WestJet's profits soar!

 

A steady demand to fly, despite fare hikes designed to offset rising fuel prices, helped send WestJet's profits for the first three months of the year soaring.

Air India cancels 221 flights -

 

As many as 221 Air India flights on the domestic operations were cancelled, as the strike by nearly half of the carrier's 1,600 pilots entered the eighth day on Wednesday, with operations restricted to the trunk routes between metros.
But the Air India management said some 100-odd flights of sister budget carrier Alliance Air had been deployed to ferry passengers as no reconciliation was in sight between the management and the striking pilots, co-opted from the erstwhile Indian Airlines .

American Airlines flight makes emergency landing

 

 

A American Airlines Boeing 777 made an emergency landing at Moncton International Airport at 2:44 p.m. Tuesday.

Emergency crews were on the scene as an American Airlines flight, en route from London’s Heathrow Airport to Chicago O’Hare, reported an electrical smell inside the cockpit.

All 150 passengers and on board were safe.

Passengers remained on the plane while the cause of the problem was determined, said to be a battery issue.

Virgin Blue renamed Virgin Australia

 

Richard Branson (R) and Virgin Australia CEO, John Borghetti (L) arrive on the new airline's Airbus A330-200 at Sydney Airport. Photo: AFP

Richard Branson has finally unveiled one of the worst-kept secrets in Australian aviation.

The English entrepreneur and publicity seeker jetted into Sydney this morning aboard an aircraft emblazoned with the new name of Australia’s second-largest airline.

American Airlines criticised for 'Face of Your Base' beauty contest

 

American Airlines has been criticised for holding a 'ridiculous beauty contest' in its search for the best-looking flight attendants.

The airline launched a competition to find attractive male and female crew members to appear as models in a photo-shoot for the airline, reports the UK’s Daily Mail.

Second black box may finally unlock secrets of Air France crash

 

The cockpit voice recorder from an Air France airliner that crashed into the Atlantic two years ago was found yesterday. The jet's flight data recorder was recovered on Sunday.

A robot submarine, operating more than two miles below the surface, recovered the devices from flight AF447 flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, which crashed on 1 June 2009 killing all 228 passengers and crew.

Oman Air Expands

The National Carrier of the Sultanate of Oman will be resuming services between Salalah and Dubai from May 4th and between Muscat and Zanzibar from May 16th. Salalah flights will operate twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Zanzibar will operate 3 times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Air France Flight Recorder Recovered

Breaking news, 

earch teams on Sunday retrieved one of two black box flight recorders of an Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic while on a Rio-Paris flight in 2009, French investigators said.

"The investigation team located and identified the memory unit from the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) at 10 h UTC this morning," said France's Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA), which has been tasked with probing the disaster which killed 228 people.

In a statement, the agency added that the device was "in good physical condition" after it was "raised and lifted by the Remora 6000 ROV (robot submarine) on board the ship Ile de Sein at 16h40 UTC".

"At this stage, the box seems to be in good physical condition. Our experts will tell us if there's hope to read the data," said BEA director Jean-Paul Troadec.

"If the data can be used it will allow the enquiry to make headway because the FDR (flight data recorder) records the altitude, speed, and the various positions of the rudder," Troadec added.

American Airlines Selected as Official Sponsor of 'Meet in Beijing'

 

American Airlines is proud to be one of only two corporate sponsors of the 2011 Meet in Beijing Arts Festival, an event that attracts world-class international performers and artists to Beijing. Held annually for the last 10 years, this year's festival runs from this week until the end of May, and spotlights how expressions of culture transcend beyond arts and entertainment, embracing friendship, education, and cultural diversity.

"Bringing the people and cultures of the world together is what air travel is all about," said Gerard Arpey, American's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Like air travel, the arts lift our spirits, broaden our horizon and give us a fresh perspective on the world around us.

"I would like to congratulate and thank the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China for making Meet in Beijing the biggest such festival in Asia," Arpey added. "We know this year's festival will be another great success."

"Dubai was Right" says flydubai CEO

Ghaith Al Ghaith hails the vision and courage of the Government of Dubai and developers who continued to invest during the economic crisis

Dubai, UAE, May 01, 2011 - On the eve of the region's biggest tourism industry event, Arabian Travel Market, Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO of Dubai's first low cost airline, flydubaiflydubai, has paid tribute to those who continued to develop the tourism infrastructure in Dubai during the worst of the global economic crisis.

Air India cancels flights as pilots strike for pay | ajc.com

 

Air India pilots demanding more pay are on strike for a fifth day in defiance of a court order to return to work and spare the airline from further losses.

 

AirAsia to introduces fuel surcharges

 

AirAsia is to introduce fuel surcharges from May, it announced April 29, becoming one of the first major low-cost airlines to do so.

Alaska Airlines aims to keep flying higher

 

When Alaska Airlines Group CEO William Ayer told an audience of Portland business leaders in February that he aims to establish a direct flight between Portland and Washington, D.C., he got an enthusiastic ovation.

Frontier Cuts Fares

 

The times are changing for travelers who have grown weary of airline fees adding to their travel costs. We usually see airlines raising fees right before the busy summer travel season, but this year, passengers are getting some good news instead.

AirTran & Southwest Airlines Merger

 

With AirTran merger, Southwest Airlines to gain toehold in Memphis

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AirTran has been in Memphis International since 1993, when it began as ValuJet, and has helped hold down Memphis-Atlanta fares.

Southwest Airlines executives predicted in the 1980s that one day they'd be in Memphis. That day is Monday.