News
Virgin Atlantic confirms Manchester-London flights
Virgin Atlantic Airways is making good on its promise to enter the UK domestic market by launching thrice daily flights from London Heathrow to Manchester airport next spring. The new service, which begins on 31 March 2013, will be operated with narrowbody Airbus A319s. Tickets go on sale today (21 August). "Flying between Heathrow and Manchester is just the start for Virgin Atlantic's new short-haul operation," says chief executive Steve Ridgway. "Operating a London to Manchester route will provide an invaluable feed to our existing long-haul network for both business and leisure passengers. It is the perfect introduction to short-haul flights for Virgin Atlantic."
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Three United Flights Make Emergency Returns
A United Airlines flight to Seattle returned safely to Newark on Sunday after reporting smoke in the cockpit and cabin, the US Federal Aviation Administration said.
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MAG Leads Early Stansted Bid Battle
British airports operator BAA on Monday opened the way for a GBP£1 billion (USD$1.57 billion) sale of London's Stansted Airport with Manchester Airports Group an early frontrunner.
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Mexico Replaces All Police At Airport
Mexico's federal police agency has replaced all 348 officers at the capital's international airport almost two months after police there shot dead three of their fellow officers in an alleged drug related killing.
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Mainline airline pilot hiring to increase
Mainline carriers in the USA are expected to increase their pilot hiring during the second half, even as some plan capacity cuts. Delta Air Lines, which plans to cut capacity by about 1% this year compared to 2011, is understood to need additional crews to replace retirees and to fly 88 Boeing 717-200s they will receive from Southwest Airlines beginning in 2013, according to sources.
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BA Engineering looks to resurrect MRO market standing
British Airways Engineering wants to grow its third-party interior maintenance business with a new approval by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA granted the UK company with a Part 145 repair shop certificate for its interior and safety equipment workshop in South Wales. The facility services interior fittings - including flight and cabin crew seats - as well as safety equipment such as evacuation slides, life vests and survival packs.
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AMR could turn the tables and acquire US Airways, analyst says
Although most of the merger speculation surrounding American Airlines has focused on its possibly being acquired by US Airways, an analyst says a different scenario could occur. Imperial Capital analyst Bob McAdoo said that an acquisition of US Airways by American's parent company, AMR, is "a clear possibility that should not be overlooked."
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American Airlines flight attendants ratify contract
Flight attendants have voted to ratify a contract with American Airlines, with 59.5% of attendants voting for the contract offer. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents 18,000 flight attendants at the carrier, had urged its members to accept the six-year agreement. AMR, the parent company of American Airlines, filed for bankruptcy last year.
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Flight attendants at Piedmont Airlines authorize strike
Unionized flight attendants for a US Airways subsidiary have voted to approve a strike if contract negotiations remain stalled. Piedmont Airlines, a subsidiary based in Maryland, serves the eastern U.S. and Canada as a regional carrier for US Airways Express. The flight attendants are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA
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Southwest ups fares on short round trips by $10
Southwest Airlines increased ticket prices for short flights by $10 per round trip on Friday. "We never like to increase fares, but simply we needed to cover the cost of business," said Ashley Dillon, a spokeswoman for Southwest. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have announced matching fare increases.
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Boeing tightens test-flight process to hasten 787 delivery
Boeing is compressing the test-flight procedure for the 787 Dreamliner to deliver the plane faster. The Dreamliner has had as many as eight test flights per plane, compared with the average Boeing jetliner, which gets only a few test flights.
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Los Angeles airport had $40B economic effect in 2011, report says
The economic effect of Los Angeles International Airport on Southern California totaled $39.7 billion for 2011, a report says. The airport supported more than 294,000 jobs as 265,000 flights landed at LAX in 2011. "From passenger spending to the enhancement of national and international trade, LAX and our region's other airports are uniquely where the action is," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in a statement.
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Some airlines are adding rows, creating more legroom in some rows
WestJet, Southwest and JetBlue are adding more rows of seats to fit more passengers on planes, while adding extra legroom in some seat rows for travelers who will pay more to stretch out a few inches. Forty-one percent of respondents say more legroom tops their list of improvements, but 71% say they won't pay more for it on domestic flights that take fewer than four hours, a TripAdvsior survey shows.
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$127M facelift is coming for Philadelphia airport's Terminal F
Philadelphia International Airport is putting $127 million into Terminal F, which will include a bigger shuttle-bus stop and covered vestibule. Inside, the terminal will feature more concessions, a larger security checkpoint and more seating.
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Other News
Hainan Airlines (HU) has signed a cooperation agreement with the Fujian provincial government to launch a new subsidiary, Fuzhou Airlines, as it expands into the South China market. HU did not give a specific timetable for the launch, which needs approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The regulator has raised the bar for new entrants in recent years, citing safety concerns.
TAP Portugal reported a net loss of €112 million ($138 million) for the first half, 14.6% worse than the year-ago period. The airline blamed strikes and soaring fuel prices for the deteriorating financial performance, but stressed that operations “are highly seasonal and a considerable improvement is expected in the second half of the year.” TAP said that, although revenue for the first half was up 9.3% year-over-year, reaching €1.08 billion and exceeding what TAP described as the “psychological barrier” of €1 billion for the period, industrial action had an estimated direct negative impact of €21.6 million. The company’s fuel bill rose 20% to €390 million from €325 million in the year-ago period, which “contributed substantially to the general increase in operating costs,” the airline said.
Lufthansa (LH) and airport operator Fraport are suing Germany’s trade union GdF over a series of strikes in February by 200 apron workers, which cost tens of millions of euros in lost revenue and the cancellation of around 1,800 flights.
Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is joining forces with the New York-based US National Alliance to Advance NextGen (NAANG) association to call attention to the need for the “rapid upgrading” of the US air traffic system. “We applaud the progress the FAA is making with NextGen, but at an estimated cost of $40 billion, there are continuing concerns that appropriated levels for NextGen funding are falling short of what is needed,” MTC commissioner James Spering said. “Additional delays in implementing NextGen will only increase costs for the program. Along with the other members of NAANG, we in the Bay Area are calling on Congress to make funding of NextGen a top national transportation and infrastructure priority again, and to fund the NextGen program at levels that will ensure its success.”
AirAsia will increase daily Kuala Lumpur-Yangon service to 2X-daily Oct. 8.
British Airways will launch 3X-weekly London Gatwick-Male-Colombo Boeing 777 service March 31.
Flybe will launch daily Southampton-Nantes service Oct. 28.
Qatar Airways will launch daily Doha (DOH)-Chicago O’Hare Boeing 777-300ER service April 10, 2013, 3X-weekly DOH-Ankara-Belgrade Airbus A320 service Nov. 20 and 4X-weekly DOH-Warsaw A320 service Dec 5.
Aviation Quote
I fly close to my man, aim well and then of course he falls down.
— Captain Oswald Boelcke, probably the world's first ace.
On This Date
--- In 1908... The first turn in the air performed by a monoplane is carried out by Antoinnette II, first flown at Issy-les-Moulineaux on July 22,1908. It lasts 1 minute, 36 seconds.
---In 1908... Wilbur Wright begins flying demonstrations of his Flyer A from the artillery ground known as Camp d’Auvers, 7 miles east of Le Mans, France, having moved from the Hunaudières race course.
--- In 1923... The first use of electric beacons mounted on the ground to provide sight direction for night flying is made in the United States.
---In 1985…Sir Freddie Laker accepts a £UK 8 million in a settlement with British Airways. Laker had sued twelve airlines for conspiring to drive Laker Airways out of business.
---In 1994…A Royal Air Maroc ATR-42 crashes while operating Flight 630 from Agadir to Casablanca, killing all 44 on board. The plane entered a nosedive as it climbed through 16,000 feet, an event caused deliberately, investigators say, by a suicidal pilot.
---In 1995…ASA Flight 529, an EMB Brasilia, crashes due to a faulty propeller blade. A post-crash fire kills nine passengers and the captain.
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Humor
Warning Signs
Top Ten Warning Signs for you to have your helmet on; your flack-jacket zipped and the collar turned up, and you have checked your ammo pouches; tightened your safety harness; and loosened the flap on your holster.
10. When a Sergeant says, "Trust me, sir."
9. When a Lieutenant says, "Based on my experience."
8. When a Captain says, "I was just thinking."
7. When a Major says, "The general wants,"
6. When a Colonel says, "I am just thinking of the troops."
5. When a General says, "Damn near anything in combat."
4. When the President says, "Its a limited deployment and
the forces will be home by Christmas. Trust me."
3. When an Artillery guy says, "It's a precision munition."
2. When a civilian says, "The soldiers just don't understand."
1. When a pilot says, "Watch this."
Trivia
General Trivia
1. The Douglas DC-3 has been known as the Gooney Bird, Old Methuselah, the Dizzy Three, the Placid Plodder, and other nicknames. It also has been called the Dakota (primarily by the British). What is the origin of that name?
2. True or False; The Wright brothers made their first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903.
3. The Lomcevak, which loosely translated from Czechoslovakian means headache or hangover, is an aerobatic maneuver during which the airplane tumbles head over heels about the pitch (lateral) axis while moving in a lateral direction. How does a pilot execute such a maneuver?
4. How many beds are aboard a Boeing 747 built to be used as Air Force One?
5. The first airplane used by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the 3600th Air Demonstration Unit, was the
1. F-84F Thunderstreak.
2. F-84G Thunderjet.
3. F-86 Sabre.
4. F-100 Super Sabre.
6. Where did the first air traffic controller work, and how did he control traffic?
