Economy Class & Beyond

Thai Airways cancels A380 operations to London

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Thai Airways has formally cancelled plans to operate their new Airbus A380's between Bangkok to London Heathrow. The aircraft was due to be deployed on the run from the 1st December to operate one rotation of the two Thai fly. The delay has been put down to the fixes that are being applied wing ribs to Thai's new aircraft - the faults dating to 2012. As aircraft reach the … [Read more...]

BMI Regional continues apace – Best on-time performance

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BMI Regional continues to power ahead since Sector Aviation took over last year. This segment of BMI always had a good on-time performance (which can be somewhat attributed not flying in and out of Heathrow), and according to FlightsOnTime.info - are the most punctual airline over the past 12 months. The airline achieved a 94.6% on-time arrival rate, with BA Cityflyer unit … [Read more...]

Airplane Art – ANA Boeing 777-200ER

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It's Sunday again, so it's time for some airplane art. This week, it's an All Nippon Airlines Boeing 777-200ER at Frankfurt-am-Main Intentional airport, awaiting a return flight to Tokyo Haneda in February last year. The image is clickable if you want to see a larger version – and yes you can keep them for your desktops! More airplane art next week! … [Read more...]

Asiana San Francisco Crash: No mechanical failure

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A few more details have emerged and have been confirmed since Asiana Flight 214 crashed at San Francisco Airport. The Boeing 777-200ER (registration HL7742) landed short of the runway, hitting the sea wall and ripped its tail off in the process, causing the plane to crash at the airport. The aircraft bounced twice, then spun around and departed from the left side of Runway … [Read more...]

UPDATE 6: Asiana Boeing 777 Crashes at San Francisco Airport

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Breaking news with an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777-200ER operating OZ214 crash landing at San Francisco International Airport. The airplane was coming in from Seoul, South Korea and apparently crashed sometime after touching down on Runway 28. The Flightware map is at http://uk.flightaware.com/live/flight/AAR214/history/20130706/0730Z/RKSI/KSFO Image: KTVU  … [Read more...]

British Airways takes delivery of their first Airbus A380

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Hot on the heels of getting their first Boeing 787, British Airways today is having its first Airbus A380 delivered. Image - Airbus G-XLEA (Droll, very droll) left Toulouse at 8:55CET, as flight BA9158P/BAW380 - http://www.flightradar24.com/BAW380 with a compliment of crew and 50 guests aboard (yours truly not invited sadly) and touched down safely at Heathrow Airport … [Read more...]

Swiss does something unSwiss like – Light fares from Geneva

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A lot of us like Swiss International Airlines - be it their great service, consistent quality or even the nice lounge at Zurich. Well, Swiss is trying to pull a fast one with the launch with services between Geneva and London Airport - Geneva Economy Light and Geneva Economy Flex. So what's the difference other than price? Geneva Economy Light - No Checked Luggage - No … [Read more...]

Air India to relaunch Delhi – Birmingham UK service with a 787

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Some time ago, Air India ran a Delhi - Birmingham - Toronto service, that was curtailed as Air India wished to retain slots at Heathrow. Well, it seems Air India is returning to Birmingham with the confirmed launch of Delhi to Birmingham service, which will be operated with Boeing 787 aircraft. The schedule looks a bit like this: AI113 DEPART DEL 13:30 ARRIVE BHX 18:00 … [Read more...]

FCO Travel Advice on Egypt

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With the protests in Egypt, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office has modified its travel advice for travel advice: The FCO recommends against all but essential travel to Egypt - except for the resorts on the Red Sea in South Sinai and those resorts on the Egyptian mainland in Red Sea area. The FCO recommends British Nationals already in Egypt in areas where we advise … [Read more...]

The Saga of Berlin Airport: Some of it might open in December… Maybe.

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If there is something that has turned from a bad joke to a farce, it's the ongoing shambles that is Berlin-Brandenburg Airport. As we're aware, there been four attempted openings of this new Berlin Superhub airport - all of them been and gone, with the date pushed further back each time. Well, there may be some positive news with plans to open a part of the new BER airport … [Read more...]