NewsCommercial
Airbus execs ensure future of A380
Two of the top executives in European planemaker Airbus have written to institutional investors in a display of unity over the future of the A380, in a move to ease concerns that it may be cancelled, two people familiar with the letter said. Harald Wilhelm, finance director of both Airbus Group and its planemaking subsidiary, and sales chief John Leahy jointly signed the letter, which said no senior executive had contemplated axing the world's largest airliner.
LinkAirlines
ANA Holdings approves firm order for 15 jets
ANA Holdings’ board has approved a firm order for 15 Airbus and Boeing aircraft. This comprises of three Boeing 787-10s, five 737-800s, four Airbus A321s and three A321neos. The order is worth Y259 billion ($2.2 billion) at list prices. The additional jets will give the group flexibility to handle the expected slots increase at Tokyo, and for it to match capacity with demand on domestic routes, says ANA Holdings.
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American reaches joint agreement with pilots
American Airlines and US Airways pilots voted to approve a five-year agreement with American Airlines Group. The joint contract marks a major step in the integration of American and US Airways since their 2013 merger.
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Delta Pilot Locked Out Of Cockpit For Landing
A Delta Air Lines jet ended its flight from Minneapolis to Las Vegas on Thursday with its captain locked out of the cockpit, the airline said. The pilot, who was not identified, left the cockpit prior to the final landing approach of Delta flight 1651 but "was not able to re-enter the flight deck because of a door jam," the airline said in a statement explaining the mishap. The first officer of the plane, which was carrying 160 passengers, took control and landed the aircraft safely at McCarran Airport, without further incident, the airline said.
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Hawaiian Holdings reports Q4 results
Hawaiian Holdings Inc., the parent company of Hawaiian Airlines, reported net income of $11 million for the fourth quarter, compared to $17 million for the same quarter of 2013.
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JetBlue announces updated pricing model
JetBlue plans to launch its updated pricing model in the second quarter of this year, President Robin Hayes said. The new structure will enable travelers to choose the amenities that best meet their needs.
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Scoot takes delivery of first 787-9
Singapore-based low-cost carrier Scoot has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 during a ceremony held at the manufacturer’s delivery centre in Everett. The aircraft, registered as 9V-OJA and named 'Dream start' (MSN 37112), departed Everett on 31 January, and will arrive in Singapore on the morning of 2 February. It will then enter commercial service on 5 February, flying from Singapore to Perth and Hong Kong.
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Southwest CTO discusses technology upgrades
Craig Maccubbin, chief technology officer of Southwest Airlines, said the carrier is planning to further enhance its technology infrastructure. "We'll touch 90% of our systems and their applications over the next three to five years, modernizing them, replacing them, retiring technical debt and introducing features," he said.
LinkAirports
Texas airport sets passenger record for 2014
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas handled a record 10.7 million passengers in 2014, a 7% increase on a year-over-year basis.
Link
Passengers benefit from increased air service options at Fla. airport
New flights propelled Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to its busiest year on record in 2014 — part of rising air travel across South Florida. The airport handled 24.6 million passengers last year, up from 23.5 million in 2013, the Broward County Aviation Department announced Thursday. Domestic passenger travel increased largely because of additional flights from airlines such as JetBlue, Spirit, Delta and Silver.
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LoungeBuddy adds more airport lounges to app
The LoungeBuddy application, which locates and recommends airline lounges, will add lounges at six airports through a partnership with Airport Lounge Development. The app also allows travelers to purchase access to lounges.
LinkMilitary
RAF investigates Voyager wing strike incident
The UK Royal Air Force is conducting an occurrence safety investigation (OSI) after one of its Airbus A330 Voyager tanker-transports received minor damage during a ground manoeuvring incident in Canada last month. The mishap followed the arrival of aircraft ZZ331 at St John’s, Newfoundland from RAF Brize Norton in the UK on 19 December. “Whilst taxiing to its parking bay under the guidance of ground handling staff, the aircraft’s wing struck a hangar,” parliamentary under secretary of state Lord Astor of Hever said in response to a parliamentary question on 28 January.
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Aviation Quote
After about 30 minutes I puked all over my airplane. I said to myself, "Man, you made a big mistake."
— Charles 'Chuck' Yeager, regards his first flight.
On This Date
---In 1872... French navy-engineer Dupuy de Lome gets his elbow-grease powered airship up to a top speed of 11 km/h.
---In 1917…The NACA recommended to the President, for transmittal to Congress for approval, that the Government acquire basic aeronautical patents.
---In 1918... The first operational squadrons of the American Expeditionary Force are formed in France.
---In 1925…President Coolidge signed the Kelly bill authorizing contract air transport of mail.
---In 1950... Japan Air Lines inaugurates its first international service: a twice-weekly route to San Francisco.
---In 1961…First telecast of a solar eclipse.
---In 1961…NASA-AEC Space Nuclear Propulsion Office invited industry to submit proposals for participation in development of Nerva (nuclear engine for rocket vehicle application), a part of Project Rover initiated in 1955 by USAF-AEC.
---In 1962…8 of 9 planets align for 1st time in 400 years (Note: In 2006, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) decided that Pluto is not a planet, reducing the number of known planets in our solar system to 8.).
---In 1971…Apollo 14 - USA Lunar Manned Lander (January 31 to February 8, 1971) Crew: Alan B. Shepard, Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell, Stuart A. Roosa. Shepard and Mitchell landed on the moon on February 5, 1971, in the Fra Mauro highlands, located at 3°40' S and longitude 17°28' E. They collected 42.9 kilograms of lunar samples and used a hand-held cart to transport rocks and equipment.
---In 1977…Burn up of Salyut 4 Space Station (U.S.S.R.)
---In 1987... People Express flies its last service from Newark, New Jersey, to New York; it has been taken over by Continental Airlines.
---In 1995…U.S. space shuttle Discovery launched.
---In 1998… Cebu Pacific Flight 387, a DC-9-32 travelling from Manila to Cagayan de Oro, crashed on the slopes of Mount Sumagaya in Misamis Oriental, killing all 104 people on board.[25] The crash was one of The Philippines's deadliest air disasters. Aviation investigators deemed the incident to be caused by pilot error when the plane made a non-regular stopover to Tacloban. Flight 387 was supposed to be a direct flight but due to the stopover, the pilots were not familiar with the route.
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