Etihad Airways has appointed Linda Celestino as the airline’s Vice President Guest Services. Ms Celestino has more than 25 years’ experience in the airline industry having held senior positions in her native Australia and the Middle East, as well as being President of the New York-based Airline Passenger Experience Association.
airberlin once again increased its number of available seat kilometers and revenue passenger kilometers in yearly comparison. The increase in available seat kilometers is due to the greater number of long-haul flights, especially to Abu Dhabi and the Caribbean.
Swiss has announced the substantial enhancement of its business class product. The national airline plans to provide more privacy and comfort for its business passengers as part of a new strategy it calls “Next Generation Airline of Switzerland”.
AirTanker has taken delivery of its eleventh Voyager multi-role tanker transport aircraft (MRTT), which will be operated by Thomas Cook Airline. Link
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Charlotte Douglas International Airport is planning to add a fourth runway to accommodate expected growth in demand for flights. Link
United Airlines is considering moving its training center out of Denver. The company uses flight simulators to train its pilots in the Stapleton neighborhood. The facility, at East 32nd Avenue and South Quebec Street, has been there since the 1950’s. Link
Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) has ordered Taiwanese airlines TransAsia Airways and Uni Air to ground their ATR 72s and conduct engine inspections on the turboprops following the Feb. 4 crash of a TransAsia ATR 72-600 in Taipei. Link
I enjoyed Kevin Michaels’s well-done “Up Front” column in the Jan. 12 issue on why an Airbus A380neo will probably happen. The cynic in me says there is a good chance that what he is predicting will occur. However, European/Airbus company politics aside, a reengined and updated A380 makes little sense, and from an economic…
Qantas was forced to divert its SYD-LAX A380 to the little-used Ontario airport near Los Angeles as a result of fog and construction work at LAX. It’s the first time an A380 has ever landed at Ontario, which is mainly used for by UPS and FedEx Express for freight. Link