News
Air France-KLM, Etihad, Air Berlin Plan Partnership
Air France-KLM, Air Berlin and Etihad plan to offer passengers access to some of each other's services from October 28 in a sign of improving relations between European and Gulf carriers.
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Turkish Airlines Orders 15 More A330-300s
THY Turkish Airlines said on Monday that it would buy 15 Airbus A330-300 planes for delivery between 2014-2016.
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ATR marks entry into Japan with start-up airline deal
Airframer ATR has finally entered the Japanese market with Link, a new regional carrier that will commence service in 2013. The agreement for three ATR 72-600s, which will be leased to Link, was announced at the Japan Aerospace show in Nagoya.
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Telecoms Outage Delays Alaska Air Flights
An outage that cut phone and data service in parts of California, Oregon and Washington caused wide-spread delays to Alaska Airlines flights on Monday as the carrier's reservations system was knocked off line.
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Britain Raises Pressure Over EADS-BAE Merger
Britain turned up the volume in a dispute over French state involvement in any tie-up of aerospace groups EADS and BAE Systems on Monday, leaving the European mega-merger on a knife-edge less than 48 hours before a deadline for the deal.
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BAE-EADS merger ‘illogical’ says Invesco
As BAE Systems and EADS approach a 10 October deadline for either announcing formal terms for their proposed merger, walking away or requesting an extension for further discussions, investment fund Invesco - which is BAE's biggest shareholder, owing some 13.3% of the UK-headquartered company - has poured cold water on a deal it believes to be illogical and likely to damage BAE's "unique and privileged position" in the US defence market.
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Etihad 3Q revenue up 19%, confident of year-end profitability
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways (EY) said it is confident of full-year profitability due to synergies with its partner airlines despite the challenging global economic environment. Third-quarter revenue was $1.3 billion, up 19% year-over-year, reflecting a 23% jump in passengers to 2.79 million and outstripping a capacity rise of 20% in ASKs. Load factor was 81.2%. The carrier did not provide a detailed financial earnings statement.
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American's Sept Revenue Up, Passengers Down
American Airlines' unit revenue rose 4 percent in September and could have been higher if not for flight delays and cancellations.
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Modified An-70 resumes flight testing
Antonov's An-70 tactical transport took part in Ukraine's Aviasvit-XXI air show in late September, following an avionics modification programme which the design bureau claims will see the type "surpass its main European competitor, the [Airbus Military] A400M." The upgraded aircraft has been involved in flight trials since August.
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Israeli F-16I downs unmanned aircraft
The Israeli air force has released video footage of a Lockheed Martin F-16I fighter shooting down an unmanned air vehicle that entered the nation's airspace on 6 October. Efforts are being made to identify the UAV, the wreckage of which came down in the northern Negev area of southern Israel. Sources say it was probably unarmed.
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United, Continental merger requires give and take
The merger of two major U.S. airlines involved a tremendous amount of negotiations about which practices would be carried out in the new, consolidated airline. "If I had constructed two different cultures, I could not have done better," said Jeff Smisek, president and CEO of United Continental Holdings. Though challenging, Smisek sees consolidation as necessary. "Consolidations clearly have been a success in the USA. This has been a business which was too fragmented," he said.
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United CEO criticizes British Air Passenger Duty
United Continental Holdings President and CEO Jeff Smisek strongly opposes high aviation taxes imposed in Britain. "There will always be services to the U.K.," said Smisek. "But there will be fewer services and fewer jobs. If you chose a tax to destroy an industry, APD is doing a pretty good job," he said of the Air Passenger Duty.
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Delta announces additional flights to Paris in 2013
Delta Air Lines is expanding its service to Paris through new flights to Charles de Gaulle Airport. The carrier will add seasonal and year-round flights from 11 airports, including additional service from Atlanta, nonstop flights from Newark, N.J., and flights from Boston in the summer.
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Number of laser attacks on planes is increasing
The number of laser attacks on U.S. aircraft has increased significantly and is now at an "epidemic level," says George Johnson, a supervisory federal air marshal and liaison officer with the FBI. The attacks have grown steadily each year since 2005, when the Federal Aviation Administration began tracking reports of them.
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Proponents try to speed up EU ETS amendment
The third phase of the European Union's emissions trading scheme is approaching, and advocates within the EU are attempting to move up the vote on an amendment that will remedy some concerns about the ETS. The aim of the amendment is to find an agreement on withholding carbon allowances before the new phase begins in 2013, but the European Parliament vote is not scheduled to occur until February. "We are continuing to discuss with the European Parliament and we hope to bring the timetable forward," said Jos Delbeke, director general of the European Commission's climate department.
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Other News
LAN Airlines and TAM Airlines, subsidiaries of the new LATAM Airlines Group, are moving to fill some of the gap left by Uruguay’s Pluna (PU), which suspended operations July 3. The government-owned PU operated an average 250 weekly flights linking Montevideo (MVD) to destinations in Argentina, Brazil and Chile. TAM will introduce its third daily São Paulo-MVD frequency Oct. 26, while LAN will introduce its third Santiago-MVD daily service Dec. 1.
Billund Airport (BLL) in Denmark has become the first airport to enable passengers to print their own baggage tags as well as boarding passes off site. ollowing a six-month development and test period this spring—in collaboration with Thomas Cook Airlines—BLL launched the new baggage tag, which the airport said reduces queues at baggage check-in. The tags are printed onto a standard A4 sheet of paper, and then folded according to instructions and inserted in a plastic cover (available free of charge at the airport), which is secured to the bag. Passengers can use the dedicated Express Drop desks to check their bags in the departure area instead of queuing up at the traditional bag drop.
BLL VP-project and development Anders Nielsen said: “Around 15% of our charter passengers have used the system since it was launched, and we want to get that figure up to 35%-40% in the future. No problems have been reported for printing the tags,” he said.
Saudi Arabian carrier Nasair (XY) is in talks for additional partnerships after signing a codeshare deal with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways (EY) and listing for the first time on a GDS system.
“We started discussion with Etihad a long time ago,” XY CEO Francois Bouteiller said, speaking at World Routes in Abu Dhabi. “There was some discussion about an equity partnership, but it’s not on the table at this stage. It is a partnership, not an exchange of stakes or shares.” The EY deal covers 26 routes across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. “In the near future we will announce some more partnerships,” Bouteiller said. The XY’s new listing on Amadeus Travelport and Sabre will also boost traffic, he added.
JetBlue Airways and Royal Air Maroc launched an interline agreement to connect the two networks. Under the agreement, passengers can book single-ticket travel combining flights on both carriers with one-stop baggage check-in at New York JFK.
Silver Airways launched service to Atlanta, Ga. from Meridian, Miss. (13X-weekly), Hattiesburg-Laurel, Miss. (11X-weekly), Tupelo, Miss. (18X-weekly) and Greenville, S.C. (18X-weekly).
United Airlines will operate 5X-weekly Chicago O’Hare-Shannon, Ireland service June. 6-Aug. 26, subject to government approval. It will also increase 2X-daily Houston-London Heathrow service to 3X-daily, March 30.
Sunwing Airlines will operate weekly Toronto-San Jose service Dec. 21-April 12.
Aviation Quote
We were stripped down, even the turrets were removed. You were light and real fast, though. Our 12th squadron motto was 'Alone Unarmed Unafraid.' As you can imagine, this actually translated into something more like, 'Alone Unarmed and Scared Shitless.'
— Theodore R. 'Dick' Newell, Korean War pilot, 12th TAC Reconnaissance Squadron, on flying the reconnaissance version of the B-26.
On This Date
--- In 1890... The 1st full-sized manned airplane to leave the ground under its own power is Frenchman Clement Ader’s steam-powered, propeller-driven aircraft.
---In 1900... French aeronaut Count Henri de La Vaulx sets a world record for non-stop long-distance balloon flight. He flies for over 35 hours after taking off from Paris, France.
---In 1987…First flight of the EHI EH101.
---In 1999…First flight of the Boeing 767-400.
---In 1999…Completing a career during which she set scores of speed and altitude records, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird makes its final flight.
---In 2009…The Centaur module of NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) is purposely smashed into the surface of the Moon, creating a plume of dust which is collected by another spacecraft to test for the presence of water. Five weeks later, test results confirm the existence of water vapor on the Moon.
Daily Video
Editor’s Choice
Humor
[b]Engine Blew Up
While cruising at 40,000 feet, the airplane shuddered and Mr. Benson looked out the window. “Good lord!” he screamed, “One of the engines just blew up!”
Other passengers left their seats and came running over. Suddenly the aircraft was rocked by a second blast as yet another engine exploded on the other side. The passengers were in a panic now, and even the stewardesses couldn't maintain order.
Just then, standing tall and smiling confidently, the pilot strode from the cockpit and assured everyone that there was nothing to worry about. His words and his demeanor made most of the passengers feel better, and they sat down as the pilot calmly walked to the door of the aircraft. There, he grabbed several packages from under the seats and began handing them to the flight attendants. Each crew member attatched the package to their backs.
“Say,” spoke up an alert passenger, “Aren't those parachutes?”
The pilot said they were. The passenger went on, “But I thought you said there was nothing to worry about?”
“There isn't,” replied the pilot as a third engine exploded. “We're going to get help.”
Trivia
Who am I?
Thanks to Queso for today’s trivia.
1. First flown in 2001, I am the longest airliner currently in production and I can seat 419 in my 2 class seating arrangement. Who am I?
2. I am very famous for the shark-toothed paint job that one group of my operators put onto my nose. Almost 14,000 of my type were built and operated by 28 different nations including the United States and the Soviet Union. I guest-starred in movies along side the likes of John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and John Belushi. Who am I?
3. I am a 2-seat, rag-and-tube plane first sold in 1964 who loves to fly upside-down and do loops and spins! In fact, my name is my primary reason for flying, (roughly) spelled backwards! Who am I?
4. I have been the King of the Skies for over 30 years, maintaining an air-superiority for the 4 countries who operate my type with an unmatched 104-to-0 kill ratio. One of my type once had an in-flight collision with another aircraft and it's skillful pilot safely landed the aircraft in spite of missing the entire right wing! Who am I?
5. I was the first (and perhaps only) aircraft to have flown with an operating nuclear reactor aboard. I was so heavy the designers went through several landing gear designs to help spread my tremendous weight across the tarmac. In fact, my payload was almost as much as the empty weight of one of the aircraft I replaced! And even though there were several innovative features included in my design such as my "pusher" engines and propellers, I was replaced in service by much faster aircraft after just a few years. Who am I?
6. Developed from a fighter jet design originally planned for Switzerland, my name is sometimes used synonymously as "business jet". I set the standard for small jets with two engines at the rear and a T-tail. Sleek and quite beautiful for the early 1960's era in which I was introduced, I could carry my 2 crew and 6 passengers up to 1,500 miles at well over 500 mph and up to 41,000 feet. The Argentine Air Force even used a couple of my type during the Falklands Island War to act as decoy strike aircraft sent to attack British ships! Who am I?
7. Operated by a tire and rubber company, I am 192 feet long, 59.5 feet tall, and 50 feet wide. I have a cruising speed of 35 mph in calm wind and I carry 6 passengers. You may have seen me circling major sporting events, and two of my type played a major role in the movie "Black Sunday". Who am I?
8. 7,000 of my type earned our keep transporting and evacuating troops in the jungles of Vietnam. We've served with every branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, several civilian branches of government, as well as being dependable and reliable money-makers for civilian businesses in jobs such as spraying crops, moving logs and carrying oil workers to and from offshore platforms. My design was also modified by making it much slimmer and lighter to produce one of the most successful gunships ever created and it was named after a snake, even though I share a name with a Baby. Who am I?
9. I am the only commercially successful supersonic passenger aircraft ever produced (thus far). Who am I?
10. I am most successful mass produced light aircraft in history. My type was first flown in 1955 and is still in production. As of 2008, more than 43,000 of my type had been built. I have seats for 4 people and can do a reasonable job of carrying them 600 nm at a speed of about 120 knots. My high wing, tricycle landing gear, and fixed-pitch prop design features and reasonable acquisition and operating cost make me a popular choice as a training aircraft as well. Who am I?
