UAE And Bahrain Relax Flight Route Restrictions For Qatar Airways.

In an unexpected move both Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to open up some of their airspace to Qatar Airways, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization.  

Bahrain, the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia all cut diplomatic ties and land, sea and air transport links with Qatar, as tensions mounted. The gulf four nations also locked and sealed off all Qatar Airways offices presenting staff from accessing anything from the buildings, shops and offices, even personal belongings. 

Ethiopian and Air India Aircraft Collide

It could have been a catastrophic disaster two airliners came so close together their wings collided at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport very early on Wednesday morning.

According to airport officials the incident occurred when an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft was being pushed back from stand 87 at 2.25am.  It struck the wing of an Air India's Airbus A320 that was stationary.

US Airlines Reduce Number of Bumped Off Passengers.

Following the horrendous public relations nightmare United faced after a video of one of their passengers being dragged off a flight went viral, it seems you're much less likely to get bumped off.

According to figures released by the American Transportation Department this week, only one in every 19,000 airline passengers was booted from an overbooked flight in the first six months of 2017.

This is the lowest number since the government started tracking the practice in 1995.  However, rather surprisingly whilst other airlines are drastically reducing the number of 'bumpings'  United still off loaded  1,064 passengers from January to June of this year!  That's despite the airlines new policy regarding not off loading of passengers on overbooking flights. It would therefore seem the giant American carrier was all talk at the time in order to get out of a public relations disaster the good doctors removal caused, yet in practice they've done very little. 

We asked United for a comment yesterday,  we're still waiting for a reply. 

Silver Airways Orders 50 ATR Aircraft

It is all smiles in the sunny south Florida city of Fort Lauderdale for aircraft manufacturer ATR and Silver Airways as they announce a deal for up to 50 brand new aircraft.

The deal worth a whopping $1.1billion, will see Silver Airways become the North American launch customer for the sleek ATR 42-600 series turboprop. The agreement includes a firm order of 20 ATR 42-600s plus options for another 30 aircraft. Silver Airways will also have the option of upgauging the aircraft to the new bigger ATR 72-600 should it require more capacity in the future.  

Swiss First Revenue Flight At London City Airport On Bombardier C Series

Photo Bombardier

Swiss International Airlines, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft and London City Airport celebrated in style yesterday as the airline made its first revenue flight into the city airport using its brand new technologically advanced C Series aircraft yesterday.

“We are proud to see the C Series aircraft in SWISS livery landing at London City Airport for the first time. This new milestone continues the momentum propelling the C Series aircraft program,” said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “The CS100 aircraft has the perfect combination of steep approach and short field capability as well as longer range. These attributes provide airlines with the opportunity to reach new markets from London City Airport and other challenging airports around the globe, generating an increased level of interest in the C Series program.”

Direct to Nashville For British Airways

Photo British Airways

A British Boeing 787-8 will be heading to the world capital of country music, Nashville, from May next year when British Airways inaugurated a new non-stop direct service.  

British Airways confirmed yesterday they will launch a five-a-week service from London Heathrow, Terminal 5 to the vibrant music city making them the only airline flying a direct link between Europe and the capital of Tennessee.

More Jets For CommutAir

The small Ohio-based commuter/feeder airline CommutAir has signed a memorandum of understanding with United Airlines for 21 Embraer ERJ 145s.  These aircraft are in addition to its existing 40-jet agreement with the United, which operate under the United Express branner. 

The incoming ERJ's will replace the Bombardier Dash 8 turboprops which are being phased out and will be gone by January 2018.

Singapore Puts On The Style For New Safety Briefing

As many airlines the world over are now realising that the pre-flight safety briefing video needs to have a bit of 'Omph' to grab our keep our attention these days. It's also has become an outlet for such creativity that airlines hope they will become the talk of the town - or at least go viral on social media.   

Singapore Airlines is no exception, they've definitely gone for 'style' over humour as befitting an airline of their stature and reputation. In this new video that's just a little short of six minutes viewers follow the Singapore Girl as she travels to familiar landmarks such as Boat Quay, The Intan Peranakan Home Museum, River Safari, Haji Lane, Henderson Waves, Capitol Theatre and Gardens by the Bay. At each location, she meets diverse characters engaged in different activities that creatively demonstrate the safety instructions.

British Airways A380 Bound For Chicago

The biggest aircraft in the British Airways fleet will be heading for Chicago from spring next year, the airline has announced today.

The airline released the news that they will fly an Airbus A380  on a daily rotation between London Heathrow and Chicago O’Hare starting from 8th May 2018. The double decked super jumbo will be taking the place of the former biggest commercial passenger plane, a Boeing 747-400.

JetBlue going Gladly

American budget carrier JetBlue and tech firm Gladly have announced their new partnership which could fundamentally enhance the way airlines deal with customers.  

"We are an enterprise software and services company and our mission is to reimagine and reinvent how customer service can be delivered by creating a platform that puts the customer back at the center of the process," Gladly CEO Joseph Ansanelli told Business Insider site.  

30% Savings for MH with the A350

The Malaysian national airline hopes to make substantial on its popular, yet difficult London - Kuala Lumpur - London route towards the end of the year when it starts flying the new Airbus A350.

Malaysian Airlines say they expect costs to fall by around 30% when the new jets take to the skies from the end of this year and into the first quarter of 2018. Much of the savings will come from the better fuel economy the A350 has over the double decked A380's which currently fly the route. "The impact on yields will not be as bad, and we will not be as exposed to high operating costs. We expect unit cost to come down by around 30%, as compared to operating the A380," Izham Ismail, Malaysia Airlines CEO explained during a briefing in Singapore.

Rescue plan for Kenya Airways approved.

Kenya Airways has apparently gained approval from its minority shareholders to issue more shares and convert some debt into equity, its reported today, Monday. This is despite some notable opposition from its local investors and lenders. 

The troubled carrier reveled in June that a financial restructuring plan would help it cut back on debts, reduce exorbitant finance costs as well as enabling it to stay flying after many years of losses. The airline descended into the red five years ago following a massive downturn in tourism after a spate of attacks by Islamist militants in the country.  They have failed to turn a profit since then and the losses were further compounded by the vast loans the airline took on to buy a fleet of new Boeing aircraft

Take away pilots and save $35 billion a year says UBS

The Swiss bank UBS has hit on a novel idea for airlines to save money, as much as $35billion a year - by taking away the pilots!

Yes, according to research released today UBS thinks pilotless planes are the way forward, "Reducing the intervention of human pilots on aircraft could bring material economic benefits and improve safety," UBS analysts wrote in a report published Monday. 

In basic terms of material economic benefits, number-crunching analysts at UBS advise that there could be a material profit opportunity of more than $35 billion per year for the aerospace and aviation industry. To unlock these massive savings the Swiss bankers suggest the aviation sector would need to explore a number of elements, for example, how airlines could benefit from lower operating and training costs, reduced fuel costs and lower insurance premium costs. Overall, they believe ditching the pilots could save $26 billion a year. 

"The opportunity, we believe, would be dependent on the timing of the roll-out of pilotless planes and we think it is likely we would initially see cargo the first subsector to adopt new related technologies, with the number of pilots falling from two to one and eventually from one to none," UBS said.

Is it the end for SAA?

Could we be about to witness the end of one of the worlds most colourful airlines, South African Airways?  

The national airline of South Africa has been in financial trouble for at least the last five years and now it looks closer to collapse than it ever has before.

According to documents provided to parliament, the Johannesburg based airline is very nearly out of cash and is hovering on the brink of bankruptcy. The airline is struggling hard to even find enough money to page its beleaguered workforce. 

Delta's first A350 arrives.

Photo Jujug Spotting

Delta welcomed their first Airbus A350 to Atlanta this weekend on its delivery flight from Toulouse.

The aircraft, registered as N501DN, took off from Toulouse, France behind schedule at 10:43 p.m. local time arriving at around 2 a.m. the same day.  To marks its arrival and in celebration of the new aircraft fleet type, Delta’s A350-900XWB will bear the fleet number ‘3501.’

Delta is the first North American airline to operate the advance Airbus A350.

Safety Concerns Cause Iberia change Route

With the continued political and social unrest continue to develop in Venezuela, Spanish airline, Iberia has had to look at alternatives on its lucrative Madrid-Caracas flight. 

Iberia has now advised its staff that flights to Caracas will now make a stop in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where it will do a crew change over, the new crew will then fly the aircraft down to Caracas before returning to Madrid.  This avoids a potentially dangerous night stop-over for the crew in Venezuela. 

59 feet from disaster - Air Canada

Just 59 feet, that's how close an Air Canada aircraft came to disaster whilst trying to land at San Francisco International Airport last month.  

The newly released data and photos show how terrifyingly close the Air Canada jet was to other aircraft when it suddenly had to pull up and abort its landing to avoid crashing into planes waiting on a taxiway at the airport.  

The arriving Air Canada pilots 'mistook' the taxiway for the runway parallel to it and flew their aircraft so close that it was just  59 feet, thats 18 metres above the ground before pulling up to do a go-around and  attempt another landing, 

59 feet is only marginally higher than the four aircraft that were queuing on the taxiway waiting to depart when  the when the incident occurred late at night on 7th July, this year.

Teenager couldn't wait to get to the gate!

A male teenage passenger on a Copa Airlines flight that had just landed at San Francisco International Airport Tuesday just couldn't wait to get to the gate. He opened the emergency exit, and climbed out onto the wing and jumped down to sprint across the tarmac apron.

A spokesperson  for the airport, Doug Yakel confirmed that at around 2.30 p.m on Tuesday 1st August,  a 17-year-old male on Copa Airlines flight 208 inbound from Panama City that had landed at the airport left the aircraft through the overwing emergency exit door, jumping down to the tarmac.

Turbulence Causes Injuries

An American Airlines flight from Greece to Philadelphia went through a patch of turbulence so severe it resulted in at least ten passengers being injured.

According to the airline,  Flight AA759 had departed the Greek capital, Athens and was enroute to Philadelphia with 287 passengers and a dozen crew members onboard on Saturday 5th August.

It was shortly before landing that the aircraft encountered the  severe turbulence, at the time the "Fasten seat belt sign" was illuminated on at the time. After the plane landed at 3.10 p.m., 7 crew and 3 passengers were taken to a hospital for evaluation due to injuries sustained during the turbulence.

American Airlines issued a statement that said it wants to "thank our team members for keeping our passengers safe." and the FAA have confirmed they will investigate.

Porter Passengers Agony

A number of Porter Airlines passengers say they are finding it difficult to trust the Canadian airline with their arrangements after the carrier made dozens of last-minute flight cancellations during the month of July.

Quincy Korte-King said her flights from Ottawa to Toronto and Toronto to Chicago were cancelled and she was bumped back five hours on the 28th July. Then again during her return journey on 31st July her flight from Toronto to Chicago was cancelled as well.

"The first time around I thought it happens, it's part of travelling," she told the media, "Then the second time around it was a little bit ridiculous — not only that my third flight was cancelled … but they weren't actually telling me 'oh you're a loyal customer, let us give you a free voucher or let us help you get on an earlier flight.'"

Second Hand 747's For US President

It has been revealed that the US Air Force is about to buy two second-hand Boeing 747s and convert these into the next Air Force One!

These two aircraft were originally ordered for Russian airline Transaero  back in 2013, however the troubled carrier went bankrupt in 2015.  The aircraft were effectively mothballed until now,  a source close to the deal say it looks set for completion by the end of August. Speaking anonymously to news agency AFP, the source - allegedly from inside the White House, said Boeing was set to sell the pair of 747-8 jetliners to the Air Force. "They’re still working toward a deal to provide two 747-8s to the Air Force.  This deal is focused on providing a great value for the Air Force and the best price for the taxpayer.”

Airport Delays Around Europe

In the UK, British Airways, Ryanair and Easyjet are among airlines warning British holidaymakers of delays at EU border controls at many European airports.

British Airways sent texts asking travellers to make sure they arrive early, as the company expects longer queues due to "enhanced immigration checks" across Europe.  BA has already sent texts to customers flying back from Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona and Milan. They will follow this advice to all UK bound passengers from most European airports in the next few hours. 

Pilot in trouble as 10 year-old flies the plane

You could be forgiven if you thought pilots were getting younger and younger if you've seen a recent video doing the rounds on social media.  It features a smartly dressed young man in a white shirt, black waistcoat, tie and trousers and topping it off with a captain’s hat.  The young chap is eager when he's invited to sit in the captain’s seat mid-flight on the Air Algeria plane, and what 10 year-old wouldn't be?

In a video of the incident, the young chap can be seen manipulating the controls and pushing buttons on the flight between Algiers Houari Boumediene International Airport and Setif Regional Airport. Speaking after the flight, the (real) pilot commended the boy: "He was very disciplined, calm and attentive. I am sure he will be a good pilot.”

Loganair's New Look

The Scottish airline Loganair has unveiled its new tartan livery and announced an increase in passenger numbers on some key routes. 

There was a 17 per cent rise in passenger travel between Sumburgh in the Shetland Islands and the Scottish mainland in July compared to June, with nearly 20,000 people using the route.

An even bigger increase was seen on the Sumburgh and Glasgow route, up 25 per cent, while there was a 14 per cent growth in flights connecting Aberdeen to Shetland.

Loganair has terminated its Flybe Franchise and that deal comes to an end next month and to make the move, LoganAir has shown off its new paint job! 

A Saab 340B, named Spirit of Caithness has become the first of its fleet to undergo a makeover ahead of the airline flying under its own name. 

Older Planes Less Reliable?

A Boeing 737 belonging to Jet2 has made two emergency landings in as many weeks, leading some commentators to question whether the advanced age of the aircraft is affecting its reliability. 

The plane was forced to land at Barcelona on July 16, as it flew from Ibiza to Leeds/Bradford. Twelve days later, on July 28, it made another forced landing at Frankfurt en route from Newcastle to Prague. 

Ryanair Boss Earns £8k A Day

As passengers have to pay a small fortune to sit together on one of his aircraft, Michael O'Leary, the Ryanair Chief Executive gets paid almost £8000 a day to sit in his seat!

Yes, the boss of the budget irish airline took home earnings of €3.26million last year, that's £2.92million,  which calculates at approximately €8,931 / £7,987 per day.  The figures released  atis week revealed he got an increase of £89,000 from last year.  But it's not just his wages that are soaring, so to are complains to the airline. 

End of the line for the A380?

Hot news from Airbus.....The aircraft manufacturer is slowing down the production rate of its super jumbo the double decked A380 even more.   The future of vast aircraft looks even more bleak after the European aircraft company confirmed it was cutting production to just 8 air frames in 2019. 

Virgin Atlantic Bargain Basement Sell Off

Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group is flogging off a major stake in the airline Virgin Atlantic at bargain basement prices to Air France-KLM and existing investor Delta Air Lines.

Air France-KLM is to buy 31 percent of Virgin Atlantic for £220m.  The Virgin Group will hang on to just 20 percent of the troubled trans-Atlantic airline, they will also continue to chairman the company.

Avianca Ends Flights to Venezuela

Colombian airline Avianca confirmed today (Thursday) that it will stop flying to and from Venezuela as of today due to the complicated and dangerous situation in the neighboring country.

The airline had initially planned to suspend flights during the middle of August, however  "Due to operational and security limitations in recent hours, Avianca has been forced to suspend its operations from Thursday, and not from 16th Aug as previously scheduled," the airline rushed to say in a statement today.

Big Losses for Etihad

Massive losses are announced for the premier airline Etihad.  It announced it lost $1.87 billion in 2016, siting "one-off impairment charges and fuel hedging losses" as the main reasons for the massive loss, and 2017 may well be worse!

New - Birmingham to New York and Boston.....

   

United Airlines announced last week that its Birmingham to New York route would end in October this year, leaving England’s populous city without a direct route to the US for the first time in over 20 years.

However, like a bolt from the blue, a special new lifeline was offered when another airline announced it would fly not one, but two new routes from Birmingham across the pond.  This new aviation saviour  will fly a daily service to Newark and a four-times weekly service to Boston.

But who is this new entrant into the UK - America trans-Atlantic carrier club.  It's an airline you most probably have never heard of,   they are called  Primera Air,  a little-known low-cost carrier.  They will launch their routes from Birmingham in May 2018 and London Stansted in April 2018.   

Joon - The Air France 'Youth' Brand Budget Airline

The Air France-KLM Group will start flights this autumn of  'Joon' its low fare budget airline, that will go all out to target millennial customers. 

Joon - previously talked about under the code-name 'Boost' plans to operate mainly medium-haul services from Paris,  Charles de Gaulle airport, then towards the end of next year it may venture into the long-haul market place. 

Singapore Review Nuts Policy

An allergy scare involving a three-year-old toddler has prompted Singapore Airlines to review the serving of nuts on board its flights.

Marcus Daley suffered a severe allergic reaction after passengers around him opened their snack packets of peanuts.  He went into anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening condition which can be triggered by food including peanuts and shellfish.  He was travelling with his parents to Melbourne after a holiday in Thailand.

Burst tyre on take-off for Air Canada Rouge at Gatwick

Travellers at the UK#s second busiest and the world's busiest single runway airport are facing travel chaos after an Air Canada Rouge aircrafts tyre burst as it left the runway at the start of a transatlantic flight.

Flights are using Gatwick's main taxiway 1 as a back-up or 'emergency' runway after the airport's main runway was closed following the incident involving the Toronto bound jet. 

The plane was leaving Gatwick at 1.16pm on Monday bound for Canada when its tyre suffered a blowout.  The airports managers ordered the runway closed immediately after the plane departed so that could carry out an inspection.  

The aircraft then came back to make and emergency landing after the full scale emergency procedures had been put in place.  This included all the airports fire appliances mobilized and more than a dozen ambulances dispatched to the airport.   The aircraft returned to the airport and landed safely on the runway, where it remained.  

Many flights have been cancelled or diverted and the disruption is likely to last well into the evening. 

Air Zimbabwe Lays Off Half its Workforce

Zimbabwe's state-owned airline has laid off 200 workers, roughly half of its staff, with immediate effect.

The job losses are part of a turnaround strategy to bring struggling Air Zimbabwe back to profitability from a $300m (£230m) debt.

Last month the EU banned it from using its airspace, citing safety concerns.  There have been major changes at the national airline since President Robert Mugabe's son-in-law took over as chief operating officer last year.  Money has been hemorrhaging from the company ever since. 

Iberia fined over enforced Pregnancy tests for staff

The Spanish airline Iberia has said it will stop requiring female job candidates to take a pregnancy test after it was fined for the practice.

Labour inspectors in the Balearic Islands discovered the airline insisted on the tests, and fined it €25,000 that's around £22,000.

Second Hand Champaign From Emirates

A video showing an Emirates airline steward pouring champagne from a glass back into a bottle went viral this week. The very short video was filmed by a passenger on board the Airbus A380 and was shared via social media, with well over a million views.

The action was captured accidentally at the very start of the video which was a gentle sweep through the cabin.  Watch it here.....

No comment yet from Emirates, but just be aware your bubbly inflight might well be second-hand and left overs from the boarding welcome drink.

EasyJet to Relaunch as a European Airline in Brexit Backlash

The UK's largest budget airline, EasyJet is to set up a new airline based in Vienna, Austria to relaunch the airline after UK leaves the European Union.

According to current regulation an airline must have an air operator certificate in an EU member country to allow it to continue flying between any EU member states. Therefore, if the regulations stay the same as they are now, Easyjet want a new EU based airline to continue to operate their current schedules without interruption.

Tourist killed by jet blast at St Maarten

A tourist has been killed after being knocked over by jet blasts at an St Maarten where the runway is just yards from a road and the beach on the tiny sunshine isle.

The tourist who is reported to be a 57-year-old from New Zealand, had been standing by the fence at the end of the runway at Princess Juliana Airport on the island of St Maarten. She was watching the plane take off when she was knocked down by the jet blast and hit her head sustaining serious head injuries. She was taken to hospital, where it was later announced that she had died.  

St Maarten's is known throughout the world as one of the most exciting airports for plane spotters and thrill seekers as the runway is so close to the narrow road and thin beach. 

There are many signs along the beach and airport perimeter fence that warn of the dangers of the jet wash or blast from the aircraft. However, thrill seekers often loop their hands through the wire fence and feel the full force of a departing aircraft.  

Monarch Launch Auctions For Extra Legroom Seats

Legroom....what legroom?

Passengers using budget airline Monarch will now be able to bid against each other if they are wanting to get a seat with extra legroom.

The airline launched two new features for passengers this week, one called the ‘extra comfort seat’ and the other ‘bid for extra legroom’ feature.

It will see customers battling it out online for extra spaces or upgraded seats making more money for the budget airline and increasing frustration for those unsuccessful in their bidding.

Customers will be able to purchase as many as two extra seats on flights, with the company claiming the policy will allow customers to “treat themselves to something better”.  Yet the cost of buying the extra seats is lightly to be one and a half times higher than the retail price.

Air Canada Shares Up Despite Record Complaint Levels

Air Canada shares were at their highest in more than 10 years on Thursday after the country's largest airline said analyst forecasts had significantly underestimated one of its earnings benchmarks.

Shares in the Montreal-based airline peaked at $19.06 in morning trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange rose. In later trading, they were up 7.38 per cent or $1.28 at $18.62.  This is despite the airline receiving a record level of complaints over the last two quarters.  Staff at a data centre in India say upon instruction they 'loose' 1 in four complaints.

United Airlines Sells Seat Twice.....

Another episode of greedy behaviour from United Airlines left a Hawaiian mother having to hold her 2 year-old son in her lap for the entire three hour flight, despite paying nearly $1,000 for his seat.

This latest money grabbing incident happened last week when the airline sold her son’s seat to a standby passenger on the last leg of their trip from Honolulu to Boston.

"We had both our tickets scanned, we both went on board no problem," Shirley Yamauchi, told local TV station. Then a man approached them and showed he had the same seat number, 24A, as the boy.

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New Routes For Monarch

Monarch is celebrating the launch of four new routes from Birmingham Airport – The UK airline now flies to Valencia in Spain, Split in Croatia, Naples in Italy and Rhodes in Greece from the midlands airport.

It has become the only airline and holiday company to take passengers from Birmingham to Valencia and Split.




David Winstanley, Chief Operating Officer at Birmingham Airport, and Ian Chambers, Chief Commercial Officer at Monarch, cut the paella cake