Economy Class & Beyond

Hawaiian Airlines to add A321Neo’s to fleet

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It seems Hawaiian Airlines has caught the Airbus narrow body bug, with the announcement of a firm order of 16 Airbus A321neo aircraft. Hawaiian airlines will have options for another 9 aircraft on top. The aircraft will have 190 seats in a two class layout. Deliveries will be between 2017 and 2020. Hawaiian airlines will be targeting these birds for use between the islands … [Read more...]

The 787 continues testing

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A Boeing 787 has taken to the air today as part of the test campaign to get it certified for type and commercial flight again. This was the first time one took to the air since 11th February 2013, and the 2nd time since the commercial fleet was grounded - which is going on for over 2 months. The flight today was a 135 minute "check flight", using a LOT Polish Airlines 787 … [Read more...]

Norwegian Air Shuttle to launch long haul services with… A340’s.

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An unanticipated falllout of the 787 battery issue is the case of Norwegian Air Shuttle who have been due to launch a new services operated by their 787's from May. As the 787's are still not certified for flight, it i has meant that Norwegian have had to go shopping for capacity. In the narrowbody airlplane market, it's not difficult to russletl up planes in a hurry - … [Read more...]

Airplane Art – Air Canada Boeing 767-300ER

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It's Sunday again, and I'm still not firing on all engines - so it must be time for some more airplane art. This week, loading up for its next duty is an Air Canada Boeing 767-300ER under dark clouds at London Heathrow Airport. 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 … [Read more...]

SAS changes European short haul product

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It seems SAS is going to try something different to aid its recovery, with the scrapping of the current business, premium and economy fares on domestic and short haul legs, with in the introduction of SAS Go and SAS Plus . With the Go fare, you'll get: - One piece of checked luggage - Complimentary tea and coffee - Buy on Board food Meanwhile, the plus fare is a bit … [Read more...]

Fallout from the UK budget – APD on the rise again

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There are some things in life that are certain - being born, dieing, suffering from a stinker of a cough/flu, and of course, taxes. The one certainty there has been over the past few years is that Air Passenger Duty (APD) which is levied on flights departing the United Kingdom is going to shoot up. Again. So, how much extra are you going to be spending from Chancellor … [Read more...]

Lufthansa strike action

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Another day, another set of strikes. This time the strikes are by the ver.di union as they take action against Lufthansa over pay in Germany. The strike runs form 05:00 to 12:00CET, with short haul flights operating from Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne all hit, leading to 514 cancellations. The full list is at … [Read more...]

Ryanair goes for more Boeing 737-800’s

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Well it's been coming, and it seems Ryanair and Boeing have come to terms over a new order, with Ryanair going for 175 Boeing 737-800 aircraft. These will compliment Ryanair's current 737-800 fleet, with 75 aircraft to be used to replace some existing aircraft, whilst 100 aircraft are to be used for expansion purposes. Delivery of the aircraft will be through to December … [Read more...]

Asiana Airlines to operate their new 3 class product between ICN and JFK

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If there is an airline who I have a soft spot for, it's Asiana Airlines. Whilst  I find whilst their hard product may not be the best out there compared to some (if you've been on a long trip on a Wedgie Bed... it's not great, but it's not bad), the soft product and the sheer warmth of their crews has made me choose Asiana more than not. Well, there's good news for … [Read more...]

Lion Air goes to Airbus for expansion

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Indonesia's Lion Air is performing another expansion. - but instead of turning to Boeing like it has done in the past, it is now turning to Airbus. The order is a mix of both old and new designs within the A320 Family, with a total of 234 aircraft. The splits are: - 60 A320Ceo aircraft - 109 A320Neo aircraft - 65 A321Neo aircraft The aircraft will be delivered from 2014 to … [Read more...]