By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
An Australian court early Monday ended the strikes and employee lockout that had abruptly grounded Qantas Airways and stranded tens of thousands of passengers worldwide, and the airline said it could fly again by afternoon if regulators approve.
Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet Saturday, suddenly locking out striking workers after weeks of disruptions an executive said could close down the world's 10th largest airline piece by piece.
Australian investigators on Thursday identified the source of an oil leak that caused a superjumbo jet's engine to blow apart in midair last month, and said a suspected manufacturing defect in the Rolls-Royce engine was to blame.
As many as half of the 80 Rolls-Royce engines that power some of the world's largest jetliners may have to be replaced after an oil leak caused a fire and the partial disintegration of one on a Qantas flight this month, the Australian national airline's chief executive said Thursday.
Silence has not proved golden for Rolls-Royce, the maker of an engine that blew apart on the world's biggest commercial jetliner this month, shooting metal scrap into the wing and setting off a plunge in the British company's stock price.
They shrieked, they gasped, they cried, they hugged _ and that was before Oprah Winfrey's studio audience got a trip to Australia.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said aircraft could be back in the air by Monday afternoon.
"We will be getting our aircraft back up in the air as soon as we possibly can," CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement.
