Out of the 90 carriers I have flown, none have been Russian. I had wanted to try private Russian airline Transaero’s legendary Imperial First Class with its gold embroidered seats, cotton sheet sets and special China! Its First Class came 16th in the world’s First Class cabins. Alas not to be for the airline closed their doors on 26 October 2015, days from their 24th Birthday on 5 November. Transaero had aimed to keep flying through to 15 December but its operating certificates were revoked after Russian banks withdrew support. The safety authorities then determined that Transaero’s massive debt posed a hazard…
Airline News (Friday)
Category Archives for Airline News (Friday).
Will Kiwi Regional Airlines succeed? Risks are high.
Between 1994 and 1996, a small New Zealand airline Kiwi Travel International Airlines established by Ewan Wilson turned Australian-New Zealand air travel on its head. Initially operating from secondary NZ airports Hamilton and Dunedin, the carrier expanded to Christchurch. Offering a “Cola and Peanuts” fare, they introduced fares that significantly undercut Air New Zealand and Qantas, the established trans-Tasman carriers. Air New Zealand countered by establishing its own low cost subsidiary Freedom Air in December, 1995 which also operated from secondary airports. Fares plunged so low that passengers were picking up flights for $US120 round trip for the 2200 km (1378 mile) international…
Good Bye US Airways- will they be missed?
Tomorrow, US Airways disappears as a brand. It joins AirTran, Aloha, Continental, Midwest Express, Northwest, TWA as airline brands that have all disappeared since 2001. The largest airlines in the US have contracted to just three large carriers: American, Delta and United. US first flew in 1939 as mail carrier All American Aviation, adding passenger traffic in 1949. In 1953 it became Allegheny Airlines, a name it carried until the deregulation era of 1979 when USAir was adopted. USAir was varied to US Airways in 1997. In 2005, they entered into a “reverse merger” with America West with the America West…
And the best airline is… Ethiopian?
There are few airline success stories from the continent of Africa. The wreckage of national carrier after carrier is strewn across the landscape. For example, Nigeria where I lived, has had a revolving door of carriers. South African Airways, once the strongest African carrier is bleeding cash as it limps along with an ageing fleet. Kenya Airlines announced a massive deficit and is facing an uncertain future. I have been following closely 70 year old Ethiopian Airlines. I noted their joining of the Star Alliance in 2011 and their status as one the 787 launch customers in 2013. The airline has…
PEOPLExpress is Gone
The last time we heard from PEOPLExpress on their plans to fly again was one year ago. A year later, I am definitely calling it. People’s Express has permanently putted out. Despite a cheery New Year’s message on Facebook (see below), nothing of substance has resulted in the airline flying again. For those of you who have forgotten… The original PeopleExpress went out of business in 1987, despite taking advantage of US air deregulation to become the fifth largest airline in the USA by offering ultra low fares which the staff collected on the plane.…
2015 CAPA Aviation Awards in Helsinki
Airline Finnair received their brand new Airbus A350 in time to show it off at this year’s CAPA 2015 World Aviation Summit in Helsinki, Finland. Presentations and discussions at the event organised by CAPA (Centre for Aviation) addressed Open skies, Subsidies, Ownership, Alliances, Distribution and Productivity. In the midst of the event were announcements for CAPA’s 2015 Aviation awards: Ethiopian – Airline of the Year for their leadership in the African market. IndiGo – CAPA Low Cost Airline of the Year Qantas -the CAPA Airline Turnaround of the Year Qantas CEO Alan Joyce named CAPA Airline Chief Executive of…
Rainbow for September 11
Rainbow emerging from World Trade in lower Manhattan taken on 10th September 2015 by Queens resident Ben Sturner. Fourteen years later, I think of the day that changed so much of our world when almost 3000 people from over 60 countries were directly killed as a result of the hijacking of those four aircraft. I want to take a positive from the rainbow. I pray we can find a way to bring peace this year. My thoughts to you on this day.
Skymark’s Rescuer is ANA
All Nippon Airlines (ANA) has beaten Delta Air Lines in a race to turn around the fortunes of Japan’s third largest air carrier Skymark Airlines. Skymark have been in bankruptcy since January, 2015. Skymark launched in 1996 after airline deregulation in Japan. The carrier grew rapidly but in recent years has been impacted by significant growth in the number of low cost carriers in Japan and by the falling Japanese currency. Since 2010, Skymark had planned to become an A380 operator. Their aim was to charge fares between Japan and Europe/USA that were less than half of those of…
Kenya Airways Falters
I love Africa. The smells, the vibrancy and the people have captured my heart since I lived there as a child. African aviation, therefore definitely absorbs my interest and attention from the days I used to fly Nigeria Airways (now defunct). Back then East African Airways flew to Uganda and Kenya from many of the airports I travelled through and I wondered at this airline’s livery and slogan: “Fly among friends“. Sadly they collapsed in 1977 with debts of $US120million to be replaced by three airlines; one of which is Kenya Airways. These days that loss would…
MH370- Reunion gives news but not answers
The news that part of an aeroplane has washed up on the shore of the Island of Réunion last Wednesday gives little comfort to families and friends of those who were on Malaysia Airlines 370 that disappeared on March 8, 2014. Confirmation by Malaysia on Friday, that the part is a flaperon and is indeed from a Boeing 777 tells us that it is likely that the plane did indeed end up in the sea. It does not tell us how, where or why. (See wsj: What is a flaperon?) Additional information emerged that a suitcase was…
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