Archive for January 2015
Brazil’s Gol Said to Mull Turboprops on Regional-Air Subsidy
Brazil’s Gol airline is considering adding turboprops to its all-jet fleet to take advantage of a new law subsidizing flights to small cities, two people familiar with the matter said. Talks are under way with European turboprop maker ATR, said the people, who asked not to be identified because details are private. Sao Paulo-based Gol…
Read MoreJapan’s Skymark to stop flying Airbus A330 in favor of Boeing-only fleet
Skymark Airlines said it will stop flying Airbus A330 jets in favour of a single-model fleet of Boeing Co 737 aircraft to cut costs after the discount carrier filed for protection from creditors late on Wednesday. “We will stop using the A330s from February,” Skymark’s chairman, Takashi Ide, told reporters at a news conference in…
Read MoreAirbus bosses reassure major shareholders over A380
Two of the top executives in European planemaker Airbus have written to institutional investors in a display of unity over the future of the A380, in a move to ease concerns that it may be cancelled, two people familiar with the letter said. Harald Wilhelm, finance director of both Airbus Group and its planemaking subsidiary,…
Read MoreAmerican and US Airways Pilots Approve New Contract
Pilots at American Airlines and US Airways have voted to approve a new joint contract. The vote was 66% to 34%, with 94% of pilots voting, according to a tweet posted by the Allied Pilots Association. As a result of passage, the combined carriers’ 15,000 pilots will immediately receive 23% pay raises retroactive to Dec.…
Read MoreRussian Military Jets ‘disrupted UK aviation’
Russian military planes flying near UK airspace caused “disruption to civil aviation” on Wednesday, the Foreign Office has said. It said the two Russian planes did not enter UK airspace, but the manoeuvres were “part of increasing pattern of out-of-area operations” by Russia. The planes were “escorted” by RAF jets “throughout the time they were…
Read MoreMalaysia Declares MH370 An ‘Accident’, Airline to Proceed With Compensation
Malaysian officials have officially declared the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 an accident more than 10 months after the Boeing 777 aircraft vanished on March 8. The declaration rules out the possibility that there might have been survivors among the 239 people aboard. But it also paves the way for the airline to pay…
Read MoreJapan Airlines firms order for 32 MRJs
Japan Airlines has finalized an order for 32 Mitsubishi Regional Jets (MRJs), which will replace some of its regional fleet from 2021. Last August, JAL signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Mitsubishi for 32 MRJs, although the split between the 78-seat MRJ70 and the 92-seat MRJ90 was not disclosed. In a statement issued Wednesday,…
Read MoreWho should benefit when airlines are penalized?
Although the U.S. Department of Transportation fined seven airlines a total of $1.7 million last year for violating its controversial tarmac-delay rule, most of it went straight to the U.S. Treasury. Why isn’t the money awarded to the passengers who sat on planes for hours before taking off? That’s a question passengers like Christy Wood…
Read MoreImproving Ground Travel Is The Only Way To Disrupt The Airline Industry
I traveled close to 24,000 miles by air in 2014. During that time, I’ve encountered an industry with an irritating and archaic business model—mundane booking processes, a barrage of fees, inconsistent customer service experiences, and a mode of transportation in need of a breath of fresh air. So how can a business really change the…
Read MoreAirline flights Resume in The Northeast After Blizzard
Airline flights were picking up across the Northeast Wednesday morning as airlines looked to restart their schedules following a major winter storm. More than 625 flights were canceled nationwide as 7:20 a.m. ET, according to flight-tracking service. FlightAware. But that was a dramatic improvement from Tuesday, when more than 4,750 flights – roughly 15% of…
Read MoreSkymark Air Files for Bankruptcy After Airbus A380 Deal Flops
Skymark Airlines Inc., Japan’s third-largest carrier, filed for bankruptcy protection after running short of cash, hastening the downfall of a low-fare airline and its growth ambitions that climaxed in an ill-fated purchase of six Airbus A380 superjumbos. The carrier filed at the Tokyo District Court with 71 billion yen ($603 million) in liabilities, according to…
Read MorePotential hackers announce threats to airline flights
Several hacker-type accounts on Twitter announced threats to several flights on Monday, leading JetBlue to pull one flight back to the gate due to the safety of passengers, the airline said in a statement. A Twitter account that includes an expletive issued a handful of tweets threatening five flights, including flight 321 that was due…
Read MoreAirbus A350 Could Give Boeing Nightmare
Qatar Airways finally took the first commercial flight of its newest jet, the Airbus A350 XWB. The Persian Gulf airline has been the lucky one to become the world’s first operator to fly the avant-garde jet. The event marks an important milestone for the European aero major since the jet is its answer to Boeing’s…
Read MoreThe new space race: SpaceX vs Boeing
SpaceX and Boeing plan to build space “taxis” that can American astronauts to the International Space Station by 2017, and both companies appeared together at a NASA press conference Monday to unveil updates in the space agency’s commercial crew carrier competition. NASA has awarded Boeing $4.6 billion and SpaceX $2.6 billion to develop and operate…
Read MoreBombardier Learjet 85
In mid-January, Bombardier announced a “pause” for an “indeterminate period” in the Learjet 85 program, interpreted by some market analysts as permanently shelving the project. In light of Montreal’s taking a pre-tax special $1.4 billion write down that represents nearly 90 percent of development costs, as well as announcing a cut of 1,000 jobs at…
Read MoreAir India Considering Order for Fleet Of Boeing 737 Max for Expansion Plan
Air India Ltd (AI) is reportedly considering a fleet expansion and may place an order for Boeing 737-Max planes. A source with knowledge on the developments revealed the news to Bloomberg. The new order, if placed, will not replace the current fleet of Boeing 737s, but add to it. Indian carries are mulling over expanding…
Read MoreImpending Blizzard Causes 5,200 Flight Cancellations
Air travelers faced chaos Monday in the Northeast, thanks to a major winter blizzard that grounded thousands of airline flights even before the first snowflakes had fallen in the region. Airlines reacted to a major snowstorm that’s expected to wallop parts of the Northeast by cancelling more than 5,200 flights through Wednesday. Of those, at…
Read MoreAmerican Airlines Receives New Composite Boeing 787
Last week, American Airlines became the second US carrier to take delivery of the next-generation Boeing 787 aircraft. The aircraft principally uses composite material in its construct, making it lighter weight and less expensive to fly than earlier-generation widebodies. So far, United Airlines has been the only other US carrier to receive a 787. Forget…
Read MoreMalaysia Airlines flight MH370 ‘may never be found’
Missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 may NEVER be found as the wreckage lies in a deep and huge ocean, the man who once led the search operation has claimed. The Boeing 777 disappeared in March last year with 239 passengers and crew onboard and, despite more than 10 months of extensive searching, no trace of…
Read MoreAnalyst Lauds Benefits of Potential United 777-300ER Deal
As United Airlines reportedly nears a deal to switch 10 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners into an order of 777-300ERs, as reported by Bloomberg, an industry analyst offers insight into why the United 777-300ER deal is a win-win for the airline and the manufacturer. “While we generally do not discuss specifics about our future fleet plans, we…
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