Airlines
Still Slow Out Of Chicago
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that it is working to return the Chicago En Route Center in Aurora, Illinois to full service by Oct. 13, 2014. Air traffic controllers who normally work at the centre are now working at other surrounding FAA air traffic facilities to help safely maximize the traffic flow in and out of the Chicago-area airports while the FAA and its telecommunications contractor, Harris Corporation repair damaged communications equipment at Chicago Center. Some Chicago Center controllers are also travelling to other high-altitude air traffic centres...
Flights Slowly Resuming in Chicago
Flights are slowly resuming at O'Hare in Chicago after a fire at a suburban air traffic control facility this morning halted flights in and out of the city's two airports, O'Hare and Midway. The fire led to the evacuation of the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center in Aurora, about 40 miles west of Chicago. By 7:30 a.m., more than 200 flights to and from O'Hare had been cancelled. Officials have confirmed the fire was deliberately set by a male employee who was found in the basement suffering from self-inflicted...
Etihad Unveils New Livery on First A380 Aircraft
Etihad Airways has unveiled a stunning new livery design – inspired by traditional Emirati design patterns, the landscapes of the desert and the geometric shapes found in the modern architecture of Abu Dhabi – which will be introduced across its fleet. The new livery was unveiled as Etihad Airways’ first A380 rolled out of the paint hangar at the Airbus Finkenwerder facility in Hamburg, Germany. James Hogan, president and chief executive officer, Etihad Airways commented, “Only a few months ago Etihad Airways unveiled the new cabin interiors for our A380 aircraft and we are...
Network Expansion
Air Canada will be introducing year-round mainline service to Amsterdam from Toronto beginning in June 2015 as part of its continuing expansion of its international network. AC also said that additions to its summer network next year would include new Air Canada rouge seasonal service from Montreal to Venice and between Vancouver and Osaka. Benjamin Smith, president, passenger airlines, at Air Canada, said: "Air Canada will continue its international expansion drive next summer, led by the addition of Amsterdam to its mainline global network. Apart from being a popular tourist...
Ryanair Partners With Amadeus
Ryanair and Amadeus have signed a new agreement that will bring a wide range of the carrier’s fares and full ancillary services content to Amadeus subscribers for the first time in over a decade, via Amadeus’ innovative light ticketing technology. The agreement also means that Ryanair's new Business Plus fares will be made available to Amadeus subscribers, offering business and corporate travellers a tailored package, including flexible ticket changes, a 20 kg baggage allowance, fast-track at airports, priority boarding and premium seating. The agreement marks a significant...
Food Glorious Food
Lufthansa hosted a Culinary Academy in Toronto yesterday (Sept. 24) providing travel trade types with an insider's look a how the airline is able to consistently provide its passengers with a superior culinary experience. On hand for the presentation were Lufthansa's director & head of inflight services and lounges, Dr. Ingo Bulow and area manager Americas product design and caterer management, Ernst Derenthal. Together, Bulow and Derenthal offered those on hand a look at the effect of altitude on the taste of food and the changes that needed to be made to recipes in order to...
Making Dreams Happen
In an event jointly developed with the ad firm Bleublancrouge, KLM gave passersby on the street a chance to live a childhood dream – flying a jumbo airplane. The onlookers got to play airline pilot by pushing a throttle connected to a huge board displaying a KLM aircraft. The object was to leave a white contrail streaking across the sky. The 30 people from among the participants who performed the maneuver successfully were invited to try their hand a second time at producing a contrail. For one “pilot” who managed a successful “takeoff” again, the reward would be two KLM...
Addressing The Needs Of Travellers
When over 700 of the top executives from airlines, global distribution systems, travel trechnology providers, airports and travel management companies gather in San Diego in mid-October for IATA's fourth annual World Passenger Symposium (WPS), the topic of discussion will be “From Exclusivity to Commodity: Is Flying Still Glamourous?” IATA’s director general and CEO, Tony Tyler observed that: “2014 marks a century of commercial aviation. Some 65 billion passengers have flown in the 100 years since the first airline flight. Airlines will carry the next 65 billion passengers...