Thread: Airline News

Thai Airways Looks to Finalize Deal to Purchase at Least 30 New Aircraft

Thai Airways (THAI) aims to finalize a deal to buy at least 30 new aircraft by the end of the year and could double its fleet of narrow-body jets over the next decade, according to its chief executive.


THAI CEO Chai Eamsiri said in an interview with Reuters at the airline’s headquarters in Bangkok that the airline will issue a ‘request for proposal’ to Airbus and Boeing to buy 30 wide-body and an undisclosed number of narrow-body aircraft next week.

The carrier is looking to cash in on a post-pandemic travel boom by bolstering regional routes, but there have been concerns over whether planemakers Airbus and Boeing will be able to ramp up output to meet delivery targets.


Chai said THAI, which began bankruptcy-protected restructuring of debt worth 400 billion baht (US$11.17 billion) in 2021, currently has a fleet of 20 Airbus A320 aircraft and has secured a dozen new A321neo on lease for delivery in 2025 and 2026.


These aircraft would be deployed to serve destinations in Southeast Asia, India, southern China and southern Japan – key medium-haul routes that THAI wants to reinforce.


Chai noted that the carrier’s wide-body fleet will also increase from 45 currently to 56 aircraft by the first quarter of next year, with the additional jets coming on dry lease contracts, which typically do not include crew.

“That’s for the short term,” according to Chai, who added that the aircraft will be used on long-distance intercontinental routes to Australia and Europe that have seen a strong recovery since the pandemic.


THAI’s cabin factor – the percentage of seats sold – was at about 84% in the last quarter and the CEO said advance bookings from markets like Europe were looking “promising”.


Chai, a former Thai Airways chief financial officer who took over as CEO last November, said the airline’s pandemic-driven restructuring plan was on track and it would relist on the stock market by the first quarter of 2025.

Thai Airways Looks to Finalize Deal to Purchase at Least 30 New Aircraft - The Pattaya News

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Horrible way to go.

Investigation underway after airline crew member dies at San Antonio International Airport

SAN ANTONIO – Authorities are investigating after an airline crew member died at the San Antonio International Airport Friday night.

It happened just before 10:30 p.m. Friday at the airport located at 9800 Airport Boulevard.

Delta Flight 1111 had arrived in San Antonio from Los Angeles and was heading to the gate when the airline worker was “ingested” into one of the engines, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The worker’s identity hasn’t been released, and further details on what happened are limited.

Investigation underway after airline crew member dies at San Antonio International Airport

Investigation has been called off after Medical Examiner saw signs suggesting suicide (Worker apparently left a suicide note)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/new...rt/ar-AA1d3VAv

Watch: Virgin Galactic launches first commercial space flight

_________

• Virgin Galactic finally takes its first paying customers to space

Virgin Galactic successfully flew its first paying customers to the final frontier Thursday, a long-awaited achievement that puts it back on track in the emerging private spaceflight sector.

Italian Air Force officers unfurled their nation's flag and peered out windows at the curve of Earth while enjoying a few minutes of weightlessness at 52.9 miles (85.1 kilometers) above sea level.

"It was a beautiful ride," Colonel Walter Villadei told reporters at a press conference, adding that his favorite moment was seeing the contrast between the black of space and the planet beneath.

The mission dubbed Galactic 01 began when a giant, twin-fuselage "mothership" aircraft took off from a runway at Spaceport America, New Mexico, around 8:30 am local time (1430 GMT).

The carrier plane gained high altitude, then around 40 minutes later released a rocket-powered plane, called VSS Unity, which soared into space at nearly Mach 3.

Fifty miles is considered the border of space by NASA and the US Air Force, though the internationally recognized boundary, known as the Karman Line, is 62 miles high.

Villadei was joined in the cabin by Lieutenant Colonel Angelo Landolfi of the Italian Air Force, Pantaleone Carlucci of the National Research Council of Italy, and Colin Bennett of Virgin Galactic.

There were also two pilots on the spaceplane, and two on the carrier plane.

Unity later glided back safely to Earth, a livestream showed.

The flight came almost two years after Virgin Galactic's founder Richard Branson flew to space in a test flight meant to usher in a new era of lucrative space tourism.

But the company subsequently faced setbacks, including a brief grounding by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which found the Branson flight deviated from its assigned airspace and Virgin Galactic did not communicate the "mishap" as required.

Later, lab testing revealed certain materials used in its vehicles had fallen below required strength margins, necessitating upgrades to the fleet.

The company ended its spaceflight pause with a successful test in May, paving the way for Thursday's mission. In total, it ran five test flights before Thursday's commercial flight.

- Monthly flights -

The Galactic 01 crew were tasked with conducting 13 supervised and autonomous experiments, and collecting data on their suits and sensors in the cabin.

Experiments included measuring radiation levels in the under-studied mesosphere, and how certain liquids and solids mix in microgravity.

Villadei explained that researchers wanting to work in microgravity currently only have two options: parabolic airplane flights, where passengers experience a few seconds of weightlessness, and missions to the International Space Station, which last six months.

Virgin Galactic thus offers a "gap filler," he said, and the size of the spaceplane allowed for larger experiments than could be fit in a rocket.

Founded in 2004, Virgin Galactic has sold around 800 tickets for seats on future commercial flights -- 600 between 2005 and 2014 for $200,000 to $250,000, and 200 since then for $450,000 each.

Movie stars and celebrities were among the first to snap up seats, but the company's program suffered a disaster in 2014 when a spaceplane on a test flight broke apart midair, killing the copilot and seriously injuring the pilot.

The company is now looking to the future. The next mission, Galactic 02, is set for August, and then it hopes to make monthly space hops after that.

AOT unveils expansion plans for Bangkok Don Mueang Airport

Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) has revealed its ambitious six-year expansion plan for Don Mueang Airport. The capital investment plan, approved by the Cabinet, aims to develop Don Mueang International Airport’s third phase, with an estimated investment of 36.83 billion baht. The project is currently in the design phase and is expected to open for bidding in 2024, with construction commencing in 2025. The new facilities are set to become operational by 2029.








The key objectives of the development plan for Don Mueang Airport include expanding its capacity to accommodate passenger traffic, enhancing service quality for air and ground transportation systems, improving efficiency, and reducing congestion within the airport. Currently, the airport has a capacity of 30 million passengers annually.


To accommodate an additional 50 million passengers per year, a third passenger terminal will be constructed, providing 160,000 square meters of usable space for international passengers. The existing passenger terminals 1 and 2 will be renovated to serve domestic passengers, with a total usable space of up to 240,000 square meters, effectively transforming Don Mueang Airport into a fully equipped domestic aviation center.

The development plan will be divided into six segments. These include the construction of Passenger Terminal 3, the expansion of the northern concourse, and the development of operational zones, aircraft parking bays, and public utility systems.


In addition to infrastructure development, the airport authority aims to enhance passenger services by implementing innovative solutions. These include self-check-in kiosks (CUSS), common-use bag drop machines (CUBD), and an automatic return tray system (ARTS) for baggage trays.

Current estimates predict a gradual recovery in passenger numbers, reaching 95 million by the end of this year. AOT anticipates that the numbers will continue to grow, reaching 200 million by 2027. These projections align with the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) forecast, which predicts a return to pre-Covid levels of global travel from 2023-2024. (NNT)

AOT unveils expansion plans for Bangkok Don Mueang Airport - Pattaya Mail

What happened to big development of Utapao?

• World's Best Regional Airlines 2023

Bangkok Airways wins top 2023 World Airline Award for the World's Best Regional Airline, with Aegean Airlines taking second place ahead of Starlux Airlines in third position.

For the World Airline Awards, regional airlines are defined as full service carriers that primarily operate domestic and / or International flights up to approx 6 hours. Whilst some regional airlines may operate a small number of longer flights, the core market for this airline classification are short / medium haul routes where customer product and service expectations are different to long haul routes.

Mr. Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, President of Bangkok Airways PLC commented, “Amidst our most challenging time in aviation history, Bangkok Airways has still been striving to improve the quality of our products and services with the hope to be one of the top-class regional airline brands in the world. And today, there is proof that we are achieving that goal by being chosen once again by our customers from around the world and being named the World's Best Regional Airline and the Best Regional Airline in Asia 2023. On behalf of the management and staff at Bangkok Airways, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to our customers who continued to have trust and confidence in our products and services and for casting their votes for us. I feel deeply honored and delighted to receive these prestigious awards.”

Hope no-one's planning a trip to Blighty...

Almost 1,000 workers at Gatwick Airport, including baggage handlers and check-in staff, will stage eight days of strikes from later this month.

Staff will strike in a dispute over pay, the union Unite announced, at the start of the school summer holidays.

Significant disruption, delays and cancellations are "inevitable", the union said.
The workers will strike initially for four days beginning on Friday 28 July and ending on Tuesday 1 August.
A further four days of strikes are scheduled to take place from Friday 4 August until Tuesday 8 August.

Hundreds of thousands of flights across Europe this summer are already in jeopardy following a vote by air traffic controllers to take strike action.

London Gatwick Airport to be hit by strike action at start of summer holidays - after easyJet announces cancellations | UK News | Sky News

NJ Man Bought a United Lifetime Pass for $290k, Has Flown 23 Million Miles

In 1990, Tom Stuker bought a lifetime pass from United Airlines for $290,000. He has since flown 23 million miles and calls the purchase the 'best investment' of his life.

Tom Stuker isn't your typical frequent flier.

While many travelers speak fondly of stays at luxury resorts and the first-class seats they booked using airline miles, Stuker is in a class of his own.

Stuker is a car-dealership consultant from New Jersey who has flown 23 million miles, which The Washington Post reported was more miles than any individual in history.

In 1990, United Airlines advertised a lifetime pass for $290,000, and Stuker quickly snagged the offer.

Now, 33 years later, Stuker frequently enjoys his favored perch in seat 1B.

Stuker told the Post that he spent 12 consecutive days without touching a bed after he flew from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco and then to Bangkok and Dubai — he only spent time outside the friendly skies while visiting the airport lounges.

Stuker, now 69 years old, told the Post that his frequent travels were driven by the accumulation of airline miles.

"Best investment of my life," he said.

Stuker said he knew early on that frequent-flier miles weren't just a way to get more flights; he also ended up selling and trading miles with others.

He told the Post that he once used miles to obtain so many gift cards that he was able to renovate his brother's home — United no longer extends such passes to its fliers, according to the Post.

He even won an auction years ago — bidding 451,000 miles — to be a guest on an episode of NBC's "Seinfeld."

Stuker told the Post that he had been to 100 countries and had more than 120 honeymoons with his wife.

And United has embraced Stuker, asking for his input in crafting the menu at their Polaris clubs and keeping a Mercedes ready on the airport tarmac if Stuker needs to make a quick connection, according to the Post.

Representatives on United's 800 number even recognize Stuker.

That level of service seems almost mythical, but Stuker is still reaping the benefits of his 1990s-era pass that has truly put the world at his fingertips.

Excitement at Chiang Mai.

Furious passenger forces plane to turn back because he's left his bag in terminal - Mirror Online

JetBlue ending alliance with American Airlines after judge’s ruling

JetBlue announced Wednesday that it will be ending its Northeast Alliance (NEA) with American Airlines, nearly two months after a judge struck down the partnership.

“Despite our deep conviction in the procompetitive benefits of the NEA, after much consideration, JetBlue has made the difficult decision not to appeal the court’s determination that the NEA cannot continue as currently crafted, and has instead initiated the termination of the NEA, beginning a wind down process that will take place over the coming months,” the airline said in a statement.

U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled in May that the accord between the two major airline companies violated the Sherman Antitrust Act, which was designed to stop monopolistic business practices that could hurt competition. The judge had ruled in favor of the Justice Department (DOJ) and six states and the District of Columbia that sued to end the alliance.

JetBlue said in its statement that the NEA had allowed the airline to offer expanded routes, lower prices and connecting flight services. The airline also said that there will be no immediate changes for customers who had already scheduled flights and will be able to continue to earn rewards over the next few months.

“For these reasons, we strongly disagree with the court’s ruling against the NEA and stand behind the procompetitive impact of the alliance,” the company’s statement read.

American Airlines issued its own statement addressing the dissolution of the alliance.

“JetBlue has advised us that it will not join the appeal of the District Court ruling in the Northeast Alliance case. We, of course, respect JetBlue’s decision to focus on its other antitrust and regulatory challenges. At the same time, JetBlue’s decision and reasoning confirm our belief that the NEA has been highly pro-competitive and that an erroneous judicial decision disregarding the NEA’s consumer benefits has led to an anticompetitive outcome.”

JetBlue also said that now it will focus on its partnership with Spirit Airlines, saying that it is “the best and most effective opportunity to truly transform the competitive landscape in the U.S.”

I have to make sure, when flying overseas to use ANA

• United Airlines Pilot Showed up Intoxicated, Got Suspended Prison Sentence

An intoxicated United Airlines pilot, who turned up for a transatlantic flight 'staggering' and with 'glassy' eyes, was given a 6-month suspended prison sentence, report says

A United Airlines pilot who showed up to work under the influence of alcohol was handed a six-month suspended prison sentence by a French court on Tuesday, Le Parisien reported.

The 63-year-old American, identified by the newspaper only as Henry W, was set to fly from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris to Washington Dulles Airport in Virginia on Sunday.

The pilot told the court that he had only drunk two glasses of wine the previous night, but police officers said the pilot was "showing signs of obvious drunkenness" when he arrived for work at 3 p.m., The Local reported.

Le Parisien reported that the pilot had a blood-alcohol level of 0.132%, more than six times the legal limit for pilots in Europe and three times the Federal Aviation Administration's limit.

The Gendarmerie, part of French law enforcement, tweeted that the breathalyser detected the pilot at 1.12 grams per liter.

"He was staggering slightly, his eyes were glassy, and his mouth pasty," a police officer told the court, according to The Local.

The pilot was also fined 4,500 euros, according to the outlet, and his pilot license was suspended for a year.

"The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority. We hold all our employees to the highest standards and have a strict no-tolerance policy for alcohol," a United Airlines spokesperson said in a statement to Insider.

"This employee was immediately removed from service and we are fully cooperating with local authorities," they added.

In 2019, United Airlines tightened its "bottle-to-throttle" rule so that pilots must have their last drink 12 hours before reporting for duty, Skift reported.

That came a week after two United pilots were arrested in Scotland on suspicion of being drunk less than two hours before they were set to fly to Newark, New Jersey.

Charles de Gaulle Airport did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Not worth a new thread,…….so if you’re considering flying to Europe, think ahead.

• Applicants should provide their name, birthdate, nationality, address, parents' first names, contact information, level of education, and job, among other details about their travel plans.
• Travelers will also need to provide details for a valid travel document that is not set to expire within three months, as well as any criminal convictions or past travel to conflict zones.

Europe-bound Americans will soon need a new authorization

U.S. passport holders used to embarking on European vacations without much additional paperwork will soon see that change.

Driving the news: New travel rules announced by the EU dictate that travelers from 60 visa-free countries will need to get a new authorization via the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) starting in 2024.

• The new rules will apply to travelers from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., among others. Though an exact launch date for the application hasn't been announced yet, ETIAS is expected to be "operational in 2024," per the EU.

The big picture: The ETIAS travel authorization will be required for people going to 30 European countries for short-term stays, defined as up to 90 days within a 180-day period, per the EU.

• The EU's border agency, Frontex, said the system will strengthen internal security by determining whether visa-free travelers "pose a security, illegal immigration, or public health risk."

How to apply

Travelers will need to fill out a an ETIAS application form and pay a small 7 euro fee (about $8).

• Applicants should provide their name, birthdate, nationality, address, parents' first names, contact information, level of education, and job, among other details about their travel plans.
• Travelers will also need to provide details for a valid travel document that is not set to expire within three months, as well as any criminal convictions or past travel to conflict zones.

Worth noting: Some applications might take up to two weeks if additional information is needed or up to 30 days if the applicant is invited to an interview, the EU noted.

• Once approved, the authorization is valid for three years or until the travel document used in the application expires, "whichever comes first," per the EU.

A European Commission memo about the new travel rules defined ETIAS as a "largely automated IT system" and emphasized that an ETIAS travel authorization is "not a visa."

• The new travel authorization "does not reintroduce visa-like obligations," the memo stated, noting that neither a visit to a consulate nor biometric data is required.
• The authorization is also quicker to obtain and lasts longer than a typical Schengen Area visa.

• Passenger’s diarrhea forces emergency landing for Delta flight to Barcelona

An incident involving “diarrhea all the way through the airplane” caused a Delta Air Lines flight to Barcelona to make an emergency landing last week.

The Airbus A350 was forced to fly back to its location of departure at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport approximately two hours after takeoff, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware.com.

The issue was reportedly a potential biohazard for those on board, and a spokesperson for the airline published a statement Tuesday evening seeming to confirm the report.

“Delta flight 194 on Sept. 1 from Atlanta to Barcelona returned to Atlanta following an onboard medical issue,” the statement read.

“Our teams worked as quickly and as safely as possible to get our customers to their final destinations. We sincerely apologize to our customers for the delay and inconvenience to their travel plans,” the spokesperson continued.

The flight was reportedly delayed over eight hours but did ultimately make the trip to Barcelona, arriving a little after 5:00 p.m. local time on Saturday without further incident, reports CNN.

An audio recording of the pilot informing air traffic control of the diarrhea issue was captured by LiveATC.net and later shared by multiple users on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“This is a biohazard issue,” the pilot says during the recording. “We’ve had a passenger who had diarrhea all the way through the airplane, so they want us to come back to Atlanta.”

A video showing the mess in the aisle was also later shared on X, by a user named Xansby Swanson, who claimed that his brother was on the now-infamous flight.

• Open the last link in this post and move up just a bit in that twitter post

Business is picking up.

Doha was rammed, as was Swampy.

And the Check-in guy at Heathrow was surprised when I told him they had put an A380 on the DOH-BKK leg.

United Airlines will soon add Braille to plane interiors

United Airlines announced Thursday it is adding Braille to its entire fleet “by the end of 2026.”

United said it already has “equipped about a dozen” of its aircraft with Braille markings “for individual rows and seat numbers as well as inside and outside the lavatories.” United is the first U.S. airline to add Braille to its planes.

“Finding your seat on a plane or getting to the restroom is something most of us take for granted, but for millions of our customers, it can be a challenge to do independently,” said Linda Jojo, executive vice president and chief customer officer for United, in a statement. “By adding more tactile signage throughout our interiors, we’re making the flying experience more inclusive and accessible, and that’s good for everyone.”

The airline said it is also working with the National Federation of the Blind, the American Council of the Blind and “other disability advocacy groups” to “explore the use of other tactile navigational aids throughout the cabin such as raised letters, numbers and arrows.” The announcement comes a few days after the Department of Transportation issued a new rule attempting to make bathrooms on single-aisle airplanes more accessible to passengers who have disabilities.

^^ Qatar often run 380 on that leg, frequently 2/3 full.

Greater Bay Airlines To Expand To Vietnam

Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines (HB) is expanding its international reach with its announcement to commence direct services to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Taking off from July 18th twice a week, the new direct service will connect Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and Ho Chi Minh City, Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN).

With a fleet of just three aircraft, the airline will serve the route with one of its three identical Boeing 737-8, all from ICBC Leasing.

The schedule

Greater Bay will head toward Vietnam two times a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, operating as below:

HB661, departing from Hong Kong at 19:00 and touching down in Ho Chi Minh City at 20:45

HB662 will return from Ho Chi Minh City at 21:45 before arriving in Hong Kong at 01:30 the following day

These new flights to the largest city in Vietnam will complement the modest international network currently available with Greater Bay, including Bangkok, Taipei, Seoul, Tokyo, and Osaka.

Almost a year since the first flight

The airline is approaching the first anniversary of its first flight, with the carrier taking to the skies on July 23rd last year, with its inaugural flight between Hong Kong and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). Since then, it has added the above list to its network and ordered 15 Boeing 737 MAX 9, with an expected delivery timeframe of 2024-2027.

Low-cost carrier Greater Bay Airlines has wasted no time since it commenced operations last summer by implementing impressive fleet growth plans.

Simple Flying reported that Greater Bay Airlines was eyeing a 15-aircraft order for Boeing's next-generation twin-engine narrowbody jetliner. Whispers at the time suggested that the carrier would order the MAX 9 variant with 200-seat configurations.

I see the yapping puppy is following me around as soon as I return. Living in his head.

World's 10 longest non-stop airline routes

A direct flight from New York to Singapore is the world’s longest, covering a distance of 15,332km

The other 9 in the link

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Considering they only have eight of them to service London, Perth, Sydney, Paris and Bangok, that might be just a teensy weensy bit of an exaggeration.

As I said, even their staff were surprised by it.

Business was full upstairs.

I don't know what the riff raff section was like.

Well I've flown on it twice in the last year so l must just be lucky or google Simply Flying and you'll see it schedule. But carry on Hazza, you are a proper font

Originally Posted by malmomike77

Well I've flown on it twice in the last year so l must just be lucky or google Simply Flying and you'll see it schedule. But carry on Hazza, you are a proper font

If you had the slightest fucking clue, you'd know QR fly B777's and Screamliners on the majority of DOH-BKK flights, and only put the A380 on when there's high load.

Which was the point of my post, you utter fucking moron.

FAA refers more than 20 unruly passenger cases to FBI for prosecution

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it has referred 22 more unruly passenger cases to the FBI, bringing the total number of cases this year to 39.

The 22 cases spanned from December 2021 to April 2023 and include incidents involving alleged physical assault of other passengers, erratic behavior, sexual assault or misconduct toward passengers or flight attendants, a bomb threat, and terroristic threats.

“Unruly behavior poses serious safety concerns for passengers and crew alike, which is why we are addressing this issue aggressively,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a Tuesday statement.

The referrals are through an ongoing partnership between the FAA and FBI aiming to ensure unruly airline passengers face criminal prosecution when warranted. Since late 2021, the FAA said it has referred more than 270 of the most serious cases to the FBI.

The FAA said the rate of unruly passenger incidents has dropped by more than 80 percent since the record high set in early 2021, when the FAA received 5,973 reports of unruly passengers amid COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Following this spike, Attorney General Merrick Garland directed the Department of Justice to prioritize the prosecution of unruly passengers on commercial aircraft.