Economy Class & Beyond

Turkish Airlines signs for more narrowbody aircraft – this time 737’s…

by

Turkish Airlines is busy bolstering its future fleet. After the announcement it was purchasing Airbus A320neo aircraft, the airline has gone to Boeing to further expand its fleet The airline will be ordering 95 aircraft - 70 on a new order, 25 on options. The break down is a mixed group: 65 Boeing 737-8 MAX 10 Boeing 737-9 MAX 20 Boeing 737-800's Delivery of the aircraft … [Read more...]

Emirates granted “Fifth Freedom” fights from Milan to New York

by

In an interesting development, the Italian government has granted Emirates "Fifth Freedom" flying rights to operate between Milan-Malpensa and New York-JFK. The service will be a continuation of the Dubai - Milan service, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER The schedule looks a little like this: EK205 DEPART DXB 09:05 ARRIVE MXP 13:50 DEPART MXP 16:00 ARRIVE JFK … [Read more...]

Boeing completes 787 re-certification flight

by

It seems Boeing has completed its testing with the 787 with a second flight to prove the battery fix the airframer has designed as it's "final certification for (return to) flight". The test flight was conducted with a LOT Polish Airlines 787 with a 2 hour sortie. Boeing state: "The crew reported that the certification demonstration plan was straightforward and the … [Read more...]

FTA Awards: BMI wins a Special Recognition Award

by

Those of you with long memories will remember GhettoIFE's home airline (before I switched to British Airways) of bmi  British Midland International, and the joy of BMI Diamond Club Why was it so filled with joy? It had great value redemptions, it was easy to earn miles, easy to obtain and retain status and apart from the ICC, it had one of the first social media outlets … [Read more...]

Well that could had been worse….

by

And we learn that not all AA Y seats are the same. This is one row back from the seat I sat at last time on an AA 777. Just a TAD more space than last time. Now time to rest at my usual haunt for a while, before the madness of a Chicago weekend kicks in... … [Read more...]

IAG to firm up more 787’s

by

International Airlines Group - the owners of British Airways and Iberia is planning to convert the 18 options it has for Boeing 787 aircraft into orders. The 787's will be used in part to replace existing Boeing 747-400 aircraft in the British Airways fleet. Deliveries are scheduled from 2017 to 2021. Currently, IAG has orders for 24 787's - split into eight 787-8's and … [Read more...]

Air Samoa introduces “pay by weight”… Including how much you weigh…

by

Samoa Air isn't that bigger carrier if I'm honest - covering American Samoa routes. However, it has introduced a new policy that will be watched by some airlines - paying by weight Now, we're used on some airlines to pay by weight of your luggage - but Samoa Air puts a new spin on this: the weight of your luggage and your personal weight. Rather than pay for a seat, … [Read more...]

1st April news: Virgin to launch Glass bottomed plane

by

Well it wouldn't be the 1st April without some silliness, and today is no different. Apart from Google Treasure Maps, today Virgin Atlantic launches a Glass Bottom Plane. Virgin say: Today we've announced that our world-class engineering crew have been secretly working on the design and production of the world's first-ever glass-bottomed plane, created to ensure passengers … [Read more...]

Emirates to introduce fuel surcharges on awards

by

It seems Emirates is joining the fuel surcharge party with awards. Fuel surcharges will apply to all awards in the Skywards scheme from 31st March 2013. You'll be able to pay the Fuel Surcharge in either cash or more Skywards miles and will form part of the taxes and surcharges. Emirates say: Until now, the surcharges have been excluded from Emirates Skywards reward … [Read more...]