NEWSSurvey: LHR capacity constraints pushing UK carriers abroadA survey of more than 80 airlines in the UK shows that more than half plan to base services in other European countries because of congestion at London Heathrow (LHR), according to the Board of Airline Representatives in the UK. Also, 86% of the carriers surveyed said they would add more flights at LHR if more slots were available at the hub.
LinkAir Berlin criticizes night-flight ban at Cologne/Bonn
Air Berlin CEO Hartmut Mehdorn has strongly criticized the North Rhine-Westphalia state government’s decision to ban passenger flights between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. at Cologne/Bonn (CGN). He has asked German transport minister Peter Ramsauer to overrule the ban.
LinkSouthwest stands by plan for international flights from Hobby airport
Southwest Airlines stands behind its plan to add international service out of William P. Hobby Airport in Houston. "We try to look at markets that are underserved and overpriced," said Southwest CEO Gary Kelly. "And we think there's just a wonderful opportunity here to grow out of Houston."
LinkJetBlue, Japan Airlines begin code-sharing agreement today

It just got easier for fliers to book trips between the East Coast of the U.S. and Japan. The code-sharing agreement between JetBlue and Japan Airlines goes into effect today, coinciding with JAL using its new Boeing 787 to fly between Boston and Tokyo.
LinkAustrian, Germanwings launch codeshare flights

Lufthansa Group subsidiaries Austrian Airlines and Germanwings have launched codeshare flights between Austria and Germany. Both carriers operate 5X-daily Vienna (VIE)-Cologne (CGN) service, 7X-daily VIE-Stuttgart (STR) service, 2X-daily VIE-Hanover service, as well daily services from Klagenfurt and Salzburg to CGN.
LinkBlog: Airlines had record bag-handling performance in 2011In 2011, 99.1% of checked bags were delivered on time by airlines, a recent study by SITA shows. The figure represents a record in the eight years that SITA has been collecting data. The rate of mishandled bags in 2011 dropped to 8.99 bags per 1,000 passengers.
LinkGeneral Atomics proposes range boost for Predator BPredator Bs could gain an extra 10-15h endurance under two retrofit options unveiled on 18 April by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.
Adding two fuel pods and a previously designed heavy-weight landing gear would allow a Predator B to fly 37h without refueling on an surveillance mission, the company says.
LinkAmerican Airlines posts de-icing video on YouTube
American Airlines has released a video about the carrier's de-icing process as a push to connect with customers. The video posted on YouTube follows a de-icing crew in Chicago during nasty weather. The video is the second in the series "Behind the Scenes @AmericanAir."
LinkInvestigators conclude pilot fatigue led to Air Canada incident
Investigators found that pilot fatigue contributed to an incident aboard an Air Canada flight in January 2011. The first officer awoke from a scheduled nap, and mistakenly sent the plane into a nosedive. "This occurrence underscores the challenge of managing fatigue on the flight deck," said Jon Lee, investigator in charge, in a statement.
LinkDelta's $160M expansion at LaGuardia has added benefits for fliers
Delta has begun work on a $160 million remodeling and expansion project on its terminals at New York's LaGuardia Airport, which includes construction of a Delta Sky Club in Terminal C and a 630-foot connector bridge between it and Terminal D. Aside from the physical upgrades, the expansion also brings with it added flights and new routes to major hubs such as Washington-Dulles, Miami and Dallas.
LinkInmarsat taps Honeywell as new Global Xpress equipment providerTen months after its $491 million acquisition of EMS Technologies—a connectivity solutions provider for mobile networking, mobile computers, and satellite communications—Honeywell has signed an exclusive agreement with Inmarsat valued at $2.8 billion over 20 years to develop, produce and distribute the onboard hardware for its Global Xpress connectivity network.
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