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NEWS

FedEx places order for 27 767-300Fs, defers 11 777Fs
FedEx revealed Thursday it has placed a firm order for 27 Boeing 767-300 freighters valued at $4.74 billion at list prices, but also has deferred delivery of 11 777Fs. The disclosures were made as the Memphis-based express delivery operator reported a 76% year-over-year lift in net income for its fiscal second quarter ended Nov. 30 to $497 million on a 10% rise in revenue to $10.59 billion.
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Oneworld elects American CEO Tom Horton as chairman
Oneworld has elected American Airlines (AA) chairman, president and CEO Tom Horton as its chairman. He takes on the role from Gerard Arpey, who retired in late November.
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Brazil antitrust regulator approves LAN/TAM merger
Brazil’s Council for Economic Defense (CADE) has approved the merger between Chile’s LAN Airlines and Brazil’s TAM in a unanimous vote. The antitrust regulator imposed two conditions before allowing the carriers to combine under LATAM Airlines Group, the single holding company that will own them both. The airlines must give up two slot pairs at Sao Paulo Guarulhos for the Sao Paulo-Santiago route and exit either oneworld or Star Alliance. Santiago-based LAN is a oneworld member and TAM is part of Star Alliance.
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Southwest Out To Widen Its Cost Advantage
Southwest Airlines is focused on eliminating waste and inefficiencies in its operation to bring down costs and re-widen the cost advantage it has against larger rivals, chief executive Gary Kelly said on Thursday.
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Lufthansa Cargo China Near Tipping Point
Lufthansa's air freight arm is reviewing its business in China, the world's second-biggest economy, where cargo companies are struggling to make a profit, according to Lufthansa Cargo's chief executive.
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More Business Passengers Flying Economy - IATA
More business passengers bought economy tickets in October, as they shifted from premium to cheaper seats, particularly in Europe, due to the economic crisis, industry body IATA said.
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Lion Air plans new aircraft order in February
Indonesian low cost carrier Lion Air plans another aircraft order in February 2012, and stressed that its November order for 230 Boeing 737-family aircraft is binding. "In February next year we will sign another order," said Rusdi Kirana, president director of Lion Air. Rusdi declined to provide any more details of the planned deal.
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Sikorsky expects first S-76D handover in September
With engine troubles behind it, Sikorsky is in the home stretch for completing certification and first deliveries of its new S-76D medium-class helicopter, albeit four years later than originally expected.
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Emirates to add fourth daily A380 flight to London Heathrow
Emirates will deploy a fourth daily Airbus A380 flight to its Dubai-London Heathrow service from 25 March 2012. The carrier operates five flights a day on the route.
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Delta Air Lines predicts $800M profit for 2011
Delta Air Lines predicts solid growth in profits for next year. The carrier plans to trim capacity by up to 3% to build up ticket prices. The carrier also said it expects to earn a profit of $800 million this year.
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AMR bankruptcy may aid industry consolidation, Delta says
Capacity cuts such as those brought about by the Chapter 11 filing of AMR Corp. may help bring about further consolidation within the airline industry, which would help airlines control rates and cut costs, said Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson. "We should expect that consolidation around the world will continue," he said.
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American Eagle furloughs pilots, halts hiring of new pilots
American Eagle has halted hiring of new pilots after parent company AMR Corp. filed for bankruptcy. Tim Smith, American Eagle spokesman, said the regional carrier also furloughed some pilots. As of Dec. 1, American Eagle employed 14,350 people.
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LightSquared still causes interference with GPS, report says
LightSquared wireless network signals continued to cause interference with GPS in recent tests, U.S. officials said. "The most recent report adds to the growing research and data showing that LightSquared transmitters could effectively jam the GPS network over the populated areas of the United States," said Steve Lott, spokesman for Airlines for America.
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Airbus, Boeing celebrate 7,000th deliveries this week
Airbus and Boeing are celebrating delivery milestones of 7,000 this week. Airbus will deliver its 7,000th aircraft, while Boeing will deliver its 7,000th 737. US Airways will receive the Airbus A321, while FlyDubai will receive the Boeing 737-800.
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Groups voice disfavor toward proposed Cuba travel restrictions
Various groups in support of looser policies on travel to Cuba have called on Congress to reject a bill that would restore stringent limits on travel into the country. Opponents say the bill would crush small Cuban businesses that have sprouted in the wake of President Barack Obama's easing of travel restrictions in 2009. The bill is part of a $1 trillion spending bill.
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Delta Air Lines plans to expand sales of extra services
Delta Air Lines plans to sell extra services through a virtual storefront on its website -- and on passenger seats. "There are a lot of ways to make money beyond the basic sale of a seat between two points," said Tim Mapes, senior vice president of marketing for Delta. More than 1 million people visit Delta.com every day, he says.
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Other News

JetBlue Airways has selected Pratt & Whitney engines to power its recently ordered fleet of Airbus A320neo aircraft, becoming the first US customer for PurePower engines.

Gulfstream International Airlines has rebranded under the new name of Silver Airways. Gulfstream was founded in May when Victory Park Capital, a Chicago-based investment firm, acquired assets from the former Gulfstream International Airlines, which filed for bankruptcy in November 2010.

Qatar Airways (QR) has secured another slot pair at London Heathrow (LHR) and will add a fifth daily flight between Doha and LHR from March 25, lifting capacity on the route from 28 to 35 flights each week. The Doha-based carrier will deploy a Boeing 777 configured with 42 seats in business class and 217 seats in economy.

Egyptair Group chairman and CEO Hussein Massoud has been named Egypt’s new minister of aviation.

Airlines for America (A4A) named Elizabeth Shaver as director of cargo services. She will join A4A in January from Delta Air Lines.

Bombardier Aerospace has named Torbjorn Karlsson as VP-sales, Asia-Pacific, commercial aircraft; Stephen Young as VP-sales, aircraft leasing companies, commercial aircraft; and Raphael Haddad as VP-sales, Middle East and Africa, commercial aircraft.

Alaska Airlines has named Greg Mays as MD-airframe, engine and component MRO. Mays previously served as MD-global cargo ops for Delta Air Lines.

Vueling (VY) has named Luis Gallego as CEO of its subsidiary Iberia Express, slated to launch at the end of March. Gallego became COO of VY in 2009.

Aveos has appointed Tim Canavan to SVP-maintenance ops; Shannon Wagner to VP and GM, component solutions; Paul Lochab as CCO, Mike New as VP-corp. quality and technical services; and Bob Madigan as VP and GM-engine solutions.

Air China officially launched direct daily rotations between Beijing and Lhasa on December 15 , the first time that direct scheduled flights between the two cities are available.

Boeing and the Port of Everett today celebrated the arrival of the first shipment of parts for Boeing's 1,000th 777 from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Hiroshima, Japan . The shipment, including body panels, was received at the Port of Everett 's Mount Baker Terminal, which handles all the oversized airplane parts for the 777 program.

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, a leading global provider of outsourced aircraft and aviation operating services, today confirmed that its Atlas Air, Inc. unit has accepted delivery of the company’s second and third Boeing 747-8 Freighters. The aircraft are part of Atlas Air's order of nine 747-8Fs with Boeing.

Porter Airlines is celebrating its inaugural flight to Burlington, Vermont , today - adding an exciting new seasonal destination to its network.

Virgin America, the California -based airline that is reinventing travel, today celebrates the launch of its upscale, low-fare service to Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) – the sixteenth market in the carrier's expanding network. The new destination arrives just in time for winter getaways, with seasonal daily nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to PSP and seasonal daily "same plane" through flights from New York 's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to PSP, as of today. This afternoon, the airline touches down for the first time in Palm Springs and celebrates its inaugural flight with a red carpet welcome on the arrival tarmac for its first PSP commercial guests. Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson , Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet and Virgin America President and CEO David Cush will also join the SFO-PSP flight today. The airline's SFO-PSP fares start from $79 and JFK-SFO-PSP through flight fares start from $169.

Allegiant Air today inaugurates low-cost, nonstop flights between Niagara Falls, N.Y., and the Tampa Bay, Fla. area via St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport (PIE). The company, known for its exceptional travel deals, will offer fares as low as $72.99* one-way between the two cities and will award a free trip on the inaugural flight to four adventurous travelers.

American Eagle Airlines, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, today began nonstop seasonal service to Aspen /Pitkin County Airport in Aspen / Snowmass, Colo. , Eagle will serve Aspen from both Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport. The airline will operate the daily trips with two-class CRJ-700 jet aircraft through April 8, 2012 , and will then resume service June 14 through Aug. 20, 2012 .

JetBlue Airways, Boston 's largest carrier, today celebrates inaugural seasonal service to the warm and tropical U.S. Virgin Islands , with at least five weekly flights between Logan International Airport (BOS) and St. Thomas International Airport (STT). The southbound flight to St. Thomas will operate non-stop, and the northbound flight to Boston will operate via San Juan, Puerto Rico . The Caribbean -loving airline now boasts 43 nonstop destinations out of Boston to points all over the carrier's growing network.

Aer Lingus has announced the addition of new routes and increased frequencies to its summer 2012 schedule. The airline will introduce flights to Verona and Stockholm to the already extensive summer schedule on offer which has holiday options for everyone, whatever the individual's budget or taste. Along with these fresh new sun and city break destinations, Aer Lingus is also set to increase frequency on thirteen of its other routes, including Faro, Perpignon and Zurich.



AVIATION QUOTE

Nothing makes a man more aware of his capabilities and of his limitations than those moments when he must push aside all the familiar defenses of ego and vanity, and accept reality by staring, with the fear that is normal to a man in combat, into the face of Death.

— Major Robert S. Johnson, USAAF.

ON THIS DATE

December 16th

---In 1951... The first helicopter powered by a gas-turbine engine flies successfully. The Kaman K-225 uses a turbine that makes for a lighter, simpler, more powerful engine compared to a conventional piston engine.

---In 1960…United Airlines Flight 826 (a Douglas DC-8, reg N8031U) and Trans World Airlines Flight 266 (a Lockheed Super Constellation, reg N6907C) collided in midair over Staten Island in New York City, killing all 128 on both planes and six on the ground. The United aircraft, enroute to Idlewild Airport (now JFK) from Chicago O’Hare, was not only going extremely fast for its altitude, but was also 12 miles off-course due to a faulty VOR receiver. The TWA plane, enroute to LaGuardia Airport from Columbus, Ohio, was broadsided by the Super Connie at approximately 5200 feet and went nearly straight down onto Miller Field, killing all 44 on-board. The United aircraft continued on for a couple of miles before crashing in Park Slope, Brooklyn. One passenger of the 84 on-board, an 11-year-old boy named Stephen Baltz, survived the initial impact but succumbed to his injuries later that day. He said of the city’s snowfall out the window just before the crash, “”It looked like a picture out of a fairy book. It was a beautiful sight.” This crash was the first time a black box was used for a crash investigation. Eerily, the doomed United DC-8 was named after Will Rogers, who himself had died in a plane crash in 1935.

---In 1976…First flight of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft NASA905.

---In 1979... The British Airways Concorde lands in London after flying from New York in less than three hours (2 hours 58 minutes) at an average speed of 1,172 mph.

---In 1994…First flight of the Antonov An-70.

---In 1997…Air Canada Flight 646, a CRJ-200 registered C-FSKI, crashes in a failed go-around in Fredericton, New Brunswick. In poor weather, a missed approach had been called in the final moments of approach. Seconds later, the aircraft would stall, and the right wing struck the ground, bending it four feet. The rest of the aircraft subsequently came down as well, separating the left winglet and breaking the radome and nose gear. The aircraft was then at full thrust, set by the go-around, and the plane went airborne again for about 1,000ft, where they were finally caught by some friendly trees. All on-board miraculously survived.



DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE





HUMOR

Fighter Escort

A young guy in a two-engine fighter was flying escort for a B-52 and generally being a nuisance, acting like a hotdog, flying rolls around the lumbering old bomber. The hotdog said over the air, "Anything you can do, I can do better.”

The veteran bomber pilot answered, "Try this hot-shot."

The B-52 continued its flight, straight and level.

Perplexed, the hotdog asked, "So? What did you do?"

"I just shut down two engines, kid."



TRIVIA

Google Airports

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....Lat Longs on the final 2!

They're Christmas presents...

A clue for DAL764

#4 - MSP
#8 - DAB

And I'm stumped on the rest.

Edit: Got another one....

4. MSP/KMSP
5. NCE/LFMN
7. YVR/CYVR
9. ARN/ESSA

Answers:

1. SGN, Ho Chi Minh International, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
2. ANU, V.C. Bird International, St. John’s, Antigua
3. ACA, Alvarez International, Acapulco, Mexico
4. MSP, Minneapolis-St. Paul International, Minnesota
5. NCE, Nice, Cote D’ Azur, France
6. TUN, Tunis-Carthage Int’l, Tunis, Tunisia
7. YVR, Vancouver Int’l, Vancouver, Canada
8. DAB, Daytona Beach Int’l, Daytona beach, FL
9. ARN, Stokholm, Sweeden
10. EGCB, City Airport, Manchester, UK