NewsAirlines
American Airlines reports 2.8% increase in June revenue passenger miles
Revenue passenger miles for American Airlines increased 2.8% in June to 20.4 billion, the airline reported. In addition, available seat miles grew 2.4% to 23.9 billion last month.
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American To Drop US Airways Brand From October 17
US Airways will become history on October 17, as the carrier's flight reservations move over to American Airlines in one of the last steps in the integration of the two carriers. American Airlines Group, formed by the two carriers' 2013 merger, said it will have a single website, reservations system and brand starting on October. 17. The last two flights on subsidiary US Airways are scheduled to leave at 9:55 pm local time on October 16, from San Francisco to Philadelphia and from Phoenix to Denver.
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Delta is making First Class a little sweeter this summer with Honeysuckle Gelato
Delta First Class fliers on select flights will enjoy cups of sea-salt caramel gelato. The gelato is locally sourced from Honeysuckle Gelato, a confectioner devoted to hand-crafted gelato made with fresh ingredients.
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Delta Pilots Reject Tentative Contract
Delta pilots have rejected a tentative contract agreement, putting in doubt both the deal and the airline's plans to order extra aircraft. Nearly 7,000, or 65 percent, of voting pilots rejected the contract, according to Delta's Master Executive Council, part of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). Around 97 percent of eligible pilots voted.
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Delta, Gol Boost Alliance With Share Deal
Delta Air Lines will expand its alliance with Brazil's Gol under a USD$446 million stock and loan agreement, Gol said. Under the accord, Gol Linhas Aereas Intelligentes' controlling shareholder, Brazilian investment fund FIP Volluto, will buy up to USD$90 million and Delta up to USD$56 million of new Gol preferred stock. Delta will also guarantee third-party loans to Gol of up to USD$300 million, the statement said.
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Hawaiian Airlines sees traffic jump 7.5% in June
Hawaiian Airlines saw passenger traffic grow 7.5% in June over 2014. 950,761 people flew on the airline, up from 884,559 last year. The airline's load factor also bumped up a little over 1%.
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Ryanair accepts IAG offer for Aer Lingus stake
Ryanair has voted to accept IAG's offer for its 29.8% stake in Aer Lingus, clearing another of the hurdles in the British Airways parent's move to acquire the Irish national carrier. The Irish budget operator built up its stake in Aer Lingus during its own aborted takeover attempts, which began in 2006 but were ultimately blocked by European regulators.
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FAA Investigates Two Southwest Engine Issues
The US Federal Aviation Administration is investigating engine problems that grounded two Southwest Airlines planes at Chicago's Midway Airport this week. here were no injuries in either incident, a Southwest spokeswoman said. The FAA is looking into both cases, in which Southwest reported issues with an engine, an FAA spokeswoman said.
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United Airlines revises its profit margin outlook
United Airlines is projecting a pretax profit margin of 12-13%, down from the 12-14% projection it made earlier in the quarter. United cited a strong U.S. dollar as a cause of the revision, saying it impacted international demand.
LinkAirports
Smashburger opens at Cincinnati-area airport
A Smashburger restaurant opened Wednesday at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The restaurant is located in Concourse A.
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Improvements are planned for Milwaukee airport
With a $45 million renovation to the baggage claim area now complete, officials at the General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee say they are ready to take on smaller projects. Planned improvements include updated carpeting, new concrete on the runways and new de-icer pads.
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St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport sees 29% increase in traffic year-over-year
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport saw passenger traffic increase 29% in June over last year, with 157,220 passengers served. The airport has seen traffic up 27% year-to-date over 2014.
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Military
RAF marks 75th anniversary of Battle of Britain
The Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight marked the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Britain in style on 10 July, with a Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane commemorative flypast over Buckingham Palace.
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USAF reaffirms ambitious T-X sustained-g requirement
The US Air Force is not backing away from the ambitious sustained g requirement for its T-X next-generation trainer that has sidelined at least two proposed aircraft types and driven the competitors toward clean sheet designs. When the competition to replace the 55-year-old Northrop T-38 Talon got underway in 2010, pundits predicted the air force would favour price over performance, and vendors rushed to offer ready-made examples like the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 (offered as the T-100), BAE Systems Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer and Lockheed Martin/Korea Aerospace Industries T-50 Golden Eagle.
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US conducts first flight test of guided B61-12 nuclear bomb
The US Air Force and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have conducted the first flight test of the jointly developed B61-12 guided nuclear bomb from a Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada. The billion-dollar weapon system couples a refurbished 1960s B61 with a tail kit assembly produced by Boeing. It has been in development since 2012 and will be the primary tactical nuclear weapon carried by US and NATO forces once it enters service in the early 2020s by consolidating the four existing variants (B61-3, -4, -7, and -10), with the exception of the powerful earth-penetrating B61-11.
LinkRotary WIng
Airbus Helicopters may build fourth H225M assembly line
Airbus Helicopters could set up a fourth assembly line for its H225M Caracal if it is successful in a forthcoming tender in India for naval helicopters. The France-based manufacturer recently unveiled a pact with India’s Mahindra Defence covering the establishment of a joint venture to answer New Delhi’s pending rotorcraft requirements. If it is successful in any of the three tenders, the partners will set up a manufacturing facility for local assembly of the helicopters under the “Buy and Make Indian” initiative.
LinkRegulatory
Colombia validates Challenger 300 and 350 business jets
Bombardier has received Colombian validation for its Challenger 300 and 350 business jets, paving the way for the super-midsize types to be operated commercially in the country. The Canadian manufacturer says Latin America is already one of the largest markets for business aviation globally – it alone has an installed base of 1,900 executive jets – and is a key driver for the industry’s growth.
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Aviation Quote
Loyal employees in any company create loyal customers, who in turn create happy shareholders.
— Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic Airways founder and CEO, 2001.
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