NewsLOT Adds Filter Problems To List Of 787 WoesPolish carrier LOT had to delay some of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights after checks showed two planes lacked fuel filters, the company's spokeswoman said. Barbara Pijanowska added LOT would add the cost of temporary replacement aircraft rentals to its list of compensation claims from Boeing. "There was absolutely no danger to passengers. At a regular checkup, we found that two of our Dreamliners had no fuel filters. That is not anything major, it's a tiny glitch and the planes were at no time in danger," she said.
LinkNorwegian Air Says Boeing Promised Quick Fix For 787Boeing has agreed to base a group of 787 Dreamliner technicians in Oslo and set up more spare parts locations to fix aircraft quicker after Norwegian Air Shuttle had a string of technical problems, the Oslo-based carrier said on Wednesday. Boeing flew senior executives to Oslo, including Ray Conner, the head of its commercial planes unit on Wednesday. "It was a positive discussion," Norwegian chief executive Bjorn Kjos said. "They agreed to put up spare part stocks at designations we fly to and they'll send a dedicated team of experts to Norwegian so if there's a problem popping up, they can immediately solve it."
LinkPilatus hails Indian PC-7 trainer performanceIndian air force students have accumulated more than 3,000 flight hours using the service’s new Pilatus PC-7 Mk II basic trainers, the Swiss manufacturer says. A first training course involving more than 80 students was launched at the air force academy in Dundigal, Hyderabad in mid-July. “By the end of August, the fleet had already logged 3,000 flight hours with almost 5,600 landings,” the company says, also noting that the inaugural course is running ahead of schedule.
LinkCabin changes central to reduced-weight A330 Airbus's regional variant of the A330-300 will be structurally identical to its baseline model, but with changes made to its cabin to allow for a reduced maximum take-off weight. At the Aviation Expo in Beijing, where it launched the variant, Airbus said the aircraft’s MTOW will be reduced to 205t from the standard 235t, and its range cut to 3,000nm. Its engines will also be de-rated, although it could not immediately indicate how much its thrust would be lowered. The majority of the changes will, however, be made to the jet’s cabin, cutting down on galley space and crew rest areas to put in more seats.
LinkBoeing's QF-16 makes first flightBoeing is converting retired F-16s into a complete remote-controlled manned and unmanned aerial targets that will replace the QF-4 fleet, which will be depleted from inventory by 2015. The QF-16 full-scale aerial targets will be used to test newly developed weapons and train pilots for the rapidly changing nature of warfare in a safe and controlled environment.
LinkAmerican, US Airways file motion seeking DOJ sources
American Airlines and US Airways are requesting the names of people interviewed by the Justice Department for the antitrust case before it filed suit to block the proposed merger. "Plaintiffs investigated the challenged merger for many months before filing suit, interviewing third parties and gathering information they believe justifies their attempt to block the merger," the carriers said in a motion filed on Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Justice has refused to turn over the names of those sources, according to the carriers. The Justice Department declined to comment on the motion.
LinkAmerican, Qatar allow reciprocal mile sharing 
American Airlines and Qatar Airways will now honor each others' frequent flier programs. Starting now, American's loyal members can earn and redeem AAdvantage miles if they fly on Doha-based Qatar. Conversely, Qatar Privilege Club members can earn and redeem Qatar Qmiles when traveling on flights operated by American. The two carriers already have a codeshare agreement in place, which involves 170 routes throughout the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
LinkBoeing announces staffing changes in commercial jet division 
Boeing on Friday issued layoff notices to 447 employees across the company, 266 of them in Western Washington. The layoffs, to take effect Nov. 22, are part of the wave of cuts Boeing management announced in the spring, when the company said the Puget Sound-area work force would be reduced this year by about 800 machinists and 700 engineering staff.
LinkAirbus to launch regional version of A330 at China airshowAirbus will launch a short-range "Regional" version of its best-selling A330 wide-bodied jet at an airshow in China on Wednesday, industry sources said. The announcement may come with a new order for the aircraft, which will be adapted for shorter and more frequent trips than the current long-distance version. Airbus is acting in part to capture burgeoning growth in China's crowded domestic market.
LinkBoeing launches iPad apps for maintenance technicians Want to fix your 737? Yeah, there's an app for that. Boeing Co. said it's introducing a suite of mobile applications for the iPad to help airplane maintenance technicians with their jobs. "With the apps, technicians will have immediate access to manuals, part numbers and other critical information to resolve maintenance issues plane-side and collaborate with co-workers located elsewhere.
LinkJetBlue to offer farmers market stand at N.Y. airport
JetBlue Airways plans to offer passengers fresh produce and more at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The carrier is teaming up with GrowNYC, a company that manages farmer markets in the Big Apple, for a three-day test of the concept in October.
LinkChicago O'Hare airport to sell general airport bondsChicago O'Hare International Airport plans to sell general airport bonds to raise revenue of $899.1 million. Proceeds from the bond sale will be used for capital improvements, as well as refunding airport debt.
LinkExperts offer tips on finding inexpensive airfares Travelers often bemoan the gambling in airline ticket-shopping: Do I buy now or wait to see if the fare decreases? One reason for that casino feel is the computerized alchemy of what’s known as revenue management, the airlines’ 24/7 effort to improve their financial performance by meticulously allocating the number of seats at various price levels and overbooking flights. It’s an algorithm-based field of math and computer science that is, literally, akin to rocket science. A typical day’s operation for the average global airline involves roughly 100 million fares to be analyzed and managed, says Bill Brunger, chief executive of PODS Research, a revenue management consultancy and a former vice president of Continental Airlines (UAL). He and Scott Nason, a former vice president of revenue management at American Airlines, discussed the dark arts of airfare pricing on Tuesday at a conference hosted by Airlines for America, the U.S. carriers’ trade group in Washington. (Nason also runs a revenue-management consulting firm, SDN TT&H Consulting, in Dallas.)
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