was manually flying the aircraft as it descended below the 5300ft minimum safe altitude.

The captain noticed the approach profile was low at about same time a  controller warned the plane was below the minimum safe altitude and the first officer levelled off at about 4600ft.

“The flight crew advised the controller that they had the runway and terrain in sight,’’ the report said.

“The controller then cleared the flight to conduct a visual approach. After being cleared for a visual approach, the first officer commenced a climb to about 5,000 ft and re-established the aircraft on the desired approach profile.”

The ATSB noted there had been a number of incidents in Australia involving foreign flight crew diverting from flight paths.

These included incidents involving Thai Airways, AirAsia X and Garuda Indonesia.

It said the Singapore incident highlighted the importance of preparation and communication before starting a phase of flight.

“Requesting a preferred clearance early allows ATC to ensure that a clearance can be provided, or if not available, allows the flight crew time to prepare for a different clearance,’’ it said.

The incident also underlined the importance of adhering to standard operating procedures, something from which the Singapore crew deviated when the manually entered the waypoint, investigators said.

The ATSB  had identified numerous accidents worldwide that were the result of human errors in data calculation or entry with the consequences ranging from rejected take-offs to crashes.

Scoot has marked the last official flight of Tigerair Singapore with the announcement of five new destinations, including a maiden US service to Honolulu.

Although only one Tigerair Airbus A320 has so far rolled out in the new livery, the July 24 flight between Singapore and Tiruchirappalli in India effectively completed the transition of the Singaporean low-cost carrier to the Scoot brand as part of a nine-month integration process.

The move leaves Virgin Australia-owned Tigerair Australia as the surviving brand representative and sees the former Tigerair Singapore and long-haul budget carrier Scoot using the TR flight designator code under one operating licence.

The process began in May, 2016, when Singapore Airlines brought the carriers together under a common holding company, Budget Aviation Holdings,  and work started on integrating operations, flight scheduling and reservations systems.

The merger aimed to improve the efficiency of the airlines in the competitive South-East Asian market by utilising aircraft more effectively and streamlining operations. It brings together 14 long-haul Boeing 787 Dreamliners with 23 single-aisle Airbus A320s used on short- to medium-haul services.

“As we come to the end of Tigerair’s journey, we open up a brand new chapter for Scoot,’’ Scoot chief executive Lee Lik Hsin said in the announcement.  “Building on what Tigerair and the old Scoot had achieved since their respective inceptions, we are stronger than we have ever been before, and consequently in an even better position to offer our guests more choice, connectivity and value.’’

Other destinations to be serviced by the “new” Scoot include Harbin in northeast China, Kuching and Kuantan in Malaysia and Palembang in Indonesia.

The new destinations and the addition of the Tigerair network will see Scoot servicing 65 ports across 18 countries.

The airline also unveiled a new uniform for crew members a change in tagline from “Get Outta Here!” to “Escape the Ordinary’’.

“Scoot’s new tagline, Escape the Ordinary, is reflective of our growth as an airline brand,” Lee said. “It is more relevant to the global market now that our network has grown as it is aspirational to our inner wanderlust, and inspires us to travel and explore the world.”

The remainder of the former Tigerair fleet will be progressively repainted and the livery change is expected to be complete by mid-2018.

Read: AirlineRatings world’s best airlines awards for 2017.

Captain America, Thor and Spiderman found themselves on the wrong end of a mistaken United Airlines ban as US pop culture institution Comic-Con wrapped up in San Diego on Monday.

Attendees considered taking their phasers off stun after United told them comic books were not allowed in checked baggage.

Their confusion increased when the US Transportation Security Administration told them that they were.

The ruckus started after a fan tweeted a picture of a sign telling Comic-Con attendees to remove all books from checked bags.

United responded with a tweet saying: “The restriction on checking comic books applies to all airlines operating out of San Diego this weekend and is set by the TSA”.

The TSA tweeted back saying there were no TSA restrictions on checking comic books or any other type of books’’.

It linked the tweet to a June 28 blog which said it had tested the removal of books at two airport locations but this was no longer underway and it had no intention of bringing in the procedures.

The blog said this was because books had been used in the past to conceal prohibited items.

“Occasionally, our officers may recommend passengers remove items such as heavy, glossy programs during a special event with a lot of travelers such as Super Bowl programs,’’ it said.

US media speculated United had misinterpreted 2016 guidelines issued by the TSA which suggested stacks of brochures and comic books be taken in carry-on bags.

“Packing these items in checked bags often causes alarms leading to bag searches which can cause a significant slowdown in the screening process leading to delays and bags possibly missing their flights,’’ the guidelines said.

A TSA spokeswoman confirmed to Gizmodo that heavy glossy items could set off the checked baggage screening alarm but said there was no prohibition on putting comics in checked baggage.

United later issued a statement saying it had misunderstood TSA instructions and regretted any inconvenience to passengers.

The US Department of Homeland Security has lifted its controversial ban on large personal devices for all airlines.

The DHS said all 180 airlines and more than 280 airports offering direct flights to the US had implemented the first phase of enhanced security measures announced in June by Secretary John Kelly.

This included the 10 airports and nine airlines from the Middle East and North Africa caught up in the original ban announced in March.

“There are currently no airlines under restrictions for large personal electronic devices,’’ the Department said in a statement. “Airlines worldwide have implemented additional security measures that ultimately make the global aviation community more secure.

“The quick and decisive action taken by airlines, nations, and stakeholders is a testament to our shared commitment to raising the bar on global aviation security.”

The US sparked an international backlash when it introduced the so-called laptop ban and then suggested it might expand it to Europe and other parts of the globe.

Strong lobbying by the European Union and opposition by airlines and the travel industry resulted in the announcement in late June of tougher security measures.

These included a boost to overall passenger screening, heightened screening of personal electronic devices as well as increased security protocols around aircraft and in passenger areas.

Airports will also be expected to deploy advanced technology, expand screening by dogs and establish additional pre-clearance locations for travellers heading to the US. These allow international travellers to go through US customs and border security before boarding their flights.

The DHS warned those who failed to adopt the requirements within “certain time frames’’ ran the risk of additional security restrictions being imposed.

The International Air Transport Association welcomed the move to impose the requirements as an alternative to the laptop ban and said it would work with the DHS on a phased implementation of the new measures