FlightAware Targets Piston Airplane Pilot Market with Launch of Aviator

FlightAware’s Aviator is an inexpensive subscription-based software, accessible via the web and iOS. Any subscriber can register multiple aircraft, including rentals, and unlock indispensable features like Ready To Taxi™, Premium Weather and Map Layers, Surface Visualizations, FBO Scheduling, and ETAs automatically updated via FlightAware’s powerful machine predictive technology, Foresight™. (flightaware.com) More...

B-17 Flying Fortress Has Been Hiding in a Barn for Years, Waiting to Be Restored

Not exactly a barn find, this Flying Fortress has been crammed piece by piece into a large, barn-like building in order to be restored. The owner who raised this building specifically for the B-17 has been working on it for years now. It's far from complete and it will take many more years before it will fly again, but it's definitely something you wouldn't expect to find in such a building. (www.autoevolution.com) More...

Ameristar's new livery

Ameristar DC-9-15F, N785TW departing from Willow Run, YIP runway 23R wearing its newly painted livery. 7-27-21 (www.youtube.com) More...

Aviation fans thankful to be back on EAA AirVenture grounds

“People are excited, they are enthusiastic, they are pumped up," said Dick Knapinski is the spokesperson for EAA, "The theme for this year is the wait is over, and we’ve waited a whole year to do this so last year was unfortunate, it was the right decision as it turns out.” (fox11online.com) More...

American to hire 1,350 pilots by the end of next year to meet rising demand for air travel

FORT WORTH, TEXAS — American Airlines is gearing up to hire 1,350 pilots by the end of next year to meet the rapidly rising demand for air travel, 450 more pilots than previously planned. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Former Airman Who Leaked Details of Drone Program Sentenced, Will Serve Prison Time

A former Air Force intelligence analyst who said he was compelled to speak out against the military’s use of drones after witnessing firsthand their effect on civilian casualties has been sentenced to 45 months in prison for leaking classified information. (www.military.com) More...

Qantas Flight QF6079 SYD - BGI

Qantas QF6079 (reg#. VH-ZNJ) SYD - BGI 16hrs 54mins. B787-9 "Hitting bounderies". Chartered flight for Australia Cricket team. Can this or will it be a new route? https://flightaware.com/live/flight/QFA6079/history/20210726/0200Z/YSSY/TBPB (www.nationnews.com) More...

American Airlines cuts Brazilian city, adds 2 new international markets from Miami

Miami is the center of attention in American Airlines’ latest route-map adjustment. Over the weekend, the carrier filed some notable schedule changes for its South Florida hub, strengthening its presence in the Caribbean, while backing out of a key market in South America. (thepointsguy.com) More...

United follows Delta’s lead, allows you to opt out of middle-seat ‘upgrades’

Well, you might be able to avoid one on your next United flight as the carrier just expanded its seating preference options for standby travelers. Previously, you could only state your preference for an aisle or window seat. Now, you’ll find three new options in the United app when you’re on the standby or upgrade list for a given flight. (thepointsguy.com) More...

JetBlue Delays Embraer E190 Retirement Plans To Support Growth

JetBlue has announced that it will be delaying its Embraer E190 retirements. The airline owns 30 E190s outright and plans to fly them beyond 2026, with no firm retirement date as of now. The airline plans to keep its Embraer jets around to support the opportunities available under the Northeast Alliance (NEA) with American Airlines. (simpleflying.com) More...

WOW: 310 United States Routes Launched In Just 52 Days

A whopping 310 US routes were inaugurated by 21 airlines in the 52 days between June 1st and July 22nd. This would be excellent in the best of times, let alone during a pandemic. It nicely illustrates how the time is right to ‘experiment’ with routes, while normally there is less incentive or need to try those considered ‘risky’. We examine what’s happened. (simpleflying.com) More...

America’s LCCs Have Plenty Of Room To Expand Without Competition

Although a difficult 18 months has seen the wind knocked out of travel demand, airline startups are still forging new paths ahead. Pretty much all the startups have chosen to operate on a low-cost or ultra-low-cost model, spurring competition for the incumbent low-costs in these markets. Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle is not worried about the new entrants and believes there is room for low-costs to triple in size in the US before any real impact is felt. (simpleflying.com) More...

Canadian Low-Cost Airline Flair Announces 5 New US Routes

Flair Airlines has expanded its network to fly to five United States cities. (aeroxplorer.com) More...

Why I’m concerned about Citi’s transfer partnership with American Airlines

We got some fantastic news last week about Citi ThankYou Rewards adding American AAdvantage as a temporary transfer partner. Citi and American have had a long-standing cobranding partnership resulting in cards like the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® and Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®. Frankly, this transfer partnership has been a long time coming, considering programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards have… (thepointsguy.com) More...

68 Year Old New Zealand Passenger Plane Eyes Retirement

New Zealand airline Air Chathams is on the brink of retiring a 68-year-old passenger plane. The Convair 580 typically wings its way between its home on the Chatham Islands and the New Zealand mainland. Lining up to replace the old dame of the skies is an ATR-72 500. (simpleflying.com) More...

Japanese LCC ZIPAIR Targets Singapore With New Route

Japanese budget airline ZIPAIR announced last week that it would be launching a scheduled service between Tokyo Narita and Singapore. This service, typically over seven hours in duration, is set to commence on September 7th, 2021. Let’s take a look at the details of this flight and which airlines ZIPAIR will be going up against. (simpleflying.com) More...

Delta Air Lines extends elite status, certificates and more for another year

Perhaps sensing an imminent downturn in travel bookings due to the delta variant of COVID-19, Delta became the first U.S. airline to extend elite status through 2022 today. Delta’s previous status extension was set expire on Jan. 31, 2022. Now, however, all current Delta elites will see their elite status prolonged by another year, through Jan. 31, 2023. (thepointsguy.com) More...

Heathrow Airport will soon charge £5 for passenger drop-offs

All Uber, Addison Lee, black cab and other rides to Heathrow Airport are about to get more expensive. And, if a loved one is dropping you off at the departure hall curbside, they’ll have to pay a fee in order to do so. As of October 2021, Heathrow Airport will start charging a £5 Terminal Drop-Off Charge for those who are dropped off outside airport terminals. (thepointsguy.com) More...

The secret behind the curtains that you see around business-class pods Zach Griff

Have you ever walked up and down the aisle during a long-haul flight and noticed that one (or more) business-class pods were enclosed with thick curtains? It doesn’t happen on every flight, but when it does, I’m always jealous of whoever’s resting inside. It always looks like they’ve scored the ultimate business-class upgrade, in what’s arguably the most private suite on the plane. (thepointsguy.com) More...

Cessna SkyCourier Makes Public Debut At AirVenture 2021

Cessna’s SkyCourier utility twin turboprop made its first show appearance at EAA AirVenture, arriving on opening day, Monday, July 26. A crowd gathered on Boeing Plaza in front of the big twin as Textron officials updated certification progress and underscored the features they believe will make the airplane a success. Also on hand were representatives from launch customer FedEx, which has 50 on order and expects to take its first delivery later this year. (www.avweb.com) More...

Boeing Knocks Out a Profit for the First Time Since 2019

Boeing's earnings were $567 million in Q2 (April, May, and June) compared with a $2.4 billion loss a year ago. Analysts had expected a big loss. Rebound attributed to the resumption of 737 Max deliveries and nearly 300 new orders of the type. But China's long-delayed 737 Max recertification and 787 and 777X production issues pose future risks. (apnews.com) More...