I am flying in Eastern Europe in November. I have assiduously avoided Aeroflot all of my life. Should I have a rethink these days? Aeroflot is the Russian carrier founded by the Communists in 1923. It is now a profitable semi privatised carrier and part of the Skyteam alliance. Skytrax ranks them as a three star airline and the passeger reviews have them at 4.7 out of ten, which seems to be average for the Skyteam carriers! The carrier used to have an appalling safety record – so bad it has its own wikipedia page devoted to the…
ANA adds EVEN MORE 787s
ANA (All Nippon Airways) is purchasing eleven more Boeing 787-9 aircraft valued at $USD3.3 billion) for delivery between 2018 and 2021, the carrier said in a statement. ANA plans to switch its Narita to Seattle service to 787 aircraft from 1st October and between Tokyo and Beijing from 28th October. Tokyo Narita to San Jose, California will follow in January 2013. When added with existing orders, these purchases bring ANA’s Dreamliner fleet to 36 B787-8s and 30 B787-9s. The 787-8 is the base model of the 787 family: 57 metres long (186 feet), a wingspan of…
Adios Air Nigeria
When I was a child, in the late 1960s, I lived in Ibadan, Nigeria. From Ibadan we once flew to the then capital Lagos on a Nigerian Airways WAAC flight –along with live chickens in the cabin. (Pictured is a the type of Vickers plane they used at Lagos Airport in 1969 -Wikipedia) The carrier was renamed Nigeria Airways in 1971, the year I left Nigeria. Sadly, despite government ownership, the great BOAC legacy and a potentially huge passenger base, Nigeria Airways folded in 2004. The Nigerian government immediately began negotiations for a new carrier and Virgin…
Changement d’Air France
Air France announced this week, a series of changes designed to reposition its products and services at the best possible level in the industry” . These changes are all designed to attract custom back to an airline which has been hit by the global economic downturn and volatile oil prices. Under a three-year plan dubbed “Transform 2015,” Air France- KLM is seeking to reduce operating costs by two billion euros ($US2.59 billion) with the proceeds going to pay down debt. This includes cutting more than 5,000 jobs by 2015. Alongside this, is a new focus on attracting…
Croc on the Plane
In the 2006 film, snakes are deliberately released on a 747. en route to Los Angeles. On Monday September 17, a baggage handler in Melbourne, Australia upon opening the cargo door of a Qantas passenger flight found a small crocodile loose in the hold. The reptile had escaped from its container during the two hour flight from Brisbane, Australia. The reptile was safely re-captured without a problem and no baggage handlers lost a hand or finger. The airline and cargo handling company Australian Air Express are investigating how the crocodile got out of its cage. Related Posts Stop…
Don’t Overlook Youth Hostel Stays!
When I was a teen I used to stay in Youth Hostels with ten people in the same room. Before we left for the day, members had to present themselves to the manager to do a chore before checking out! Youth hostels have changed (as have I!). My post last week prompted on youth hostels prompted me to reflect that hostels still remain an amazing way to travel – and not necessarily just for teenager backpackers. For example, in Sydney, Australia during a really busy peak time in that city, the chepaest decent hotel room…
787 September 2012 Update
The speed at which airlines are adding 787s is overwhelming. This week marks the first anniversary of the handover of the first 787 All Nippon Airways (ANA) on September 25, 2011. The carrier now own 13 of the Dreamliners. ANA were followed by: Japan Air Lines: March, 2012- currently have five Ethiopian: August 14, 2012 -one LAN August 31, 2012 – one Air India September 8, 2012 – received two 787s United Airlines will probably get their first 787 next week Qatar was meant to get their 787 but it has been delayed for some technical issues Related Posts LOT…
A380 arrives at Thai this week
Thai Airways will take delivery of its first Airbus A380 this week on 28th September, 2012. After delivery the craft will bear the registration: HS-TUA. Thai will become the ninth operator of the A380 after Singapore, Emirates, Qantas, Air France, Lufthansa, Korean, China Southern and Malaysian. The airline has firm orders for six A380s and will operate the aircraft between Bangkok and Hong Kong next month. This will be followed by Bangkok and Singapore then Bangkok and Frankfurt followed by Tokyo and Paris in 2013. Related Posts Time for Thai’s A380 I wanna fly Malaysian China Southern’s Third 380 Tuesday Trip…
LOT announces 787 services
At last a European carrier gets their turn. LOT Polish Airlines has announced that the carrier’s inaugural Boeing 787 service from Warsaw to Chicago will be on January 16, 2013. This will be followed closely by Warsaw to Toronto on February 1 and to New York JFK on February 3. LOT Polish Airlines will launch Boeing 787 service to Beijing a month later, on March 3. LOT is offering 252 seats all with individual entertainment in three classes of service on the new aircraft. This compares with JAL’s 186 seats, ANA’s 216, United with 219 and Ethiopian’s 270 seats. Elite Club (business…
The Return of JAL
There are very few success stories in the airline world about bankrupt airlines. The trading of Japan Air Lines (JAL) shares, this week, on the Tokyo Stock Exchange after a two and a half year absence, was welcome news. Generally, when a flag carrier fails, it vanishes. Consider Malev and Pluna this year. When Japan Air Lines failed on January 19, 2010, it had a phenomenal $US 25 billion in debts. One would have assumed that would be farewell. Instead, the carrier is flying high after its massive $US8.5 billion float on the Tokyo Stock Exchange a few months ago,…
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