IHG Is Opening An InterContinental Property In Rome
IHG has announced that it will be reintroducing the InterContinental brand to Rome 6 years after the last property to carry the InterContinental name in the Italian capital (the InterContinental De La Ville) was reflagged as a Rocco Forte property.
The Japan Airlines July International Schedule Shows How Bad Things Still Are
It can be hard for a lot of travelers (like me) to get a feel for how things are really looking in the aviation world right now, but if you want to see how bad things still are (in the very near term) you only have to take a look at the latest international schedule Japan Airlines (JAL) has published for July
Delta Restarts Two Routes To Europe & Adds Cape Town To Its Network
As of today, Delta is operating two more routes between the United States and Europe than it operated last week (it plans to offer nine transatlantic routes in June) and the airline's president told yesterday's employee virtual town hall that Delta would be modifying its operations to/from South Africa to include Cape Town when those services resume.
Qatar Airways Is Now Codesharing on American Airlines Flights
Back in February, American Airlines backtracked on two key positions it had taken in recent years. First, the airline did a u-turn on its relationship with Alaska Airlines and the two are now best friends and, just a few days later, American Airlines forgot that it had been calling for Qatar Airways to be banned from operating services to/from the US and announced a strategic partnership with the Middle Eastern carrier. The first stage of that partnership has now kicked into action.
Emirates is Restarting Flights To Nine Destinations
Most of the world may be living under significant travel restrictions but Emirates has announced plans to restart flights to nine destinations from later this month as it looks to find a way out of the current crisis. The first flights the airline will offer since it grounded its fleet at the end of March are mostly to cities within Europe, but the United States and Australia will be seeing select services resume too.
Richard Branson Is Raising $400m To Help Rescue Virgin Atlantic
"Vieco 10" probably won't mean much to most people but it's the name of the investment company owned by Virgin Group (and therefore Richard Branson) which holds a controlling interest in Virgin Galactic. Last night, in a statement to the New York Stock Exchange, Vieco 10 confirmed that it is disposing of up to 25m shares in Virgin Galactic as Richard Branson seeks to raise funds to save a number of ailing travel enterprises.
These Airlines Now Require Passengers To Wear Face/Mouth Coverings
For reasons that haven't always been very clear, there has been a lot of debate, discussion, and controversy over the use of face masks during the current pandemic but, regardless of how you feel about wearing something that covers your mouth and nose, a number of major airlines now insist that passengers take precautions on board.
United Airlines Is Raising $2.25 Billion To Pay Off A Loan
Towards the end of last month, United Airlines announced that it was planning to raise $1.1 billion from a public stock offering to go alongside the $5.0 billion the airline has received from the US government and now the airline is heading back to the markets to raise yet more cash. This time it's cash that it needs to pay down an existing loan.
Virgin Atlantic Is Abandoning Gatwick & Cutting Over 35% Of Its Workforce
Virgin Atlantic has just announced that it plans to "reshape and resize" its operations in a bid to survive the current crisis. With the airline struggling to raise desperately needed funds and with the British government still apparently not inclined to offer a lifeline, Virgin Atlantic says that it will be closing down its operations at Gatwick and shedding 3,150 jobs.
Delta Is Raising $3 Billion To Ease Its Liquidity Issues
Yesterday, I wrote about United Airlines heading to the stock market to raise up to $1.1 billion to add to the $5 billion the US government just handed the airline, and now it's Delta's turn to tap up big investors for more cash as it announces a bond issue and a new Term Loan B facility which will total an impressive $3 billion.
Emirates’ New Cancellation Options Are Fantastic (Especially If You’ve Already Accepted A Voucher)
Emirates is one of the many airlines that have been showing a very serious reluctance to offer passengers refunds on their canceled flights even though refunds are exactly what these passengers are entitled to but, somewhat unexpectedly, Emirates has had a big change of heart and is offering customers a variety of options that now put a lot of other airlines to shame.
Delta Pauses Automatic Advance Upgrades & Blocks Middle Seats
Delta has just announced a series of new measures which it hopes will help passengers to continue practice social distancing in the air as well as on the ground. These measures include pausing advance complimentary upgrades and blocking seats in most cabins across the airline's remaining route network.
Incredible! Now Some Airlines Are Seeking Permission To Rip You Off
I've long thought that most airlines (not all) are run by people with little or no soul and by people who have little to no regard for their customers. Sadly, it's taken a worldwide pandemic to prove me right.
This Is Why I’ll Never Be A United Airlines Frequent Flyer
Right now there are a few corporations in the travel world that aren't doing a very good job of looking after their customers but there's only one that's actually taken measures that will very obviously make their customers' lives worse...and all at a time where the very opposite is what's needed - meet United Airlines.
Los Angeles Amex Centurion Lounge to open on Monday (9 March 2020)
The long wait for a Centurion Lounge is finally over for those of us who pass through LAX on a frequent basis as Amex has now revealed that its Los Angeles Centurion lounge will open on Monday 9 March 2020.
On What Routes Does Virgin Atlantic Fly The A350 (New Business Class)
When an airline takes delivery of a new type of aircraft it's not always a key moment in its timeline but, in Virgin Atlantic's case, the day its first Airbus A350-1000 took to the skies with a planeload of passengers was the day that Virgin Atlantic finally brought its A-game to the transatlantic premium cabin table.
Fly In More Comfort With These Four American Airlines Domestic Wide-Body Services
Widebody aircraft mean large premium cabins (good for upgrades from cargo class), large numbers of seats with extra-legroom (for when the upgrade doesn't clear) and lie-flat seats in the frontmost cabin (for when the upgrade does clear or for when you're paying to fly upfront) so it's always good news when we see Dreamliners and 777s scheduled to fly between various US cities.
Huge News: Alaska Airlines To Join Oneworld + American Expands In Seattle
Alaska Airlines and American Airlines have issued a joint statement in which they have announced a new "West Coast International Alliance" under which Alaska's West Coast network will connect up to (and feed) American's long-haul network, which will see Alaska Airlines becoming a member of the oneworld alliance in 2021 and which will see American Airlines launching a new route to Asia and a new route out of Alaska's hub in Seattle.
American Schedules Increased Service To Rio De Janeiro In 2021
American has recently been trying to make up for the collapse of its partnership with LATAM (and the exit of that partner from the oneworld alliance) by partnering with GOL, a Brazilian airline based in Sao Paulo.
British Airways Reschedules A350 Service To Tokyo (And Consolidates Service)
The British Airways A350-1000 may have been the launch aircraft for the airline's new Club Suite Business Class product but it's also the aircraft that has been at the center of the recent controversy surrounding how the airline has chosen to equip the latest addition to its fleet.
Star Alliance limits 3rd party lounge access for Gold elites
When a hotel or airline loyalty program puts introduces an apparently unnecessary devaluation I can't help but wonder if they truly understand how they're helping to make the competition look better...and that's how I feel about Star Alliance right now.
Odd: United Adds True Polaris Business Class To A Seasonal Route
United's Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners all offer true Polaris Business Class seats and are mostly (possibly entirely) based at the airline's Newark hub and, in a recent schedule change, one such aircraft has been scheduled on a route that I didn't expect to see it operate.
Qatar Airways Adds Qsuite Service To Another UK Airport
Thanks to the introduction of new aircraft and the increased speed with which Qatar Airways is refitting its older aircraft, the Qsuite Business Class cabin is not nearly as hard to find and book as it once was...but it's still exciting to see it being rolled out to more and more new cities.
Qatar Airways Announces 8 New Routes (And One Is Great News For Me)
Qatar Airways is undoubtedly one of the best airlines in the world (especially if you're flying in Business Class) and thanks to some of the amazing premium cabin fares that it offers between Europe and Asia it's also one of the more popular airlines too.
That's why the news that the airline is launching 8 new routes between March and November 2020 will bring a smile to quite a few people's faces...and to mine in particular thanks to one specific route coming later this year.
Two More US Cities Will Get Qatar Airways Qsuites Service This Year
Qatar Airways has gradually been increasing the number of aircraft and number of routes on which it offers its highly acclaimed Qsuites Business Class cabin and 2020 will be the year in which all of the airline's US routes will finally offer passengers Qatar's premium Business Class cabin.
Asiana Cuts Planned Business Suites & Significantly Reduces Business Class To NYC
Asiana is one of a number of airlines that haven't enjoyed the best of health in recent years and it has been taking various measures to improve its financial performance. In 2019 we saw the airline scale back its First Class offering by rebranding its most premium cabin as "Business Suites" and removing true First Class dining and services and we saw it axing a number of its less profitable routes as well.
Now it looks as if Asiana is scaling back its premium cabin offering between Seoul and New York City.
Delta Schedules More A330-900neo Service Out Of Seattle
Delta started taking delivery of the new Airbus A330-900neo back at the end of May and it has been operating the latest-generation aircraft on routes out of Seattle since July. So far we've seen the aircraft operating to Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo Narita but a recent schedule update shows Delta adding more A330-900neo service out of Seattle in 2020.
The New Virgin Atlantic A350 Is Coming To LAX From 19 April 2020
I have a strange love/hate relationship with Virgin Atlantic. I love Virgin's crews, its ground staff, the atmosphere onboard its aircraft and the airline's excellent Premium Economy Class product, but I hate the airline's Upper Class seat with a passion....and that's why I've been waiting for this news for months!
LATAM Will Leave Oneworld In October 2020
At the end of September it was announced that the planned joint venture between American Airlines and LATAM would not be going ahead following the failure of both airlines to find a solution to an unfavorable ruling by the Chilean Supreme Court earlier in the year.
Hong Kong Airlines Has Scaled Back Planned Service To Vancouver
Last week's move to cut its route to Los Angeles left Hong Kong Airlines airline with only a route between Hong Kong and Vancouver as evidence of its once big plans for transpacific travel and, as some suspected, a recent schedule update now shows this route is also facing an uncertain future.
Virgin Atlantic Is Adding More Flights To Las Vegas & Orlando
I'm always happy to see airlines adding new routes or more capacity to existing routes as the more seats that airlines have to fill the harder it is for them to increase prices...and I hate paying any more than I absolutely have to for the flights I book.
Delta Opens A New Sky Club In New Orleans Today
If you're a Delta flyer based in New Orleans the airline has some good news for you - as of today, 6 November 2019, the latest Sky Club is opening at Louis Armstrong New Orleans international airport.
39 New Properties Join The World Of Hyatt…But There’s A Catch!
Hyatt's loyalty program has been expanding at an impressive rate over the past 18 months and after integrating 8 Destination Hotels properties into the World of Hyatt in August/September, and after adding a further 49 SLH properties to the program in October, Hyatt has now announced that a further 39 Destination Hotels properties will join the World of Hyatt in the next week....but this time there's a catch.
Hong Kong Airlines Cancels Los Angeles Route And Exits The US Market
After flying its last flights between Hong Kong and San Francisco at the beginning of October, Hong Kong Airlines has now announced that it will be closing down its route to Los Angeles from February 2020.
Marriott Is Buying Seven Caribbean Hotels To Add To Its All-Inclusive Portfolio
At the beginning of August Marriott announced that it planned to offer guests more all-inclusive options and that it planned to do so with a mixture of new-builds, conversions of its existing resorts and new management contracts with existing all-inclusive resorts.
Well, now you can add acquisitions to that list too as Marriott has now announced that it has agreed to buy Elegant Hotels Group for approximately $130m and will be folding the groups 7 existing properties into its all-inclusive arm.
Air New Zealand Will Offer More Legroom In Economy Class (For A Price)
Air New Zealand appears to believe that there are a significant number of flyers for whom its standard Economy Class seats are too tight and for whom the cost of Premium Economy is too high and it plans to monetize this group - welcome to "Economy Stretch".
Fiji Airways Reveals New A350 Business Class (Coming To Los Angeles)
Earlier this year Fiji Airways and Airbus let it be known that it would be taking delivery of two Airbus A350-900 aircraft in the latter part of 2019 and that the new aircraft would come fitted with an all-new lie-flat Business Class cabin as an enhancement to the angle-flat Business Class seats the airline currently offers.
United Announces The First 15 CRJ-550 Routes (Flights On Sale Tomorrow)
United Airlines has announced that fares for flights on its new regional Bombardier CRJ-550 aircraft will go on sale from 12 October 2019 for travel commencing 27 October 2019. The airline has also announced the first 15 routes on which the CRJ-550 will operate.
American Airlines Pushes Back 737 MAX Service To January 2020
The saga of the 737 MAX aircraft continues as American Airlines confirms that it now doesn't expect the aircraft to be returning to its operations before the middle of January next year.
AMEX Will Open A Bigger Lounge In Sydney This Month
The better known American Express airport lounges are the Centurion Lounges that are primarily found in the US as well in a limited number of international airport locations, but these aren't the only AMEX airport lounges around.
San Francisco To Get Service From Two More European Airlines
I love it when we get more transatlantic service to the West Coast because the more seats we see scheduled to fly to Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego the harder it becomes for airlines to increase fares...and right now I'm very happy.
Hyatt Opens The Grand Hyatt At SFO
Hyatt has announced that the Grand Hyatt at SFO is now open and accepting guests and this means that San Francisco Airport now has its first on-airport hotel.
American Brings Back Boston – London Service (And Not With The Aircraft I Expected)
A little over a week ago, when American was doing its very best to make everyone believe that the loss of LATAM as a partner wasn’t a big deal, the airline announced a number of new flights to South America, an extended summer season for a number of European routes, and the return of its Boston – London route.
Delta’s Reconfigured 767-400 Are Coming To 2 More Routes
Back in April of this year, Delta confirmed that it would not be fitting its aging 767 aircraft with it's new Delta One Business Class suites and, instead, it announced that a sub-set of its 767 fleet (the 767-400s) would be getting an entirely new (if not entirely different) Business Class seat.
Sneak Peek: A Look At The New Qantas A380 Interiors
The first of Qantas' newly refurbished Airbus A380 aircraft took to the skies yesterday complete with a new cabin arrangement, new/updated seats in all cabins and a newly designed onboard lounge area where First Class and Business Class passengers can relax away from their seats.
ANA Is Opening A First Class Immigration Lane In Honolulu
ANA has been doing a lot of work on its routes to/from Honolulu (on which it now operates Airbus A380 aircraft) and on the services it offers passengers in Honolulu with the opening of two new lounge spaces in the main terminal earlier this year.
Now ANA is going a step further as it looks to improve the arrival process for its most premium customers - a new dedicated immigration lane is opening at Honolulu International Airport.
Air France Takes Delivery Of Its First Airbus A350-900 (First Impressions)
Air France has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900 aircraft which is set to make its first commercial flight in just 10 days' time. The new aircraft, the first of 28 Airbus A350's that Air France expects to integrate into its fleet, will be rolled out to 6 destinations by 2020.
Oneworld Loses A Major Airline As Delta Wins Big
South American airline LATAM has confirmed that it will be withdrawing from the oneworld alliance following the airline's decision to cease joint venture negotiations with American Airlines and enter into a partnership with Delta instead.
Hyatt Is Launching A New Brand – “Caption By Hyatt”
Hyatt has announced that it will be launching a new "lifestyle brand within the select service category" which will be called Caption by Hyatt but the hotelier hasn't actually said when we can expect to see the first property open its doors or where the brand will be launched.
Huge News: United Is Eliminating Old Upgrades & Introducing “PlusPoints”
United Airlines has today announced that it is replacing Regional Premier Upgrades (RPUs) and Global Premier Upgrades (GPUs) with a new upgrade benefit called "PlusPoints". The new system shouldn't see any members disadvantaged and, instead, should add a bit more flexibility to how members can upgrade their flights.
Turkish Airlines Is Bringing Its New Business Class To Los Angeles
Turkish Airlines has been on a bit of a fleet regeneration spree of late with new 787-9 Dreamliners joining the airline from earlier this year and with new Airbus A350-900 aircraft set to join in 1Q 2020. Up until now Los Angeles hadn't been set to get service from either of the airline's new aircraft but a recent schedule update appears to have changed all that.
An Important British Airways Update On Flights Cancelled Due To Strike Action
Earlier this month most of the British Airways fleet was grounded as the majority of the airline's pilots took industrial action. A third day of action was planned for next Friday (September 27th) but, in a move that surprised most, the pilots called off that walkout earlier this week.
GOOD NEWS: The Next British Airways Pilots’ Strike Is Off
Up until now there hadn't been any signs that the third day of British Airways pilot walkouts (set for 27 September) wasn't going to go ahead and the airline had already started canceling flights ahead of time to try to limit its liabilities.
It's fair to say that the relationship between the pilots and management couldn't really have become much worse...but now something has changed.
United is Adding/Removing True Polaris Business Class On A Number Of Routes
United Airlines has pushed through a sizeable number of service, schedule and aircraft changes over the past few days and the net result of these changes is that some of the airline's routes will cease to offer true Polaris Business Class (some just for a short period of time) while some will see it added.
Marriott Bonvoy Introduces Dynamic Award Pricing (Sort Of)
The introduction of seasonal pricing finally came into effect at Marriott Bonvoy over the weekend but, now that we can see how it's going to work, it's safe to say that what we've been given isn't what most people were expecting.
Virgin Atlantic Will Reconfigure Some of Its New Airbus A350 Aircraft
With Virgin Atlantic launching its A350 on the London – New York JFK route earlier this week there’s been quite a bit of press coverage of the new aircraft but one tidbit of information that Virgin Atlantic’s PR team put out caught my eye – not all of Virgin’s A350s will be configured in the same way.
Virgin Atlantic’s New Business Class Cabin Is Now Available To New York
esterday was a big day for Virgin Atlantic as the airline launched its brand new Airbus A350 aircraft (complete with new cabins) on its London - New York (JFK) route. With British Airways not scheduled to operate an aircraft with its new Club Suite on its own London - New York route until late October, Virgin Atlantic has stolen a march on one of its biggest competitors.
British Airways Pilots Offer To Call Off Upcoming Strikes
With British Airways pilots set to walk out on strike in just 4 days' time (the first strike dates are 9 and 10 September) the union representing their interests has today said that its members would be prepared to call off the strike in British Airways management returns to the negotiating table.
Be Careful! You May Be Paying Resort Fees You Shouldn’t Be Paying
Resort fees, destination fees, facility fees (call them what you will) have been around for some time but it’s only in the past year or two that they’ve really started getting out of hand.
They started out as fees charged by actual resort properties (hence the original name of ‘resort fee’) to cover spurious extras like sun loungers, snorkel set rentals and in-room water, but have now spread to properties of all types and are nothing more than a new way to rip off guests.
Great News! Virgin Atlantic Makes Another US City Its Second A350 Destination
Although British Airways has now scheduled a couple of reconfigured 777 aircraft (complete with its new Business Class cabin) to operate between London and New York later this year, Virgin Atlantic has managed to steal a march on its competitor by scheduling its first four A350 aircraft to serve the New York market....and it's stolen a march in another US market too.
Here Are The Schedules For American Airlines’ New 2020 Routes (Reservations Open)
Over the weekend, American Airlines posted the schedules for its 5 new routes so the remaining unknowns surrounding last week's announcement have been cleared up. Also, as of today, American Airlines has opened up bookings for the 4 seasonal routes with bookings for the Tel Aviv route expected to be taken from 10 October 2019.
Qatar Airways Adds Qsuites To Cape Town
Qatar Airways keeps adding and adding to the routes on which it offers its highly-lauded Qsuites Business Class cabin and the latest destination to benefit from this expansion is Cape Town.
Qatar Airways Adds Yet More Service To Northern Europe
In a recent schedule change, Qatar Airways has significantly increased the number of flights it will be offering between Doha and Northern Europe and, considering the Business Class fares the airline frequently offers out of these destinations, this is very good news for bargain hunters.
BREAKING: American Airlines Adds Five New International Routes
American Airlines has just announced that it will be launching 5 new international routes in 2020 with a strong focus on what was once known as "Eastern Europe", its first flight to Africa and a route that's going to please a significant number of people.
Lufthansa/Eurowings Will Add More Routes/Flights To The US In 2020
Lufthansa Group has today announced that two of its airlines will be adding significant new services to the US as the aircraft monolith looks to expand its flights out of Munich and Seattle from 2020.
Marriott Announces Plans For All-Inclusive Resorts
Marriott has today announced that it plans to expand its already sizeable portfolio and significant accommodation options to include all-inclusive resorts.
The corporation has confirmed that it has already signed management contracts for 5 brand new all-inclusive properties which are expected to open their doors between 2022 and 2025.
British Airways Pilots Get The Legal Go Ahead To Strike (But I Don’t Think...
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Hong Kong Airlines Cancels Its Route To San Francisco
Hong Kong Airlines was, at one time, supposed to be the airline that would help bring down the cost of transpacific travel and, at the same time, offer a cheaper (but still good) Business Class alternative for travel between the US and Hong Kong.
Former Boeing Engineer Claims 737 MAX Project Was Underfunded & FAA Was Kept In...
In an episode of Panorama which will air in the UK tonight (29 July 2019) at 20:30, a former Boeing engineer tells journalists that the 737 MAX production line was poorly funded, that the teams working on the aircraft were under continual pressure to keep costs down and that the FAA was deliberately kept in the dark on certain matters.
American Airlines Extends Route Cancellations & Reduces Services To Vancouver
This is a brief post to highlight a few changes to American Airlines’ operations that I’ve noticed mentioned on Routes Online in the past few days. American Airlines' customers flying in/out of New York or Vancouver may wish to pay special attention.
We May Be Heading For A Summer Of Chaos At London Heathrow
While most of us have been focusing on the potential British Airways pilots' strike that's looming over a lot of people's travels, two other issues have been bubbling under the surface which, before Friday, hadn't really received much publicity...and then they exploded on to the scene.
British Airways Pilots Are Closer Than Ever To Going On Strike
Towards the end of last year, the main unions representing BA's pilots, cabin crew and ground crews came together in a rare show of solidarity to negotiate with the airlines for better pay and conditions for their members.
Negotiations haven't been going well at all and last month we heard that the main pilots' union (BALPA) was preparing to ballot its members on strike action.
Emirates Will Trial Passport-Free Flights Between Australia & The UK
Whether we like it or not biometric technology is here and it’s rapidly becoming part of the fabric of air travel. We’ve already seen multiple airlines using biometric gates for domestic and international flights and now Emirates plans to take the technology a step further – it’s trialing passport-free travel.
Airbus Launches The A321XLR – The Longest Range Narrowbody Aircraft
With Boeing still in disarray over its ill-conceived 737 MAX, Airbus has used the first day of the Paris airshow to turn the screw and unveil its newest aircraft - the A321XLR. The new aircraft is being promoted as offering a range of up to 4,700nm (~5,410 miles) and 30% lower fuel burn per seat and is expected to appear in airline schedules from 2023.
American Airlines Has Opened Its Flagship Lounge At Dallas Ft. Worth
American Airlines has officially opened its new Flagship Lounge and remodeled Admirals Club at Dallas Fort Worth Terminal D and with it, the airline has unveiled its new and improved Flagship First Dining experience too.
The Airbnb Rules In Los Angeles Are Emboldening Hotels To Rip Off Their Guests
From 1 July 2019 the City of Los Angeles will introduce a series of measures which will seriously limit the opportunities for residents to rent out their properties on sites like Airbnb, VBRO and HomeAway. The City of Los Angeles hasn't gone as far as two of its neighbors (Santa Monica and West Hollywood) who have already essentially banned short-term rentals outright, but the restrictions being introduced from July are still pretty severe.
The First Images Of Chicago O’Hare’s New Terminal 2 Look Fantastic!
Chicago's O'Hare airport is seeing an $8.5bn injection of funding to bring the airport up to modern day standards and $2.2bn of that funding will be used to completely overhaul Terminal 2. As things stand, O'Hare Terminal 2 is a terminal that serves domestic/North American flights only but, after the extensive renovations are complete, T2 will be home to international departures and arrivals too.
ANA’s Honolulu Lounges Will Open On May 24th
In preparation for A380 service, ANA has built a dedicated 2-lounge space on the 3rd floor of Terminal 2 at Honolulu international airport and the airline has just confirmed that its new lounges will be opening on 24 May 2019.
British Airways Will Offer Lounge Access At More European Destinations This Summer
While British Airways has quite an impressive European route network it's lounge network is less than stellar, and there are quite a few popular destinations around Europe where British Airways and oneworld don't offer elites or premium cabin passengers a lounge to relax in before a flight.
Boeing Will Release “Fixes’ For Its 737 MAX Aircraft By Tomorrow
We still don't know for sure what caused the tragic Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 disasters but we do know that neither Boeing nor the Federal Aviation Administration are coming out of the investigations looking particularly good.
No, It’s Not A Good Thing That The FAA Delegated Certification To Boeing
It's always fun when two bloggers disagree and right now I have a diametrically opposing view to Gary (View From The Wing) on the way the FAA appears to have handled the certification process for the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
The 737 MAX Disasters Have Opened Up Serious Trust & Credibility Issues For Boeing...
Having two new aircraft of the same type involved in tragic and fatal accidents in the space of five months is a very unusual state of affairs but, without any solid information from the authorities investigating the crashes, it's important that we resist the urge to start apportioning blame for those disasters.
JetBlue Launches Its New Airbus A320 Economy Class Cabin Interior
JetBlue has given the Economy Class cabin in its Airbus A320 aircraft a makeover and the first aircraft fitted with the new cabin is now in service. With airlines increasingly densifying their Economy Class cabins at the expense of passengers' personal space it's interesting to see what path JetBlue has taken.
Who Actually Checked That The 737 MAX Was Safe? (Did The FAA Devolve Responsibility...
An article in yesterday's Seattle Times makes for worrying reading if you're a flyer, a Boeing shareholder or a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) manager because it suggests that the certification process for the Boeing 737 MAX was hurried, botched and, to a significant degree, passed back to Boeing engineers to do themselves.
Boeing 737 MAX: Is The US FAA Playing Politics With Passenger Safety?
The European Union, Australia, China and India are just an example of the regions and countries where the 737 MAX aircraft may no longer operate (temporarily) but the US airline regulator (FAA) and the US airlines who operate the aircraft are, at the time of writing, sticking firm in their stance that the aircraft is perfectly safe. Why?
737 MAX 8 Issues: There’s Nothing Boeing Can Say – We Just Have To...
There's no doubt that Boeing has a big issue on its hands with the rapidly growing perception that all may not be quite right with its 737 MAX 8 aircraft but, right now, all we have is speculation and commentary from (mostly) uninformed sources and people demanding that Boeing makes reassuring noises in the direction of the general public.
Star Alliance Opens A New Lounge In Amsterdam
Star Alliance opened up its latest branded lounge at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Friday giving travelers passing through another option of somewhere to spend some time before their next flight.
American Reopens An Admirals Club At Charlotte
American Airlines says that it's preparing for "a big summer" in Charlotte and by that it means that it plans to add services to/from its hub and that it has just reopened a renovated Charlotte Admirals Club at Concourse B.
Air France Opens A “Beauty Treatment Centre” At New York JFK
Back in December Air France unveiled its refurbished dining facility at is lounge in New York JFK Terminal one and it promised more upgrades to come in February this year.
True to its word Air France has just opened its new beauty treatment centre (I'm going to call it a spa from now on) at its JFK T1 lounge in conjunction with skincare specialist la Prairie.
UK Regulator Clamps Down On Online Travel Agency Practices
One of the best things about using the UK version of an online travel agency's (OTA) website is that it shows you the actual cost of your stay upfront when searching for hotels . The prices shown include any taxes payable and, usually, any resort fess are reasonably obvious too...but the OTAs are still coming under pressure from the UK's competition watchdog.
United Airlines Has Confirmed 3 New Domestic Clubs Will Open In 2019
United Airlines has just opened its latest "United Club" at Ft. Lauderdale Hollywood International airport and the airline has used the opening to confirm that a further 3 new domestic clubs will open around the country in 2019.
Delta & JetBlue Announce Extra Flights To/From Atlanta For Super Bowl LIII
Over the weekend the LA Rams and the New England Patriots won their respective championship games to seal their places at Super Bowl LIII which is due to be played in Atlanta on 3 February.
Amex Imposes New Centurion Lounge Restrictions For Platinum Card Holders
American Express Centurion lounges were a breath of fresh air when they first appeared on the scene earlier this decade but their lustre has dulled over the past few years as airline lounges have improved and overcrowding at Centurion Lounges has become a serious problem.
Over the past few years Amex has been forced to address the overcrowding in its popular Centurion Lounges as some lounges (like the one in Miami) were turning into a bit of a joke - I couldn't find a seat in the Miami lounge on 3 of my last 4 visits so have been avoiding it for the past year.
Silvercar Will Now Rent You An Audi Q7 SUV
I've used Silvercar once in my life and I loved the experience. It was probably one of the best rental experiences of my life but, because I'm a cheap when it comes to car rentals, I have never been back for more.
The truth is that I don't rent cars domestically all that often and, when I do actually have to rent a vehicle, I'm usually either renting in locations where Silvercar doesn't have a presence (Hawaii) or I have the luxury of booking so far in advance that Silvercar cannot compete with the rates I'm locking in (especially as I don't really ever need a "nice car"...it just needs to work).
You Can Now Use TSA PreCheck At LAX’s Tom Bradley International Terminal….But When Did...
I fly in and out of LA quite a bit but most of my recent flying has been centered around Terminal 4 so I haven't flown out of airport's "international terminal" for a few months. That's the only explanation I have for how I've managed to miss the news that the Tom Bradley Terminal now offers a TSA PreCheck facility.
United Unveils Its New Polaris Business Class Lounge In Los Angeles
United Airlines will be opening the doors to its new Polaris Business Class lounge in Los Angeles on 12 January 2019 (tomorrow) and the airline has unveiled the first images of what the facility looks like inside.
Qatar Airways Is Selling Access To Its Exclusive Al Safwa First Class Lounge
The Al Safwa First Class lounge is one of the few oneworld First Class lounges where a top-tier Emerald status card won't get you in. Up until now travelers wanting to access the exclusive First Class facility have had to present a boarding pass for a First Class Qatar Airways flight at the reception desk or settle for the Al Mourjan Business Class lounge....but apparently not any more.
A New Delta Sky Club Opens In Phoenix Today – Here’s What It Looks...
Delta has announced that its new Sky Club at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport opens today (8 January 2019) and the airline is keen to highlight 5 features that it says flyers should be looking forward to at its new facility.
You Can Now Get Airport-Specific Deals Through Priority Pass
Priority Pass is the world’s largest independent airport lounge program that gives members access to a network of over 1,200 airport lounges worldwide for a fee. Now the lounge program has introduced Priority Pass Offers which it says will add "a new dimension to your membership".
The UK High Court Forces A Virgin Atlantic Pilots Union To Cancel Its Christmas...
Here's a bit of good news for Virgin Atlantic flyers this holiday season - your travels should now be free from industrial action and, all things remaining the same, Virgin's flights should be operating as normal for the next few weeks.
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