More new flights from Frontier Airlines.

The US low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines is expanding its route network yet again, the airline recently announced a number of new services from  Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina set to start in November this year and operated by one of the carriers Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline is introducing three international routes and two domestic services. 

The Mexican holiday playground of Cancun is the first of the three new services from Raleigh and will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. The current schedule for the new flights will see a departure time of 0600 to land in Cancun at 0926 local time. The return is planned to return at 1021 from the sunny report, landing in North Carolina at 1328.

Montego Bay will start on 17th November this winter and is currently scheduled to operate twice each week, flying on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Provisional timings for this new service indicate it will leave Raleigh at 0600 and arrive Montego Bay at 0905.  The return sector departs some fifty-five minutes later at 1000 with an arrival time at Raleigh of 1310. 

Strange odour forces Frontier flight to divert

A mystery odour on Frontier Airlines flight 1674 to Philadelphia yesterday caused the crew to divert to Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina because the smell was making passengers sick.

The flight from Orlando had 230 passengers and 7 crew members aboard when the mysterious odour began to take effect on some of the passengers and cabin crew, making them nauseous. The crew decided to divert the aircraft to Raleigh-Durham. 

According to a spokesperson for  Frontier Airlines, eight people complained of feeling sick from the smell, three of them were taken to a local hospital to be checked out. The spokesperson advised that "Safety and security of our crew and guests is our number one priority," which is why the crew diverted the flight. It has been reported that a member of the cabin crew was one of those receiving treatment, although this has not yet been confirmed by the airline.

The fire service at Raleigh-Durham met the Airbus A321 aircraft and did an inspection both inside and out, but no cause for the strange and mysterious odour could be found. An investigation is ongoing. 

Radioactive alert closes Budapest Airport for three hours on Wednesday

Photo REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

A radioactive alert caused a terminal at Ferenc Liszt Airport in Budapest Airport to be closed for three hours on Wednesday night. Officials advise that terminal 2B at the airport was shut down between 1930 and 2230 to facilitate a fast investigation into an overheated container carrying a radioactive isotope.

Firemen were seen entering the cargo compartment of a Turkish Airlines aircraft that was parked on the tarmac of Budapest Airport, in Hungary, during the incident that closed the airport. A spokesperson for the Hungarian Disaster Management Authority advised that "Material damaging to health did not get into the environment," adding that "Passengers are perfectly safe."

According to local media reports, the isotope was iridium which had been ordered by a Hungarian company from a firm based in the Russian city of Dimitrovgrad. The container carrying the isotope arrived in Budapest on a Turkish Airlines flight on Wednesday evening from Istanbul.

The passengers and crew of the flight on which the container was carried, nor the passengers and staff at the airport were in any danger according to information from the Disaster Management Authority.  Turkish Airlines has not yet responded to requests for comment. 

US aviation professionals call for long term reauthorisation of the FAA

The US organization representing many of the country's main airlines, Airlines for America (A4A), has joined forces with nearly 30 other key commercial and business aviation associations in sending a letter to the US Senate.

Together this conglomeration of aviation industry professionals are urging the Senate to swiftly consider a long-term reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA's current authority is all set to expire on 30th September this year.

"Every day, the U.S. airline industry delivers safe and affordable air transportation options to millions of travelers, businesses, and shippers around the world, while supporting nearly 11 million jobs and driving $1.5 trillion in economic activity," said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. "Adopting a long-term reauthorization bill will provide stability for the FAA to uphold the highest levels of safety we have today, while providing the certainty that employers need to continue creating new jobs, investing in crucial infrastructure and new technology, and encouraging innovation that will move the industry forward."

Some of the other organisations signing the letter include Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Regional Airline Association (RAA), Regional Air Cargo Carriers Association (RACCA) and Cargo Airline Association (CAA). 

Two new routes from Eilat for WizzAir

Wizz Air, is one of Europe's fastest growing airlines and continues its expansion in Israel, with the launch of two new routes,  Budapest – Eilat (Ovda) and Sofia – Eilat (Ovda). 

These new low-fare services will start operating during November 2018, along with 5 other winter routes from Eilat: London, Vienna, Bucharest, Riga and Warsaw. 

The Budapest – Eilat route operates on Mondays and Fridays and starts of 9th November, with launch fares from €19.99. The Sofia – Eilat route will fly on Tuesdays and Saturdays with effect from 10th November and the launch fares for this route starts off at €19.99.

There's a plushy arrival on Emirates flights

The Dubai based Emirates has introduced new toys from the Emirates Fly with Me collection and Lonely Planet Kids activity kit bags for children travelling in all classes. The new range of toys will come in the top four favourite characters, as voted by customers and fans in a social media competition held last year.

Of the 17 characters Emirates introduced on board in the last three years, the top four characters chosen for the new products are Lewis the Lion, Peek U the Panda, Ernie the Penguin, and Savanna the Elephant. The new collection will be on board all flights and across all classes from this month and so how cute they are too.

Delta and Kenya Airways strike codeshare deal

Delta Air Lines and Kenya Airways expand connectivity between U.S. and Africa.

The US mega-carrier, Delta Air Lines has entered into a codeshare partnership deal with Kenya Airways on flights to and from Kenya Airways' hub at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.  

The deal will see Delta's 'DL' code be placed on Kenya Airways' flights from Amsterdam, Paris, London, and Accra to Nairobi, which will enhance connectivity and provide customers with a one-stop seamless travel experience from the United States. In addition, Delta will place its code on Kenya Airways' services to more than 10 key cities across Africa, including: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Lilongwe, Malawi; Maputo, Mozambique; Johannesburg, South Africa and Djibouti City, Djibouti.

American Airlines A321 turns back for engine issue

An American Airlines flight AA1668 from Charlotte to Chicago had to turn back earlier today following an engine malfunction that caused sparks to fly according to passengers on the flight.

The Airbus A321-231 registration N981UY took off on Wednesday morning on a routine flight to Chicago's O'Hare airport, "As we took off from Charlotte, there was a rattling and shaking on the plane,” Jesse Batson a passenger on the flight told local media, “It was a very bumpy take-off.”

Batson went on to say that the passenger seated next to him at the window as well as others on the flight spotted sparks from the engine on the right side of the aircraft. He then recalled how the pilot used the PA system to advise the passengers there had been a stall in the number 2 engine, it still continued to run but the flight was going to return to Charlotte as a precaution.

EL AL gets retrojet painted Dreamliner as losses mount

The Israeli airline El Al saw its sixth Boeing 787 Dreamliner arrive at its home base of  Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv on the 14th, resplendent in a retro livery. 

The twinjet, registration 4X-EDF arrived at around 08:50 local time on 14th August, following a flight from Boeing in Seattle. The paint job on the 'retrojet' dates from the sixties when it appeared on the airlines Boeing 707's and has been applied to this, the latest aircraft to join the El Al fleet to help commemorate the carrier’s 70th anniversary.

Belize will be 50th international destination for Aeromexico

Aeromexico has announced that it's 50th international destination will be the city of Belize when the carrier starts a twice-weekly winter service ion November this year.

The flights will operate on Saturdays and Sundays and will run every week from 7th November until 28th April next year. The flights are scheduled to leave Mexico City at 0830 with an arrival time of 1030 at Belize. The return flight sector leaves at 1200 and gets back into Mexico City at 1415, local time. 

Aeromexico’s Chief Revenue Officer, Anko van der Werff said “At Aeromexico, we are very happy to announce this new route that has also become the airline’s 50th international destination, which will help us expand our global connectivity network. This achievement is another sign that we are working to offer better products to our customers, removing barriers between countries, regions, and

people.”

Ryanair to face court action over refusal to pay EU261 compensation claims

According to news agency Reuters, the German passenger rights firm, Flightright will be taking low-cost-high-fee airline Ryanair to court over its decision not to pay compensation to passengers affected by recent strikes.

The airline has been bullish towards customers seeking compensation under EU regulations telling them they are not entitled to it,  a spokesperson saying, "Under EU261 legislation, no compensation is payable when the union is acting unreasonably and totally beyond the airline's control. If this was within our control, there would be no cancellations,"

Boeing 737 MAX 8 for Lion Air

Lion Air has taken delivery of a Boeing 737 Max 8 in Seattle, via CMIG Aviation Capital leasing company.

The Lion Air Group has an in-service fleet of 299 aircraft and flies from bases in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia under 5 different brand identities. As a group, it serves more than 200 destinations in over 20 countries, most of which are the Chinese Belt-and-Road regions. The addition of 737 MAX 8, fitted with CFM-LEAP-1B engines, will allow the company to pursue its growth plans. 

Edward Sirait, Lion Air Group CEO, said, "We are delighted to have CMIG as a lessor to the Lion Group and we look forward to expanding and strengthening this business partnership. As the largest domestic operator in Indonesia, safety and reliability are our top priorities. The 737 MAX has built upon our current 737's industry-leading reliability and is providing us with the highest level of air safety for our passengers."

Alaska Air release its July numbers

This week Alaska Air Group Inc. reported its year to date and July operational results, with demonstrated a 7.6 percent increase in traffic on a 6.8 percent increase in capacity compared to July 2017. As a group, the company achieved a load factor increase of 0.7 points to 87.7 percent.

Revenue was also up by 6.9 percent.

New routes from Nashville for Sun Country

The ultra-low-cost airline Sun Country Airlines is continuing its programme of expansion with six new nonstop routes from Nashville.

The Minnesota-based Sun Country will offer nonstop flights from Nashville International Airport to Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, New Orleans and Minneapolis and the carrier is offering introductory fares as low as $49 one way. 

“Nashville is a popular destination for travellers in the Twin Cities, and we are excited to offer them an affordable, nonstop option,” said Jude Bricker, President and CEO of Sun Country Airlines, “The new service in Nashville is part of our continued effort to grow as a brand, which will allow us to invest in our employees and community here in Minnesota.”

Turkish to end new US advertising

Turkish Airlines has put a halt to all its US advertising as the diplomatic tensions between the two nations increase following US President Trump's instigation of double trade tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminium.  

A number of Turkish companies and organisations are calling for a boycott of any American electronic devices as well as halting new advertising with US media establishments. 

The airline's senior management used social media to deliver the message, tweeting, “We as Turkish Airlines are taking our place alongside our state and people,” senior vice president for media relations Yahya Ustun wrote on Twitter with the hashtag #ABDyeReklamVerme, meaning “don’t give advertisements to the USA”. 

There are some calls for the Turkish Government to go further with retaliation against the US for doubling trade tariffs by Trump, according to local media reports. These other steps some are calling for include halting its support for US military using Turkish airspace and the closure of the US Air Force bases in Turkey.