How airlines are addressing the pilot shortage crisis | Airlines
The global pilot shortage is a significant challenge facing the aviation industry today. This shortage is driven by factors such as increased demand for air travel, an aging workforce, and the lengthy and costly process of pilot training. As airlines around the world struggle to fill cockpit seats, the impact is felt across all sectors of the industry, including those…
Frequent flyer programs: The most profitable part of the airline industry | Airlines
New York CNN — Buying this week’s groceries or paying for a full tank of gas with a credit card might contribute more to the profits of the airline industry than buying a one-way ticket. That’s because frequent flyer programs have become a crucial part of the airline industry’s profitability. And that’s due to the billions of dollars banks and…
Air Belgium faces bankruptcy within two weeks: reports | Airlines
Air Belgium, which halted its passenger flight operations in 2023, faces bankruptcy within two weeks after so far failing to find a new investor for the airline. Representatives for Air Belgium appeared before the Nivelles business tribunal on September 3, 2024, where the carrier was granted two more weeks to find a solution. According to L’Echo, Air Belgium has been shielded from…
Frequent flyer programs: The most profitable part of the airline industry | Airlines
New York CNN — Buying this week’s groceries or paying for a full tank of gas with a credit card might contribute more to the profits of the airline industry than buying a one-way ticket. That’s because frequent flyer programs have become a crucial part of the airline industry’s profitability. And that’s due to the billions of dollars banks and…
How airline seats became key tech products | Airlines
Chris Baraniuk It’s estimated that one third of the world’s airline seats are made in Northern Ireland In a warehouse building in a quiet town in Northern Ireland, a robot arm is opening and closing an airplane meal table over and over again. It has been programmed to carry out this mundane task no fewer than 28,000 times, day and…
Spartan 7W Executive – Plane & Pilot Magazine
With the introduction of the Cirrus SR22T in 2010, general aviation had a truly modern, high-flying, personal airplane that could fly at over 200 mph and make reliable long-distance travel a reality for the single-engine piston set. However, if we turn back the clock nearly 90 years, wealthy Tulsa, Oklahoma, oil magnate William Skelly created an airplane that matched each…
Boeing Starliner returns to Earth, ISS undocking: video | Airlines
The beleaguered Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft has safely returned to Earth three months after blasting off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, on June 5, 2024. As planned, the Boeing Starliner returned without its crew, with astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, remaining onboard the International Space Station (ISS) over safety concerns about the capsule. Stunning footage…
IATA World Sustainability Symposium to take place in Miami | Airlines
The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) second World Sustainability Symposium (WSS) will focus on actions needed to achieve the airline industry’s commitment to net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. The event will take place in Miami, USA on 24-25 September 2024, hosted by American Airlines. “Sustainability is an existential challenge for humanity as it is for our airline industry. Achieving net-zero CO2 emissions…
Watchdog: Transportation Dept. Probe of Airline Reward Program Practices Warranted as Industry Aggressively Defends Junk Fees | Airlines
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Corporate watchdog Accountable.US welcomed the U.S. Department of Transportation’s new inquiry into whether the rewards programs offered by the top four U.S. airlines are engaging in “potential unfair, deceptive, or anticompetitive practices” that harm consumers. Accountable.US has previously documented how three of airlines named in DOT probe — American Airlines, Delta and United – are among six…
Never Fall for This Airline Trick: Why Codeshare Flights Can Ruin Your Trip | Airlines
Never Fall for This Airline Trick: Why Codeshare Flights Can Ruin Your Trip by Gary Leff on September 7, 2024 Codeshares are a terrible practice in the airline industry. One airline sells a seat on another airline’s flight but pretends it is their flight. The flight is, say, on Air Canada You’re flying an Air Canada plane with an Air…
Korean Air expands and resumes routes to China and Japan | Airlines
Korean Air announced that it is expanding its China and Japan networks to meet the recovering travel demand in the North Asian region. Following a four-year hiatus, the South Korean flag carrier will resume its routes from Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) to Mudanjiang Hailang International Airport (MDG) in China on October 22, 2024, and Gimhae International Airport (PUS) in…
Pilot shortage warning as Saudi challenger poaches Britons | Airlines
A spokesman said news of Riyadh Air’s impending launch had been enough to trigger a flurry of inbound interest from pilots, with 15,000 applications received from across the world. Riyadh Air’s pilot team includes a former chief pilot from Virgin, which last week signed a cooperation pact with the Middle Eastern carrier after announcing a new route to the Saudi…
Round Dials or Glass Cockpits?
Ask the front porch gang at the local airport which is better, a “six-pack” full of traditional round dial instruments or a bright new glass cockpit screen, and the answers will be all over the map. The more experienced aviators in the group may extol the virtues of a panel full of round dials, even as they throw a…
Decarbonizing Flight: Delta’s Approach to Scope 1 Emissions | Airlines
Delta Air Lines’ Chief Sustainability Officer, Amelia DeLuca, discusses the company’s strategies for reducing direct carbon emissions and efforts to increase sustainable aviation fuel production in the airline industry. This conversation is part of the ESG Talk Climate Week series, hosted by Andie Wood and brought to you by Workiva (WK), the world’s only unified…
Junkers’ revival: Classic aviation meets modern engineering | Airlines
Visitors to the Sun’n Fun 2024 Aerospace Expo, which took place in April 2024 in Lakeland, Florida, came across an aircraft that looked like straight of the 1920s. The aircraft in question certainly looked the part, but it didn’t come out of a museum or some heritage flight formation, nor had it traveled through time. It was, in fact, a…
Airline giant makes disappointing announcement following scrapped sustainability goals — here’s what the decision could mean | Airlines
A major airline’s flight plan for cutting pollution has hit some turbulence, shifting its eco-friendly goals to be more realistic. What’s happening? As reported by the Guardian, Air New Zealand has announced that it will no longer meet its 2030 goal to significantly cut pollution, measured by harmful carbon dioxide levels. This decision marks a troubling shift away from the…
Flying From the Ground – Plane & Pilot Magazine
The captain, a seasoned ATP with a Top Gun level of confidence, was at the helm of a Boeing 737NG. With over 10,000 hours of experience, he was prepared for anything. Or so he thought. The takeoff proceeded as usual, V₁ then V₂, with the aircraft now gaining speed and altitude. But then the unexpected happened. At a mere 200…
Electric Planes? How About No | Airlines
So you’ve been nervous about flying since the airline industry went all in on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion? You’re not the only one. After a string of high-profile accidents, Americans are losing confidence in flying altogether. It’s time for airlines to get back to basics; just fly the damn plane. But of course, the air industry is doubling down. They’re…
Passenger Taxes Won’t Solve Airline Industry’s Sustainability Challenge, IATA Warns | Airlines
Aviation tax is not a solution to the airline industry’s sustainability challenge, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has claimed. In welcoming Sweden’s decision to abolish the country’s aviation tax – which charged passengers anything from around €10 to almost €50, depending on their flight destination – IATA said the tax had been a drag on Swedish economic competitiveness and…
American Airlines to launch five new routes to Europe | Airlines
American Airlines to launch five new routes to Italy, Greece, Spain, and Scotland while also bringing back some old flights, starting in summer 2025. The airline revealed its expansion plans on September 5, 2024, claiming that it will offer more than 70 daily departures to more than 20 trans-Atlantic destinations in summer 2025. “We look forward to providing customers with…
Airspeed & Vertical Speed – Plane & Pilot Magazine
Every now and again, the concept of “energy management” comes up. But is that something a pilot would actually think about in flight? Does this concept allow the pilot to fly more precisely or more safely? To make better decisions? Does energy management even make sense all by itself, or does any discussion quickly devolve into one of airspeed and…
Qatar Airways voted World’s Best MICE Airline by industry experts | Airlines
Qatar Airways has been voted the ‘World’s Best MICE Airline 2024’ at the World MICE Awards held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam plus the ‘Middle East’s Best MICE Airline 2024’ by industry experts. The World MICE Awards™ honour industry leaders for furthering global Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism. This is the second consecutive year Qatar Airways has…
Delta and major airline loyalty program practices under federal investigation | Airlines
The department has asked the airlines to submit reports on their programs within 90 days to give the government a better understanding of how consumers “are impacted by the devaluation of earned rewards, hidden or dynamic pricing, extra fees, and reduced competition and choice,” it said in a statement. The probe would be the first extensive government look at the…
Saudia moves three Boeing 777s from Jeddah to Riyadh by road | Airlines
Saudia, the national airline of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recently transported three of its retired Boeing 777 aircraft from Jeddah Airport (JED) to Riyadh. There, they are to be stripped down of any remaining useful parts with the fuselages then to be used for a new tourist attraction to be known as ‘Boulevard Runway’. However, rather than ferrying…
The world’s safest (and least safe) aircraft models | Airlines
Other models might give pause for thought. The A310 family, out of production since 1998 but still in the fleets of little-known airlines including Iran Air and Ariana, has a “hull-loss with fatalities” accident rate of 1.89 per million departures – still small, but markedly higher than more modern jets. For the McDonnell Douglas MD-11, another rarity in 21st-century skies,…
Getting Even – Plane & Pilot Magazine
On my first solo cross-country, I had to land in a cow pasture due to an engine failure. The plane had just come out of a 100-hour inspection by the flying club’s mechanic. The mechanic flew out and fixed an oil line that had chafed through. The mechanic asked me to tell no one about what had happened. After the…
Don’t Let the Old Man In
By George Karamitis, EAA 144192 This piece originally ran in the July 2024 issue of EAA Sport Aviation magazine. The song “Don’t Let the Old Man In” by Toby Keith is a big inspiration for me. As I slide into my 83rd year of life, daily tasks become a little more difficult to accomplish. This is true even flying my…
Sweden planning to scrap aviation tax by July 2025 | Airlines
Sweden will abolish its aviation tax from July 2025 in a bid to boost air travel. The tax, which has been in effect in the Scandinavian country since 2018, represents a levy of between SEK76 and 504 (approximately US$7.4 – 49) depending on the destination, on each airline ticket for flights arriving or departing Swedish airports (transit passengers are…
AirAsia to operate Kuala Lumpur to Labuan Bajo flights | Airlines
AirAsia has launched direct flights from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) to Komodo International Airport (LBJ) in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia. This makes the low-cost carrier the first international airline to fly direct to the island, known to be the home of Komodo dragons, which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The inaugural flight arrived in Labuan Bajo on…
Airlines must refund carbon fees with ticket cancellations under amended consumer protection code, says Anthony Loke | Airlines
PUTRAJAYA, Sept 5 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke said today that airlines are required to refund the carbon fees imposed on passengers if they request a full refund for their tickets. This follows the recent amendments to the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code (MACPC) 2016, which took effect on Monday. “I would like to clarify that carbon fees are not…
Supply chain disruptions create ripple effects across global aviation industry | Airlines
Travellers at San Francisco International Airport. Supply chain disruptions have affected the availability of spare parts, leading to delays in aircraft maintenance and repairs. This results in longer ground times for aircraft, reducing the number of operational planes and the overall capacity airlines can offer. Air passenger demand hit an all-time high for the industry, and in all regions except…
Sustainability top of agenda as CAA visits… | Airlines
Jet2.com has demonstrated its efforts in improved sustainability at its Manchester base. Meeting with the UK’s third largest airline, Rob Bishton, chief executive officer at the UK Civil Aviation Authority met senior leaders alongside the regulator’s newly appointed group director for consumers and markets, Selina Chadha. During the visit, Jet2.com demonstrated some of its sustainability initiatives, including work to reduce…
Archer Aviation surpasses goal of 400 test flights | Airlines
Archer Aviation has announced that it has completed 402 test flights so far in 2024, surpassing its goal of 400 flights four months ahead of schedule. In a press release, published on September 3, 2024, the company said the 400-flight milestone was reached within the first eight months of the year after increasing its flight test operations ahead of the…
Ex-Continental Airlines CEO Laments That “Biden And Buttigieg Are Reregulating The Airlines” | Airlines
An opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal written by former Continental Airlines CEO Frank Lorenzo laments that the Biden Administration and Pete Buttigieg’s Transportation Department (DOT) threaten to ruin the airline industry with unnecessary regulation. Let’s take a look at his arguments. Former Continental CEO Frank Lorenzo Thinks Biden And Buttigieg Are Adversly “Reregulating” The US Airline Industry Lorenzo…
Adrenaline Therapy – Plane & Pilot Magazine
Waiting in a desert canyon outside Las Vegas, photographers stood ready to capture the adrenaline rush of high-speed, low-level aerobatics. Instead, they became eyewitnesses to a fatal crash. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final report on the July 3, 2022, event, highlighting both aerodynamic and regulatory breaking points. The 58-year-old pilot had about 7,000 hours of…
FTE Airline Digital Transformation Power List Americas 2024 | Airlines
Future Travel Experience is excited to unveil the FTE Airline Digital Transformation Power List Americas 2024. Here we shine a light on those who are pioneering new approaches that have the potential to improve travel for passengers and make the industry safer, more efficient and commercially successful. The Americas edition champions the most transformative change enablers within the airline and airport…
Fulfilling My Dream of Becoming a Pilot!
By Tristan da Cunha Monday, July 17, 2023, is a day I vividly remember. The VFR flight conditions were textbook perfect. It was on this day that I flew my first solo in a general aviation aircraft, a 1978 Cessna 152 (C-GMZW). I completed my solo at Pitt Meadows Regional Airport (CYPK) in the lower mainland of British Columbia. This…
Airbus Beluga to help free A350 stranded at LHR since April | Airlines
An Airbus Beluga will reportedly come to the rescue of a damaged British Airways A350 that has been left stranded at London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) since April 2024. The British Airways Airbus A350-1000, registered G-XWBC, was involved in a collision with a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner at Heathrow in April 2024, resulting in damage to the aircraft’s right-hand horizontal stabilizer. …
‘Part of our commitment to our customers is to offer the best in-flight experience’ | Airlines
U.S. airline JetBlue has made oat milk available on its flights for passengers as an option in lieu of dairy milk for coffee and tea, Vegconomist reported. This is a great way for the airline to offer more vegan options to its customers. JetBlue has added Lakeland Dairies’ Oat in a Stick packets to its food and beverage repertoire, which…
Whoa: Sweden Ending Aviation Tax In 2025 | Airlines
Here’s a development that counters the industry trend, especially as countries set climate goals… Sweden abolishing tax on air travelers In a major policy reversal, the Swedish government has announced that it will eliminate its aviation tax as of July 2025. This was revealed as part of the government’s 2025 budget bill, which otherwise includes more spending on infrastructure, research,…
