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Airbus to increase 320 output to 60 per month
Airbus Group is looking to produce more than 60 A320s a month, according to Chief Operating Officer John Leahy. Low fuel costs have led to record aircraft orders, especially for single-aisle aircraft. Airbus currently completes 42 A320s each month.
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A320neo flight-test campaign making steady progress
Airbus has completed a total of more than 130 flights with its A320neo test fleet, recently expanded to include the first CFM International Leap-1A version. The airframer has achieved high- and low-speed performance tests with the A320neo as well as noise evaluation for take-off and landing. Airbus has also carried out flutter testing and exploration of handling in normal and degraded flight laws.
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Embraer open to E175-E1 production after E2 arrives
Embraer appears open to the possibility of continuing production of its current-generation E175 regional jet for several years after the arrival of its re-engined replacement from 2020. The success of the heavier re-engined E2 model in the lucrative US market is dependent on the positive renegotiation of a pilot-contract scope clause that limits the maximum take-off weight of regional aircraft to 39,010kg (86,000lb). The current-generation aircraft is below that threshold, but the E2 weighs in at 44,650kg.
LinkAirlines
American Airlines CEO reflects on how public relations has improved service and brand
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker says external and internal public relations efforts are improving both the airline's service and its brand. In this Q&A, Parker details how he personally answers questions from staff every two weeks and how simple changes, such as different boarding music, has increased passenger satisfaction.
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How American Airlines is bringing the "Care Factor" back to flying
American Airlines' new slogan, #NewAmerican, came about with its merger with US Airways, but it has a deeper meaning and potential effect on passengers, according to this blogger on Jaunted. The author describes a recent pleasurable flying experience on the airline and reports that he believes the slogan connotes something intangible, that "Care Factor" that can make passengers excited about flying again.
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Delta takes first higher-weight A330
Delta Air Lines has taken delivery of the first higher-weight Airbus A330-300, as part of its fleet renewal program. The aircraft (registration N822NW and MSN 1627) will replace ageing Boeing 747-400s Boeing 767-300ERs in the Atlanta-based carrier's fleet, the airline says. The 242t A330-300 is 15% to 25% more fuel efficient than the Boeing widebodies.
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Delta gets hyper-local, adds flights from Sea-Tac to Pasco, Victoria
Alaska Airlines may be well-known in this area as the airline to use when you're flying to some of the smaller airports around the Puget Sound region. But Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) looks like it wants a piece of that business. The company announced Wednesday it has added three daily flights between Sea-Tac International Airport and the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco, Washington. Delta will also offer three daily flights to Victoria International Airport. Additionally, Delta announced once-daily flights to Boston, Orlando and Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport in Montana.
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Delta Air Lines Eyes Asia Alliances
Delta Air Lines is interested in forging alliances with carriers in Asia, the airline's president Ed Bastian said. Bastian, speaking at a media event in France, also said he expected Alitalia to remain part of a transatlantic joint venture with Delta and Air France-KLM despite its growing ties with new 49 percent shareholder Etihad.
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Etihad Reports 52 Percent Profit Jump
Etihad Airways reported a 52 percent rise in annual profit on higher passenger numbers and increased revenue from cargo and partner airlines. Etihad made a net profit of USD$73 million in 2014, up from USD$48 million a year earlier, the government-owned carrier said. The airline's annual revenue rose 27 percent to USD$7.6 billion, including cargo revenue up 19 percent to USD$1.11 billion and a 38 percent rise in revenue from partner airlines to USD$1.13 billion.
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JetBlue celebrates nonstop flight from N.Y. to Reno-Tahoe with contest
JetBlue Airways is now flying nonstop to Reno-Tahoe International Airport from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. To celebrate, the airline has launched a contest where one passenger will win a trip for two to the city along with accommodations at a resort casino.
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SIA unveils special independence livery
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has unveiled a special livery to mark Singapore’s 50th year of independence. The carrier will have two Airbus A380s featuring a large Singapore flag-themed design on the fuselage. This livery is one of the many initiatives it has to mark the country’s independence, and it will remain on the two aircraft until the end of the year, says SIA.
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WestJet flight attendants vote in favour of new agreement
WestJet announced today that its flight attendants have voted in favour of a new work agreement with 81.7 per cent of eligible flight attendants voting. A tentative agreement was negotiated between WestJet and the WestJet Flight Attendant Association Board (FAAB), the association representing its flight attendants, and was agreed to on April 21, 2015 . Voting began on May 22, 2015 , and ended May 28, 2015 , at 9 a.m. MDT . Items in the ratified five-year agreement include compensation, work rules, standardized processes and a formal framework for discussion between WestJet flight attendants and the airline.
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Airlines lower prices for premium seating
Major airlines across the country are lowering costs on first-class seats and offering upgrades for as little as $100.
LinkAirports
Lehigh Valley International Airport sees uptick in traffic
Lehigh Valley International Airport, saw 20,000 more passengers in the first quarter of this year than the same period last year. While air traffic is up 3% nationwide, that jump marks an 11% increase for LVA.
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Larger planes are landing in Grand Rapids this summer
With passenger traffic at an all-time high, Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, Mich., is getting larger planes. Airlines plan to increase capacity at the airport by almost 10% in June, and expect the trend to continue through the summer.
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Airlines bet on Vegas
Major U.S. airlines are banking on Las Vegas as a revenue generating destination and are adding more flights and more seats. Travelers have taken advantage. There has been a 4.4% increase in traffic at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas over April of last year.
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Military
Bell Helicopter wants USAF to trade Huey for Huey
As the US Air Force pumps more money into its nuclear mission, Bell Helicopter and several other rotorcraft manufacturers are eyeing a lucrative opportunity to replace the 45-year-old UH-1N Huey fleet currently guarding America’s Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles. The air force plans to establish a $980 million program to replace its aging Huey fleet, including those that shuttle top government officials around Washington, DC. Bell says the requirements as discussed so far point to its modern UH-1Y Venom combat utility helicopter as a viable replacement option.
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Embraer mulls Canada SAR bid with KC-390
An initial two firms – Alenia Aermacchi and Airbus Defence & Space – have confirmed their participation in Canada’s nascent fixed-wing search and rescue (FWSAR) contest, and could soon be joined by Brazil’s Embraer, after it indicated that was giving serious consideration to bidding. Ottawa published a request for proposals in late March for the contest, which seeks to procure replacements for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s aged fleets of six de Havilland Canada CC-115 Buffalos and 13 Lockheed Martin CC-130H Hercules.
LinkRegulatory
EU Takes Germany To Court Over Airport Security Controls
The European Commission is taking Germany to the European Court of Justice for failing to adequately monitor security measures at some German airports. "Inspections by the Commission have shown that Germany does not comply with the minimum frequency and the scope of controls required under EU legislation," the European Union's executive body said in a statement.
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Man Pleads Guilty In Chicago ATC Fire Case
A Chicago-area man has pleaded guilty to federal charges of setting fire to a major air traffic control facility in September, an incident that snarled flights across the US for days. Brian Howard, 37, worked in telecommunications at the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center in Aurora and was apparently upset over a pending job transfer.
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Aviation Quote
In the Alaska bush I'd rather have a two hour bladder and three hours of gas than vice versa.
— Kurt Wien
On This Date
---In 1908... The first passenger flight in Europe occurs as Henri Farman takes up Ernest Archdeacon for a brief flight at Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.
---In 1925... Alan Cobham lands the prototype de Havilland D.H.60 Moth after flying 1,000 miles to Zurich, Switzerland and back to Croydon, England in a single day.
---In 1934... The Collier trophy for the year’s outstanding aviation achievement is awarded in Washington, D.C. to Hamilton Standard Propeller Company for the development of the controllable-pitch propeller.
---In 1940…First flight of the Chance Vought XF4U-1.
---In 1951... Capt. Charles Blair lands in his F-51 piston-engined Mustang after making the first solo flight across the North Pole in a single-engined aircraft, from Bardufoss, Norway to Fairbanks, Alaska, covering 3,375 miles in 10 hours, 29 minutes.
---In 1968… CMSGT Bill Gormick starts tie-cutting tradition of Habu crews neck-ties.
---In 1974… Luna 22, USSR Lunar Orbiter, launched. Successfully entered lunar orbit.
---In 1987… Mathias Rust, 19 years old, a West German pilot, shocks people by landing his Cessna 172 plane in Red Square, Moscow.
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