Aerotime

AUGUST 6, 2024

Cathay Group has ordered 30 Airbus A350-900 widebody aircraft as part of its initiative to refresh its mid-size widebody fleet. It also secured options for an additional 30 aircraft. This decision aims to update its fleet and expand operations on high-capacity regional routes while retaining the flexibility to serve longer-range destinations. The newly-ordered aircraft will replace Cathay’s older A340-300 models and will be equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines.

Cargo 284

Cargo Airlines Airline 284

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

Concerns remain over Starliner's capability to safely undock from the International Space Station (ISS). Additionally, it has emerged that Starliner's flight software is not capable of undocking autonomously, raising the risk of losing the spacecraft entirely if it is not flown back manually. The ongoing complications will also likely delay the upcoming Crew-9 mission, which would launch into space over a month later than planned and possibly with just half its crew.

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Aerotime

AUGUST 6, 2024

LATAM Airlines Group announced on August 6, 2024, that it is planning to invest US$2 billion in Brazil within the next couple of years. The announcement was made following a meeting between the airline’s executive team, headed by its CEO Roberto Alvo, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. This multi-billion-dollar investment will be spread out over many different products, technologies and services not yet detailed by the airline.

Airlines 301

Airlines Airline 301

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

While the United States is well-connected through some of the longest and most comprehensive interstate highways, it lacks the rail system seen in other first-world countries. Nevertheless, many US airlines offer convenient and economical flights to almost every part of the country.

Airlines 132

Airlines Airline 132

Aerotime

AUGUST 6, 2024

Little more than a quarter of a century ago, in May 1997, five of the world’s largest airlines, United Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways, Air Canada and Lufthansa, came together to form what is still the world’s largest airline alliance , Star Alliance. This move kicked off a chain reaction, with some of their direct competitors scrambling to form their own alliances.

Airlines 307

Airlines Airline 307

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

On Friday, August 2, Tailwind Air officially announced that it had grounded its seaplane service. Tailwind Air famously operated a service from New York to Boston but with a unique twist. The charter company used amphibian planes to land directly in the Boston Harbor and at the New York Skyports Seaplane Base (NYS). However, the company was not profitable enough to continue service.

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General Aviation 126

Aerotime

AUGUST 6, 2024

Melbourne Airport is hosting a car park sleepout to raise awareness and funds for women and non-binary people experiencing or at risk of homelessness due to family violence. The sleepout is scheduled for September 5, 2024. The immersive campaign, called “Live Like Them Challenge”, invites participants to sleep in their cars for one night at the top level of the Terminal 4 car park to simulate a small part of the experience that thousands of people face every night.

Airlines 274

Airlines Airline 274

Aerotime

AUGUST 6, 2024

The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) two-day investigative hearing into the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 door plug blowout on January 5, 2024, begins on August 6, 2024. While by no means the conclusion of the NTSB’s investigation into the accident, the hearing does represent a seminal moment in one of aviation’s most challenging events of recent times.

Airplanes 184

Airplanes Airlines Airline 184

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

Between August and October 2024 , Delta's A330ceos will operate more than one in four of the carrier's widebody flights. This is, of course, primarily because of its A330-300s , among its most popular twin-aisle equipment. In contrast, its fleet has fewer A330-200s than any other widebody type or variant.

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One Mile at a Time

AUGUST 6, 2024

Delta recently had a massive operational meltdown , whereby 7,000 flights were canceled, and even more flights were delayed. While that was a mess, I’d argue that the company’s recovery has been even worse, as Delta has done everything it can to avoid taking accountability. The Atlanta-based airline has vowed to sue CrowdStrike and Microsoft to recover the losses from this incident, which are expected to total around $500 million.

Airlines 124

Airlines Airline Pilot 124

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has started shutting down certain areas of Terminal C so that terminal renovations can begin. As part of the renovation and expansion, more than one million square feet will be updated.

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One Mile at a Time

AUGUST 6, 2024

One of my best tips to redeeming miles & points for premium travel is to book last minute. Airlines often release first and business class award space as the departure date approaches. A reader recently asked me if I could recap which airlines often release last minute award space, so that’s what I wanted to do in this post. Why airlines release last minute award space Before I talk about airlines that release award space at the last minute, let’s first talk about why airlines release award

Airlines 112

Airlines Airline Approach 112

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

US carrier Frontier Airlines is the latest airline to give away one million frequent flyer miles this summer. The carrier is looking to turn one of its loyalty program winners into a "Miles Millionaire!" as it launches the sweepstakes in conjunction with a sale of two million seats.

Airlines 119

Airlines Airline 119

One Mile at a Time

AUGUST 6, 2024

American AAdvantage and World of Hyatt have a partnership that offers reciprocal perks. This offers some consistent benefits, and we also sometimes see reciprocal status fast track opportunities. We’ve just seen a new reciprocal status opportunity introduced, giving American elites access to a Hyatt fast track, and giving Hyatt elites access to an American fast track.

Threshold 112

Threshold Airline Airlines 112

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

Following EASA certification, the long-awaited first passenger flight on the Airbus A321XLR is fast approaching. For now, at least, it will be between Madrid and Boston in mid-November, operated by Iberia. The Spanish carrier replaced fellow IAG member Aer Lingus as the XLR launch customer following a pilot pay dispute.

Approach 119

Approach Pilot 119

One Mile at a Time

AUGUST 6, 2024

Cathay Pacific has just announced a substantial aircraft order , which will see the airline refresh part of its A330 fleet… Cathay Group modernizing A330 fleet with A330-900neos Cathay Pacific has just placed a firm order for 30 Airbus A330-900neo aircraft. This follows an evaluation of the carrier’s mid-size wide body fleet renewal program, and it will enable Cathay Pacific to modernize its earlier generation A330-300 fleet, and expand its operations on high capacity regional routes.

Jet 112

Jet Airlines Airline 112

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

In July 2015, an Allegiant Air flight made headlines for breaking a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) to make an emergency landing at a closed airport with concerningly low fuel levelsa decision that would subsequently spark widespread concerns about the airlines safety practices and operational decision-making.

Airlines 119

Airlines Airline 119

Airline Economics

AUGUST 6, 2024

Technology company SITA is set to launch a new version of its wireless solution, SITA mobile data access (MDA) 2.0. The solution provides cellular eSIM and SIM connectivity across multiple technologies, with reach to over 200 countries.

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Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

Navigating the world of air travel can often feel overwhelming, especially when understanding baggage and seat selection fees. Sun Country Airlines, a low-cost carrier based in Minnesota, offers travelers affordable flight options. Still, like many budget airlines, it has a variety of fees that can add up quickly.

Airlines 119

Airlines Airline 119

Airline Geeks

AUGUST 6, 2024

United is reportedly phasing out the print version of its inflight magazine, becoming the last legacy U.S. carrier to offer the onboard reading material.

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123

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has officially added one of the engine options for the Airbus A321XLR to the LEAP-1As certificate in the latest revision of the document.

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Airline Economics

AUGUST 6, 2024

The CEO of Avia Management Group Asia, Martynas Grigas, believes that the Asia-Pacific region is poised for major growth in the aviation sector by 2028. The international passenger market has recovered significantly after the pandemic, with the Asia-Pacific region showing the largest passenger recovery.

Airlines 111

Airlines Airline 111

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

Since its opening in 1953, Anchorage International Airport (ANC) has played a pivotal role in Alaska's development. Over the years, the airport has served as a critical hub for passenger traffic and cargo transport.

Cargo 116

Cargo Airlines Airline 116

One Mile at a Time

AUGUST 6, 2024

In 2023, we saw Alaska Airlines and Starlux Airlines launch a partnership , coinciding with the Taiwanese carrier commencing service to the United States. As many may recall, award availability was exceptional when the partnership launched… for about a day. Starlux had virtually endless award availability, though the floodgates were closed very quickly, as I imagine the airline wasn’t anticipating the level of demand that we saw.

Airlines 109

Airlines Airline 109

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the UK's Brabazon Committee was assigned to manage Britain's post-war commercial aircraft production. Starting behind American manufacturers, which had gained an early start with long-range military transports, UK plane makers were stuck with a handful of short-range bombers.

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111

One Mile at a Time

AUGUST 6, 2024

The Lufthansa Group’s Economy Light fares on long haul flights are getting even more punitive, so this is definitely something to be aware of if booking one of these tickets… Lufthansa’s Economy Light seat amendment fee Lufthansa’s Economy Light fares don’t include seat assignments in advance. Up until mid-2022, it was possible to select a seat of your choice (from the remaining unoccupied ones) at the time of check-in when booking these fares.

Airline 109

Airline Airlines 109

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

United Airlines has entered negotiations with labor union regarding a new contract covering thousands of maintenance workers around the country. The airline has posted profit in recent months, and workers want that to be reflected in their salaries and other benefits as well.

Airlines 111

Airlines Airline 111

One Mile at a Time

AUGUST 6, 2024

Royal Jordanian, a oneworld member airline, has a lucrative status match opportunity , which could be a great way to get oneworld Sapphire benefits. While this promotion has been live for some time, there’s now an update, as Royal Jordanian has expanded this to also match status from hotels, and not just airlines. I don’t want to bury the lede, though — this has geographic restrictions, and it’s not open to those in the United States.

Airlines 109

Airlines Airline 109

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

After years of experimentation with aircraft designs, the industry has somewhat settled on what a commercial airliner looks like today: a long fuselage with low wings, horizontal and vertical stabilizers, wing-mounted engines, and tricycle-style landing gear. Similarly, combat jets have settled on a conventional design with highly swept delta wings, pointed noses, and engines with afterburners.

Stability 111

Stability Jet Airlines Airline 111

Flyertalk

AUGUST 6, 2024

Reuters reports that while the IT company apologized to the carrier for the problems, they stand short of accepting full blame for the incident. CrowdStrike Says They Offered Help, But Got No Response The CrowdStrike outage on July 19, 2024 brought down airlines and forced a ground order in order to get computer systems back running. While most airlines were able to get services back up quickly, Delta was the one carrier who struggled for days to return to normal service.

Airlines 105

Airlines Airline 105

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

The European aircraft manufacturing giant, Airbus , operates a one-million-square-foot final assembly plant in Mobile, Alabama. Spanned over 53 acres of flatland, it is the companys only manufacturing hub in the western hemisphere.

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AV Web

AUGUST 6, 2024

A flight instructor who flew students for almost a year after surrendering his certificate has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the crash that killed one of those students. ABC News is reporting Phillip Everton McPherson II, 36, of Haddon Township, New Jersey is facing the charge after the Piper Arrow he and the 49-year-old student, identified only as K.K., crashed and caught fire shortly after takeoff from Queen City Airport in Allentown on Sept. 28, 2022.

Runway 119

Runway Pilot 119

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

Clark Gable was at the height of his fame as an actor, when he decided to enlist in the Army Air Corps. Braving the deadly skies over Germany, this actor-turned-airman set a sterling example of courage, selflessness, and duty to the country for his countrymen to emulate.

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One Mile at a Time

AUGUST 6, 2024

Several weeks ago, we learned how one of Oahu’s more luxurious hotels would become a Ritz-Carlton, which is great for those looking to earn and redeem Marriott Bonvoy points. There’s now a major update, as this property has now been reflagged as a Ritz-Carlton, so we now have a sense of what pricing is like (in both cash and points). Turtle Bay Resort Oahu sold, rebranded as Ritz-Carlton Host Hotels & Resorts, which is the largest lodging real estate investment trust in the United States, ha

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Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

French bee is a low-cost, long-haul airline. It only has six aircraft: four A350-900s and, the subject of this article, two A350-1000s. What makes it unusual is that its A350-1000s have a considerable 480 seats, which is by far the highest of the variants operators. It reflects the high volume and relatively low yields of where they are flown.

Airlines 111

Airlines Airline 111

AV Web

AUGUST 6, 2024

Robotics company Merlin says it has flown the first three flights in its autonomous control program on the KC-135. The flights were conducted at the Pittsburgh Air National Guard Base under a waiver from the Air Force. Merlin has contracts to develop autonomous flight systems for several Air Force platforms and the 1960s-era tankers are the first in line.

Pilot 98

Pilot 98

Simple Flying

AUGUST 6, 2024

In a busy and highly successful start to 2024, the Air Astana Group has quietly worked through its Pratt & Whitney engine issues while adding new aircraft and carrying 15% more passengers than in the first half of 2023. After successfully listing on various stock exchanges in February, the new shareholders will be pleased to see that the Group has also increased revenue by 13% and adjusted EBITDAR by 10% in the first half (H1 2024).

Jet 111

Jet 111