Miracle Flights Provided 569 Free Flights for Sick Kids in February

Continuing its mission to help critically ill children get the life-changing medical care they need, Miracle Flights, the nation's leading medical flight charity, today reported a total of 569 free flights performed in February. Since its establishment in 1985, the Las Vegas–based nonprofit organization has provided a total of 115,273 flights and flown more than 64 million miles to help children with rare and life-threatening conditions gain access to specialized, distant medical care.

KLM launches podcast about unique travel experiences

KLM just launched "The Journey," an English-language podcast in which passengers talk about a journey that has changed their lives. KLM is the first airline that uses a podcast to display the power of travelling. Every episode will focus on a single journey. The podcast takes listeners to different parts of the world, from the snowfields of Alaska to the busy streets of New Delhi.

NIKI reincarnated as Laudamotion - taking to the skies soon

Niki Lauda's reincarnation of his 'NIKI' airline will take to the skies over Europe this spring under the banner of 'Laudamotion'

The airline will offer flights to a range of destinations including many Mediterranean holiday destinations like Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Malaga, Santorini, Kalamata, Crete and many more. Lauda plans for the airline to operate a fleet of 14 aircraft, flying from Austria, Germany and Switzerland in a two-class configuration.

Laudamotion is the next step, the latest development and evolution of his airline NIKI, which was an extremely successful holiday airline that Mr Lauda started in 2003. It had a great reputation and built a strong route network and phenomenal client base. Lauda sold his shares in NIKI to airberlin in 2011 and although it was part of the airberlin group, it also remained an independent company with its own management board.  After airberlin filed for insolvency in 2017, Niki Lauda purchased the airline again and soon Laudamotion will be taking to the air. 

Laudamotion is starting at the right time to take advantage of the peak travel season and tickets are already on sale, starting at just €59.99 for Spain and to Greece from € 79.99.

Kaya Jones books the wrong date but blames American Airlines for the screw up!

A former Pussycat Dolls singer is ranting on social media at American Airlines claiming never to fly with the airline again after she said they messed up her flights.

Kaya Jones whose real name is Chrystal Neria acted like a real diva blaming the airline for trying to swindle her out of money for extra fees. However, despite her feet stamping and blaming the US Carrier, it transpires that Neria booked the wrong date and airport and the airline has repeatedly tried to help her, with a spokesperson saying it was trying to assist with the “upcoming reservation,”

The Donald Trump supporting singer turned actress who once claimed being a member of the Pussycat Dolls was like being in a prostitution ring and is against any form of gun control has been approached for a comment.  

Delta adds 50th destination from Boston with new Las Vegas service starting 1st Oct

A milestone is coming to Delta's service in Boston this October: Las Vegas service will mark the global airline's 50th nonstop destination from Boston Logan International Airport and Delta and partners will serve 33 domestic destinations and 17 international destinations from Boston.

Delta connects El Paso, Texas to the West with new nonstop service to Salt Lake City

Delta customers will have a new, convenient way to access El Paso, Texas with new nonstop service from the airline's hub at Salt Lake City International Airport beginning October 1.

"Transportation is essential to a growing community such as ours, we welcome the investments that our airline partners are making in El Paso to improve the connectivity of our great city," Mayor Dee Margo said.

Delta's Salt Lake City hub offers customers more than 250 daily departures to 90 destinations across the Intermountain West, West Coast, Hawaii, Mexico, Canada and Europe, bringing the world to El Paso International Airport with easy, one-stop connections.

Take A Chance or fly Air France.

Air France have launched a new advertising campaign attacking other airlines this week "Take a Chance or Fly Air France" they proudly say in the campaign, which is supposed to promote the Air France flights that include in-flight entertainment, warm meals, and champagne.

The campaign seeks to remind travellers that these amenities are critical to an enjoyable flight and takes a shot at the budget and low-cost carriers that don't include meals or entertainment. 

"Take a Chance & Fly Air France"

"At Air France, we believe that each flight should be a pleasant precursor to your travels and that no matter which cabin you fly in, all passengers have a right to a great meal, entertainment, and—for those of age—champagne," said Stephane Ormand, Vice President & General Manager USA of Air France. "Low-cost carrier fares can be deceptive because they charge substantial fees for basic services at every step along the journey. At the end of the day, the cost of an Air France Economy ticket, with all its included luxuries, is competitive."

We selected and outbound (04 April) and return date (09 April) at random for a trip from London to Paris to check the cost of flights.

Nine things to see or do in Los Angeles......

More than just the global home of the movies, Los Angeles has so much to offer the visitor, from great fine dining restaurants, world-class museums, hip and happening clubs, bars and nightlife venues to great attractions, sports hotspots and interesting attractions.  Some come with us and explore some of the fun things to do in LA.

OUE Skyspace LA

Take time to view the surroundings....OUE Skyspace LA is California’s tallest open-air observation deck and really is one of the best 'must-see' destinations for visitors to the city. Panoramic 360-degree views of Los Angeles at almost 1,000 feet above the city, you'll find this attraction at the iconic U.S. Bank Tower in Downtown L.A.

The highlight of OUE Skyspace LA is Skyslide, we're told this is the first-of-its-kind outdoor glass slide that’s attached to the exterior of the U.S. Bank Tower.  The Skyslide is about 45 feet long and about 4 feet wide and made entirely of glass. You can slide or glide between the 70th and the 69th floor of the tower and see Los Angeles in a way that few will ever experience.  There are also two observation decks and 360-degree views of Los Angeles.  This really is a great way to experience the city and is something for everyone, although the Skyslide might give the old ticker a flutter!

633 WEST FIFTH STREET LOS ANGELES, CA 90071

Historic Downtown Walking Tour

If you're here on a Saturday, then one of the absolute best experiences for visitors and locals alike is the weekly Historic Downtown Walking Tours run by Los Angles Conservancy.  It is $15 and takes around two and a half hours and gives you a slower way to explore some of LA’s most loved landmarks, including the amazing Bradbury Building, Central Library, the U.S. Bank Tower where SkySpace is located.  

Discovering downtowns unique character has never been easier, visit Pershing Square, the heart of downtown and learn more about the founding of LA, its growth, its architecture and its life.

CENTRE OF PARK IN PERSHING SQUARE LOS ANGELES CA 90071

Finnair to lease an A320 LY FOX from GetJet between June 2018 and January 2019

Finnair had advised they will lease an Airbus A320 aircraft and flight deck crew from the Lithuanian airline GetJet to support Finnair’s growing traffic from summer 2018 to early 2019.

The leased GetJet aircraft will operate some of Finnair’s flights from Helsinki to Budapest, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Krakow and Pafos between 8.6.2018 and 7.1.2019. The pilots will be from GetJet while the cabin crew and service concept will be from Finnair. The aircraft, registration LY-FOX, is slightly over 18 years old and has previously flown with Iberia, Eritrean Airlines, Balkan Holidays and VietJet before joining the GetJet fleet after a period of storage.  

“We have a record number of flights next summer to both Asia and Europe. The leased aircraft will for its part ensure that we are able to operate all the flights in our traffic plan,” says Juha Järvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Finnair.

Customers are able to see the operating carrier when they are making their bookings on Finnair.com. Customers who already have a reservation on one of the flights that will be operated with the leased aircraft will be informed of the change in an operating carrier through a text message or email.  Customers can change their travel date due to this change in operating carrier if they so wish.

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Norwegian launches St Patrick’s Day sale with long-haul flights from £119.90 one-way

Sale flights available from 16th to 19th March

Ahead of this weekend’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations, Norwegian has today launched a special 4-day sale offering passengers savvy savings on selected flights from the UK and Ireland.

Based on departures from 15th April – 31st May and 5th Sep – 31st Oct, holidaymakers can now book a long-haul flight from London Gatwick from £144.90 one-way or a transatlantic flight from Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland from £119.90/€124.90 one-way.

Read on for more on some great savings to be made - but hurry, this offer isn't on for long and when its gone - it's gone!

Next stop, Phoenix: New Delta Sky Club coming in late 2018

On the heels of February's announcement that Delta Sky Club is expanding to Austin, Delta will also open a new Delta Sky Club at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in late 2018.

Conveniently located near the Delta gates on the new South Concourse — Terminal 3, the Delta Sky Club will be 7,500 square feet, offering guests a new space to catch up on work or relax during their travels.

Virgin reports loss

Virgin Atlantic reported a loss for 2017 compared with a year-ago profit on Thursday. The British carrier blamed the loss on an industry-wide engine supply issue, the weaker pound and a number of weather-related operational disruptions.

Virgin say the loss before tax is £28.4 million for the year up to 31st December as revenue fell by 1 percent and reported it flew 5.3 million passengers in 2017, some 0.1 million fewer than in 2016. The carriers load factor also dipped, down to 78.3 percent.

Craig Kreeger, the chief executive of Virgin Atlantic believes the deal from Air France-KLM to buy the bulk of Richard Branson’s Virgin Group shares in the airline to be completed during the early part of 2019.

The Virgin Group are reducing its stake in the British airline by 31 percent, retaining just 20 percent making Delta the largest shareholder with 49 percent.  The deal to buy Virgin Groups 31 percent by Air France-KLM is about to go before the US approvals authorities.  “Our expectation is this is an early 2019 launch of the expanded joint venture,” Kreeger said.

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FlyersRights.org to FAA: Ground All Helicopters without Crashworthy Safety Features Now

FlyersRights.org to FAA: Ground All Helicopters without Crashworthy Safety Features Now

FlyersRights.org, the largest aviation passenger organization and member of the FAA Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee, has called on the FAA to ground all helicopters not compliant with crashworthy standards.

Paul Hudson, president of FlyersRights.org stated, "Helicopter air crash fatalities involve dozens of horrible and mostly preventable passenger deaths annually due to fire, drowning and impact trauma.  The recent fatal tourist helicopter crashes in Hawaii, the Grand Canyon and the New York City East River make further delay by the FAA in enforcing 24-year-old safety standards intolerable."

Hainan Airlines to Launch First Ever Direct Flights from Beijing to Dublin and Edinburgh in June

Today. Hainan Airlines, mainland China's only Skytrax Five-Star airline, held a press conference at the Irish Embassy in Beijing, announcing the launch of new direct flight services between Beijing, Dublin and Edinburgh, scheduled to start on June 12. The routes, which are the first direct flights offered from Beijing to Dublin and Edinburgh, will be serviced by an Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft on every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.

At a ceremony at the Irish Embassy in Beijing, Hainan Airlines signed cooperation agreements with the Dublin Airport, the Edinburgh Airport, Tourism Ireland and VisitScotland, seeking to play a leading role in deepening economic and cultural ties between China, Ireland and Scotland.

Ryanair to offer direct contracts to German pilots soon.

The Irish low-cost high-fee airline, Ryanair is about to offer direct employment contracts to German pilots within the next few weeks it said.

The contracts will be offered to all the German pilots currently hired on contracts via third party agencies such as McGinley Aviation. 

“McGinley Aviation have decided to withdraw from supplying contractor pilots for Ryanair in the German market, and Ryanair has now begun the process of offering these contractors direct employment,” A Ryanair spokesperson offered.  There are current vacancies listed on the McGinley website for positions with Ryanair in Germany. 

Ryanair is hoping that the direct contracts will ease the current discord between the company and the flight crews in the country, which are, according to one first officer "Extremely strained" at the moment.

According to local media, the Vereinigung Cockpit union said it would first have to see the terms of the new direct contracts before commenting.  

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Juneyao Airlines and ANA Launch Codeshare and Frequent Flyer Partnership

Juneyao Airlines, one of the leading private-owned airlines in mainland China and the first "Connecting Partner" of Star Alliance, will launch codeshare cooperation starting from March 25, 2018 with ANA, one of the premier airlines in Japan focused on delivering excellent customer service. The codeshare cooperation mainly involves Sino-Japan trunk routes as well as beyond flights. Therefore Juneyao Airlines will benefit from the fruitful cooperation and is likely to further perfect its network in Asia, receiving opportunities to expand Japanese market and boost its internationalization, and passengers will have more choices travelling between the two neighbouring countries

WestJet launches inaugural flights to Mexico City from Calgary and Vancouver

WestJet's inaugural flight, WS2200 from Calgary International Airport (YYC) to Mexico City International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Benito Juárez, MEX) departed this morning, marking the airline's newest flight to Mexico. Flights between Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and Mexico City start March 15, solidifying WestJet's position as the Canadian airline with the most flights to Mexico.

United Airlines sends dog to Japan instead of Kansas

United Airlines claims it’s investigating after the airline mistakenly flew a dog to Japan instead of Kansas. 

Kara Swindle and her two children took a United flight from Oregon to Kansas City, Missouri on Tuesday this week.  They arrived at the cargo facility to pick up their 10-year-old German shepherd called Irgo. However, A German Shepard was not what they were given,  the airline tried to force them to take a Great Dane instead.

It turns out that Irgo had been put on a flight to Japan, where the Great Dane was supposed to go. Instead of giving the dog a rest after such a gruelling journey upon arrival in Japan, or allow it to stretch its legs and exercise, Irgo was put on a flight back to Kansas City.

This comes just a day after United cabin crew forced a passenger to put a dog - that was in an airline approved carrier - into the overhead luggage lockers where it died.

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United Airlines Cabin Crew Cause Dogs Death

INSTAGRAM/ KOKITO_THE_SAVAGE

The American mega-carrier, United Airlines has taken "full responsibility" for the death of a dog during one of its flights after a member of the crew demanded it be put in an overhead luggage locker.

"This was a tragic accident that should never have happened," the airline claims, however, better staff training would have prevented this animals death from occurring. 

The dog, named Kokito, was a French bulldog and sadly died in a distressed state during a flight from Houston to New York on Monday this week.

Eleven-year-old Sophie Ceballos, received Kokito for her birthday, said Kokito had barked during the flight and that "there was a lot of turbulence".

"My mom was like, 'It's a dog, it's a dog,'" the girl told NBC New York. "And [the flight attendant] said, 'You have to put it up there.'"

Following a briefing from bosses, the attendant later said she did not know a dog was in the airline-approved pet carrier.

Finnair adds frequencies to Japan and Europe for the upcoming winter season

Finnair has today announced that it will be adding frequencies to some of its popular destinations for the 2018/2019 winter season. 

Finnair’s additional frequencies for the winter season include:

Tokyo - Two additional weekly frequencies between October 28 and December 5 for a total of nine Finnair weekly flights. Including the joint business flights with Japan Airlines, Finnair will offer up to 16 weekly frequencies to Tokyo.  

Nagoya - One additional weekly frequency between October 29 and December 4 for a total of six weekly flights  

Lisbon - One additional weekly frequency on Mondays for a total of four weekly flights during the entire winter season  

Alicante - Now a year-round route for Finnair with two new weekly frequencies on Thursdays and Sundays during the winter season 

Malaga - One additional weekly frequency on Wednesdays during December and January for a total of 7 weekly flights 

Geneva - Two additional weekly frequencies on Mondays and Fridays between January and March for a total of 13 weekly flights 

Finnair flies between Asia, Europe and North America with an emphasis on fast connections via Helsinki, carrying more than ten million passengers annually. In 2018, Finnair's extensive network connects 19 cities in Asia and 7 cities in North America with over 100 destinations in Europe. 

The airline, a pioneer in sustainable flying, was the first European airline to fly the next-generation, eco-smart Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and it is the first airline listed in the Leadership Index of the worldwide Carbon Disclosure Project. 

The only Nordic carrier with a 4-star Skytrax ranking, Finnair has also won the World Airline Award for Best Airline Northern Europe for the past seven years running. Finnair is a member of oneworld, the alliance of the world's leading airlines committed to providing the highest level of service and convenience to frequent international travellers.

Finnair adds frequencies to

Japan and Europe for the upcoming winter season

Welcome to the 10000th Boeing 737

Thousands of Boeing employees gathered at the company's Renton, Wash. factory yesterday to celebrate the 10,000th 737 to come off the production line. With this aeroplane, a 737 MAX 8 for Southwest Airlines, the 737 has broken the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the most produced commercial jet aircraft model.

"This incredible milestone is a testament to the work we do every day to build the most reliable and efficient single-aisle aeroplane in the world," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO Kevin McAllister. "It represents more than 50 years of success and achievement on the part of thousands of Boeing employees past and present, our supplier partners, and our airline customers around the globe who put their confidence in the 737."

The 737 previously held this GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title in 2006 for the 5,000th aeroplane to come out of the Renton factory, a mark that took almost four decades to reach. Due to growing market demand and higher production rates, the 737 program reached the 10,000th aeroplane milestone only 12 years later.

"The speed at which Boeing achieved this new milestone is very impressive," said Michael Empric, official adjudicator for GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS. "We are excited to once again recognize the 737 and the important role it plays in commercial aviation." 

Horizon Air Group Rebranding as Leviate

Horizon Air Group has made remarkable strides during its foundational years, having acquired Word Class Jet (dba Starbase Jet) last summer and now rebranding itself as LEVIATE. As the company has expanded, it has developed into one of the only business aviation companies with fully dedicated air charter brokerage, aircraft sales and acquisitions, and FAA air carrier divisions all under one roof.  

Initially started as a boutique air charter brokerage, company leadership had not expected such rapid growth, nor developing into an FAA certified air carrier.  The entry into aircraft operations even garnered the direct attention of $2 billion aviation giant Alaska Airlines over their abandoned use name. 

Hawaiian Airlines Updates Expected First Quarter and Full Year 2018 Metrics

Hawaiian Airlines, has updated its expectations for certain first quarter and full year 2018 financial metrics.  The Company has also retrospectively recast certain prior period financial results in accordance with its adoption of the new revenue recognition accounting standard.

Allegiant reports preliminary passenger traffic results for February 2018.

Allegiant Travel Company reported preliminary passenger traffic results for February 2018, last week and here are the details.

The Las Vegas-based carrier is focused on linking travellers in small and mid-sized to world-class leisure destinations. The airline offers industry-low fares on an all-jet fleet while also offering other travel-related products such as hotel rooms and rental cars. All can be purchased only through the company website, Allegiant.com. Beginning with one aircraft and one route in 1999, the company has grown to more than 80 aircraft and 350 routes across the country with base airfares less than half the cost of the average domestic roundtrip ticket. 

Alaska Air Group reports February 2018 operational results

Alaska Air Group today reported February operational results on a consolidated basis, for its mainline operations operated by subsidiaries Alaska Airlines Inc. (Alaska) and Virgin America Inc. (Virgin America), and for its regional flying operated by subsidiary Horizon Air Industries Inc. (Horizon) and third-party regional carriers SkyWest Airlines and Peninsula Airlines.

On Jan. 11, 2018, Alaska and Virgin America consolidated their operations onto a Single Operating Certificate (SOC). Results for Alaska and Virgin America have been combined into a single mainline operation.

Porter Airlines Flight PD1480 Emergency Landing

(C-GLQG)

The passengers and crew of Porter Airlines flight PD1480 had a frantic few moments after an electrical fire in the cabin forced the Q400's crew to make an emergency landing at Fredericton Airport, New Brunswick.

The incident occurred shortly after takeoff from Halifax airport on Saturday 10th March, the airline says that all 72 passengers and crew safely vacated the aircraft on the ground at Halifax

Flightradar24 tracked the flight path of C-GLQG. 

The Canadian Transportation Safety Board has deployed a team of investigators following the diversion to the Fredericton Airport by the Porter aircraft. The TSB have said their team will gather information and assess the occurrence.

Porter Airlines flew a replacement aircraft from Toronto's Billy Bishop airport to pick up the stranded passengers and fly them on to their destination - Montreal.

Read on for Porter Airlines response -

Cargojet Announces Strong Fourth Quarter and Year End Results

"We are very pleased with the strong financial results

 achieved in the fourth quarter," 

Cargojet announced this week its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2017.

For the Fourth Quarter Ended December 31, 2017:

Total Revenues were $118.2 million, an increase of $24.1 million or 25.6% versus the previous year
Gross Margin was $37.4 million, an increase of $9.9 million or 36.0% versus the previous year
Adjusted EBITDA was $37.3 million, an increase of $9.4 million or 33.7% versus the previous year
Adjusted EBITDAR was $40.1 million, an increase of $7.8 million or 24.1% versus the previous year

For the Year Ended December 31, 2017:

Total Revenues were $382.9 million, an increase of $51.9 million or 15.7% over the previous year
Gross Margin was $106.3 million, an increase of $20.5 million or 23.9% versus the previous year
Adjusted EBITDA was $109.5 million, an increase of $16.4 million or 17.6% versus the previous year
Adjusted EBITDAR was $122.9 million, an increase of $9.6 million or 8.5% versus the previous year

Azul Reports February Traffic

Azul the largest airline in Brazil by the number of destinations and departures, announced last week its preliminary traffic results for February 2018.

Passenger traffic (RPKs) increased 16.3% compared to February 2017 on a capacity increase (ASKs) of 15.2%. As a result, load factor was 80.1%, 0.8 percentage points higher than in the same period last year.

Year to date we continue to be the number one on-time airline in Brazil, with an on-time arrival rate of 86.08% according to FlightStats. 

Boeing, Turkish Airlines Finalize Deal for Up to 30 787 Dreamliners

Boeing and Turkish Airlines announced they have finalized a firm order for 25 787-9 Dreamliners with options for five more aeroplanes. The firm order will allow Turkey's flag carrier to further meet the growing demand at its home airport, Istanbul's third airport, and improve the flying experience for passengers.

Boeing and Turkish Airlines announced they have finalized a firm order for 25 787-9's.
 This rendering shows the aircraft in the carrier's livery. (Boeing illustration)

With this firm order – first announced as a commitment last September – Turkish Airlines becomes the 71st customer to buy the 787.  Together, these customers have now ordered more than 1,300 Dreamliners, the fastest-selling twin-aisle aeroplane in Boeing history.

Hainan Airlines Launch Changsha - London Route

Hainan Airlines have announced they plan to launch a new non-stop service between London Heathrow Airport and Changsha Huanghua International Airport on 23rd March 2018.  The new service follows the roll-out of the Manchester-Beijing service and will be Hainan Airlines' second direct flight between the United Kingdom and China.

Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, is the political, economic, cultural and technological hub of the province, and one of China's famous historical cities. Yuelu Academy, Orange Island Park and Aiwan Pavilion are all must-see destinations. Unique Hunan cuisine also lets diners indulge in pleasures without stop.

49 Dead in Nepal Plane Crash

A Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 carrying 71 passengers and crew has crashed whilst landing at Nepal's Kathmandu airport, killing 49 people, according to police.

Rescuers raced to the scene and pulled bodies from the charred wreckage of the aircraft as a row has broken out between the airport and the airline.  The airline US-Bangla, from Bangladesh, has blamed air traffic control, however, according to reports, the airport claims the aircraft approached the airfield from the wrong direction.

The exact cause of the crash remains unclear, however, Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli promised an immediate investigation.  A recording of a conversation between air traffic control and the pilot shortly before the plane crashed seems to indicate some misunderstandings over which end of the runway the flight was cleared for landing on.  Moments before the plane crash-landed, an air traffic controller is heard in the recording leaked to the media by air traffic control, telling the pilot: "I say again, turn!"

According to local media, the Director General of the Nepalese Air Traffic Control, Sanjiv Gautam said "The aircraft was permitted to land from the southern side of the runway flying over Koteshwor, but it landed from the northern side,"

"We are yet to ascertain the reason behind the unusual landing."

However, Imran Asif,  chief executive of US-Bangla Airlines firmly blamed Kathmandu air traffic control. "There were wrong directions from the tower. Our pilot was not at fault," adding, "Our pilot is an instructor of this Bombardier aircraft. His flight hours are over 5,000. There was a fumble from the control tower."

From initial reports, it appears that the aircraft struck an airport perimeter fence before impacting with the ground.  Twenty-two people are being treated in hospital for injuries according to police spokesperson Manoj Neupane.  The aircraft was operating a flight the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka to Kathmandu.

It is now known that 33 of the passengers were Nepalis, 32 were Bangladeshi, one was Chinese and one was from the Maldives. Many of the 22 people injured and described as being in a critical condition.

Read on for details of recent air crashes in Nepal

Interjet expands reach with full content distribution on the Sabre GDS

Sabre the leading technology provider to the global travel industry, announced that Interjet, one of Mexico's leading carriers offering excellent service at reasonable prices has signed a long-term distribution agreement to offer its full content on the Sabre global distribution system (GDS).

Headquartered in Mexico City, Interjet serves over 12 million passengers each year with routes in Mexico as well as the United States, Canada and Central and South America providing air service to 54 destinations in eight countries, with a fleet of 80 aircraft and revenue of more than US$1 billion. The new distribution agreement expands the airline's reach to more than 425,000 travel agents worldwide while allowing Sabre's corporate, leisure and online travel agency subscribers to deliver even more choice and value to their travellers. Full content from Interjet was released globally on September 21, 2017 to travel agencies.

Boeing Expands Pilot Development Program with Okay Airways

Boeing has expanded its commercial Pilot Development Program (PDP) with the addition of Okay Airways to its growing customer list. The airline joins recent customers Kunming Airlines and YTO Airlines. All three carriers are based in China.

Air Canada to Launch Daily, Seasonal Calgary-Palm Springs and Edmonton-Las Vegas Flights Next Winter

Air Canada announced on Tuesday that it plans to launch daily, seasonal flights between Calgary and Palm Springs, and between Edmonton and Las Vegas starting October 28, 2018.  

"We are very pleased to offer additional convenient travel options to Albertans with non-stop flights from Calgary and Edmonton to Palm Springs and Las Vegas respectively this winter," said Benjamin Smith, President, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. "Concurrent with our fleet renewal, we are strategically adding these new routes and also increasing frequencies to other popular sun destinations to meet expected demand both locally, and from customers connecting off our international flights."

Air Canada is also increasing the frequency of its flights from Calgary to Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, Phoenix, and from Vancouver to Phoenix and Palm Springs.

SkyWest, Inc. Reports Combined February 2018 Traffic for SkyWest Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines

SkyWest, Inc. reported 135,000 block hours in February 2018, compared to 137,100 block hours in February 2017, a decrease of 2,100 or 1.6%.  The net decrease was consistent with SkyWest's fleet transition plan to improve the mix of aircraft in its fleet by adding new E175 aircraft while reducing its 50-seat jets.

The year-over-year net change was primarily driven by approximately 6,000 additional block hours from its E175 aircraft and a decrease of approximately 8,100 block hours from its other aircraft types.

In February 2018, SkyWest's dual class aircraft represented approximately 52% of SkyWest's total block hour production for the month compared to approximately 48% for the month of February 2017.       

SkyWest reported 282,700 block hours for year-to-date February 2018, compared to 290,800 block hours year-to-date February 2017, a decrease of 8,100, or 2.8%.  This net change was primarily driven by approximately 13,200 additional block hours from its E175 aircraft and a decrease of approximately 21,300 block hours from its other aircraft types.

SkyWest had 76,100 departures in February 2018 compared to 80,400 in February 2017, a decrease of 4,300, or 5.4%.  Additional flight statistics for February are included in the accompanying table.

Toronto Pearson Named Best Large Airport in North America

Courteous and helpful staff and improvements to airport ambiance have inspired passengers travelling through Toronto Pearson in 2017 to award Canada's largest airport an Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Award and the title of Best Large Airport, serving more than 40 million annual passengers, in North America by Airports Council International (ACI), the global organization representing the world's airports.

Airports Council International recognizes 

Toronto Pearson for Customer Service Excellence