Expect to use some portable electronic devices during the entire flight very soon

by Devesh Agarwal The United States’ aviation regulator the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has today allowed airlines to relax rules regarding the use of portable electronic devices (PEDs) on-board flights below 10,000 feet. In a release the FAA said Passengers will eventually be able to read e-books, play games, and watch videos on their devices…

Dubai International’s passenger traffic up 13.1 per cent in September

By BA Staff Courtesy of Wikipedia Passenger traffic at Dubai International, the world’s second busiest airport for international passengers, rose 13.1 per cent in September, according to the latest traffic statistics issued yesterday by operator Dubai Airports. Passenger traffic in September totaled 5,407,326, an increase of 13.1 per cent compared to 4,780,394 during the corresponding…

JetBlue deal marks 10,000th Airbus A320 family order

By BA Staff Just days after taking delivery of its very first A321 aircraft, JetBlue Airways has placed a new order for 15 A321ceo (current engine option) and 20 A321neo (new engine option) aircraft. In addition, the airline has opted to up size 8 A320ceo and 10 A320neo aircraft currently on backlog to 8 A321ceo…

Qatar Airways launches new route to Philippines

By BA Staff Qatar Airways has launched daily non-stop daily flights to Clark Manila International Airport in the Philippines. The Clark airport route is operated with an Airbus A330 in a two-class configuration of up to 248 seats in Economy and up to 36 in Business Class. Clark International Airport is located about 96km from…

Alaska Airlines retrofitting 737 fleet with new, split winglet

By BA Staff Scimitar split winglets. Photo courtesy Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airline’s Boeing 737s will soon fly the more efficient performance-enhancing split Scimitar winglets, which will reduce fuel consumption by 58,000 gallons a year per aircraft saving the airline $20 million and cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 57,000 tons annually, equivalent to about 11,900 passenger…

Qatar Airways joins oneworld alliance

by Devesh Agarwal Flag carrier Qatar Airways becomes part of oneworld® alliance at midnight Doha time tonight, becoming the first carrier from the burgeoning Gulf region to join join any airline alliance. Qatar also joins fellow middle-east carrier Royal Jordanian which is a member of oneworld. QR633 which departs from Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka for Doha…

Boeing and Lockheed Martin team-up for US Air Force bomber program

By BA Staff The Boeing Company and Lockheed Martin Corporation are teaming together to compete for the United States Air Force’s Long-Range Strike Bomber program, with Boeing acting as the prime contractor and Lockheed Martin as the primary team-mate. To this critical mission, the team brings together nearly two centuries of combined experience designing, developing…