Airlines in the US initially challenged the scheme in the courts, but were overruled. A number of countries also held a meeting to discuss how to react to the matter as it was feared that the implementation of the scheme could result in a trade war.

According to the EC, only 10 airlines based in India and China failed to submit data by the March deadline in what is a dry run for the ETS when it comes into full force next year. The EU has reacted to opposition by saying that it will suspend the ETS if the global aviation industry can come up with a manageable system of compensating for the contribution it makes to global warming.

At present, aviation contributes around 2 per cent of all CO2 emissions created globally. However, the sector is the fastest growing contributor and it is more difficult for airlines to cut back compared to other sectors including land transport, home heating and electricity generation.

Connie Hedegaard, the EU’s climate commissioner, said emissions in 2011 had decreased by 2 per cent in sectors which the ETS covered.

A leading stewardess is now permitted to stay in her job for 25 years, up from 23 and someone who has attained the rank of chief stewardess will be permitted to stay with the airline for 30 years, up from 28.

The new rules came in on 9 May and the airline said that the agreement would allow it to offer new employees longer employment terms and retain more experienced staff. Tony Sim, president of the SIA staff union, said the new rules were in line with a push by the Singapore government to encourage workers to stay in their jobs for longer before deciding to take retirement. He added that as people choose to start families later and live for longer they would now have the opportunity to remain with the airline for longer.

SIA’s stewardesses, known as Singapore Girls, have been integral to its advertising campaigns since as far back as the 1970s. Although some think that the term may be patronising and sexist, flight attendants with the airline consistently pick up industry awards for excellence.

The airline has just announced the third ever quarterly loss in its history as it struggles to compete with competition from budget carriers, high jet fuel prices and a global economic slowdown.

Kent County Council has also published its own study into the aviation problems being encountered at UK airports. It has advised against continuing with plans to build a new airport and said instead that improvements should be made at the country’s existing airports.

KCC said that better rail links were needed between regional airports and that a high-speed link should connect Heathrow to Gatwick. Although it admits that a lack of action is no longer an option, a new hub off Kent would take far too long to develop and would not necessarily be an answer to the UK’s capacity problems.

The report, which is called Bold Steps for Aviation, has asked the government to look into developing regional airports including Lydd and Manston. Paul Carter, leader of KCC, said high-speed trains were already travelling between London and Ashford and that an upgrade of the line between Ashford and Canterbury would mean that Manston airport could be used to take up some of the slack.

There are presently two plans for an airport in the Thames Estuary. Norman Foster has designed an airport to be constructed on the Isle of Grain and Mr Johnson wants to see an artificial island created onto which to build terminals and runways.

A Network Rail spokesperson said that the power cut was unfortunate and that although trains were still permitted to pass through the station it was considered unsafe to allow them to stop. The cause of the power cut is currently being investigated.

Many angry commuters wondered if London is prepared for the number of visitors expected at this summer’s Olympic Games. Although power is now back on there are still problems with Oyster card readers and ticketing machines. Staff are trying to ease congestion by using portable ticket machines.

UK Power Networks was called out to investigate the problem but said that the fault was to do with equipment which was owned by Network Rail. A spokesman for the company said that the issue had not affected power supplies to the area surrounding the station.

Clapham Junction is the busiest station in the UK. At peak times it sees around 180 trains pass through and deals with 430,000 passengers every day.

Cathay Pacific has also said that it expects its yearly results to be disappointing and has issued a profit warning. Both companies are struggling to compete with budget airlines in Asia and Middle Eastern carriers.

Singapore Airlines said that the price of jet fuel had risen by 32 per cent over the year and that around 40 per cent of the company’s revenue was being spent on powering its fleet. The debt crisis in Europe and a fragile US economy are also hampering the airline’s revenues.

Centre for Aviation analyst, Brendan Scobie, said the market at the moment is extremely challenging for airlines. He added that it all started with the global financial slump in 2009. Singapore Airlines is planning to launch its new budget offshoot Scoot in June. However, Scobie is not sure that the operation will offer much in the way of financial relief.

SIA has only ever had to declare quarterly losses twice in the past. The first was in 2003 when the world panicked about an outbreak of SARS, and the second was after the collapse of Lehman Brothers sent the global financial markets into a tailspin.

Although Tui has declared an increase in revenue of three per cent over the last half-year compared to the same six months a year earlier, losses for the winter season were up by 25 per cent to £457 million before tax and operating losses.

At the end of April, bookings in France had dropped by 16 per cent compared to the same time last year. Bookings also fell in the UK by six per cent, a market which normally accounts for a quarter of all Tui’s business. In Germany, Tui’s most important market, bookings were up by three per cent.

The travel firm’s profitability has been hit by a lack of consumer confidence in the UK and economic uncertainty across other markets. Bookings from Nordic customers fell following the floods in Thailand last year and the company is continuing to struggle with Corsair, its French subsidiary.

Tui boss Peter Long said he was encouraged by the company’s performance over the last six months. Although business is down, he said that there had been strong bookings from customers in the UK over the winter. He added that he was sure that bookings would continue to increase through the summer.

Mr Mallya told workers that he intended to have the airline back to its former strength within time. He explained that he has already had a number of very productive meetings, although he did not elaborate.

The Kingfisher boss did however confirm that the airline would soon be permitted to return to the International Air Transport Associations scheme for paying travel agents. The carrier was suspended from the system in March as it could not meet its financial commitments, but a return to IATA is essential for cash flow as a large portion of ticket sales are passed through agents.

According to Prakash Mirpuri, a spokesman for Kingfisher, the airline hopes to be able to restart international ticket sales which will allow the airline to begin flying to foreign destinations again. Following the tax authorities decision to freeze Kingfisher’s accounts because of a non-payment of bills, the carrier dramatically cut back on domestic operations and suspended all international flights.

Although the carrier has now had its accounts unfrozen it still owes millions to business associates and many staff have been working without pay since the beginning of the year.

Before the end of the year, the Home Office hopes to have approved new drugalysers which can be used to detect the presence of a controlled substance within the body by taking a sample of saliva and a breath test. If the amount of a drug such as cannabis or cocaine is above a specified amount, then the driver faces a £5,000 fine, a one-year driving ban and time in jail.

The new regulations will be announced in the Queen’s Speech and will become a part of the Crime Communications and Court Bill. The drugs, which are to be covered by the legislation and the amounts that will be considered dangerous, will be confirmed after public consultation and discussions with experts.

Mike Penning, minister for road safety, said making it an offence to drive after taking drugs was an important step in trying to stamp out the menace. He hoped that it would rid the roads of the irresponsible minority who continue to risk the lives of pedestrians and other motorists.

David Cameron said he hoped that the new legislation would reduce the amount of drug driving in the same way that harsh penalties have reduced the number of drink drivers.

Tiggeman made the headlines after she was called too fat to fly by a Southwest employee and told that if she wanted to board the flight she would have to purchase an extra seat. She said that the gate agent started to ask her questions about how much she weighed and what size clothes she wore in front of a crowd of other passengers.

Tiggeman said that the conversation ended with the official admitting he wasn’t sure about the airline’s policy towards larger passengers and calling a superior who was also confused as to the exact rules.

She said that the experience was humiliating and that carriers needed to come up with a standard policy so that passengers know where they stand.

Brandy King, a Southwest Airlines spokesman, said the best thing to do is notify the airline of special needs when tickets are being booked. He added that if an additional seat is booked and it does not mean another passenger being unable to fly, then the ticket price will be refunded without any additional charge.

Recently published figures show that passengers are currently being forced to wait for up to three hours to get through London’s busiest airport.

Head of the British Air Transport Association, Simon Buck, has met with the Home Secretary to discuss the situation on behalf of major carriers including Virgin Atlantic, easyJet and British Airways. The airlines are particularly concerned that the situation is deteriorating as the Olympic Games approach.

Mr Buck said that the government was looking at ways of tackling the problem with technology and risk based assessments of passengers flying into the UK. He added that the airlines were interested in being involved in any solutions being proposed.

Heathrow’s operator BAA has released figures which show that delays are even worse than immigration minister Damian Green has been admitting to Parliament. He said that it was taking 90 minutes at most to pass through the airport. BAA said the figure was closer to three hours in Terminal 4.