More Job Cuts Ahead for Iberia

The Willie Walsh hatchet is about the slice through staff numbers again,  this time the IAG boss is hoping to shed over one and half thousand from the Spanish arm Iberia.

Walsh famous for his antagonistic attitude towards staff relations authorised the International Consolidated Airlines Group to release the news last week. The troubled once proud Spanish airline, Iberia has already began a consultation period to cut 1,581 staff. The consultation period is just a legal formality the company has to go through before laying off the staff. Although of course, the company in public still state they are 'in negotiations' with the unions and job cuts were only one option, we understand the decision has already been made - and budgeted for.

American's $2.6 Billion Engine Deal

CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric Aviation and Safran of France, said on Sunday that it had been picked by American Airlines Group to provide engines for 100 Airbus A320neo jets the airline has on order.

CFM said the order is worth $2.6 billion at list prices.

The deal confirms what sources familiar with the matter told Reuters this month and marks a loss for United Technologies Corp's Pratt and Whitney unit, which makes the other engine offered on the Airbus A320neo.

Source Reuters

Virgin Pay £47,600 Compensation For One Delayed Flight

Virgin Atlantic has had to fork out £47,600 compensation to 101 passengers who had been delayed on one of their flights from the US in 2012.  The flight had been delayed by around 26 hours and the airline was forced to make the payout following last month’s Huzar ruling at the Court of Appeal, which stated that airlines cannot reject claims for delays caused by technical defects.

Star Alliance Membership for Air India

Air India is adding 400 daily flights and more than 40 new destinations in India to the Star Alliance network.

The far reaching Indian flag carrier now offers through check-in to the final destination for connecting flights operated by any alliance member airline, this is for both passengers and their baggage.  Air India's membership brings the Star Alliance network up to 27 member airlines, offering over  18,500 daily flights to amazing 1,316 destinations in 192 countries.

Passengers will benefit from a wider choice on routes connecting North America, Europe, Asia and Australia via the Indian sub-continent.  Star Alliance chief executive Mark Schwab said: “This is an important day for us. We have said for many years that we needed a strong home carrier in the Indian market and by welcoming Air India to our Star Alliance family, we have achieved this goal.  We know that the ‘new’ Air India is looking forward to providing the Star Alliance customer benefits to many more travellers.”

The airline’s chairman and managing director Rohit Nandan said: “From today, we open up a completely different world for our passengers, who can now travel to over 1,300 destinations right across the network and enjoy world-class service, better connectivity and seamless travel wherever they go.”

Gulf Air

In February, Kamal Ahmed, the transport minister of the tiny Gulf state of Bahrain, told Arabian Business that “no-one wants” the top job at Gulf Air, the country’s flag-carrier. It was a candid admission for a company that, long before the rise of super-connectors Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways, had once been considered the Middle East’s pre-eminent airline. Several foreign candidates had been offered the job, Mr Ahmed explained, but all turned it down over fears of political interference. Given that Gulf Air’s nine-strong board includes four serving ministers plus an advisor to the Crown Prince, they may have had a point. Two decades of near-consistent financial losses will also have dampened their enthusiasm. But someone had to hold the fort, and under the stewardship of acting CEO Maher Al Musallam–who has been in charge for 18 months–Gulf Air appears to be making headway. Reports the Gulliver blog in The Economist.

Whizz Air New Routes to Poland

It has been annouced this week that three new routes to Poland are to be introduced by low cost outfit Wizz Air this winter.

The Eastern European super low-cost carrier is going to commence flights from Glasgow to Katowice and Poznan on October 26 and October 28 respectively.

From London Luton the airline plans to launch a link to Szczecin on October 27 as the airline seeks to greatly expand its Polish network.   Flights to Groningen in Holland from Gdansk and flights to Maastricht from Katowice will also start on October 28. A Bergen-Warsaw link is also being added.

These six new routes take the total Wizz Air routes to 90 in 17 countries from Poland.

Air France - KLM Profits Dive

The future is not looking rosy for the  Air France-KLM dire conglomerate as profits are set to dive by as much as 12% in the face of increasing competition in the long-haul airline sector.  The Franco-Dutch airline profit warning sent its shares crashing down by 5%. 

This weeks unexpected profit warning sent shares at British Airways and Iberia parent International Airlines Group down almost 7% to 336¼p. IAG shares were changing hands at 420p prior to Lufthansa’s warning.  

UK punctuality Best Ever

Airline punctuality at UK airports achieved the best performance in the first quarter of this year since records began in 1992.

A total of 84% of scheduled flights landing ‘on-time’ in the January to March period - a six percentage point improvement on the same period in 2013.  The average delay was nine minutes, a reduction of four minutes year on year. The overall on-time performance for charter flights was 76% - an increase of seven percentage points, with the average delay falling by five minutes.

ANZ Pulls Sexist Safety Video

The words “Fasten your seatbelt” have never been so alluring, at least for some that happened to view the new flight safety video from Air New Zealand,  however not everyone was impressed with the kiwi carrier's latest in-flight video, which puts scantily clad Sports Illustrated models front and center.

The video, titled “Safety in Paradise,” featured Australia’s Jessica Gomes along with Christie Brinkley, Chrissy Teigen, Hannah Davis and Ariel Meredith all running through the routine of aeroplane safety pointers while looking glamorous in their bikinis on the shores of the Cook Islands.

The four-minute clip, which has been viewed more than 5 million times on YouTube, sparked an online backlash, with a petition attracting 10,000 signatures on change.org.

Led by Melbourne woman Natasha Young, the petition says the safety video is sexist and “should not be an excuse to objectify the sexualized female body.”

“This video completely disregards passengers who find it offensive for religious reasons, who have body image struggles, who are parents concerned about their children’s impressionable nature, who believe women deserve more respect, and who have teenage daughters who deserve more respect,” the petition reads.

“This video is culturally insensitive; it disregards those who are conservative by nature and are uncomfortable with its imagery and disregards passengers who have been exposed to sexual assault.

“Air NZ appears determined to insist that skies are sexy regardless of who they offend.”

Some people (well, men) loved the video, others found it sexist, and more couldn’t see what the fuss was about. An Air New Zealand spokesperson said the video was not pulled due to the online backlash and it was always intended to be removed after it had completed its run. Proving once again the airline doesn't listen to its passengers and customers.

New Security Checks at UK Airports

Security screening changes continue to cause confusion for UK travellers.  First eight days ago passengers booked on US bound flights were warned to make sure electronic items were fully charged before they boarded or they wouldn't be allowed to take them onboard.   The British Airways issued a travel advice that stated if the device did not turn on then on the flight you would not go.  

Yesterday, the UK's Department for Transport (DfT) says the rules apply to any flights into or out of the UK, although not every flight will be affected.  The rules apply to all portable electronic devices, including cameras, tablets, ebook readers, laptops, MP3 players and phones. Previously the warning had been about two makes of phone and laptops.

The DfT says that in the event a passenger arrives at an airport gate with a device that does not switch on, it will be at the discretion of the airline what happens next. Its potluck whether passengers will ever see their electronic gadgetry again,  some may have it posted to a home address,  others may be able to collect it up on their return, whilst others may have halt or alter travel plans completely.   

Pilot Pays For Pizza

A big hearted Frontier Airlines pilot helped take some of the pain out of a delayed flight on Monday for his passengers,  he ordered pizza for all 160 of them!  

The unusual event started on Frontier Airlines Flight 719 around 7:40 p.m. US Eastern Time on Monday  7th July when the plane departed Ronald Reagan airport in Washington, heading for Denver an hour behind schedule. 

However, bad weather in the Denver area forced the plane to circle over western Nebraska before low fuel levels necessitated a landing at Cheyenne Regional Airport in Wyoming. It was at that point that the pilot, whose name has not been released, took command of the situation. 'Ladies and gentleman, Frontier Airlines is known for being one of the cheapest airlines in the US, but your captain is not cheap,' the pilot said over the PA according to passenger Logan Marie Torres   'I just ordered pizza for the entire plane.'"

Long Haul Budget Plans for Lufthansa

Germany's Lufthansa says it plans to expand its budget airline operation to offer long-haul flights, possibly in cooperation with Turkish Airlines.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Germany's biggest airline, has been trying to cut costs amid tough competition from European budget carriers and aggressively expanding government-owned Gulf airlines.

Emirates Massive 777x Order

Dubai's Emirates Airlines confirmed an order for 150 777X on Wednesday in a deal valued at $56 billion at list prices.

The deal for two types of the 777X was first announced at the Dubai air show in November and helped launch the jet, making it the largest product launch in commercial aircraft history. Emirates has ordered 115 777-9X and 35 777-8X. It also holds purchase rights for an additional 50 versions of the jet, which could increase the total deal size to $75 billion at list prices.

Emirates chief Tim Clark said his airline now operates 138 777 aircraft and has 208 Boeing 777s, either the current or revamped versions, pending delivery. "The 777X will offer us operational flexibility in terms of range, more passenger capacity and fuel efficiency," Mr. Clark said in a statement issued by Boeing.

The more fuel-efficient 777X is expected to begin production in 2017 for delivery in 2020. To date, the aircraft has won 300 orders and commitments from six customers worldwide, including Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, Emirates' rivals in the Persian Gulf.

Hate Spirit's Latest Gimmick.

Apparently there are few airlines in the world that are as misunderstood as much as the US low cost carrier Spirit Airlines. This much hated airline uses the normal low-cost model of charging for everything it can -  including carry-on bags, pre-assigned seating, food and beverage, credit card handling charges and so on.  It also has one of the tightest seat pitches of any airline in the world, just 28″ of space, to which the American traveller have to squeeze themselves. (United, by comparison, has between 30-36″ in economy). 

Spirit's marketing campaigns have often left a lot to be desired, many  are seen as tasteless. However,  the management care little about the product or the service,  they are just in the business to make money, so passenger satisfaction isn't something they even consider - As Spirit’s CEO, Ben Baldaza is famously quoted, “Let [the customer] tell the world how bad we are. He’s never flown us before anyway and will be back when we save him a penny.”

The airline doesn't care about its reputation, indeed its turning all that hate into yet another marketing gimmick -  A new campaign launched this week called Hate Thousand Miles invites passengers to voice their “hate” over the airline and the industry at large in a light-hearted effort to let out some steam. In return, passengers will receive 8,000 miles gratis, almost enough for a free one way trip on the airline.   Only thing is -  in order to get enough miles to take a free flight, you've got to buy one first, earning the 2,000 or so required.  

Near Miss at Barcelona?

A plane spotter has captured footage of an apparent "near miss" between two planes at Barcelona airport,

The footage shows a Boeing 767 from the Russian airline UTair coming in to land on a runway at El Prat airport.

But as the plane prepares to touch down, an Aerolineas Argentineas Airbus A340 is seen taxiing across the runway, while the Russian jet pulls up.

However, officials were quoted as saying the manoeuvre was normal and passengers were not in danger.

None of the passengers on either plane were hurt.

Sources at Spanish airport authority AENA told La Vanguardia newspaper that the planes were more than 1km ( 0.6 miles) apart at all times, and that the angle of the shot makes the planes appear closer to each other than they actually were.

Both planes were in the correct position and the Russian jet could have landed safely, the sources said. Neither of the two airlines had lodged a complaint, they added.

However, it is not clear why the pilot of the Russian plane took the decision to abort the landing.

Financial Trouble for Malaysian Airlines

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - As scores of small-time investors gathered in the utilitarian surrounds of Malaysia Airlines training centre on June 25 for the company’s annual shareholders meeting, the mood in the room was one of anger and frustration.

Investor after investor questioned the directors on why, after so many years of restructuring, the airline still could not create a sustained profit.

"I listen patiently year after year and the same things are said," said retired researcher Rahim Bidin to enthusiastic applause. "And every year nothing happens. I'm very disappointed with the performance. If you cannot solve the problems then let someone else (try)."

Ryanair Planes Collide

Ryanair turned into Ryanscare for the passengers on two of its recent flights when the collided at London's Stansted Airport on Saturday. 

Passengers faced delays of up to three hours after a Warsaw-bound plane and an aircraft from Frankfurt Hahn that had just landed, collided in the parking area of Stansted Airport at about 6.45am.

The crash occurred when the wing tip of one plane and the tail cone of another "made contact", Ryanair said.

Essex Police said routine breath tests on both pilots returned zero readings and no one was hurt.

Both of the planes were Boeing 737-800 models, which can carry up to 189 passengers, a Ryanair spokesman confirmed.

One passenger on the Warsaw-bound flight said on Twitter: "Huge loud crashing noise and totally felt the crush sitting at the back. Thank God it only hit the wing as if it was the body of the plane it'd been apocalypse."

Ryanair spokesman Robin Kiely said: "This morning at London Stansted the wing tip and tail cone of two Ryanair aircraft made contact while one aircraft was taxiing to stand and the other was commencing pushback from stand.

"Customers were disembarked and boarded two replacement aircraft which departed Stansted with a delay of approximately three hours.

"Our Stansted based engineering team are currently investigating and will repair both aircraft and return them to service as soon as possible.

"Ryanair sincerely apologises to affected customers for any inconvenience."

Escape Slide Inflates in Flight - United

An evacuation slide inflated inside a United Airlines plane as it flew from Chicago to Southern California, filling part of the cabin and prompting the pilot to make an emergency landing in Kansas.

Passenger Mike Schroeder said he was sitting in the front row of the plane bound for Orange County, California, late Sunday when he heard a hiss and pop behind him.

Schroeder, 58, turned around and saw the Boeing 737-700's evacuation slide inflating. The slide — which would normally inflate outside the plane in an emergency — filled the galley.

"I thought to myself, 'I hope there is no one in the restroom because if they are they're not coming out for a long time,'" he said in a telephone interview.

United Airlines officials said in a statement that no one aboard Flight 1463 was injured.

United said the plane would be flown without passengers to a larger airport for a complete inspection to determine how and why the slide accidentally deployed. Spokeswoman Christen David said she had no details about whether the incident would trigger additional inspections or whether similar incidents had occurred on other United aircraft. Federal aviation officials were investigating.

MH370 Power Outage Tampering?

Authorities investigating the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have found evidence of a mysterious power outage.

Data reveals a “log-on” request was made to a satellite just an hour-and-a-half into the flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The log-on request (known in the aviation business as a “handshake”) was described as “not common” in the report released by The Australian Transport Safety Bureau last week.

It adds a “handshake” can occur for only a few reasons: “These include a power interruption to the aircraft satellite data (SDU) unit, a software failure, loss of critical systems providing input to the SDU or a loss of the link due to aircraft altitude.

“An analysis was performed which determined that the characteristics and timing of the logon requests were best matched as resulting from power interruption to the SDU.”

Aviation expert Peter Marosszeky, from the University of New South Wales, told the Sydney Morning Herald the power outage could be linked to an attempt by hijackers to tamper with cockpit equipment in a bid to avoid radar detection.

He said: “If there was a crew wanting to do something that was rather sinister or there were hijackers on board, they would remove power by opening up the bus-tie breakers and opening up the battery control switch.

More Order's for Bombardier CRJ900

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that a customer, who has requested to remain unidentified at this time, has placed a firm order for 16 CRJ900 NextGen regional jets and has also taken options for eight additional airliners of the same type.

Based on the list price for the CRJ900 NextGen aircraft, the firm order is valued at approximately $727 million USD. The value could increase to $1.12 billion USD should the customer exercise its options.

"Bombardier's CRJ900 NextGen airliner was already recognized for the strength and reliability of its performance and as the most cost-efficient jet aircraft in its class," said Ray Jones, Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Asset Management, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "With the most recent enhancements to the aircraft, we have raised the bar on performance once again, reducing the CRJ900 NextGen airliner's fuel burn by up to 5.5 per cent compared to earlier-generation CRJ900 aircraft, and making it the ideal tool for operators to develop new markets and increase frequencies."

Delta Fuel Leak

BREAKING NEWS

A Delta Airlines jet was forced to return to the airport in Jamaica shortly after takeoff Monday because of an apparent mechanical problem in one of its engines, the company said.

The MD-88 experienced a pneumatic leak in its No. 2 engine and returned safely to the airport in Kingston, spokesman Morgan Durrant said.

The Atlanta-bound flight had 149 passengers and a crew of five.

Jamaica Fire Brigade spokesman Emilio Ebanks told RJR News in Jamaica that the plane was airborne when smoke was seen coming from it. Durrant says there was no fire.

Delta planned to re-route a new aircraft to Jamaica for the flight to Atlanta.

The Return of People Express

I remember the jumbos coming in to land at Gatwick during the 80's, a distinctive brown livery and wavy line faces on the tail cut a dash at the satellite pier. Nicknamed 'Pony Express' the American airline People Express was perhaps one of the first real budget carriers in the world, they sold really cheap tickets, I mean really really cheap! 

People Express 747 at Gatwick

And now, this 80's airline is set to sore into the skies above again. Using the retro name designed to appeal to those of us who are old enough to remember the 80's and kindle a little nostalgic for an old iconic old brand.

People Express was first launched in 1981, it was, I believe the first in the world to charge extra for things like putting bags into the hold,drinks and snacks and not having free meals like all the other airlines of the time.  

People Express took phone bookings and also accepted on-board payments, making it appear to many as working just like a bus service. During the height of its popularity and success, you could travel from New York to London on an old 747 for less than £90! or $149 one way.

The airline also offered staff stocks so that they were invested in the company and therefore offered better customer service.  However, despite this passion many of the staff would jokingly call company People Distress or Pony Express. It over stretched itself with ambitions expansions was soon in finacial bother. So much so that it was eventually sold to Continental Airlines during 1987.

Now, the name is set to soar again! Promising a return to 'the joy of flying' with similarly bargain-basement prices as the forerunner.  Based in Newport, Virginia, the airline plans to run US national flights, covering routes that currently under serviced by other airlines.

The first flights, costing from $76 /£45 will take off on June 30, travelling to New York's Newark Airport as well as Boston and Pittsburgh, before expanding into Florida and New Orleans. 

There are no plans to make a return to London Gatwick, or any other European destination at the moment, but you never know, the airline industry has a habit of causing a few surprises! 

'With the advent of no-frills pricing, flying became more affordable. Unfortunately, something was lost in the process. The joy of flying.  -   We're not OK with that. You shouldn't be either. You should demand better. Low fares and better treatment.'  claims the new website.  'We're going to treat you like we actually want your business. Because we do. And not just for the low fares, either. You'll see. 'It's time to fly smart. Again.'

Welcome back People Express.

UK Court Case Could Cost Airlines Millions.

Fourteen words said in a London court last week could make your future flight tickets £5 or £10 more expensive!

"This appeal is dismissed and leave to appeal to the Supreme Court is refused."

Those 14 words have established a legal precedent that could cost airlines millions of pounds – and affect your future travels, reports travel journalist Simon Calder. 

In October 2011, Mr Huzar was booked on a Jet2 flight from Manchester to Malaga. A faulty fuel valve meant he and the other passengers eventually arrived in Spain 27 hours late.

Now, every departure from an EU airport, and any flight by an EU airline worldwide, is covered by European passenger-rights legislation known as EC261. The airline must provide accommodation and meals as appropriate, as Jet2 did in this case. When the European law came into effect in 2005, cash compensation was stipulated only for cancellation and overbooking – not for delayed flights. But five years ago, the European Court of Justice ruled that passengers deserved payouts for any flight that arrives more than three hours late: €250 for short hops under 1,500km (e.g. across the Irish Sea), €400 for flights of 1,500-3,500km (such as Mr Huzar's Manchester to Malaga trip), and €600 for longer hauls – though just €300 for a three- to four-hour delay.

The only defence against paying out is "extraordinary circumstances". If ash clouds, absent air-traffic controllers or Amazonian-grade thunderstorms wreak havoc with schedules, no compensation applies. Many airlines, including Jet2, have also rejected claims due to technical defects. But Mr Huzar refused to give up. He took the airline to court, and lost the case, but then appealed to Manchester County Court and won. Jet2 appealed against that verdict, but this week the Appeal Court agreed that mechanical faults comprise an inherent element of running an airline and cannot be used as an excuse.

As we emerged from the court, Mr Huzar told me: "This is just recompense at the end of the day." Jet2 described the judgment as "disappointing" and said it could "have a significant impact on the entire airline industry". The carrier is now appealing directly to the Supreme Court, despite law lord Elias's line.

Read the full article in The Independent. 

Hainan Airlines Starts Beijing - Boston

 A Chinese airline has begun offering the first nonstop service from Boston to Beijing.

Hainan Airlines is offering a least four nonstop flights a week in each direction between Boston and Beijing on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with connections offered to other cities in China including Shanghai.

Flight 481 touched down at Logan International Airport on Friday, becoming the first direct service ever linking Boston and mainland China — and shaving about six hours off of current travel between the two cities. Flight 482 left the Massachusetts capital later Friday and was scheduled to arrive in Beijing Saturday evening.

The Massachusetts Port Authority says the route will meet the strong demand for travel between Beijing and Boston's tourism attractions, higher education institution as well as health care, finance and the biotechnology industries.

A380s Headed for Dubai San Francisco & Huston Routes

Emirates will deploy the big superjumbo Airbus A380 on its San Francisco and Houston routes in December this year.

Currently the Dubai based Arabian gulf airline flies a Boeing 777-300ER every day to both US cities. Upgrading the aircraft type will result in an extra 135 seats to San Francisco and 137 to Houston.  This represents a 38 per cent increase in passenger capacity, including 80 per cent more seats in premium cabins.

Emirates' A380 comes in a three-class configuration, with 14 first class suites, 76 business seats and 399 seats in economy.

Flight EK226 departs San Francisco at 1530 and arrives in Dubai the following day at 1925. Return service EK225 takes off from Dubai at 0850 and lands in San Francisco at 1250 the same day. Flight EK211 to Houston departs Dubai at 0930 and arrives at 1605. Return service EK212 takes off from George Bush Intercontinental Airport at 1825 and lands in Dubai at 1905 the next day.

Emirates senior vice president Hubert Frach said: "Since 2007, we have carried over 2.3 million passengers on the San Francisco and Houston routes, and our flagship A380 will allow us to connect even more people and facilitate trade between these important US cities and the Middle East, India, Africa and beyond."

Asiana Crash Report

It has been nearly a year since the fatal crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 at San Francisco Airport, now federal investigators in the United States if America will determine on Tuesday what caused the accident and make recommendations to avoid another.

The National Transportation Safety Board will release its report on the results of its investigation into the July 6, 2013, crash that killed three people and injured more than 200.

Investigators have already said the Boeing 777-200ER was flying lower and slower than intended when it slammed into the seawall at the end of the runway, spun around and burst into flames.

The board will vote on probable causes of the crash and then make non-binding recommendations, which are keenly awaited in the industry because of the expertise of the board and its staffers.

"We really look forward to seeing that report. We work not in the 'what happened,' but 'why it happened,'" said Michael Barr, who teaches aviation safety at the University of Southern California and has a commercial pilot's certificate. "The why is what's going to prevent the next accident."

The Asiana flight from Seoul was traveling about 119 mph, despite a goal of 158 mph, when it hit the seawall on a sunny morning. The airline acknowledged in documents filed in March that a "probable cause" of the accident was the pilots flying too slow.