16 of the best Marriott hotels in the US, from budget all-suite stays to luxury mountain retreats

  Summary List Placement Table of Contents: Masthead Sticky After a year of depressed travel, hotels are bouncing back — but so are prices, with some hotel rates reaching all-time highs to meet the increased demand. If you’re excited to take advantage of being fully vaccinated but don’t want to spend your hard-earned cash on …

MC21-310 Performs PD-14 Engine Test Flights

MIAMI – Irkout’s Aviadvigatel PD-14 engine-equipped MC21-310 carries out flight tests at Zhukovsky Airport (ZIA) located in the Moscow-Oblast region, 36km from downtown Moscow. This is the last-known episode of a long-running story concerning the Russian aircraft, which is destined to compete with the Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320 families. The type was first …

Airstream’s new $214,000 off-road Mercedes-Benz Sprinter camper van is already a ‘big hit’ according to the CEO — see inside

Summary List Placement Airstream, a popular RV maker known for its sleek silver tiny homes on wheels, unveiled its latest build in June: a $213,850 camper van. It’s no secret the COVID-19 pandemic has benefited the RV and camper van industry. Many makers, including Airstream’s parent company Thor Industries, saw a boost in sales and …

Haiti’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport Closed

MIAMI – Haiti’s Port-au-Prince-Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP) has been closed today, following the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise. Toussaint Louverture International Airport is located in Tabarre, a commune of Port-au-Prince in Haiti. PAP is currently the busiest airport in Haiti and is the operating hub for Sunrise Airways (S6). The airport is colloquially …

SriLankan Airlines Suffers Midair Fuel Shortage

MIAMI – Flag carrier Sri Lankan Airlines (UL) suffered a shortage of fuel while on the return leg heading to Colombo and had to make an emergency landing in the south Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram (TRV) after being denied by Muscat, the capital of Oman. On July 6, Sri Lankan flight UL-504 operated by an …

A Hawaii mayor is asking airlines to ‘pause’ flights as travelers invade the islands

Summary List Placement “Revenge vacation” season is now moving full speed ahead, and while many travelers are racing to book a trip after a year of being stuck at home, the mayor of one tropical island is asking airlines to slow down: Maui, Hawaii. “I have been talking with different airlines and … we’re asking …

Convair jets: Gas guzzling madness

No story best illustrates the progress of technology in aviation than that of the increase in reliability and power of the jet engine plus fuel burn reduction and its impact on the success of aircraft designs such as the Convair jets of the 1960s. San Diego-based Convair, a division of General Dynamics attempt to enter …

How to use the Amex Platinum $179 CLEAR credit — and get through airport security faster

  Summary List Placement The Platinum Card® from American Express comes with a $179 statement credit toward CLEAR membership. The credit is automatic when you pay with your The Platinum Card® from American Express and resets every calendar year. You can use CLEAR on its own, or combine it with TSA PreCheck, to speed through …

Cathay Pacific Announces Wellness/Lifestyle Brand, ‘Cathay’

MIAMI – Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific (CX) has launched its lifestyle brand named ‘Cathay’, which targets hospitality, shopping, dining, and hotels. The move comes in strategically as the airline attempts to capture new potential revenue streams. The airline has partnered with wellness companies such as Marco Polo Club and Asia Miles to launch this …

Today in Aviation: Hong Kong’s Iconic Kai Tak Airport Closes

MIAMI – Today in aviation, Kai Tak Airport, officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954, closed its doors in 1998. The airport was famed for its nail-biting, roof-top skimming ‘checkerboard approach’ to runway 13. It was named after two businessmen, Ho Kai and Au Tak. The pair helped with the construction of the …

Korean Air Looks at Crew Exposure to Cosmic Radiations

MIAMI – Korean Air (KE) is taking a serious look at the health risk that cosmic radiation represents for crew flying at high altitudes along polar or semi-polar routes. After the first case of a pilot that obtained recognition of leukemia as being an occupational disease, originating from long periods of time spent flying at …

ACI, A4E, IATA, ERA: Covid ‘Green Pass’ May Create Chaos at Airports

MIAMI – In a common move, groups representing airlines and airports have warned of possible chaos at airports following the adoption of an EU Digital Covid Certificate (DCC). The fear expressed is linked to possible hours-long queues at arrival unless efforts are coordinates and certificates checked prior to their arrival at airports. The DCC, aka …

Porter Airlines Plans Return for September

MIAMI – Canadian regional carrier Porter Airlines (PD) has announced September 8, 2021 as the date when it will return to the skies. PD will initially begin operations out of it’s base at Toronto’s Billy Bishop City Airport (YTZ). Operations will resume gradually, with service to Ottawa (YOW), and Montreal (YUL) being flown six times …

Today in Aviation: Maiden Flight of the Avro York

MIAMI – Today in Aviation, the prototype Avro York (LV626) made its first flight in 1942 from Manchester Ringway Airfield.  The British built airliner was a civilian version of the Avro Lancaster bomber, created by fabled aircraft design engineer Roy Chadwick. Chadwick had envisaged the post war demand for a transport aircraft. Despite the deteriorating …

IAI, Atitech to Open Europe’s First Aircraft Conversion Site

MIAMI – Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Atitech have agreed to establish Europe’s first passenger-to-freighter aircraft conversion site at the Naples (NAP) Capodichino-based Atitech facilities. Atitech is a leading MRO (Maintenance Revision Overhaul) concern based at NAP airport and shall enter the lucrative market of Boeing 737-700 and 800 freighter conversion to answer the increasing …

Aeromexico: Flights to Managua and the Boeing 737 Max 9

MIAMI – Aeromexico (AM) received a water cannon welcome at Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (MGA) in Managua on its first resumed flight on July 1. The service, suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic, has linked Mexico with Nicaragua for the past six years. The fights from Mexico City (MEX) to MGA operate on a …

Seventh Boeing 737 MAX Delivered to TUI

MIAMI – BOC Aviation Limited today announced it has delivered the seventh of seven new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft for lease to TUI Travel Aviation Finance Limited (X3). CFM LEAP-1B engines power the aircraft. BOC Aviation is a global aircraft operating leasing company with a fleet of 549 aircraft owned, managed, and on order. …

United says that ‘100%’ of customers will be able to bring carry-on bags as part of its massive fleet upgrades

Summary List Placement United Airlines plans to gut the interiors of its narrow-body Boeing and Airbus planes as part of a multi-year fleet revitalization program. Upgrades to the cabin will include installing seat-back in-flight entertainment screens, in-seat power at every seat, and LED mood lighting.  One upgrade that flyers should look forward to more than …

Amazon and cargo airlines are scouring the Arizona desert for old and cheap passenger jets to fly packages

Summary List Placement When consumers turned to Amazon to buy more goods during the pandemic, Amazon turned to aircraft storage facilities in the desert to buy more cargo planes. The rise of pandemic online shopping and e-commerce caused a cargo industry boom in the past year. While passenger airlines found themselves with too many airplanes, …

JFK Airport: Control Tower Water Leakage Delays Flights

MIAMI – It could have been worst. Luckily enough, the 4th of July weekend was not so badly hit by the water leakage at JFK Airport’s control tower just before three extremely busy travel days. By Saturday, traffic was to exceed levels not registered since July 2019 when COVID-19 was an unheard issue for the …

The best credit card deals this week include a new 100K bonus on the Amex Platinum plus elevated airline and hotel offers

 Table of Contents: Masthead StickySummary List Placement Summer is in full swing and if you’re getting ready to travel again, it’s a great time to consider opening a new credit card. Credit card issuers have recently launched massive new offers and promotions, including record-high welcome bonuses of 100,000 points or more, but they won’t be …

Qatar Airways wins Best Business Class and Best Catering

Great food, wines, product, and service have once again proved the magic combination that delivered dual awards to Qatar Airways business class and catering in the AirlineRatings.com 2021 Airline Excellence Awards as well as Best Airline for 2021. What Makes Qatar Airways Business Class Shine Qatar Airways business class “Q Suite” is simply stunning: a …

Emirates re-opens First Class Lounge as premium demand surges

Emirates has re-opened its dedicated First Class Lounge at Dubai International (DXB’s) Concourse B to serve the growing volume of premium customers travelling from and through Emirates’ hub, as more markets around the world ease restrictions and put in place protocols that enable international travel.   Emirates is continuing to operate its Business Class Lounge …

Airbus and Vietjet training centre gets appovals

The Airbus Vietnam Training Centre (AVTC) has received regulatory approvals by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the provision of A320 Type Rating courses. AVTC owns two A320 Full Flight Simulators and two A320 Flight Training Devices, which are located at the Vietjet Aviation Academy …

The birth of the Boeing 707 was no secret – everyone knew!

The birth of the Boeing 707 was no secret – everyone knew – but the lay media has continued to keep pedaling the myth that Boeing stole a march on its competitors by hiding the design under model number 367-80. Another related myth was that Boeing had secret German aerodynamic wing designs and that also …

Air Baltic Inaugurates Four New Routes (+Video)

MIAMI – This week, Air Baltic (BT) inaugurated four new routes from its Riga hub to Pisa in Italy, Valencia in Spain, Manchester in England, and Edinburgh in Scotland. These routes were all flown by the carrier’s state-of-the-art Airbus A220-300. All new routes will be operated by BT twice per week. The airline inaugurated Valencia …

AirAsia Indonesia Halts All Flights for One Month

MIAMI – AirAsia Indonesia (QZ), which belongs to the AirAsia Group of airlines has announced it will temporarily stop all flights for a month starting July 6 in order to support the government in suppressing the latest spike in COVID-19 cases. The country of Indonesia reported 27,233 new cases and 555 deaths, The highest death …