Boeing clears CDR milestone on 787-10 Boeing has passed the critical design review (CDR) milestone on the 787-10 program, a key step in the timeline of a development program. By clearing the CDR in late June, Boeing’s development team “validates priorities and progress to ensure that the design will meet all requirements when engineering is released to production,” Boeing said. Link
Zodiac patents new seat arrangement Zodiac Seats, a French manufacturer of airline seating, has applied for a patent on a more efficient economy seating design. Link
Airlines
BA details initial routes and cabin layout for 787-9 Oneworld carrier British Airways has identified the Indian capital Delhi as the first destination for its new Boeing 787-9 fleet. The aircraft will be introduced on the route from London Heathrow on 25 October. BA will also begin operating the type to Abu Dhabi and Muscat, as well as Kuala Lumpur, following the aircraft’s deployment on the Indian route. Link
JetBlue Airways Reports June Traffic JetBlue Airways Corporation reported its preliminary traffic results for June 2015. Traffic in June increased 8.8 percent from June 2014, on a capacity increase of 8.0 percent. Link
JetBlue's new pricing model keeps customer focus JetBlue passengers have responded positively to the carrier's new pricing model for optional services. JetBlue now offers three tiers of ticket, a move that gives passengers more control over price. Link
JetBlue is launching daily Daytona Beach-New York service in January JetBlue will begin daily flights between Daytona Beach and New York's JFK International Airport on Jan. 7. Link
Southwest Airlines is hiring customer representatives Southwest Airlines is hiring 650 call service representatives in Phoenix, Albuquerque, and San Antonio Link
IAG and Vueling chiefs recognised at Airline Strategy Awards IAG chief executive Willie Walsh and Vueling boss Alex Cruz took the top honours at last night's Airline Strategy Awards organised by Airline Business magazine in partnership with executive search firm Spencer Stuart. The Executive Leadership Award went to Walsh, while Cruz was presented with the Airline Business Award. Link
Airports
Glacier Park International Airport sees record June traffic Glacier Park International Airport saw a record 21,280 passengers this past June, up from 20,090 last year. Link
Military
First four Iraqi F-16IQs arrive at Balad Air Base The Iraqi Air Force has received its first four Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons and a much-needed morale boost following a deadly crash that left one pilot dead in Arizona and the accidental bombing of a residential suburb in Baghdad earlier this month. Iraq’s Ministry of Defence announced on its website 13 July that four aircraft had landed at Balad Air Base, located about 80km north of the nation’s capital. Link
Rotary WIng
AgustaWestland CEO defends Polish legal action Daniele Romiti, chief executive of AgustaWestland, is standing by its decision to launch legal action challenging the Polish defence ministry’s decision to award a 50-unit rotorcraft order to its European rival, Airbus Helicopters. AgustaWestland, in conjunction with its Polish subsidiary, PZL Swidnik, had offered its new AW149 for the tri-service contest, but lost out to the H225M Caracal. On 19 June, PZL Swidnik announced that it had started court action in a bid to get the award overturned. Link
General Aviation
Solar Impulse grounded in Hawaii for battery repairs The Solar Impulse round-the-world flight on solar power only has been grounded in Hawaii – because its five-day/five-night flight from Japan overcooked its batteries. Repairing “irreversible” damage will take at least two to three weeks, according to the mission team. Repairs and replacements “will take several weeks to work through”; meanwhile, engineers are “looking at various options for better management of the cooling and heating process for very long flights”. Link
Aviation Quote
If the employees come first, then they are happy. A motivated employee treats the customer well. The customer is happy so they keep coming back, which pleases the shareholders. It's not one of the enduring green mysteries of all time, it is just the way it works.
— Herb Kelleher, Southwest Airlines CEO, in Lee, W. G., 'A Conversation with Herb Kelleher,' Organizational Dynamics, volume 23, issue 2, Autumn 1994.
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
Zodiac patents new seat arrangement Zodiac Seats, a French manufacturer of airline seating, has applied for a patent on a more efficient economy seating design. Link
