NewsCommercial
Boeing secures orders from new Chinese carriers
China's economic growth has spurred the entry of around 20 startup airlines, and Boeing has succeeded in securing orders from several of the new airlines. "If you look at the (Chinese) low-cost carriers, I think we are 70 to 80%" of sales, said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of sales for northeast Asia.
LinkAirlines
Air France Pilots Start One-Week Strike
European passengers face continued disruption as Air France pilots began a week-long strike in a dispute over cost cuts. Air France said it had been forced to cancel six out of 10 flights on Monday and predicted the same level of groundings the next day. Air France pilots intend to strike until Friday over the carrier's plans to expand the low-cost operations of its Transavia airline by setting up foreign bases. Their union said they stood ready to prolong the strike as both sides accused the other of causing an impasse in weekend negotiations. An extended strike could become the airline's most serious dispute since a 10-day stoppage that disrupted France's hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 1998, union leaders said.
Link
Delta president takes unconventional route to sucess
Ed Bastian, the president of Delta Air Lines, learned to stand up for himself during his early career as an auditor when he uncovered large-scale fraud that other auditors had missed. "It taught me that you've got to trust your instincts," he said. "You've got to be fearless with things that are important."
Link
Lufthansa Pilots Cancel Tuesday Strike
Lufthansa's pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit has cancelled an eight-hour strike planned for Tuesday at Frankfurt Airport. The strike, which would have been the fourth strike to hit the airline within three weeks, was planned to run from 0900-1700 local time.
Link
Southwest focuses on empathy in hiring
According to columnist Stan Phelps, Southwest's new livery design with a heart on the underbelly of its planes is a fitting tribute for a company that focuses on hiring employees with empathy. "Empathy is caring. Unlike a smile, you can't fake empathy," he writes. "It's a vital aspect of customer experience." Meanwhile, Southwest is preparing to expand service after the end of the Wright Amendment on Oct. 13.
Link
Southwest to offer service to Costa Rica from BWI
Southwest Airlines plans to launch its first flights to Central America. The Dallas-based carrier said Friday it has applied for permission to fly to San Jose, Costa Rica, from Baltimore. The flights would begin March 7. Southwest launched its first international flights on July 1 and will be flying to seven non-U.S. cities by the end of the year as it absorbs merger partner AirTran Airway’s destinations. In addition to its first foray outside Mexico and the Caribbean, the Costa Rica flights mark Southwest’s first international destination that hadn’t been served by AirTran. “We’re ready to add the adventure and beauty of Costa Rica to a growing horizon of international possibility available to the more than 100 million Customers who fly with us each year,” Southwest chairman and CEO Gary Kelly said in Southwest’s announcement.
Link
TUI, TUI Travel Agree EUR€6.5 Bln Merger
Europe's biggest tour operator, TUI Travel, and majority owner TUI have agreed the terms of a merger, creating the world's largest leisure and tourism group with a combined value of EUR€6.5 billion (USD$8.42 billion). The agreement on the terms of the recommended all-share, nil-premium merger comes after the two companies announced they were in talks in June. The deal is in line with details announced in June with TUI Travel shareholders receiving 0.399 new TUI shares for each TUI Travel share. Investors have long expected a tie-up between the two since TUI Travel was created in 2007 from the merger of Britain's First Choice and TUI's travel business, which now owns around 55 percent of the London-listed firm.
Link
United Offers F/As USD$100,000 Voluntary Buyout
United Airlines and union officials said that eligible flight attendants will be paid up to USD$100,000 to leave the company through a voluntary buyout, in a deal that aims to end furloughs at the over-staffed airline. The agreement comes six years after United, which employs more than 23,000 F/As, retired a number of its planes, leaving the company 2,000-plus flight attendants above capacity. While 1,450 were still on unpaid leave for the company this month, United said that it now is recalling all of its attendants so they may apply for the separation payment or return to work. The Association of Flight Attendants, which represents United's stewards, lauded the high-paying severance as "virtually unprecedented in the airline industry."
LinkAirports
Atlanta Airport Reopens After Suspicious Package
Part of Atlanta Airport reopened on Monday after a suspicious package found inside the departures section of the international terminal caused a brief shutdown.
Link
LAX to break ground on $500M remodel of Southwest terminal
Work is scheduled to begin next week on a $500-million remodel of the busy Southwest Airlines terminal at Los Angeles International Airport. City leaders, airport officials and airline representatives are set to break ground Tuesday at Terminal 1, which also houses Southwest's subsidiary, AirTran Airways. Terminal 1 was built in 1984 and has 15 gates. In 2013, the facility handled more than 9.65 million passengers, the largest volume of any terminal that year. Southwest, which serves 25 cities from LAX, is the airport's eighth busiest airline with 117 daily departures.
LinkMilitary
Boeing hopes 737-700 can beat business jets for JSTARS replacement
Boeing is offering a militarised version of the 737-700 for the US Air Force's joint surveillance, target, attack radar system (JSTARS) replacement need, and is confident that the airframe can beat out smaller, business-class jets. The 737-700 is the smallest version of the line, but is still 3m (10ft) longer, nose to tail, than a Gulfstream G550, says Rod Meranda, Boeing’s JSTARS head of business development. Gulfstream plans to offer the G650 for the US Air Force programme, which is seeking a replacement for the Northrop Grumman E-8C JSTARS fleet, developed from Boeing’s 707 airframe. Bombardier likely will offer the Global 6000. Airbus, Cessna and Embraer also have potential candidate aircraft, but have not confirmed an intention to compete.
Link
Paint removal helps Israeli Apaches shed weight
The Israeli air force's Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters are to receive a paint peeling treatment. This will not necessarily make them look better, but will improve their performance. The paint peeling activity is to be performed on the service's AH-64A "Peten" aircraft, with thedecision prompted by the aircraft having become heavier as a result of dedicated systems being installed. A service source told the Israeli air force magazine that the Apache has almost reached its maximum weight limitation. A test activity conducted on two aircraft to remove layers of old paint decreased the helicopter's weight by "dozens of kilograms", the source adds. As a result, the process will be performed on the remainder of Israel's Apache fleet.
Link
Israel to test rocket-assisted take-off with F-16
The Israeli air force is developing a short field operating capability for its Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters, based on the use of a rocket-assisted take-off. A first test is scheduled for next year, with the air force having decided to develop such a system for its F-16A/B, C/D and I-model variants.
Link
Aviation Quote
It is obvious we are fighting for the Air France Group. . . . But in actual fact, we are also fighting for France.
— Christian Blanc, Chairman Air France, 1996.
On This Date
---In 1914... The Canadian Aviation Corps is authorized by the Minister of Militia and Defense to be formed. This is the beginning of Canada's military air force.
---In 1958…First flight of the North American NA265-40 Sabreliner.
---In 1975…The prototype of the Mikoyan MiG-31 makes its first flight.
---In 1999, the Boeing 717 receives JAA(EASA) certification.
---In 2007…One-Two-GO Airlines Flight 269 crashes on landing in Phuket International Airport after a failed go-around during extreme windshear conditions, breaking into two pieces on an embankment next to the runway. The crash of the MD-82 (registered HS-OMG) killed 90 of the 130 onboard. Investigators blame the crash on pilot error, as the pilot decided to land even though the control tower warned them about the difficult time the previous aircraft had.
---In 2011…The North American P-51D Mustang The Galloping Ghost, flown by James K. "Jimmy" Leeward, crashes into box seats in front of the grandstand at the Reno Air Races at Reno Stead Airport north of Reno, Nevada. Leeward and 10 others are killed and 69 people are injured. It is the third-deadliest airshow accident in U.S. history and the deadliest aviation accident of any kind in the United States in two years.
---In 2013… First flight of the Bombardier CSeries100.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
Sergeant’s Methods
A group of Sergeants and a group of Air Force Officers take a train to a conference. Each Officer holds a ticket. But the entire group of Sergeants has bought only one ticket for a single passenger. The Officers are just shaking their heads and are secretly pleased that the arrogant Sergeants will finally get what they deserve.
Suddenly one of the Sergeants calls out: “The conductor is coming!”. At once, all the Sergeants jump up and squeeze into one of the toilets. The conductor checks the tickets of the Officers. When he notices that the toilet is occupied he knocks on the door and says: “Ticket, please!” One of the Sergeants slides the single ticket under the doors and the conductor continues merrily on his round.
For the return trip the Officers decide to use the same trick. They buy only one ticket for the entire group but they are baffled as they realize that the Sergeants didn’t buy any tickets at all. After a while one of the Sergeants announces again: “The conductor is coming!” Immediately all the Officers race to a toilet and lock themselves in.
All the Sergeants leisurely walk to the other toilet. Before the last Sergeant enters the toilet, he knocks on the toilet occupied by the Officers and says: “Ticket, please!”
And the moral of the story?
Officers like to use the methods of the Sergeants, but they don’t really understand them.
Trivia
World Airlines
1. What is the oldest airline still operating under its original name?
KLM
Northwest Airlines
Deutsche Lufthansa
Qantas
2. What airline carried the most passengers in 2005?
British Airways
American Airlines
United Airlines
Japan Airlines
3. Which of these low-cost airlines is not based in India?
Air Blue
Go Air
SpiceJet
Paramount Airways
4. What colour is associated with EasyJet?
Dark Blue
Purple
Orange
Maroon
5. Which of these is not an international airline?
Continental Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Delta Air Lines
6. Which of these European Airlines is not operating?
SABENA
Air Dolomiti
Eurowings
Luxair
7. Which of these is a French airline?
GB Airways
Air Scotland
Brit Air
Aurigny Air Services
8. MALEV was the flag-carrier of what country?
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Iceland
Hungary
9. Which of these is not a Japanese Airline?
Skymark Airlines
All Nippon Airways
Asiana Airlines
Hokkaido International Airlines
10. Which of these is a Mexican Airline?
Aero California
Mesaba Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Chautauqua Airlines
