CommercialSubmarine Drone Search For MH370 To ContinueThe Bluefin-21 underwater drone will keep scouring the Indian Ocean floor for traces of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 after it finishes its current targeted search, Australian authorities said as a tropical cyclone suspended the air search. Authorities are under growing pressure to decide their next course of action as the drone nears the end of its first sweep of remote seabed which authorities believe is the most likely resting place of MH370 which vanished on March 8 with 239 people on board. The Bluefin-21 is expected to finish its targeted search of a 10 square km (6.2 square mile) stretch of ocean floor on Wednesday. No wreckage has yet been found.
LinkUS Airlines Lowest In Travel Satisfaction RankingsUS airlines lag hotels and online travel agencies in customer satisfaction as passengers face increasingly cramped planes and poor in-flight service, a poll published on Tuesday showed. The annual American Customer Satisfaction Index found that airlines scored 69 on a 100-point scale, compared with 75 for hotels and 77 for Internet travel agencies. Though that grade was unchanged for air carriers from the year before, only subscription TV service, social media and Internet service ranked lower among other industries tracked. The ACSI Travel Index is based on random interviews with more than 7,400 US customers of airlines, hotels and Internet travel websites from October 2013 to March 2014. The poll is the latest of several studies in recent weeks suggesting airlines have room to improve various aspects of customer service.
LinkJetBlue Pilots Vote To Join UnionJetBlue Airways pilots have voted to join the Air Line Pilots Association union, opting to have a bargaining agent after rejecting it in two prior votes. The pilots are the first employee group at the New York-based discount carrier to elect to have a bargaining agent. Of the 96 percent of pilots who were eligible to vote in the month-long election conducted by the US National Mediation Board, 71 percent voted to join ALPA, the union said in a statement. JetBlue has about 2,600 pilots. "Today, JetBlue pilots have voted for ALPA representation so that we have the ability to improve our professional careers," Captains Gustavo Rivera and Rocky Durham, co-chairs of the JetBlue Organizing Committee, said in the union's statement.
LinkPAL To Swing Back To Profitability In 2015 - ReportPhilippine Airlines is poised to return to profitability in 2015, according to a report in the country's Philippine Daily Inquirer. The report quoted airline president Ramon Ang as saying the return to profit would be based on the carrier's move into more profitable routes and savings from newer, more efficient planes.
LinkBiffle to depart VivaColombia for FrontierBarry Biffle will become president at Denver-based low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines, departing his chief executive position at VivaColombia less than a year after he took the top job at the Medellin-based airline. He will report to Frontier's chief executive David Siegel with effect from 16 July, says Frontier. A VivaColombia spokesperson confirms Biffle's departure, but was not able to comment immediately on what the Colombian airline's plans are to replace him. Biffle joined VivaColombia only in August 2013, following eight years at Spirit Airlines, where he was chief marketing officer.
LinkEarnings preview: Delta Air Lines will improve Q1 operating margin Analysts predict solid returns when Delta Air Lines reports its first quarter earnings on Wednesday. The Trefis Team predicts "significantly higher first quarter operating margin forecast by Delta will grow its profits despite negative impact from severe weather."
LinkSouthwest Airlines inks agreement with RocketmilesSouthwest Airlines has announced a partnership with Rocketmiles, a travel website which allows frequent fliers to book discounted hotel rooms. Rocketmiles also awards frequent flier points for hotel bookings. "Our goal is to make that vacation happen faster," said Jay Hoffmann, CEO of Rocketmiles.
LinkHawaiian CEO: China flights will boost tourism to HawaiiMark Dunkerley, the CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, said the carrier's recent launch of service to Beijing will allow Chinese tourists easier access to Hawaii. "We are very confident that Hawaii as a destination will be able to attract the Chinese visitor as it does visitors from elsewhere," he said. Dunkerley also said Hawaii is able to compete as a destination because of its unique features. "In the global travel and tourism industry there is a lot of destination competition out there," he said. "I think essentially everyone wants to be Hawaii and nobody is."
LinkEarnings preview: Boeing poised for strong Q1 resultsAnalysts predict robust revenue growth when Boeing announces its first quarter earnings on Wednesday. "The airplane manufacturer will likely post strong growth in its revenues and profits on higher commercial airplane deliveries," writes the Trefis Team.
LinkFAA ready to test drones in commercial airspaceThe Federal Aviation Administration says it is ready to begin testing the possibility of allowing non-military drones to share the skies with commercial airplanes. The first testing will occur at a site in North Dakota, where officials say steps have been taken to ensure the privacy of local residents. Congress has assigned the FAA with boosting the use of drones in the U.S. by 2015.
LinkNon-profit group sues FAA over UAV flying banThe US Federal Aviation Administration faces a second legal challenge over its ban on non-recreational flying of unmanned aircraft – and the first coming from a non-profit organization dedicated to searching for missing people. Texas-based EquuSearch filed a lawsuit in the US Court of Appeals in Washington DC, asking the court to over-turn a two-month-old FAA order prohibiting the non-profit organization from using unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) as part of its search efforts. “The FAA order should be set aside because it is unlawful, arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion and not otherwise in accordance with the law,” wrote Brendan Schulman, the attorney representing EquuSearch and volunteer Gene Robinson.
LinkJetBlue lets beach-bound fliers check their coatsPassengers zipping off to sunny spots on JetBlue from New York-JFK now no longer have to fumble with the winter coats they needed at their home, following the launch of the airline's CoatChex service. Travelers can check their coats and pick them up when they return.
LinkLos Angeles considers how to link airport by direct railLos Angeles is one of a handful of major U.S. cities that does not feature direct rail service to the airport, but the city is working on changing that. "We are going to bring rail to LAX and we will settle for nothing less," said Mayor Eric Garcetti. The city is considering two proposals: one for an underground rail line, and one for a transit hub at the airport.
LinkProvence-inspired restaurant coming to D.C.'s Reagan NationalA restaurant with a menu reminiscent of the dining of France's Provence region is coming to Reagan National Airport Terminal A in 2015. The restaurant will be from chef Robert Wiedmaier, who owns six restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area.
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