MIAMI – In a press release today, KLM (KL) says that its North American network of destinations is almost back to its 2019 level before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the commercial aviation industry. However, seating capacity and frequencies of flights remain far below pre-pandemic levels. As vaccination rates increase around the world, KLM …
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United, Hawaiian Airlines Return to Tahiti
MIAMI – United Airlines (UA) and Hawaiian Airlines (HA) return to Papeete’s Tahiti International Airport (PPT), the former beginning June 3 and the latter starting services in August. According to the French Air Journal, UA is resuming services from San Francisco (SFO), interrupted in February 2021 because of the COVID-19 epidemic, renewing its offer of …
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End of an Era: Austrian Airlines Operates Final Dash 8 Flight
MIAMI – This week, Austrian Airlines (OS) operated its final Bombardier Dash 8 flight, marking the end of an era for the aircraft as the airline works to renew its fleet. The flight departed Innsbruck at 3:15 PM and landed in Vienna at 3:32 PM (local times) with a flight time of just over one …
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Wealthy Americans have been flocking to Australia by private jet during the pandemic, even as the country’s borders have remained closed
Summary List Placement Despite closed borders and hardly any commercial flights, wealthy Americans have been flocking to Australia during the pandemic on private jets, Caitlin Fitzsimmons reported for the Sydney Morning Herald. Of the 114 private jet arrivals to Australia between April 2020 and May 2021, roughly 83% came from the US, per the Herald, …
Global airline capacity slowly builds momentum says OAG
Global airline capacity is slowly building momentum says the OAG in its latest industry update. Last week global capacity grew by some 6.4 percent week-on-week. With some 67.9 million seats on offer, this week is the busiest since March 30, 2020, says the Official Airline Guide. The report authored by John Grant says that May’s …
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Emirates warns Boeing on 777X deliveries
Emirates has warned Boeing that it will not accept its first 777-9 aircraft unless they are “performing 100 per cent to contract”, as the Dubai based carrier continues to raise concerns about when deliveries of the aircraft will begin according to Flight Global. Speaking at the Arabian Travel Market, Emirates Airline president Sir Tim Clark …
Ryanair to EU Commission: Alitalia’s Slots, Sold or Reallocated
MIAMI – Ryanair (FR) CEO Michael O’Leary is again fighting for Alitalia’s (AZ) slots at Milano-Linate (LIN) and Rome-Fiumicino (FCO) airports. The CEO is asking the European Commission (EC) to force the Italian Government to sell said slots via open bids or re-allocate them in accordance with current aviation practices. Ryanair took similar actions in …
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Airbus-Qatar Airways Dispute over a Paint Job
MIAMI – A paint job on an A350 seems to be the unclear source of a dispute, with undefined claims by both sides, between Airbus and Qatar Airways (QR). But is it an inferior painting job, a type of job Airbus has certainly mastered, or just a “tactical claim” from QR meant to slow down …
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Turkish Airlines Relaxes COVID-19 Restrictions
MIAMI – Flag carrier Turkish Airlines (TK) announces that COVID-19 constraints have been eased in yielding the country’s new normalization phase. International travelers who can provide vaccination cards or confirmation of recovery from COVID-19 in the previous six months will not be needed to produce negative PCR test results while entering Turkey, according to the …
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Today in Aviation: First Flight of the Short 360
MIAMI – Today in Aviation, the prototype of the Short 360 (SD3-60) 36-seater airliner took to the skies for the first time in 1981, a year after its manufacturer, Short Brothers, announced its production. The model follows the Short 330, developed in 1974, with an additional six-seat capacity and a short-range regional with max fuel …
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Lufthansa: Bookings Uptick, Parked Aircraft back on Duty
MIAMI – Lufthansa (LH) expects the crisis to ease, a trend confirmed by a massive jump in reservations, triggering a recall of parked LH aircraft. During an interview with the Westdeutches Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ), LH CEO, Harry Hohmeister, commented that “the bookings have been growing steadily for eight weeks” adding that last week saw a …
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Vietnam Tightens Entry Restrictions amid Covid Variant Surge
MIAMI – Vietnam imposes more stringent entry restrictions in Hanoi (HAN) effective Tuesday, June 1, amid a new COVID-19 variant surge, a mix of the British and Indian virus strains, which also affects Ho Chi Minh City and the country industrial areas. Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport (SGN), which serves Ho Chi Minh City as …
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Today in Aviation: London Heathrow Begins Commercial Operations
MIAMI – Today in Aviation, London Heathrow Airport (LHR), originally London Airport until 1966, officially opened for commercial air travel in 1946. We take a quick look at the rather prosaical start of one of the busiest airports in Europe and the second busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic. An Airfield in Suburbia Initially …
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The best credit card deals this week include record-high hotel card bonuses and new airline card offers
Table of Contents: Masthead StickySummary List Placement It’s a great time to consider opening a new credit card, as issuers continue to launch elevated offers and promotions geared toward those who are planning travel now that the world is opening up again. Taking advantage of an increased credit card bonus now can set you up …
New images of MH370 debris revealed by wreck hunter
New images of MH370 debris have been released by wreck hunter Blaine Gibson who is responsible for finding or securing the majority of the Boeing 777. Mr. Gibson says many ask him if he was happy to find No Step, (below) the first piece of 370 debris he discovered. “No I was not, finding aircraft …
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Incredible new aircraft seat concepts – luxury or bizarre?
Incredible new aircraft seat concepts – luxury or bizarre? That is the question for passengers to judge from the finalists of the Crystal Cabin Awards, known for spotlighting the newest trends in aircraft interiors. CNN reports that after the pandemic delayed the announcement of the 2020 award winners, this year the Crystal Cabin Awards has …
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Qantas offers mega-prizes to Aussies who get the COVID jab
Qantas has announced plans to giveaway a suite of mega prizes to Australians who get the COVID-19 vaccine, including unlimited travel for a year. The national carrier hopes the incentive scheme will boost vaccination rates and help get state and international borders reopened permanently says Channel 7. “We’re looking at having 10 mega-prizes, at least …
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Virgin Australia and 7-Eleven link up for major benefits
More than 10 million Virgin Australia Velocity Frequent Flyer members can now earn Velocity Points whenever they shop for fuel, food, coffee, and convenience items at 7-Eleven. The highly anticipated partnership between Velocity Frequent Flyer and the country’s largest independent fuel and convenience retailer will give Velocity members even more opportunities to earn Points on …
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Airbus Unveils Full-Size A220 Mock Up
MIAMI – This week, Airbus unveiled a new addition to its Toulouse showroom, a full-size A220 mock-up, and Airways was present at the event. Christine De Gagné, Airbus Airline Marketing Director, presented on May 27 the new addition which has a particularity: it is not actually a mock-up but a real aircraft, namely the FTV1 …
Top 10 Rarest Aircraft in the World
MIAMI – Airways explores ten of the rarest birds that have taken to the skies, a unique look at aircraft that highlight the remarkable evolution of flight. There are the usual suspects: Bleriot XI. Boeing B-29. Mitsubishi Zero. Howard 500. Cirrus VK30. Lockheed PV-20 Harpoon. Antonov An-225 Mriya. For this list, we will take a …
Today in Aviation: First Flight of the Douglas DC-8
MIAMI – Today in Aviation, we celebrate the anniversary of the legendary DC-8’s maiden flight from Long Beach Airport (LBG) on May 30, 1958, analyzing this magnificent aircraft in deeper detail from its inception to its first flight. The Douglas Aircraft Company of Santa Monica, California, was the propliner era’s most successful manufacturer of civil …
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How one of America’s newest airlines, Avelo, stacks up to the competition
Summary List Placement Americans are ready to travel for leisure again, and more airlines are popping up to serve them. Avelo Airlines became one of the first major US airlines to launch in 15 years when it debuted in April with three planes and 11 routes. Focusing on low-cost leisure routes, flights primarily serve social …
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I flew Delta for the first time since the airline stopped blocking seats and saw how much easier it was for a frequent flier to get upgraded to first class
Summary List Placement Having elite status on Delta Air Lines just got a whole lot more lucrative. Delta’s most frequent flyers enjoy special privileges, chief among them are complimentary first class upgrades. But they’ve been harder to come by during the pandemic. The airline’s seat-blocking policy also applied to first class seats on narrow-body where …
Wizz Air Halts All Domestic Flights in Norway
MIAMI – Wizz Air’s (W6) Communications Director, Andras Rado says the carrier will cease all domestic flights in Norway starting June 14. The information sent to e24.no/naeringsliv via email indicates that the decision was based on financial and commercial assessments. Andras Rado added that “the company is moving capacity to other markets.” Ticket sales on …
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The TSA screened nearly 2 million people at airports on Friday — a record since the COVID-19 pandemic slammed the US travel industry
Summary List Placement The Transportation Security Administration screened nearly 2 million people at US airports on Friday ahead of Memorial Day weekend, a record since the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically slowed air travel last year. According to TSA data, the agency screened 1,959,593 people Friday — nearly six times higher than the number of travelers who …
Taiwan was named the best place to live for expats. Here’s what 7 expats said about living abroad on the tiny East Asian island during the pandemic.
Summary List Placement Maria José Cubero had never set foot in Asia before she moved to Taiwan in 2016. Her husband got a job at a Taiwanese airline after having trouble finding work in their home country of Costa Rica, and she and her six-year-old son followed him to the tiny East Asian island to …
I flew on JetBlue founder David Neeleman’s new Breeze Airways for $39 and found it was cheap and friendly but surprisingly basic
Summary List Placement David Neeleman has done it again. Breeze Airways made its long-awaited debut on Thursday, flying two of its 39 planned routes that will launch between May 27 and July 29. It’s the fifth airline launched by Neeleman, a serial aviation entrepreneur that was the man behind JetBlue Airways and Morris Air in …