Archive for April 2015
American Airlines says iPad software glitch delays flights
An iPad software glitch caused two days of problems for American Airlines, the airline said Wednesday. The glitch delayed 24 flights on Tuesday and another 50 on Wednesday. Wednesday afternoon, the airline told CNNMoney the issue had finally been resolved. The problem? An error with the digital map used by pilots in the cockpit. “Some…
Read MoreMRJ and E2 face contract hurdles at US majors
Recent vintage Bombardier CRJ900s and Embraer 175s dot the ramp at Ronald Reagan Washington National airport, the result of the last wave of pilot contract changes at US mainline carriers. But the limits of those contracts are already posing a problem for the next generation of large regional jets. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and…
Read MoreFour Seasons launches luxury airplane service starting at $100,000 per person
Four Seasons is taking their luxurious hotel experience to the skies. The premier hotel chain has unveiled its newest private jet experiences, offering elite individuals the chance to travel around the world on one of four custom tours. The new jet features custom designs handpicked by the hotel group with features like leather flat-bed seats…
Read MoreAmerican to delay delivery of five Boeing 787s
American Airlines says it will delay delivery of five Boeing 787 jets in response to slower growth in international travel demand. American announced last week that it will take the planes in 2017 and 2018 instead of 2016. American took delivery of its third 787 on Friday but has not yet used them on passenger…
Read MoreAirbus A380 celebrates 10 years: Does it have a future?
So what do you get one of the world’s biggest aircraft for its 10th birthday? How about a future? A decade after it first took to the skies with the promise of revolutionizing commercial aviation, the Airbus A380 has so far failed to deliver. Sales, though initially strong, have tailed off in recent years. And…
Read MoreTop 5 Modern Improvements in Aviation Safety
While the airline accident du jour continues to (annoyingly) grab the headlines and be overanalyzed ad nauseum by the media’s self-proclaimed yet often clueless “experts,” airline safety continues to improve by leaps and bounds. All this blathering tends to worry the public, giving them a false perspective on aviation safety. In recent decades, however, improvements…
Read MoreIn wake of deliberate German Airbus crash, FAA still has no formal mental exam for U.S. airline pilots
While the poor mental health of a co-pilot is suspected as the cause of the deadly Germanwings Airbus 320 crash in the French Alps last month, and pilot mental health issues are believed to have played roles in six other believed-intentional airliner crashes during the past 20 years, the Federal Aviation Administration does not require…
Read MoreAirbus gets A320 orders from China
Three Chinese companies have ordered a total of 68 A320 aircraft, Airbus announced last week as air travel takes off in the world’s most populous country. The aircraft-leasing firm BOC Aviation ordered 25 planes, Qingdao Airlines requested 23 planes and Zhejiang Loong Airlines sought 20, the European planemaker said in statements on the sidelines of…
Read MoreBoeing CEO Sees 747 Jumbo Sales Reviving as Air Freight Rebounds
Boeing Co.’s 747 jumbo jet isn’t about to glide off into the sunset just yet. The planemaker is seeing renewed interest in the freighter version of the 747-8, best known for its hump-backed fuselage, as the global air cargo market rebounds from a prolonged slump, Chief Executive Officer Jim McNerney said Monday. “We actually have…
Read MoreBoeing’s Latest Big Plane Sale Could Be a Tiny Nightmare for Profits
Not in the matter of sheer numbers, mind you. In fact, from the perspective of plain (or plane?) mathematics, nothing much changed about Boeing’s order book at all. One week ago, Boeing was telling investors it had booked 127 gross plane orders, suffered 16 cancellations, and thus ended up with a “net” order book of…
Read MoreCrowded Seating Could Increase Airlines Safety Risks
Airlines are packing more seats into their commercial planes, and that could increase airlines safety risks for consumers, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation committee hearing this month. Airlines must prove they can safely evacuate their planes in 90 seconds or less during an emergency, Cynthia Corbett, an investigator for the Federal Aviation Administration,…
Read MoreAirbus upbeat on sales as A380 marks bitter-sweet anniversary
Europe’s Airbus pledged on Friday to boost sales of its A380 superjumbo, as the world’s largest passenger jet prepares to celebrate a bitter-sweet 10-year anniversary in the skies having booked no new airline orders since 2013. “This will be a very good year for A380 deliveries and orders,” sales chief John Leahy said, adding the…
Read MoreFBI warns on airline hacking threat following tweet
It follows an onboard tweet from security expert Chris Roberts, who joked about being able to hack into a United Airlines plane’s wi-fi network. A terrorist could theoretically take over systems that fly a plane by compromising equipment at their seat. United Airlines has now banned Mr Roberts from all its flights. The FBI and…
Read MoreANA adds to its Airbus fleet
All Nippon Airways (ANA) has firmed up an order for seven more A321 aircraft (four A321ceo with Sharklets and three A321neo), bringing ANA’s total order for the A320 Family to 37 aircraft. ANA Group will be the first Japanese carrier to operate three variants of the A320 Family, the A321neo, the A321ceo and the A320neo.…
Read MoreBombardier, Cessna have large shares of Asia Pacific region biz jet fleet
A new report examining the Asia Pacific region’s business jet market said Bombardier and Cessna account for sizable percentages of the region’s fleet. The region, which includes 18 countries or territories, saw its total fleet of new and used business jets increase 15 percent between 2013 and 2014, but the eight aircraft manufacturers – including…
Read MoreUnited Airlines swaps 10 Boeing Dreamliners for 777-300ER jets
United Airlines said Thursday that it has swapped 10 orders of Boeing Co 787 Dreamliners for 10 larger 777-300ER jets, marking a victory for the plane manufacturer as it seeks to sell out the 777 planes before their production ends. The news follows months of speculation that Chicago-based United Continental Holdings Inc would make the…
Read MoreA Pilot’s View: Queenstown, New Zealand
Sometimes what a pilot sees in a day, people won’t see in their lifetimes. New Zealand has some truly amazing scenery.
Read MoreLufthansa Receives Final A380 Delivery; Last 747-8I Soon to Follow
Earlier this month, Lufthansa took delivery of the final Airbus A380 aircraft it had on order, and it will take delivery of the final Boeing 747-8I it has on order soon. Airbus A380 Lufthansa placed an order for 15 A380s with options for 10 more in December 2001, and it became the second European airline…
Read MoreeasyJet takes delivery of its 250th Airbus aircraft
easyJet and Airbus have celebrated their successful partnership at a ceremony in Hamburg to mark the delivery the airline’s 250th Airbus A320 family aircraft. Carolyn McCall, easyJet CEO, Jean-Paul Ebanga, CFM International President and CEO, Didier Evrard, Airbus EVP and Head of Programmes, and Christopher Buckley, Airbus EVP Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific were present at…
Read MoreThe Bombardier CRJ Family
Canadian aerospace manufacturer Bombardier is currently testing its latest family of commercial passenger aircraft, the CSeries, which will enter service in 2016. Over 25 years ago, the Montreal-based company launched its first family of commercial passenger aircraft, the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ), which consists of the CRJ-100, CRJ-200, CRJ-700, and CRJ-900. As Bombardier prepares to…
Read More