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Commercial

Boeing starts 787-9 final assembly at S.C. plant
Boeing has started final assembly of the 787-9 Dreamliner at its South Carolina facility. The team began joining large fuselage sections of the newest 787 Nov. 22 on schedule, according to a Boeing statement.
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Airlines

Air France To Sell 2.2 Pct Stake In Amadeus
Air France is selling a 2.2 percent stake in travel technology company Amadeus through a derivatives deal. Air France said it will own about 2.2 percent of Amadeus following the deal and has committed to a 30-day lock up period on the remaining stake.
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AA, Quantas add destinations to partnership
Qantas and American Airlines have announced an expansion to their partnership that will see the Flying Kangaroo codeshare on an additional nine AA services, including four new destinations. As of November 27, the new codeshare will apply to AA flights from Los Angeles to Lihue, Kona, Maui, Atlanta, San Antonio and Tampa. Similarly, flights from Dallas/Fort Worth to Richmond, Tuscon, and Albuquerque will come under the agreement. Stephen Thompson, Qantas' executive manager of international sales, said the expanded coverage will improve connectivity for Qantas customers traveling across the US.
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Delta offers drive-thru luggage check-in at Heathrow
Delta Air Lines is offering drive-thru luggage check-in service for business-class travelers at London Heathrow Airport. Travelers are required to make a reservation for the service at least 14 hours before flight departure.
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Frontier drops 19 cities in ongoing network revamp
Low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines will drop 19 cities from its network as it embarks on a strategic transformation into a point-to-point carrier, moving away from its Denver hub-and-spoke model. A Frontier spokesman confirms that the airline has notified 19 airports, all of which serve smaller communities, that it will not resume service. Checks show that the carrier has already ceased service at some cities and will withdraw from the others by the end of April 2015.
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Hawaii airline tells pilots to return $4000 bonus
Pilots from Island Air were probably pretty happy when they got a $4,000 Christmas bonus - that is, until the airline wanted the money back. The regional airline owned by billionaire Larry Ellison says it paid the bonuses prematurely in October. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that the company plans to take payroll action to recover the erroneous payment. The bonuses went to about 45 pilots and amounted to less than $180,000.
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JetBlue offers free content through Fly-Fi Hub
JetBlue Airways announced the debut of its Fly-Fi Hub content portal, which gives passengers access to free content from Fox, National Geographic, Coursera and more. The new hub will be available on all JetBlue aircraft equipped with the Fly-Fi in-flight Wi-Fi system.
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JetBlue taking steps to improve profit margins
Analysts say JetBlue Airways has turned its attention to improving financial performance. In 2015, JetBlue will adjust its pricing model for optional services and also plans to add seating capacity to its aircraft.
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Ryanair Wins Court Ruling Over Air Tax
Ryanair won a victory in the European Union's second-highest court on Tuesday regarding its complaint against Ireland's air travel tax. The airline had argued that the tax, not levied on transit passengers, constituted state aid for the benefit of rivals Aer Lingus and Aer Arann as they had a higher proportion of passengers transferring in Ireland. Ryanair said the air travel tax hit its point-to-point model.
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SkyWest Orders Seven Embraer Jets
SkyWest has booked a firm order for seven Embraer E175s, the plane maker said in a securities filing. SkyWest will operate the planes, worth about USD$301 million at list prices, under a deal with Alaska Airlines.
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Spirit Airlines Named Top Airline for Fuel Efficiency
Spirit Airlines is known for having the lowest fares in the industry. Now the ultra-low cost carrier is also known for being one of the most environmentally friendly airlines in the sky. According to a new report by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), Spirit Airlines received the highest score for fuel efficiency among U.S. based carriers, eleven percent higher than the industry average. "The ICCT study is further proof that we're doing things right," said Spirit's President and CEO, Ben Baldanza. "We're doing right by our customers by offering the lowest fares, and we're doing right by the environment at the same time." According to the report, which measures fuel efficiency, and therefore carbon intensity of U.S. airlines in 2013, most airlines are trending in the wrong direction when it comes to being environmentally friendly. Citing decreasing load factors and fewer deliveries of newer and more fuel efficient aircraft to the airlines, the ICCT sees little improvement in the airlines industry as a whole.
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Union criticizes Southwest Airlines' record on bag handling
The union representing baggage handlers at Southwest Airlines Co. plans to picket Tuesday at Dallas Love Field by highlighting the fact that the carrier — the largest in passengers carried — also has more reports of lost or damaged bags than any other U.S. airline. Transport Workers Union Local 555 also is taking out a hard-hitting ad in USA Today that attacks Southwest chairman and chief executive officer Gary Kelly, accusing him of putting profit ahead of people and service. The union began negotiating for a new contract in July 2011 and has been fighting with the airline over a number of issues, including pay rates and efforts by Southwest to hire more temporary workers for high-demand periods.
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United to offer seasonal service between Newark and Venice
United Airlines will introduce seasonal direct flights from Newark Liberty International Airport to Venice, Italy starting in June, the airline announced this morning. From June 4 to Sept. 23, the United Flight 170 will depart daily from Newark Liberty at 6:45 p.m., and arrive at Venice Marco Polo Airport at 9:05 a.m. the following day, United said. Return flights will depart from Venice at 10:55 a.m., with scheduled arrivals at Newark at 2:55 p.m. the same day. Check with United to be sure the flight is on time. The Boeing 767-400ER aircraft that will make the 9-hour flight will have a total of 242 seats, including 39 flat-bed seats in United's BusinessFirst section, and 203 in United Economy and Economy Plus, the airline said.
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Airports

2 carriers expand service from Philly to London
Both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines recently announced plans to add flights from Philadelphia to London. American will add a second daily flight, while Delta will debut its first flight for the route. "One of the benefits of our merger is that we can enhance the service our customers have enjoyed for years in each of our nine hubs," said Chuck Schubert, American's vice president of network and schedule planning. Perry Cantarutti, senior vice president for Europe, Middle East and Africa for Delta, added that enhancing service options gives customers more choice.
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Military

Rolls-Royce wins $287m contract for V-22 engine maintenance
Rolls-Royce on 25 November scored a two-year contract worth up to $287 million for engine maintenance on US Marine Corps and Air Force Bell Boeing V-22 Ospreys. The deal lowers support cost for the AE1107C engines by a fleet-wide average of 30% when compared to the five-year MissionCare contract for the services that ran from 2009 to 2014. There are about 750 of the engines in service with the Marine Corps and Air Force, all of which were supplied by manufacturer Rolls-Royce. MissionCare is a customized set of scalable packages made available to the military based on their maintenance and performance needs, says Tom Hartmann, senior vice-president of customer business at Rolls Royce. “This new contract demonstrates confidence from V-22 operators that Rolls-Royce will continue to provide outstanding service and capability to the V-22 fleets. Operators know they can count on Rolls-Royce to provide the power and support they need to succeed in their missions – while also focusing on increased affordability.”
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F-35B makes first flight with UK weapons
A UK test team has completed an initial series of handling flights of a Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II carrying trial rounds of the Raytheon Systems Paveway IV precision-guided bomb and MBDA ASRAAM air-to-air missile. An undisclosed number of flights were conducted with the weapons from the US Navy’s Patuxent River test center in Maryland, the Ministry of Defense says. “These initial tests are an important step in integrating weapons on to the F-35B, allowing test pilots to understand how they affect the way the aircraft performs and handles,” it adds.
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Rotary Wing

Russia flies Mi-171A2 prototype
Russian Helicopters has completed first flight of the Mi-171A2, marking another major step in the commercialization of the country’s military-oriented rotorcraft industry. The multi-role Mi-171A2 heavy lift helicopter, with upgraded engines, avionics and rotor system, was flown by Salivat Sadriev, a Russian Helicopters commander and test pilot first class. An online video posted by Russian Helicopters shows that the first flight began with a hover, then Sadriev commanded a clockwise turn around the helipad. The aircraft then lowered its nose, accelerated forward and gained altitude.
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Corporate

Piaggio to offer interior retrofit for Avanti II
Piaggio Aerospace is planning to launch an interior retrofit package for P180 Avanti II early next year to give a new lease of life to the twin-engined turboprop, the first examples of which entered service in 2005. The Italian company, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi's state investment arm, Mubadala, has not released a price for the upgrade – dubbed the “Comfort Package”, but says it will match the interior of its latest generation Avanti – the EVO – with VIP seats designed and developed by Iacobucci and finished by luxury outfitters Poltrona Frau.
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Aviation Quote

In the Alaska bush I'd rather have a two hour bladder and three hours of gas than vice versa.

— Kurt Wien

On This Date

---In 1939... British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) is established through the amalgamation of Imperial Airways and British Airways.

---in 1951…First flight of the Gloster Javelin prototype WD804.

---In 1964… Belgian paratroops are dropped into Congo by the U.S. Air Force.

---In 1965…In the Hammaguir launch facility in the Sahara desert, France launches a Diamant-A rocket with its first satellite, “Asterix-1” on board, becoming the third country to enter outer space.

---In 1968…USAF helicopter pilot James P. Fleming rescues a Special Forces unit pinned down by Viet Cong Fire. He is later awarded the Medal of Honor for his Courage under fire.

---In 1987… A Douglas DC-9 of Continental Airlines crashes in Denver, Colorado on take-off during a snowstorm; 26 lose their lives and 56 are gravely injured.
---In 1990…First flight of the Delta II rocket.

---In 1991…Ed Heinamann passes away. A famed designer of the SBD Dauntless, A20 Havoc, A26 Invader, A1 Skyraider, A3 Skywarrior, A4 Skyhawk, F3D Skyknight, F4D Skyray Douglas Skystreak and the Skyrocket. He left Douglas Aircraft Company in 1960. In 1962 he joined General Dynamics where he oversaw the development of the F-16.

---In 2003…Concorde makes its final flight over Bristol.

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