Economy Class & Beyond

Spanair – Operations cease after running out of funds

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Continuing from yesterdays breaking story that Spanair has filed for bankruptcy, more details are emerging and the impact that is rippling through the Spanish Aviation industry. To recap: Spanair were declared to be "in an emergency financial situation" on Wednesday 25th January. the airline was in talks with Qatar Airways in purchasing a stake in the airline. On Friday the … [Read more...]

Spanair – Operations Suspended

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Well this sneaked up, but apparently, Spanair has suspended all flights after failed talks with Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways was in talks to buy a stake in Spanair, but it seems those talks have collapsed according the the Catalan regional government (who owns 80.1% of the company) and SAS who own 19.9%. A rescue effort was launched on the 25 January 2011, after the … [Read more...]

The sting in the tAAil – American Airlines 777-300ER

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So all the buzz has been about American Airlines launching a new Business class product with a 1-2-1 business product which admittedly, does look lovely. However, like everything there is a sting in the tail - enough for me to avoid these birds if I ever fly American Airlines. And it's down the back. Ignoring the obvious of a very nice IFE screen, power at seat, … [Read more...]

Alitalia plans to merge with two other airlines

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The Cranky Flyer's favourite target - Alitalia -  has made a tentative agreement to merge with two other Italian operators Blue Panorama and Wind Jet. Now those of you scratching your head will probably have never heard of these airlines. There's probably good reasons for that as Blue Panorama is a charter outfit operating a small fleet of Boeing 767's, Boeing 757's and … [Read more...]

Norwegian Air Shuttle splashes the cash – orders a lot of birds….

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Well it seems someone has a few pennies to spend, with Norwegian Air Shuttle opening its wallets to both Boeing and Airbus. From Boeing,  Norwegian has placed a firm order for Boeing 737-MAX's (737-8MAX variant) and 22 Boeing 737-800's. Meanwhile not to leave Airbus out in the cold, it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with them for 100 A320NEO's. In addition, … [Read more...]

Etihad throws an interesting proposition: Miles to Cash?

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It seems the question of "How much can a mile is worth" is to be answered by Etihad, who have announced planes to allow a Miles to Cash method. The PointsPay system will allow miles to be converted into readies will be via an iPhone app and eventually through the app's web site. The miles will be converted onto a Points Visa PrePaid Card, which will should be usable … [Read more...]

Air New Zealand: London safe

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From the New Zealand Herald, good news if you're a lover of Air New Zealand on the long haul routes from London to Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Auckland - they're safe for now, but expect seasonal cuts. Air New Zealand seem to be struggling to make London pay, but it seems everyone is still struggling - reason enough for Air New Zealand to bang about Kiwi service, and try and … [Read more...]

Turkish Airlines to offer WiFi on long haul routes

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It seems that people can't live without WiFi or the Interwebs for a few hours in the air. Turkish Airlines will be filling this need with planes to equip it's 12 Boeing 777-300ER's and 10 Airbus A330-300's with WiFi hotspots. The first one is already rolled out, with plans for a quick deployment through the rest of Turkish Airlines long haul fleet. You'll be able to use … [Read more...]

ANA Kick off their Tokyo Haneda – Frankfurt 787 Route

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Well the 787 is starting to come of age now as All Nippon Airlines begin to stretch the 787 wings from domestic Japanese runs to International run, connecting Tokyo Haneda Airport to Frankfurt. ANA have Five Boeing 787's in service, with one of them dedicated to the HND-FRA run. Running initially 3 times a week until February 1st, where it will go 3 times a week with 787 … [Read more...]