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Commercial

Bad weather affects operational performance in August
irline delays and cancellations are up slightly from last year's peak travel season. The U.S. Department of Transportation said Thursday that flights on the nation's largest airlines arrived on time 77.7 percent of the time in August. That is down from 78.8 percent in the same month last year, although it is better than July. The 14 airlines covered in the government report canceled 1.2 percent of their U.S. flights in August, up from 1.0 percent a year earlier. The airlines blame bad weather for an increase in delays and cancellations this year. The first six months of 2014 were the worst for delays since 2008.
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Comac to take delivery of first C919 nose
The nose section for the first C919 prototype is expected to be delivered to Comac's final assembly centre on 15 October. This is the third major C919 structure to be delivered to Comac. The section rolled off Chengdu Aircraft's production line in July.
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Extra long-haul: The 10 furthest airline routes
At 06:26 local time on 1 October, the first Airbus A380 to serve the world’s longest scheduled air route – Dallas Fort Worth to Sydney – touched down in Australia’s largest city. It marked the 60th anniversary of Qantas’s transpacific service to the USA, which began with a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation flight from Sydney to San Francisco in 1954. The Australian flag-carrier is operating the DFW flight six times a week with the A380, which replaced a Boeing 747-400ER on the route.
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China To Buy 70 Airbus A320-Family Jets
Airbus has signed a framework agreement with China's state purchasing agency to supply 70 A320-family jets. The "general terms agreement," signed in Berlin during a visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, is for current-generation A320 and A321 models, Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier told reporters.
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Airlines

Some Air Berlin/Etihad Code Shares Rejected
Etihad has been denied approval to add its code to some flights to Germany operated by partner Air Berlin, meaning the German airline could lose out on passengers that it needs to fight its way back to recovery. Air Berlin said on Friday that it had been informed by Etihad, that 34 codeshare flights for the winter schedule had not been approved, affecting 46,000 bookings. Etihad and Air Berlin share codes on flights to around 60 destinations. By putting its number on the German airline's flights, Etihad can sell those connections to its customers and help loss-making Air Berlin to fill its planes. The German federal aviation authority (LBA) checks codeshare deals every time airlines submit winter and summer schedules for flights to and from Germany. The two airlines have shared flight codes since 2012 and the LBA has approved all six previous flight plans.
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Alaska Air utilizing innovative technologies for customers
Alaska Airlines is exploring the use of thumb scans as a possible replacement for tickets, credit cards and even IDs. The carrier gauged traveler interest in the technology by offering it in its Board Room passenger lounge in Seattle, where passengers were eager to use it. "We are looking at ways to make Alaska the easiest airline to fly," said Sandy Stelling, the airline's managing director for customer research and development.
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American exec comments on end of Wright amendment
As nonstop flights from Dallas Love Field to all the United States looms, American Airlines is touting the numerical advantages it has at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport over Dallas Love Field. Here’s the message it included in a weekly employee newsletter Thursday: Winning the Battle for North Texas. On Monday, Oct. 13, the Wright Amendment, a law passed in 1979 to regulate traffic at Dallas Love Field (DAL), will expire. This will allow carriers that operate out of DAL to fly nonstop to any U.S. city starting next week. Years ago, American sought to ban the expiration, but times have changed.
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American to add nonstop routes from Atlanta to LAX
American Airlines says it will "expand its Los Angeles hub" by adding new nonstop service to Atlanta. Beginning March 5, American will launch three daily round-trip flights on the route using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. "American is expanding our Los Angeles hub with Atlanta service to give customers more travel options between these two key markets and Atlanta customers convenient access to Southern California," Chuck Schubert, AA's VP - Network and Schedule Planning, says in a statement. "With nearly 200 daily departures out of Los Angeles and nearly 50 out of Atlanta, we're giving customers more opportunities to explore the world for business or pleasure on our growing global network."
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Las Vegas Flight Quarantined In Ebola False Alarm
A Delta Air Lines plane was briefly quarantined on the tarmac at Las Vegas Airport on Friday due to an Ebola scare that turned out to be a false alarm. A Delta spokesman said the concern began after a passenger on the flight from New York's Kennedy Airport reported feeling unwell. The crew alerted authorities on the ground, and emergency medical teams met the plane when it landed in Las Vegas.
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Carrier considers "economy minus" option
A US legacy airline is shopping around the idea that it’s planning to create an “economy minus” cabin in a move to a new model of domestic four-class service. GN spoke extensively and off the record with the airline at the recent APEX Expo in Anaheim, California. The front-to-back domestic US model mooted to us would comprise a premium cabin, enhanced economy, regular economy and “economy minus” offering. The big economy change — which may well be a fishing expedition to provoke comment in the industry or see whether its two primary competitors are interested in showing their hands — would be truly groundbreaking if implemented. Economy would come in three flavors – enhanced economy with around the 35-38” pitch range, regular economy at 30-31”, and the new “economy minus” at 30” and below.
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Garuda to take 50 of the 737 Max 8
Indonesian flag carrier Garuda will add 50 Boeing 737 Max 8 narrowbodies to its fleet between 2017 and 2023. The aircraft will replace 737-800s as leases expire, says the airline.
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Hawaiian soars with 94% on-time arrival rate
Here are the government's rankings of the leading airlines and their on-time performance for August. Some airlines, including Spirit and Allegiant, are not included because they operate fewer flights. The federal government counts a flight as on-time if it arrives within 14 minutes of schedule.
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JetBlue's free snacks boost customer goodwill
JetBlue Airways' free snacks, especially its Terra Chips, continue to create goodwill with customers and to set it apart from other carriers. Terra Blues Potato Chips is the carrier's official snack, and it estimates that it distributes 650,000 bags per month. In addition to the chips, JetBlue also offers five other snack options
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Qatar plans rapid A380 roll-out following London debut
Qatar Airways operated its debut Airbus A380 service on 10 October, replacing a Boeing 777-300ER on its flagship Doha-London Heathrow route. Before the end of the year, the 517-seater will be introduced on its Paris services and on a second daily Heathrow rotation. The Doha-based airline took delivery of the first of 10 A380s it has on order on 17 September, several months later than planned due to an acceptance wrangle with Airbus over the quality issues. At the time of the first delivery, a further three A380s were undergoing acceptance by the airline and these are all due to be delivered by the end of the year.
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VietJet's first A320 on order enters final assembly
The first Airbus A320 aircraft under VietJet Air’s order for up to 100 examples of the narrowbody type has entered final assembly in Tolouse. The aircraft will be delivered to the Vietnamese low-cost player in the fourth quarter, says Airbus in a statement. The VietJet order covers 63 confirmed orders and 30 purchase rights. VietJet will also lease seven A320s.
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Airports

Ebola Screening Starts At JFK Airport
Medical teams at New York's JFK airport, armed with Ebola questionnaires and temperature guns, began screening passengers from three West African countries on Saturday as US health authorities stepped up efforts to stop the spread of the virus. John F Kennedy Airport is the first of five US airports to start enhanced screening of US-bound travelers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Those countries have seen most of the deaths from the outbreak, which has claimed more than 4,000 lives. Nearly all passengers traveling to the United States from those countries arrive at JFK, Newark, Washington Dulles, Chicago O'Hare and Atlanta airports. The new procedures will begin at the other four airports on Thursday.
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Ind. airport deploys robot for customer service
The Indianapolis International Airport has deployed a customer service robot to help answer questions from travelers. The robot's head is an iPad, which projects the image and voice of a customer service agent. "It seems especially useful to people who want to know where to catch taxis or shuttle buses," said Carlo Bertolini, airport spokesman.[/b]
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TSA opens PreCheck enrollment center at Sky Harbor
Travelers interested in enrolling in the Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck program can now do so at Arizona's Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Applicants pay an $85 fee and undergo a background check to participate in the program, which gives them access to expedited screening lanes at airport security checkpoints.
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SFO aims to improve passenger experience through technology
Think the airport is just a place you go catch a plane? Think again. Though perhaps not quite as important as the end destination, today’s time pressed, tech-savvy traveler increasingly takes the airport experience into consideration when making a purchasing decision. With its close proximity to Silicon Valley and a city-wide desire to reflect the innovative spirit of the region, this is a trend that San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is looking to exploit.
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Military

Afghan G222s scrapped for pennies on the dollar
The majority of a fleet of transport aircraft purchased by the US Air Force on behalf of the Afghan National Army Air Corps (ANAAC) has been scrapped for a fraction of their original price tag. The US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) in December 2013 launched a review of the $486 million deal for 20 Alenia Aermacchi G222s that the Italian air force had grounded and put in storage. The review was initiated because the aircraft could not meet the ANAAC’s operational requirements, SIGAR says in a 3 October letter to US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James.
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Danish AW101 damaged in Afghan mishap
One of Denmark’s AgustaWestland AW101 transport helicopters has been damaged in a landing incident in Afghanistan, the nation’s defense ministry has confirmed. An aircraft operating from Mazar-e-Sharif air base ended up on its side after a landing incident away from the site, the defence ministry said in a 12 October statement. The crew and personnel aboard the aircraft escaped without suffering serious injury, but the aircraft was seriously damaged, it adds.
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Germany's first A400M leaves paint shop
Germany's first A400M tactical transport has moved a step closer to its delivery later this year, with the aircraft having received the Luftwaffe's service markings. Airbus Defense & Space on 10 October released an image of aircraft MSN18 after it left the paint shop at the company's San Pablo site in Seville, Spain. Carrying the number 54+01, the transport had entered final assembly at the site at the start of this year, and performed the first ground run of all four Europrop International TP400-D6 turboprop engines late last month.
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Regulatory

FAA, aviation industry agree to NextGen priorities
The Federal Aviation Administration and the NextGen Advisory Committee, a group of stakeholders from the aviation industry, have agreed to a plan outlining priorities for NextGen over the next three years. "The priorities outlined in this plan will deliver real benefits to the traveling public in the near-term: reducing flight delays, enhancing safety and increasing predictability," said Michael Whitaker from the FAA.
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Flight attendants challenge FAA regulations
The nation's largest flight attendants union says it wants airline passengers to return to stowing cellphones and other electronics during takeoffs and landings, but the group's arguments didn't seem to fly Friday in court. A lawyer for the union argued before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that aviation officials acted improperly last year in clearing passengers to use small electronics during takeoffs and landings. The union says the devices can distract passengers from safety announcements and become dangerous projectiles. The union also says that in letting passengers keep the devices out, the Federal Aviation Administration changed an agency regulation without steps required by law.
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Corporate

Embraer delivers Legacy 500 to launch customer
Embraer has completed delivery of the first Legacy 500 business jet to an undisclosed Brazilian launch customer, concluding a six year-long process to introduce the first fly-by-wire aircraft in the midsize category. “Our teams developed a revolutionary product, which symbolizes our commitment to offer our customers the most innovative solutions in the industry,” says Embraer Executive Jets president and chief executive Marco Tulio Pellegrini.
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NetJets explores new regions as Europe prepares for Challenger 350 arrival
NetJets is hoping to expand its fractional ownership and aircraft management programs outside its established bases in the USA, Europe and China and is currently evaluating Russia, India and Latin America as potential markets. The revelation comes as NetJets Europe gears up to accept its first Bombardier Challenger 350. “The first aircraft will be delivered early next year,” says NetJets Europe sales director Marine Eugene. “We will be taking five in 2015 and have already pre-sold two aircraft. With transcontinental range and the ability to seat up to 10 passengers, this aircraft is proving very popular.”
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Aviation Quote

You can be in London at 10 o'clock and in New York at 10 o'clock. I have never found another way of being in two places at once.

— Sir David Frost, Concorde regular.

On This Date

---In 1931... Canadian pilot Godfrey Dean performs the 1st loop in an autogyro, at Willow Field, near Philadelphia.

---In 1964… The first production Learjet, a Model 23, was delivered.

---In 1972…a Uruguayan Air Force Fairchild FH-227 crashes in the Andes. Survivors resort to eating dead passengers before their rescue two months later. The movie “Alive,” is based on this incident.

---In 1976…Midway Airlines is founded.

Daily Video

Editor’s Choice

Humor

The Navigator

The pilot was sitting in his seat and pulled out a .38 revolver. He placed it on top of the instrument panel, and then asked the navigator, "Do you know what I use this for?"

The navigator replied timidly, "No, what's it for?"

The pilot responded, "I use this on navigators who get me lost!"

The navigator proceeded to pull out a .45 and place it on his chart table.

The pilot asked, "What's that for?"

"To be honest sir," the navigator replied, "I'll know we're lost before you will.

Trivia

787 Trivia

1) What was the 787 Dreamliner originally called?
a) The Dash 87
b) The 7E7
c) The 797
d) The 007

2) The 787 was dubbed Dreamliner by an online "Name the Plane" contest, and the modified 747 freighters that carry sections of the plane around the globe are called Dreamlifters. What is the "Dream Weaver"?
a) The machine that turns carbon-fiber thread into a fabric that will be baked into the 787's composite-plastic skin.
b) The code name for the group that developed the 787 concept while Boeing officially pursued another plane, the Sonic Cruiser.
c) A 1970s hit song.
d) The nickname of a Seattle Mariners pitcher.

3) As Boeing's global partners built factories for this plane of the future, how did the past intrude?
a) Italy's Alenia had to move scores of 300-year-old olive trees from its factory site.
b) Sweden's Saab unearthed a Viking tomb on its proposed location.
c) Traditional Japanese rice farmers refused to vacate Mitsubishi's property.
d) British fox hunters halted Messier-Dowty's plant expansion.

4) What amenity did Boeing cut from the 787 design to reduce the plane's weight?
a) Foot rests
b) The galley
c) Seat-back Magic Fingers
d) Wireless inflight-entertainment system

5) The 787 will have a button that passengers can use to?
a) Signal they don't wish to talk to a chatty neighbor.
b) Darken the window electronically.
c) Order a $8.99 sandwich billed to their credit card.
d) Upgrade the entertainment options to better movies and music.

6) Boeing has put the 787 on a diet to slim it down to the target weight of?
a) 85,000 pounds
b) 222,000 pounds
c) 222,000 tons
d) 1 million nautical pounds

7) Before choosing Everett for the final assembly of the 787, Boeing also considered which of these sites?
a) Harlingen, Texas
b) Tulsa, Okla.
c) Mobile, Ala.
d) Biloxi, Miss.
e) Savannah, Ga.

Boeing has taken 642 orders for the 787 as of July 6, selling more planes before rollout than any jet in history. But it has no customers yet on which of these continents?
a) Australia
b) South America
c) Africa
d) Europe
e) Antarctica

9) Seven 787s have been sold by Boeing as VIP jets. The only individual buyer who's been publicly identified is?
a) Hong Kong tycoon Joseph Lau
b) Heavy metal rocker/TV star Ozzy Osbourne
c) Exiled Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky
c) Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal

10) Miles of wiring in the 787?
a) 13
b) 229
c) 61
d) 1,112

11) According to Boeing, how much more fuel-efficient than other comparable airliners will the 787 be?
a) 10 percent
b) 20 percent
c) 50 percent

12) The 787 takes Boeing's outsourcing of major components to a new level. All of these countries supply major components for the 787 airframe except?
a) Germany
b) China
c) Australia
d) South Korea
e) Canada

13) To create holes for windows into the stiff composite plastic that forms the airplane shell, Boeing and its suppliers use?
a) Lasers
b) Diamond-tipped band saws
c) Ultrahigh-pressure water jets
d) Biodegradable industrial acids

14) The 787's windows are?
a) Self-cleaning
b) The size of an 18-inch (square) pizza.
c) One-third larger than the 777, the biggest on any current airliner.
d) b and c
e) a and c
f) a,b and c