Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways who own 24 Dreamliners between them have estimated that taking them out of action cost around $110 million in lost revenues. The amount of compensation to be paid out to Qatar Airways and Air India is still to be confirmed by the US planemaker.

Although the contract Boeing has with Air India does not necessarily include liability for loss of the use of an aircraft because of a technical fault, an official spokesman for the airline said the grounding of its entire fleet had meant Boeing had agreed to pay compensation for financial losses.

Jeff Johnson, Middle East President for Boeing, said a comprehensive and permanent fix had now been made to the aircraft and he was confident about guaranteeing the 787’s safety. Despite the problem a number of rapidly growing airlines in the Gulf are preparing to put in orders for the new 777X jet from Boeing.

Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said he hoped that Boeing had learned from the mistakes. Although Emirates does not operate the 787, it has around 175 777 jets that will need to be replaced soon.

Ray Martin, senior vice president at YouGov, said airlines are keen to reduce weight in any way they can, adding that people appear to be more accepting of the concept. Samoa Air has already begun to charge its passengers by how much they and their baggage weigh. Martin said that other airlines could well follow suit, although the first to do so is likely to come under heavy criticism.

National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance spokesperson, Peggy Howell, said that if airlines are going to begin treating passengers like freight then they should be accommodating larger people like freight carriers would. This would mean introducing seats to accommodate a range of sizes.

However, George Hobica, spokesman for AirfareWatchdog.com, said the whole idea could be impractical, especially for airlines carrying tens of thousands of passengers every day. He explained that people would have to turn up several hours early for flights, be prepared for delays and accept that the price of tickets could increase.

Hobica said it would be more practical for carriers to implement a second seat rule whereby if a passenger cannot fit into a seat with the armrest down, they should be required to pay for another.

All Nippon Airways, which operates 17 Dreamliners, grounded all of the aircraft after the problem was discovered. More than 3,600 flights have been cancelled, but President Shinichiro Ito said he hoped services would resume in June.

Ray LaHood, US Transportation Secretary, said a proposed fix was a good plan although he has declined to say whether it will mean the imminent resumption of services. He explained that regulators are now waiting to see if test results prove that improvements made to the batteries are safe.

Boeing said that a test-flight that lasted for just under two hours was meant to test the systems under both normal and abnormal flight conditions. The problem was first discovered on 7 January when a fire was reported on board a Japan Airlines 787 at Boston. A smoking battery on an ANA flight in Japan caused an emergency landing a week later.

According to Boeing a team of engineers has already been sent to Japan to prepare to install new units on Japan Airlines and All Nippon 787s. The process takes around five days to complete.

A spokesman for TfL said that decisions on how to meet the reduction were still to be made. However, he added that it was likely that there would be a reduction in spending rather than trying to find the cash through other means.

Darren Johnson, Green Party member of the London Assembly, said the transport network was unable to cope with the annual cuts in investment as fares continue to increase. He added that passengers expected to see improvements and they were not happening at the rate required.

In January fares were hiked by 1 per cent above the rate of inflation. TfL said it had re-phased some projects. Another spending review is scheduled for June.

Boris Johnson, London’s mayor, said it was wrong for the government to slash spending on transport after promising to inject money for infrastructure. TfL’s managing director of finance, Steve Allen, said sustained investment in the transport network was more necessary than ever as London’s population is expanding at a faster rate than previously forecast.

%Mr Johnson said it was his aim to de-Lycrafy cycling by claiming the centre of the city for the bike. Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman joined the mayor to say that the plans were probably the most far reaching in terms of cycling development ever to be seen in the UK.

%London’s transport commissioner, Sir Peter Hendy, added that as well as improving London’s cycling routes the plans were good for the economy and for people’s health. Editor of the Bike Biz website, Carlton Reid, is also excited by Mr Johnson’s scheme.

%He explained that it was often difficult to sell cycling campaigns. However the plans are likely to get support from motorists and pedestrians when they understand that there will be fewer bikes on the road or on the pavement.

%Reid went on to say that the £1 billion needed for the project could provide 33 miles of motorway or transform London into a world-class cycling city. He said that similar plans to follow the example of cycle-friendly cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam had been drawn up in the 1930s. However, the advent of war meant they had to be shelved.

Boeing’s flagship has been on the tarmac since 16 January after two incidents in which batteries emitted smoke. The Federal Aviation Administration in the US grounded the Dreamliner following a fire on board a Japan Airlines plane in Boston. A fault with the lithium-ion battery on an All Nippon Airways 787 caused an emergency landing in Japan.

In a statement ANA said it will be cancelling 464 international flights and 1,250 domestic flights between 31 March and 31 May. Meanwhile, chairman of Japan Airlines, Kazuo Inamori, said he has always been concerned about relying on one planemaker.

Boeing makes all the planes operated by JAL including seven Dreamliners. Following the incident in January, Inamori has been looking at other vendors. He explained that he saw nothing wrong with the Boeing product but that a dual vendor situation would be preferable.

Both JAL and ANA have approached Boeing for compensation as regulators in Japan and the US investigate the problem.

Although the snow is expected to stop this morning, commuters can still expect disruption. Although there may be more flurries, forecasters expect the week to get milder. As the snow clears Scotland and the north can expect dry weather where much of England and Wales should expect to see some rain.

Although it will remain cold in the north there may be glimpses of sunshine where it is expected to be decidedly dull in the south.

Drivers are being warned to stay vigilant on the roads especially where the surfaces have been untreated. Across the Atlantic thousands of airline passengers remain stranded after the US east coast was hit by a huge snowstorm. More than three feet of snow has been accompanied by high winds in many areas.

Heathrow said flights had been cancelled by Air Canada, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. According to the airport 10 flights out of Boston and New York have been unable to take off. Passengers are being asked to double check with airlines before heading to the airport.

The amalgamation will employ fewer staff than are currently working for the separate airlines and run a smaller fleet that will also help to streamline costs. Air France-KLM also wants to present a low-cost, value for money model aimed at new, younger passengers, according to sources.

The move follows a similar strategy launched by rival German legacy carrier Deutsche Lufthansa. The airline has bought its short-haul operations under its Germanwings banner. The lower-cost subsidiary now takes care of direct European services as the shorter hall market remains difficult for the parent.

Where Germanwings mostly operates larger Airbus manufactured aircraft, HOP! will fly a fleet of 98 more fuel-efficient planes built by ATR, Bombardier and Embraer.

Air France is currently running a programme of recovery called Transform 2015. Both it and Deutsche Lufthansa are hoping to turn more of a profit by using their smaller subsidiaries to feed passengers onto international services operated by the parents. HOP! will feed customers through Paris and Germanwings currently does the same through Frankfurt.

The platform at Kensington in West London was packed with those who had tickets for the journey as well as spectators eager for a glimpse of history in action. The train pulled out and travelled at a leisurely 25mph through the centre of London.

Buckingham Railway Centre chairman of trustees, Tony Lyster, said afterwards that the experience had been magical. He described the smell of the steam and the sound of the engine as well as how special it was to be in one of the original carriages.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson was also impressed. He said the experience was just as a Victorian traveler would have enjoyed. He added that at the time, the idea of running a locomotive under the streets of the city was revolutionary.

The driver of the train was Oliver Furnell. More used to driving locomotives on heritage lines the fireman from the Forest of Dean said driving a steam train through modern Tube stations was surreal. He added that the experience was heightened by the fact the smoke had nowhere to go in the tunnels and so the smell was more intense than usual.

Although the airline last week submitted a revival strategy to the DGCA the body has demanded additional information on how the beleaguered company plans to get its fleet safely back in the air.

Kingfisher has been attempting to revive its fortunes through a tie up with another international carrier. However, it is unlikely a deal will be struck if the airline has its operating licence cancelled.

Middle Eastern airline Etihad Airways has been in talks with Kingfisher about acquiring a strategic stake so Kingfisher can meet its financial obligations and pay its 4,000 staff. However, no announcement has yet been made that a deal is in place.

The DGCA said it intends to take Kingfisher’s licence away because the airline has consistently failed to submit a plan on how the carrier will ensure a sustainable, efficient, reliable and safe service to customers.  According to reports in the media, the company currently owes around $2.5 billion.