Archive for December 2014
AirAsia Flight 8501: What Makes Thunderstorms Such a Threat to Airliners
It’s been two days since AirAsia Flight 8501 disappeared over the Java Sea, and still there’s no sign of the missing plane or the 162 people aboard. It is, of course, all but impossible to know at this point just what went wrong, but we do know the flight’s planned route to Singapore would have…
Read MoreFlight 8501 Disaster Highlights Asia’s Aviation Challenges
The crash of AirAsia Flight 8501 is the third aviation disaster this year to strike a region where air traffic has grown spectacularly to become the world’s biggest market, posing new challenges to safety regulators, airlines and governments. The Airbus A320, which vanished from radar early Sunday in storm clouds en route to Singapore from…
Read MoreFive Things to Know About The Airbus A350
Airbus has delivered the first of its A350 long-range jetliners to Qatar Airways. The new family of jets, the largest twin-engine planes in the Airbus stable, seat on average 315 in the first A350-900 version and 369 passengers in the larger A350-1000. Airbus designed the jets to compete with Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner and 777 long-distance…
Read MoreAirAsia Plane Debris and Bodies Are Found in Search
Indonesian rescue teams said Tuesday that they had found bodies and what appeared to be debris from the AirAsia plane that vanished less than an hour after taking off from the airport here on Sunday. Djoko Murjatmodjo, a senior official with Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry, confirmed that the debris was from Flight 8501, which was carrying…
Read MoreAirbus A320: A Global, Short-Range Single-Aisle Workhorse
Much has been said about the rivalry between Airbus and Boeing and the Airbus A320 features prominently in this. The twin-engined A320 entered service in 1988, some two decades after its single-aisle rival, Boeing’s 737. There have been a total of 11,163 orders for the A320, with 6,331 deliveries to date and slightly less aircraft…
Read More2014 – Worst Year For Modern Day Aviation?
The disappearance of AirAsia Flight 8501 between Indonesia and Singapore over the weekend caps a bizarre year in aviation, marred by a series of missing planes and air disasters. But could 2014 be the worst year in recent aviation history? Yes and no. Depends on how you define “worst.” Crashes In terms of crashes, 2014…
Read MoreWhich Airlines Have The Healthiest Food?
Business fliers looking for a healthy meal are in luck if they book a flight on Virgin America. But they might need to tote their own nutritious snacks on some other airlines, according to a new survey. In an annual analysis of the snacks and meals offered by 13 major carriers, Virgin America came out…
Read MoreIndonesia to Get U.S. Help in Search For Missing AirAsia airliner
The search for a missing AirAsia airliner with 162 people aboard will expand Tuesday, the Indonesian government announced. Four additional areas will be searched, the national search-and-rescue agency said. Seven zones were patrolled Monday, the second day of working to find AirAsia Flight QZ8501. So far, the search has been fruitless. “Our early conjecture is…
Read MoreFlight QZ8501 AirAsia Missing Over Pacific, After Pilots Request Course Change
Flight QZ8501 AirAsia Missing Over Pacific on a flight from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore, shortly after the pilots requested to change the flightplan because of weather, the airline said today. The Airbus A320-200, which reportedly had 162 people on board, lost contact at 7:24 a.m. local time near Belitung Island, Indonesia, according to a statement…
Read MoreAirAsia flight QZ8501 from Indonesia to Singapore missing
Relatives of the passengers of AirAsia flight QZ8501 comfort each other at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014. The AirAsia plane with 161 people on board lost contact with ground control on Sunday after taking off from a provincial city in Indonesia for Singapore, and search and rescue operations…
Read MoreSanta’s Sleigh Nearly Collides With Airliner Over Australia
Shortly after Australian aviation authorities announced that Santa Claus was given clearance to bring his sleigh and team of reindeer into the nation’s airspace, the fat, bearded man was spotted flying his sleigh within spitting distance of a commercial airliner. Watch this video provided by 9News Australia. You can also track Santa’s whereabouts using the…
Read MoreEasyJet Cabin Crew to Strike for Better Pay in France
EasyJet Plc, Europe’s No. 2 discount carrier, canceled 38 flights to or from France today as its cabinet crew went on strike. The airline scrapped 34 domestic services to and from Lyon, Brest, Nantes, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille, Nice, Paris Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports, the company based in Luton, England, said in an e-mailed…
Read MoreSearch for Missing Malaysian Flight 370 Trickles to Single Ship
A single ship continued a lonely search last week across a vast expanse of the southern Indian Ocean for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that disappeared nearly 10 months ago — no longer listening for “pings” from the black box or subject to around-the-clock coverage by CNN or accompanied by a massive flotilla that once included…
Read MoreAirTran Brand Set to Disappear Sunday
Southwest Airlines will officially complete its integration of AirTran Airways – four years since announcing plans to acquire AirTran – on Sunday, December 28. After AirTran flight 1 lands in Tampa just before midnight Sunday, AirTran will officially cease operations. For many, Sunday is bittersweet; many employees are excited to complete the integration, but some…
Read MoreJetBlue Offered To Fly Law Enforcement To NYPD Funerals For Free
There are several things to love about jetBlue, but their charitable donation in the wake of the murder of two New York City Police might be the most awesome thing they have ever done. The airline offered two tickets to every law enforcement agency in the country with people wanting to attend the two funerals.…
Read MoreCirrus Aircraft Vision SF50 personal jet completes successful maiden flight
Cirrus Aircraft announced today the successful maiden flight of the third and final conforming flight test aircraft, ‘C-Two’ (C2), in their Vision SF50 personal jet program. The initial flight of C2 marks the latest significant milestone for the Vision™ jet program as C2 now joins C0 and C1 in FAA flight testing and certification activities.…
Read MoreThe Airline Did What? 5 Heartwarming Travel Stories
If you think the only thing airlines care about is fees, take a look. OK, so airlines aren’t saving the planet or finding a cure for horrible diseases but they are staffed by human beings who sometimes go out of their way for the people they serve – you. 1. Hop in, I’ll drive. A…
Read MoreCompetition from Boeing forced Airbus to rethink wide-body jets
Ten years ago, the boss of Qatar Airways, which received its first new A350 jet this week, warned Airbus it was flying off course. Boeing was knocking on his door with a “ superefficient” jet boasting 30 percent fuel savings, thanks to a carbon-composite design. In Toulouse, some Airbus engineers, riding high after overtaking Boeing…
Read MoreEmirates Airlines, The World’s Largest Airline Has The Largest Wide-body Jet Fleet
Following two consecutive years of record deliveries and capacity increases, 2014 saw Emirates adding 27 aircraft – 13 Airbus A380s, 12 Boeing 777-300ERs two Boeing 777 freighters – to its fleet. These included its 50th A380 and its 100th 777-300ER aircraft, strengthening Emirates’ position as the world’s largest operator of both the A380 and 777.…
Read MoreBoeing inks $3.3 billion 777 order from Kuwait Airways
Boeing and Kuwait Airways have finalized an order for 10 777-300ERs (Extended Range), valued at $3.3 billion at list prices. The order underlines the popularity of the 777-300ER as the preferred long-haul aircraft of many of the world’s leading airlines including those from the Middle East. The airline originally announced its intent to order the…
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