Qantas plane has engine problems

What the hell is happening at Qantas Airlines?

Once one of the most reliable carriers in the world, Australia's national airline has been beset by mechanical problems over the past few years and that has cast doubt over the reliability of the company's fleet.

Qantas' latest incident: One of its Boeing 747s was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok after the pilot shut down one of the plane's Rolls-Royce-powered engines while on a flight to London.  According to Qantas, the pilot noticed “vibration and high temperatures” in one of four engines and managed the land the plane with 308 passengers aboard without incident.

However, this latest incident may have more to do with Rolls-Royce than Qantas. That's because earlier this week a Cathay Pacific plane made an emergency landing in Singapore after the pilot noticed sparks coming from his plane's Rolls-Royce engines.

Qantas crew brings 'child' rock star Justin Bieber back 'Down to Earth'

I just found out that Canadian child pop star Justin Bieber was scolded like a child on board a Qantas flight yesterday for leaving his seat while the aircraft was taxing in preparation for takeoff.

According to witnesses, the 17-year-old teen idol and his bodyguard left their business class seats to talk to members of their entourage back in coach as the plane readied for a flight from Sydney to Melbourne, despite the fact the seat belt sign was on.

Bieber is currently touring Down Under.

The cabin crew jumped to their feet and sternly ordered the pair back to their seats.

Witnesses told an Australian newspaper that one flight attendant shouted at Bieber; accusing him of being a “security risk.” She then escorted him back to his seat and told him: “if you want to act like a child, then I’ll treat you like a child.”

Good job Qantas has not introduced mandatory martial arts training for their flight attendants like I reported yesterday Hong Kong Airlines has done for their crews.

It’s nice to see, as one of Bieber’s song titles suggests, that even mega stars can be brought “Down to Earth” by air crews.