Airline News

My mother worked for Eastern Airlines for a large portion of her career. Nice to see them back,......

Eastern Airlines takes flight from Miami again with first revenue flight

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2015/05/1138.jpg

Eastern is back in business at Miami International Airport.

The well-known carrier with the hockey stick logo — a resurrection of the airline that called Miami home for decades — lifted off for its first revenue flight on Thursday afternoon. The destination for Eastern flight 3145 was Havana, in partnership with HavanaAir Charters.

Eastern Air Lines announced last week that it had signed an agreement with Miami-based HavanaAir to provide the lift for the operator’s charter flights to Havana, Santa Clara and Camaguey.

The airline’s Boeing 737-800 will fly twice daily to Havana from Miami and weekly to the other destinations, with plans to add service to Cuba from other gateway cities in the U.S. over the next couple months.

HavanaAir used other carriers in the past but approached Eastern because of its longtime name recognition and newer generation of aircraft, said Eastern president and CEO Ed Wegel. He said he overheard someone notice the iconic signage and say: “Oh, Eastern? Are they back?”

Henry Harteveldt, travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research in San Francisco, called the contract a “great win” for Eastern that will give the startup operational experience, revenue — and attention.

“It’ll be good for Eastern in terms of giving it a lot of frequencies and it’s also a high-profile market,” Harteveldt said. “It’s great visibility for the airline.”

For Wegel, Thursday’s flight (refreshments: soft drinks and plantain chips) represented a milestone in the works since 2007.

In the years since, he and his partners have worked to hammer out agreements with the estate of the old Eastern, which ceased operations 24 years ago; raise millions in capital; earn certification from the Federal Aviation Administration; get approval from the Department of Transportation; acquire plans; train the first group of pilots and flight attendants; earn government approval to be a charter carrier and get the OK from the Transportation Security Administration to go to Cuba.

As he sat in the terminal surrounded by passengers preparing to board, Wegel said Thursday afternoon that he felt “a sense of pride in our people that they put all this together.”

The earlier Eastern — once the largest private employer in Miami-Dade County — filed for bankruptcy protection in 1989 and stopped flying in 1991. The new airline is not affiliated with the original carrier but acquired its intellectual property; shareholders from the old airline also received rights to buy a stake in the new company.

Eventually, Eastern plans to fly as a scheduled carrier, but the process could take a year once started. The airline is still in the planning phase now, Wegel said.

In the near term, a second 145-seat aircraft is scheduled for delivery next month and will go into service July 1 flying for a “major scheduled airline” still to be announced into the Caribbean from New York and Miami. A third plane comes online in August.

Chris Sloan, editor in chief and publisher of AirwaysNews.com, said Eastern stands out as a charter carrier because its aircraft is newer and more fuel efficient than many of its competitors. And it stands out as a new iteration of an old brand because if its business plan, he said.

Unlike other old names such as Pan Am and Braniff that have been brought back to life only to fail again, Sloan said the new Eastern appears to be ramping up in a smart way.

“They’re going to get their operations straight, generate revenue on charters before venturing to scheduled service,” Sloan said. “That, to me, is encouraging that they’re not leaping with both feet in. Virtually everyone else who has resurrected a name has failed at it. They’ve all done it completely differently than Eastern is.”

The company has set up shop at Miami International Airport's Building 5A, the former Eastern operations center. Community appreciation for the airline was evident in December, when the first aircraft arrived and crowds of politicians and former employees gathered to welcome it with cheers.

In contrast to its December event, which featured Frank Sinatra songs, ice sculptures and historic photos, Thursday’s flight took off without any pageantry.

“Enough celebrating,” Wegel said. “Now we need to re-earn our wings.”

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Originally Posted by Koojo

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Originally Posted by terry57

^

Airasia but they cover many airlines.

Airlines hate to fly empty so they will gladly take the extra money if the pointy end is available last minute.

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Airasia have business class now?

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AirasiaX long haul have business class flat beds at the pointy end.

Bloody good it was and at 150 odd buks a screaming deal.

Any flight over 5 hours is considered long haul hence KL to Perth.

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Originally Posted by terry57

Any flight over 5 hours is considered long haul hence KL to Perth.

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Any flight over 6 hours is considered long haul.

Not sure if this article is a fit for this thread, but here goes...

Bangkok Post
June 12, 2015
Writer: Boonsong Kositchotethana

MIAMI BEACH - An airline industry body has urged speedy ratification by Thailand of an international treaty that resolves unfairness and confusion in determining airline liability in the event of death, injury or delay to passengers as well as damage to or loss of baggage and cargo.

Thailand, Indonesia and Russia were named by Tony Tyler, director-general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), as countries needing to join the list of 112 signatories to the Montreal Convention of 1999 (MC99).

Citizens from countries that have not signed MC99 could receive significantly less compensation, he told the group's annual general meeting in Florida.

"In most cases, it is about the speed of legislation rather than a refusal to take MC99 on board," he told the Bangkok Post.

Thailand intends to adopt MC99, but its new International Air Transport Act, which took effect last month, has some features that deviate from the treaty regarding conditions and levels of compensation.

But the government has acknowledged these differences and is revising the Act to bring it in line with international best practice under MC99.

The amended legislation has been written and is expected to be put to the National Legislative Assembly in July or August, Mr Clifford said.

Under MC99, air carriers are strictly liable for proven damages of up to 113,100 special drawing rights (SDR), a mix of currency values established by the International Monetary Fund.

Where damages of more than 113,100 SDR are sought, the airline may avoid liability by proving the accident that caused injury or death was not due to its negligence or was attributable to the negligence of a third party.

This defence is not available where damages of less than 113,100 SDR are sought.

MC99 also amended jurisdictional provisions of the Warsaw Convention. It now allows victims or their families to sue foreign carriers where they maintain their principal residence and requires all air carriers to carry liability insurance.

Meanwhile, newly released data from IATA show the global jet accident rate (measured in hull losses per 1 million flights) in the first quarter was 0.38, equal to one accident for every 2.6 million flights.

This was an improvement over the five-year rate for 2010-14, when the global hull loss rate stood at 0.45 but above the 2014 rate of 0.23, which was the lowest in aviation history.

The first-quarter turboprop hull loss rate was 1.58, which was an improvement on the five-year rate of 2.92 and the 2014 rate of 2.32.

The all-accident rate (jets and turboprops) was 2.11, nearly twice as good as the rate for non-IATA Operational Safety Audit airlines (4.1). There were six hull loss accidents (three jets, three turboprops) among 9.8 million flights (7.9 million jets and 1.9 million turboprops).

Thailand urged to ratify airline treaty | Bangkok Post: news

We’ll be in Vietnam during the month of July and will be flying Vietnam Airlines while in country. Vietnam Airlines will start flying their new 787’s in country starting in June.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYbM-3E11Qo

I am disappointed to find out we will not be on one of the 787’s routes. :(

Amazing how many airlines are using the screamliner for short haul.

Must be frightened of it overheating and catching fire if it's in the air too long.

https://teakdoor.com/Gallery/albums/u...90/nl_base.jpg
Photo of Goose Bay barracks via Twitter

TravelPulse
June 14, 2015

Passengers on United Airlines Flight 958 left Chicago Friday night expecting to be in London in a matter of hours, but found themselves bedding down in unheated rural Canadian military barracks after their flight was diverted due to a maintenance issue, ABC News reported.

After landing in Goose Bay, five Royal Canadian Air Force members opened up their sleeping quarters. There, almost 200 flyers waited for bed assignments, then received little in the way of bedding in near-freezing temperatures, according to ABC News. The crew checked into a local hotel.

"The biggest issue was the fact that people did not have heated rooms," said passenger Shamit Vasa via ABC News. "We have spent the last day and a half in a really traumatic manner."

United Airlines spokesperson Hallie Eisenpress said in a statement, "hotel space was not available, so we accommodated our customers at a local military base and provided meals."

Over 22 hours later, after a flight to Newark, passengers boarded a second flight to London. That flight is expected to arrive more than 30 hours after they originally took off from Chicago.

A United Airlines spokesperson told The Daily Mail, "We apologize to our customers for this disruption to their travel plans and will be refunding their tickets to London."

Passenger and their friends and loved ones have been expressing their displeasure on Twitter, and United has been 'reaching out' in an attempt to smooth ruffled feathers.

see tweets here: Report: Crew for Diverted United Flight Stay in Hotel, Flyers Stay in Unheated Barracks | TravelPulse

I suppose it was better than the alternative, namely ending up as crab bait at the bottom of the Atlantic.

^ The US carriers treat their passengers like jail prisoners on domestic flights on which there is no competition. Why any American would fly a US carrier on an international flight defies comprehension.

The Nation
June 17, 2015
By Suchat Sritama

Ailing Thai Airways International plans to downsize its fleet by more than 24 aircraft by next year and focus more on maintenance services to extract more revenue from non-core businesses.

Charamporn Chotikasthira, president of THAI, said yesterday that the board of directors on Monday approved a plan to sell eight more aircraft, of which half are Boeing 737 and half Boeing 747 models.

The flag carrier also plans to sell eight more aircraft in the second half of this year. Planes to be put on the market are Boeing 747 and Airbus A340 models. The proposal will soon reach the board for approval. The airline also hopes to sell eight more planes next year.

The national airline has planned to dispose of 42 aircraft from 2015-16 as part of its business recovery and restructuring plans. Since the beginning of this year, it has already unloaded 18 aircraft.

Besides selling old aircraft to generate cash, the airline will focus on expanding maintenance work, services and overhauling to more customers. Besides THAI's fleet, the maintenance unit is now servicing THAI Smile and Nok Air.

"The airline business is growing fast, especially with Don Mueang International Airport reopening this year. And we still have 12 hours each day to serve other airlines, which will help increase revenue," Charamporn said.

Next week, the airline will finalise its early-retirement plan and offer it to staff. The plan is part of cost-cutting measures initiated to restore finances and also revive business that has been struggling for several years. The airline has earmarked Bt5.5 billion for early-retirement packages and other headcount reductions.

Meanwhile, passengers are coming back, Charamporn said. There were 20 per cent more of them during the first five months of this year than during the same period last year. This reflected the surge in arrivals from China, while the European market remained slow because of economic problems in that part of the world.

THAI realised a second-quarter average load factor of less than 70 per cent, which is still under the target. "We will learn from other airlines how they can achieve a 70-plus-per-cent load factor despite the same low season. However, foreign-passenger numbers are expected to jump in the coming high season," he said.

The airline also claimed that it met international standards including for air safety and security despite other airlines as well as the Civil Aviation Department coming under pressure from the International Civil Aviation Organisation to improve safety.

THAI to downsize fleet by more than 24 in 2016 - The Nation

The smartphone bag-tag that will revolutionise air travel
British Airways has begun testing new digital luggage tags that could replace paper tags on checked baggage next year

Video: The smartphone bag-tag that will revolutionise air travel - Telegraph

^ The paper tags are not the problem, it's the F--cking clowns who need 5 suitcases for a 2 week trip, and those who have read one of those seat tracker websites and want the check-in clerk to go down some list they have made.

I've never had a serious problem with any airline or airline employee but some of the idiots who fly need to be taught how to behave.

Maybe a 2 stupid questions or less line would help.

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Originally Posted by BobR

Maybe a 2 stupid questions or less line would help.

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Now that would make a really interesting advertisment.

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Originally Posted by BobR

^ The paper tags are not the problem, it's the F--cking clowns who need 5 suitcases for a 2 week trip, and those who have read one of those seat tracker websites and want the check-in clerk to go down some list they have made.

I've never had a serious problem with any airline or airline employee but some of the idiots who fly need to be taught how to behave.

Maybe a 2 stupid questions or less line would help.

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Eliminating stupid check in staff and stupid business processes would help as well.

I went to upgrade from business to first a few weeks back and it took them 30 minutes to do the needful. There was only one other person in there. They might as well have just told the cabin crew to move me and done the paperwork on the plane.

As it is, I had a couple of coffin dodgers behind me tutting away like it was my fault they were so fucking slow.

Flight stowaway in critical condition as police investigate links with fall victim

19 JUNE 2015

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A British Airways 747 plane flies comes in to land at Heathrow airport in west London. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images

A man remains in a critical condition in hospital after surviving a 10-hour flight by clinging to the undercarriage of a British Airways flight from which another stowaway is feared to have plunged to his death.

The survivor was found unconscious in the undercarriage of the plane on Thursday morning having endured freezing temperatures over the 8,000 miles (12,875km) flight from Johannesburg to London.

The body of the dead man was discovered an hour later on the roof of a west London office building. It is not clear if he was killed in the fall; flight data reveals the plane would have been at an altitude of around 1,400ft (427m) when it passed over the area.

Analysis One in four plane stowaways can survive, but London case is astonishing
Incidents of people trying to secrete themselves on aircraft are relatively rare, and the appearance that this occurred at Johannesburg worries security experts

There have been previous cases of stowaways plunging to their deaths in west London after smuggling themselves on to planes. They hide in the landing gear where they are exposed to the elements and endure sub-zero temperatures. Most are killed by the cold and lack of oxygen at high altitude.

In September 2012, José Matada, 26, died after falling from the undercarriage of a Heathrow-bound flight from Angola on to a street in Mortlake, west London.

An inquest into his death heard that the Mozambican man was likely to have survived temperatures as low as -60C (-76F) for most of the 12-hour flight. It was believed he was dead or nearly dead by the time he hit the ground.

David Learmount, an aviation expert and consulting editor of Flight International magazine, said the fact that one of the two men survived the long flight suggests he may have been able to get into the baggage hold section of the aircraft, which would raise serious security questions.

“If these two were neither airline nor airport staff and somehow managed to get on a flight, then it becomes a serious security issue. Just how did they get [on the restricted] airside at the airport?

“Then there’s the question of just where on the plane these two were. If a person was in the wheel well of a plane on an 11-hour flight there’s really very little chance of surviving.

“You are either going to be frozen to death by temperatures of -50C or you are going to die through lack of oxygen with the plane flying at 35,000ft.

Flight stowaway in critical condition as police investigate links with fall victim | World news | The Guardian

Makes a mockery of airport security...... someone desperate and poor may choose this method to stowaway, but equally the same security loophole exists for a terrorist with explosives strapped to their body and no regard for their own life let alone the passengers on the aircraft. I doubt they would be put off by the cold because the intention would be to detonate the explosives once the aircraft is airborne.....K

JHC on a 50cc moped. How do they get onto the plane (albeit in a rather shitty cold seat, next to leaking landing gear).

I suspect they paid off the ground crew - a few bob. Not much better than crossing over to Italy.

1 in 4 survival. Better than the boaters?

Flying out of Joburg back to the Orient in a week or so. Should I tap on the floor and listen for a 'tap back'?

No, seriously. People have to be in a dire situation to climb into that shite little place where the landing gear locks up.

Amazingly some have survived..

Seems 23.3% of Aircraft stowaways are successful ...higher than i would have expected and not a good figure for Airport/Airline security...

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Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

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Originally Posted by BobR

^ The paper tags are not the problem, it's the F--cking clowns who need 5 suitcases for a 2 week trip, and those who have read one of those seat tracker websites and want the check-in clerk to go down some list they have made.

I've never had a serious problem with any airline or airline employee but some of the idiots who fly need to be taught how to behave.

Maybe a 2 stupid questions or less line would help.

---

Eliminating stupid check in staff and stupid business processes would help as well.

I went to upgrade from business to first a few weeks back and it took them 30 minutes to do the needful. There was only one other person in there. They might as well have just told the cabin crew to move me and done the paperwork on the plane.

As it is, I had a couple of coffin dodgers behind me tutting away like it was my fault they were so fucking slow.

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Politely Harry, and not in a hostile way; I could throw that back at you and ask why you didn't upgrade in advance either online or through customer service. You must be doing well though, I fly economy and use sleeping pills to try to lose consciousness. For $3000 I can tolerate anything for 24 hours.

Cheers Harry, you and I come off different on many things but I do like your writing.

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Originally Posted by BobR

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Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

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Originally Posted by BobR

^ The paper tags are not the problem, it's the F--cking clowns who need 5 suitcases for a 2 week trip, and those who have read one of those seat tracker websites and want the check-in clerk to go down some list they have made.

I've never had a serious problem with any airline or airline employee but some of the idiots who fly need to be taught how to behave.

Maybe a 2 stupid questions or less line would help.

---

Eliminating stupid check in staff and stupid business processes would help as well.

I went to upgrade from business to first a few weeks back and it took them 30 minutes to do the needful. There was only one other person in there. They might as well have just told the cabin crew to move me and done the paperwork on the plane.

As it is, I had a couple of coffin dodgers behind me tutting away like it was my fault they were so fucking slow.

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Politely Harry, and not in a hostile way; I could throw that back at you and ask why you didn't upgrade in advance either online or through customer service. You must be doing well though, I fly economy and use sleeping pills to try to lose consciousness. For $3000 I can tolerate anything for 24 hours.

Cheers Harry, you and I come off different on many things but I do like your writing.

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In answer to your question, because if you try and use the system to do it in advance, it invariably says that there are no seats available at the time.

Yet strangely there is always a seat available when you do it at check-in.

Like I said, crap business processes.

Coupled with a desire to maximise revenue at the expense of passenger convenience.

THAI implements MERS virus preventive measures
Written by:Simon Willmore
Posted On:17th June, 2015 09:37 am

THAI has implemented preventive measures regarding the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
Thai Airways International has announced that it implemented preventive regarding the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in order to boost THAI customers’ confidence.
Mr.Charamporn Jotikasthira, THAI President, revealed that due to news about the MERS virus outbreak and THAI flights within the affected areas, the Company decided to release prevention measures with consideration to the aircraft service and staff safety in the an effort to boost passenger confidence. The Company’s preventive MERS are as follows:
1. Screen passengers and ground customer services measure: monitor passengers before check-in and in some cases maybe to present a doctor’s letter of health certification.
2. Service on board measure: monitor passengers during the flight.
3. Prepare the aircraft and sterilization measure: antibacterial solution inside the aircraft while the aircraft is parked at the airport.
4. Aircraft cleaning measure: deep clean and disinfect 36 touch points in the passenger cabin.
5. Preventive and safeguard measure regarding staff sanitation: carry personal protective equipment on board and educate staff about preventive health care.
6. Commercial mail and cargo measure: check containers and prevent deliver of suspected goods.
7. Dietary measure: select raw materials, use clean meal preparation methods and avoid risks of infection.

THAI implements MERS virus preventive measures | Travel Daily Asia

Fly back to BKK next week, and Thai airways seem the best deal, though tried to book right the way through to Ubon on the thai air website and its an extra 167 pounds to do so.

book it online as different flight and get the return to Ubon from 60 pounds.

Whats happening with airlines now, I usually fly with etihad and usually takes between 15 to17 hrs, tickets coming up as 24 hrs to 30 hrs.

Flying into BKK July 1 on Thai Air. Wife is buying masks and hand wipes for the ride. The masks don't stop virus, but they do discourage you from putting your fingers around your mouth and nose.

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Originally Posted by Horatio Hornblower

Fly back to BKK next week, and Thai airways seem the best deal, though tried to book right the way through to Ubon on the thai air website and its an extra 167 pounds to do so.

book it online as different flight and get the return to Ubon from 60 pounds.

Whats happening with airlines now, I usually fly with etihad and usually takes between 15 to17 hrs, tickets coming up as 24 hrs to 30 hrs.

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The shorter the layover, the more expensive the ticket.

still get same flight just a 100 pound less.

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Originally Posted by MrG

Flying into BKK July 1 on Thai Air. Wife is buying masks and hand wipes for the ride. The masks don't stop virus, but they do discourage you from putting your fingers around your mouth and nose.

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Those sort of masks don't do much, since they're primarily designed to stop particles leaving the body, not getting in.

What they also do is collect airborne particles or droplets and station them right where you don't want them.

Tell her she should wear something like this instead.

I'm sure no-one will comment.

https://teakdoor.com/images/imported/2015/06/1077.jpg

:)

Like I said in the post, the masks are not to stop virus from getting in or out; they are to discourage touching nose and mouth with fingers, which is a main route of infection for non-airborne virus. It is not, at this time, known if it is transmitted by air.

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MERS-CoV, like other coronaviruses, is thought to spread from an infected person’s respiratory secretions, such as through coughing. However, the precise ways the virus spreads are not currently well understood.

MERS-CoV has spread from ill people to others through close contact, such as caring for or living with an infected person. Infected people have spread MERS-CoV to others in healthcare settings, such as hospitals. Researchers studying MERS have not seen any ongoing spreading of MERS-CoV in the community.

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MERS-CoV | Transmission of MERS | Coronavirus | CDC