More A380 Woes

Wing cracks on the A380 have grounded some of the super jumbo aircraft.Airbus has insisted the double-decker plane, used by Emirates and Qantas airlines among others, is safe to fly.

However, European aircraft safety authorities have ordered the checks on nearly a third of the A380 fleet in service.

Hairline cracks were discovered on the wings on a number of "non-critical" brackets known as "rib feet" inside the wings during routine inspections, Airbus said.

Similar flaws were spotted earlier this month during the repair of the Qantas aircraft which suffered an engine blow-out after taking off from Singapore in November 2010.

The latest cracks have been described as more significant and it is believed that mainly A380s run by Singapore Airlines and Emirates were affected.

But Airbus's Justin Dubon told Sky News that with more than 2,000 such brackets in each wing - a total of 4,000 per plane - cracks on a small number of rib feet would not affect wing performance.

He added that the cracks were a result of the manufacturing process and not caused in flight.

Airbus aircraft are manufactured in pieces in its engineering centres across Europe and assembled in Toulouse - the wings are assembled in the UK, in the Cheshire town of Broughton.

The European Aviation Safety Agency has issued an order for A380 aircraft which have completed 1,800 flight cycles - take-off and landing - to be visually inspected by January 28.

Planes which have completed between 1,300 and 1,799 flight cycles are required to have the checks within the next six weeks.

With many of the A380 delivered to airlines recently, some of the aircraft which need repairs may still be under a manufacturer's warranty.

The world's largest jetliner, which has two floors and can carry up to 853 passengers, entered service in October 2007 with Singapore Airlines.

The A380 costs $390m (£251m) on average after Airbus announced a price increase on Wednesday.

Gay Movies

Gay movies, we’ve all heard of them, seen them, enjoyed or hated them. Some are great, some good, some fun, some not so good or fun or even that interesting.  Like any genre so broad as this, there are genres within genres within genres, horror, historic, recreations, love stories, coming of age and rite of passage battles, the list probably as endless as we are different.  Yet,  some of these gay movies are better than others,  some more popular, well known, enjoyable, worthy or just plain silly,  but all have some   are level of influence, be it tiny or great. Take Philadelphia and Brokeback Mountain for example, both I’m sure you’ll agree had a fair level of influence on audiences, both mainstream and gay as well as the media and the movie industry as a whole,  but that’s only my thoughts,  what are yours,  what do you think have been the most influential gay movies over the last 50 years?  Surly you have a view, perhaps you’re a gay movie fan, or connoisseur or maybe you like most are just a casual watcher, you may be bi, straight or gay, it doesn’t matter, I want to hear your views,  what you think are the most influential gay movies of the last 50 years. 

Please leave me a comment in the comment section below,  or email  gaymovies@seafrontdiary.com    or if you prefer,  text 075 123 76995

Please leave me a comment in the comment section below,  or email  gaymovies@seafrontdiary.com    or if you prefer,  text 075 123 76995

Singapore Airlines Big Boeing Order

Singapore Airlines has ordered eight Boeing 777-300 Extended Range (ER) airplanes. The Singapore Airlines order is valued at $2.4 billion at Boeing current list prices. 


The order was first announced on 10 August 2011 but attributed on Boeing's Orders Deliveries website to an unidentified customer. In total, Singapore Airlines has ordered 85 Boeing 777s, 27 of which are 777-300ERs. 


 "This order is part of our ongoing fleet expansion and modernization program, which enables us to offer our latest cabin products to our customers," said Goh Choon Phong, chief executive officer for Singapore Airlines (SIA).


 "The additional 777-300ERs will also help us further strengthen the Singapore Airlines network, providing our customers even more travel options." SIA currently operates nearly every 777 model produced, including the 777-200, 777-200ER, 777-300 and 777-300ER.

Lion Air's roar for 230 Boeing 737's

Indonesia's Lion Air has agreed to buy 230 Boeing 737 aircraft with a list price of $21.7 billion, the White House said on Thursday, touting the sale as the US firm's biggest-ever commercial order.

The deal was announced soon after President Barack Obama touched down in Bali for the East Asia summit on the final leg of a regional tour partly aimed at drumming up markets for US products at a time of slow growth back home.

The White House also highlighted other deals, some already announced, including the sale of eight Boeing 777 planes to Singapore Airlines and an order for Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters by Brunei's ministry of defence.

UK biggest airlines join forces

The bosses of four of the biggest airlines in the UK have put their various feuds on hold to demand that the government scrap the tax that all passengers must pay on flights departing from the UK.

The chief executives of British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair andeasyJet claimed on Thursday that air passenger duty (APD) is "incredibly damaging" to the economy.

In an unprecedented demonstration of unity in the fiercely competitive aviation industry, the bosses joined together to claim that the tax, which generates £2.2bn a year for the Treasury, is a drain on the economy because it puts tourists off visiting the UK and discourages businesses from investing in Britain.

Emirates Massive Boeing Order.

( Emirates airline placed a blockbuster order for 50 Boeing (BA.N) 777 jetliners at the Dubai Air Show on Sunday, underscoring the confidence brimming among fast-growing Gulf airlines despite growing fears of stalling global growth.

UA and CO merge moves ahead.

In a recent speech, Jeff Smisek, CEO of United Continental Holdings, likened merging two large airlines to a total house remodeling. 


 "We are not doing painting and spackling here," he told a group of business executives in Chicago. Like a large construction project, the integration of United and Continental airlines is having its share of drama: meshing disparate cultures; the issue of new union representation contracts running behind schedule; some disgruntled pilots; customer confusion; and a long to-do list that includes minute details such as the proper verbiage when warning flight attendants to prepare for takeoff.


 Executives at United Continental maintain that crucial operational issues have been addressed and that the merger is proceeding without major glitches. "From my perspective, things are on track," says Jim Compton, United Continental's chief revenue officer. "Merging two airlines is a long process and complicated. We have a lot of work ahead of us." United and Continental announced their $3 billion merger in May 2010, creating the world's largest airline to be branded "United." They said they would generate up to $1.2 billion from cost savings and new revenue from their combined flight networks. The combined airlines would generate annual revenue of about $29 billion (based on 2009 financial results), they said. 


Shareholders approved the deal in September 2010. For now, the two carriers are flying under their own banners, and the company doesn't expect to finish merging the two reservation systems until the end of March. But some early integration tasks, such as painting planes and replacing signs, are proceeding quickly. Other crucial customer service issues — aligning frequent-flier programs, recoding kiosk software, agreeing on a reservation system standard — have made progress, too, Compton says. United Continental also has begun to rejigger the combined fleets by shifting some planes to better matching routes. For example, a United Boeing 777 plane, with both first- and business-class cabins, has replaced the business-class-only 757 jet used by Continental from Newark to Brussels, considered a premium market. 


 Mark Ozenick, an aviation consultant at SSA & Co., says dealing with mechanical and hardware issues is easier than combining and transforming the culture. "Where mergers fail is when they don't humanize the process and are not integrating the culture," he says. "Continental has a reputation for being very customer-centric. United not so much. At least that's the perception in the marketplace."


Read more 

Still learning how to make aircraft, but I am buying 55 of them

The European plane maker Airbus was subjected to deep public humiliation this week by one of its most important customers!


Qatar Airways accused the aircraft maker of “still learning how to make aeroplanes”. Akbar Al Baker, the outspoken chief executive of the expansionist Gulf carrier, used the platform of the Dubai air show to strongly criticise Airbus’ new widebody aircraft, the A350, and to threaten to pull a big order for other planes. 


He gambled on fear of a potential massive order loss to get a much better deal from Airbus.   It's been reported although not confirmed that his public bashing of Airbus saved his company nearly $20,000 on each of the 55 air frames he later ordered.   


The order for 55 aircraft with Airbus is worth $6.4bn at list prices, but we know that the list price is nowhere near the price Qatar will be paying. 


Qatar is the launch customer for the manufacturer’s popular new narrow-body plane, the A320 Neo. The gulf airline currently has a fleet of 103 aircraft, which Mr Al Baker expects to increase to 170 by 2016. 


Mr Al Baker told a morning press conference that he didn't feel he could go anywhere with Airbus, over a “large” order of planes. “Unfortunately I feel Airbus is … still learning how to make airplanes,” he said. Mr Al Baker piled on further embarrassment on the European Aeronautic Defence and Space company complaining its planned new A350 long-haul aircraft was taking so long. 


Qatar have ordered 50 of the A320 Neo short-haul aircraft and five A380 superjumbos.

Frontier to cut jobs.

Frontier Airlines will cut at least 220 jobs as it reduces flights, cuts the number of seats and the Indianapolis-based parent Republic Airways Holdings looks to spin off or sell the airline.


 Company officials said the reductions in Frontier’s workforce, which totals about 5,000, may be accomplished through attrition or voluntary leaves rather than all of them as layoffs. The reductions are expected to be at Frontier’s primary hub airports in Denver and Milwaukee. The carrier is cutting more than 20 flights a day, roughly one-third, of its traffic at Milwaukee. 


 Frontier still has a handful of flights daily at Indianapolis International Airport. Republic Airways acquired the financially distressed Frontier and Midwest airlines two years ago and combined them under the Frontier brand name. Since then, Republic Airways has struggled with Frontier’s profitability in the face of rising fuel prices and the stiff headwinds of competition. The current strategy is to position Frontier among the ultra low-fare carriers while flying larger airplanes with more seats to sell. Last week, Chief Executive Bryan Bedford told Wall Street analysts that the company’s board of directors has agreed to hire an advisor to assess the financial future of Frontier and possible options to sell the airline to another carrier or to investors or an equity fund or to spin it off to shareholders.

Spirit double booking fee.

Spirit Airlines Inc. is nearly doubling the fee it charges to book domestic tickets online.

The Miramar-Fla. company increased its "passenger usage fee" from $8.99 each way to $16.99 last week, according to spokeswoman Misty Pinson. The international fee fell $2 each way to $16.99.

Spirit aims to charge its passengers low base fares but then adds a bevy of fees for everything from placing a carry-on bag in the overhead bin to having a glass of water onboard. In January it plans to start charging $5 for each boarding pass a ticket agent prints.

The passenger usage fee is charged to anyone buying tickets online, which are the bulk of Spirit's sales. Anybody who treks to the airport to buy a ticket can avoid the fee.

Porter wins praise.

Porter Airlines is celebrating its recent ranking as the highest rated Canadian Airline in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Top 30 Airlines category.

The survey also places Porter in second place worldwide in the Small Airlines category, and fifth place worldwide in the Top 30 Airlines category, which includes elite industry leaders such as Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Emirates.

The annual awards reflect the opinions and preferences of Condé Nast Traveler's discerning readers, who rate destinations they visited in the past year, and the means of getting to them. Over 28,000 people voted in the 2011 survey, which selected the top cities, hotels, airlines and more.

"Condé Nast Traveler is widely recognized as a trusted source for travel advice and information, and we're proud to be chosen by readers as one of the best airlines in the world," said Robert Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines. "Our passengers enjoy a truly unique premium travel experience, and this distinction is proof of that."

Offering a blend of speed, convenience and service, Porter has revolutionized short-haul air travel since its launch in 2006, rapidly becoming an industry leader and developing a loyal following among business and leisure travellers in each of its 18 markets.

About Porter Airlines Porter Airlines is Canada's third-largest scheduled carrier, based at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Porter is an Official 4 Star Airline® in the World Airline Star Rating® by Skytrax, committed to offering speed, convenience and service as part of a premium travel experience. A refined journey begins on the ground with comfortable airport lounges and service-oriented team members. The experience continues seamlessly in the air with spacious interiors and well-appointed crew. Passengers enjoy complimentary services, including free in-flight wine, beer and premium snacks, all aboard modern aircraft.

The airline currently offers flights to Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Moncton, Halifax, St. John's, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins, Windsor, New York (Newark), Chicago (Midway), Boston (Logan), and has seasonal flights to Mt. Tremblant, Que., Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Burlington, Vt.

Air France KLM slide in profits

Air France-KLM reported a steep slide in profitability in the quarter ended Sept. 30, as passenger traffic was insufficient to offset a higher fuel bill, and set a three-pronged recovery plan to get the airline back on an even keel.

The airline issued a profit warning for the full year, saying it now expects to report an operating loss in the year's last quarter, as well as for the 12 months through Dec. 31, compared with previous guidance of a higher operating profit.

Air France-KLM is changing its financial year to the calendar year from a year that ended on March 31.

Net profit for the three months ended Sept. 30—the second quarter of the current financial year that exceptionally will be for only nine months—was €14 million ($19.4 million), compared with €290 million a year earlier.

WSJ

Airbus ends A340 production

 Airbus SAS has ended production of its four-engine A340 aircraft after the jet with the company’s longest fuselage lost out to Boeing Co.’s twin-engine 777 model.

Airbus, the world’s largest maker of commercial aircraft, announced the end of the program today as parent European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. reported earnings. Terminating the program will lead to an operating gain of 192 million euros ($261 million), EADS said, without explaining why it’s concluding production of the jet that started service in 1993.

“In an environment where the fuel price is high, the A340 has had no chance to compete against similar twin engines, and the current lease rates and values of this aircraft reflect the deep resistance of any airlines to continue operating it,” said Bertrand Grabowski, managing director of the transport group at DVB Bank SE, among the biggest aircraft financiers in Europe.

Kingfisher cancels over 80 flights -

Kingfisher Airlines appears to be in deep trouble,  the airline had cancelled over 80 flights and faces a very uncertain future.  The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to Kingfisher Airlines after the latter cancelled at least 80 flights over the past three days, saying it was taking some of its aircraft off flight schedules to add business class seats on them.

Qantas A380 diverts to Dubai after engine problem

An engine fault forced a Qantas Airways A380 plane bound for London to divert to Dubai on Friday, exactly a year since a mid-air engine blowout prompted the Australian airline to ground its entire fleet of A380 superjumbos for nearly a month.

The Airbus aircraft had an "oil quantity defect" in one engine which was switched off according to standard procedure, a Qantas spokeswoman in Sydney said, adding Qantas engineers would investigate the problem.

The plane, with 258 people on board, including English actor, comedian and writer Stephen Fry, landed safely in Dubai.