By BA Staff The United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a final rule on the training of commercial air carrier pilots.   The final rule stems in part from the crash of Colgan Air 3407 in February 2009 near Buffalo, NY, and addresses a Congressional mandate in the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of …

by Devesh Agarwal Emirates A380. Photo copyright Devesh Agarwal. The Emirates Group, the aviation holding company of the Al Maktoum family which rules Dubai, and the parent of Emirates airline, announced its first half (April to September) results of the fiscal year 2014 (ending March 31, 2014) today. Group The Emirates Group revenues reached AED 42.3 billion (US$ 11.5 billion) …

By BA Staff The average domestic air fare decreased to $378 in the second quarter of 2013, down 3.6 percent from the average fare of $392 in the second quarter of 2012, measured in constant 2013 dollars, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported. Huntsville, Ala., had the highest average fare, $547, while Atlantic City, N.J., …

By BA Staff Delta 737NG. Boeing photo. Delta Air Lines will add new daily non-stop flights to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport from San Diego International Airport and Portland International Airport as well as an additional flight from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, beginning next year. The new service will provide customers with convenient connections to the airline’s growing international network from …

By BA Staff Boeing Air Europa celebrated the Spanish carrier’s 25th direct delivery of a Next-Generation 737-800. Air Europa showcased the latest addition to its fleet at a special event at its base on the Spanish island of Mallorca. Juan Jose Hidalgo, president of Globalia, the parent company of Air Europa said: “Today is a very important day for Air …

By BA StaffQatar Airways announced it will begin flights to Hangzhou, China beginning 20 December 2013. The non-stop service from Doha to Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province, will fly four-times-weekly. Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: “This year we celebrate 10 years of flying to China. The addition of our seventh route in China will …

By BA Staff Alaska Airlines began daily service between Boise, Idaho, and San Diego, from this month, as the carrier celebrates 30 years of service to Boise Airport. To celebrate the new flights, Alaska is offering one-way fares starting from $99* between Boise and San Diego. Joe Sprague, vice president of marketing said: “Alaska Airlines offers more flights from Boise …

by Devesh Agarwal Gurgaon based low fare carrier SpiceJet Ltd., continued the record of disastrous performance in the Indian airline industry when it announced a record Rs. 559 crore loss for the second quarter, ended September 30, of the fiscal year 2013~2014. This compared to the Rs. 163.5 crore loss from the same quarter last fiscal, and a Rs. 50.5 …

Guest post by Patricia Hogenes It’s time for a vacation, so the family is heading out to visit relatives. It won’t be a long plane flight, but for the kids – it will be their first time. So how can a parent prepare the children for the whole flying experience? Make it sound fun. Above all, the experience should be …

By BA Staff The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), to ensure equal access to air transportation for all travellers, is requiring airline websites and automated airport kiosks to be accessible to passengers with disabilities. In addition, DOT will allow airlines to choose between stowing wheelchairs in a cabin compartment on new aircraft or strapping them to a row of seats, …

By BA Staff The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) fined US Airways $1.2 million for failing to provide adequate wheelchair assistance to passengers in Philadelphia and Charlotte, N.C. The fine is one of the largest ever assessed by DOT in a disability case. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said: “All air travelers deserve to be treated equally and with respect, …

by BA Staff (left: Stefan Hansen, CEO Lufthansa Systems AGand Elyezer Shkedy, CEO El Al) EL AL Israel Airlines has selected Lufthansa Systems’ wireless in-flight entertainment system BoardConnect. Using their laptops, tablet PCs or smartphones EL AL passengers will be able to access on-demand audio and video and other content. The system will be installed on 10 Boeing 737s and …

by Devesh Agarwal Traditional Indonesian dance graces the ceremony US airframer Boeing has delivered to Lion Air a new Boeing 737-900ER, marking the delivery of the 100th Boeing 737NG to the Lion Group, Indonesia’s largest airline group. It is not surprising that the delivered aircraft was the largest in the Boeing 737 Next-Generation family. Lion Air, which was established in …

By BA Staff Alaska Airlines is inaugurating daily service between Seattle and Colorado Springs, Colo., starting Nov. 1, and between Seattle and Omaha, Nebraska, starting Nov. 7. The flight schedule is shown below: Summary of new service: Start date City pair Departs Arrives Frequency Nov. 1 Seattle-Colorado Springs 6:20 p.m. 9:55 p.m. Daily Nov. 2 Colorado Springs-Seattle 8:00 a.m. 9:55 …

By BA Staff Alaska Airlines is growing again in Portland, Ore., with new nonstop flights between the Rose City and Tucson, Ariz., starting Nov. 1, and between Portland and Reno/Tahoe, Nev., starting Nov. 8. Joe Sprague, vice president of marketing said: “Alaska Airlines is proud to give our customers two new destinations from our Portland hub, with daily flights to …

By BA Staff Courtesy of Wikipedia Boeing announced that production on the 737 program will increase to 47 airplanes per month in 2017, the highest rate ever for the best-selling airliner in history. Once implemented, the 737 program will build more than 560 airplanes per year, and will have increased output by nearly 50 percent since 2010. Beverly Wyse, vice …

By BA Staff Finnair celebrated its 90th anniversary on Friday, 1 November 2013.  The world’s fifth-oldest airline still in operation, Finnair was established in 1923. Today, Finnair specialises in flights between Europe and Asia, offering direct connections from Helsinki to over 60 European destinations and 13 Asian destinations. Over eight million passengers per year fly on Finnair’s all-Airbus fleet. CEO …

By BA Staff Alaska Airlines announced it successfully completed the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and has been renewed on the IOSA Registry. The airline has been on the registry since 2006. Brad Tilden, Alaska Airlines CEO said: “Ensuring the safety of our customers and employees is core to our responsibility. Meeting this internationally recognized benchmark …

By BA Staff Jean Chamberlin, Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) vice president of Program Management, has been honoured by Women in Aerospace for her “outstanding career and lifelong commitment to furthering the advancement of women’s opportunities in aerospace.” Chamberlin said as she accepted the group’s 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award on Oct. 29: “This speaks to the power of diversity …

By BA Staff British Airways added some very nice traditional ethnic touches to the first flights of their additional services to Chennai and Hyderabad. Enjoy the photos courtesty BA.