Qantas engineers say they are still no closer to reaching an agreement with the airline after the first day of talks to resolve their ongoing industrial dispute.

Talks will begin in Melbourne today to try to resolve the long-running pay dispute between Qantas and three unions.

Federal airport screeners still find four to five guns at checkpoints on a typical day, the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) chief told a Senate hearing Wednesday.

United and Continental airlines are among the next in line to take delivery of Boeing's long-awaited answer to the A380.

Garuda Indonesia plans to only use Indonesian pilots in the future, following a strike by workers in July over the large pay disparity between local and foreign workers at the company.

A federal judge sentenced a former commercial pilot to six months in prison Friday, followed by six months of home detention, for being intoxicated while co-piloting a domestic flight, a federal prosecutor announced.

The federal Department of Transportation is investigating numerous cases in which passengers remained stuck aboard planes beyond federal limits during last weekend's snowstorm in the Northeast, including one in which JetBlue passengers were trapped for about eight hours.

Qantas Airways promised to remain an Australian airline while staying firm on the need for a new Asian hub as its CEO was grilled by lawmakers about the grounding of all flights last weekend that left tens of thousands stranded.

European low-cost airlines have distanced themselves from an international push to water down a European Union plan forcing airlines to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, saying that any exemption carries the risk of prompting new taxes on the industry.

A Jetstar flight attendant has told a Senate inquiry that a crew member was ordered to clean around a dead body and managers have shown no concern over staff falling asleep on long-haul flights.