Nicole Kidman Being Pressured to Halt Ethiad Ad's

Nicole Kidman has been slammed for her new ad campaign with Etihad Airways.

Association of Professional Flight Attendants national president Laura Glading, in an open letter to Kidman, wrote the sponsorship deal is at odds with the Australian Oscar winner's role as a United Nations women's goodwill ambassador.

 

The union represents represents 25,000 American flight attendants and waged a public campaign against Etihad and other United Arab Emirates airlines claiming they "are well-known in our industry for their discriminatory labour practices and deplorable treatment of female employees".

 

Read more here.

$5000 for AC624 Passengers.

The passengers on board Air Canada Flight AC624 that crashed at Halifax airport have received a letter and a cheque from the airline for $5,000.

According to local media, one female  passenger said she received a cheque for $5,000 on Wednesday after it had been couriered to her.  Another passenger, also sent a cheque said he has consulted with a lawyer to find out if he can cash the cheque and still be part of a class action lawsuit. 

\the letter says, "$5,000 is not an admission of liability, it is a payment for expenses and inconvenience," and goes on to indicate that if Air Canada is held responsible then that $5,000 will be deducted from it.

Ryanair Banning Booze

Ryanair is banning booze,  but only on a flight from Glasgow to the vibrant home of the summer club scene Ibiza.

The ultra low cost airline Ryanair has told passengers travelling from Glasgow Prestwick to the Spanish sunshine and party isle that they will no longer be able to take alcohol on board.

Bosses confirmed yesterday this the Prestwick - Ibiza service was the only one of their flights to be slapped with the new restrictions.

In an email sent to passengers flying to Ibiza, the airline says “Customers will not be allowed to carry alcohol on board and all cabin baggage will be searched at boarding gates.

“Any alcohol purchased in airport shops or elsewhere must be packed in a suitable item of baggage, which will be tagged and placed in the aircraft hold free of charge. Customers attempting to conceal alcohol will be denied travel without refund or compensation.”

Many are not surprised by this action from the cheap airline, September last year a video emerged showing drunk passengers chanting, swearing and stamping their feet on the flight. In 2013 the flight had to be diverted to Beauvais airport, near Paris, because of drunk passengers causing trouble.

Ryanair said: “The comfort and safety of our customers and crew is our No1 priority and we will not tolerate unruly behaviour at any time.”

Sri Lankan Airlines Curruption Investigation

The Sri Lankan government has launched a criminal investigation into Sri Lankan Airlines, the national air carrier over allegations of "shocking" corruption.

A statement from the prime minister's office this week stated an inquiry had unearthed "major security breaches" at Sri Lankan Airlines. This follows on from much local speculation that there were serious wrongdoings at the company.

The official statement alleges irregularities in a $2.3bn purchase of 10 aircraft made under the previous government. This is the latest in a string of allegations  of corruption  against the administration of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Air Canada Against Jets at Billy Bishop

Air Canada have confirmed they don't want the competition and are battling hard to put a rival out of business. The mammoth Air Canada are pushing hard against Porter Airlines plans for a jet service from Toronto's Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.

The arch rivals have fought over the airport before — Air Canada sued Porter after Jazz, Air Canada's regional partner, was evicted from its Billy Bishop terminal by a company owned by Porter's CEO and president Robert Deluce in 2006. Porter was the only airline allowed to operate for the airport at the time. Air Canada regained access in 2010.

Porter Airlines has a powerful and high reputation and is currently lobbying Toronto's city council to amend rules to allow jets at Billy Bishop. Among other things, allowing jets to use the airport would require extending the runway at both ends by filling in parts of Lake Ontario. The proposed C Series jet aircraft Porter Airlines seeks to use on the route are quieter than the current Bombardier Q400's.

Another Fine for Southwest Airlines.

American's behemoth budget air carrier Southwest Airlines is facing another fine from the Federal Aviation Administration because of safety issues; for the second time in twelve months. 

The first case warranted a penalty of $265,800 and revolved around an aircraft that lost cabin pressure operating a flight from Boston to St. Louis in May 2013. The FAA alleges that mechanics for the airline failed to do a mandatory inspection for damage and to ensure the depleted oxygen bottles were replaced after the flight landed. Despite this failure, the FAA claims Southwest operated the aircraft on a further 123 flights before completing the inspection on June 3.

“Additionally, the airline allegedly operated the aircraft on May 14 and 15 flights with two of the four portable oxygen units un-serviceable,” the FAA claims. “A minimum of three were required under the conditions of Southwest’s Minimum Equipment List (MEL).”

Special Measures For Thailand's Aviation Industry

Turmoil in Thailand’s aviation industry at the moment as “special measures” have been slapped upon it after issues were flagged up by ICAO - the International Civil Aviation Organization  earlier this month.

Airlines including Thai AirAsia X, NokScoot and Asia Atlantic Airline have been forced to cancel flights. Even national airline, Thai Airways, was affected, being forced to cancel a number of new charter flights in April.

Aircraft Escorted to Prestwick Airport

A cargo aircraft has landed safely in Scotland after suffering technical problems with its communications equipment.

A major emergency had been declared at the airport after the Italian C-27J aircraft lost communication. This raised security concerns and the as a precaution RAF Typhoon fighters were scrambled to intercept and escort the stricken aircraft to Prestwick Airport.

A number of other flights were held up while the events took place, however Scottish airspace was not closed at the time. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "Typhoon aircraft were launched this evening from RAF Lossiemouth to intercept a civilian aircraft which was causing concern to air traffic control authorities. The aircraft was safely escorted to Prestwick airport and the local police now have the lead."

Down in the air just off the south coast of England another drama was taking place as two Russian military aircraft encroached into civil air corridors inside UK air space. Details of the RAF delayed response have not been disclosed and are under investigation.   

Bomb Threat Diverts Turkish 777

A Turkish Airlines Boeing 777 has been forced to make an emergency diversion to Morocco after a bomb threat, the airline has confirmed.

The 777-300ER plane was on a flight from Istanbul to Sao Paulo when it was forced to make a detour to Casablanca airport, earlier today. The aircraft landed safely at the Moroccan airport at 12.30pm GMT. 

According to some reports, a note with the word 'bomb' scrawled on it was found in the toilet of the aircraft. However this has been denied by by the airline who said "Turkish Airlines Istanbul – Sao Paulo flight TK15, carrying 256 passengers today has diverted to Casablanca Mohammed V international airport after bomb threat. The necessary investigation onboard has now terminated and it become clear that the threat in question was untrue. Our passengers will be retaken onboard and the flight will continue to Sao Paolo" 

Flying Spirit - You Need to Know More.

Ultra-low-cost airline Spirit will likely have the cheapest base fares on any route it flies, but the carrier's pre-flight and onboard penny-pinching may cut into those savings. Here's what to expect (and how to make sure you're getting the best prices for your route) when flying with Spirit.


Read more at USA Today.

The Most Complained About Airlines

Passengers are now more than 40 times more likely to complain about Thomas Cook Airlines than they were in 2009, analysis of recent Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) figures has shown.

This was among the striking findings in a study of the past five years of statistics published by the CAA, the UK’s independent aviation regulator.

These include the unveiling of the most complained about airline to operate in Britain; the major airline whose complaint rates are so low they don’t appear in the published list; and statistics for Ryanair that may surprise some critics.

read more at The Telegraph

'Hard Landing' or Crash? Air Canada Threaten Legal Action

Leading air accident investigators say the say the 133 passengers on an Air Canada Airbus A320 had a very lucky escape when the plane crashed short of the runway at Halifax last week. 

The Airbus A320 was completely written off when it came down late on Saturday night after the impact sheared off its landing gear, an engine and its nose cone. 


More -

Pilots Warn Passengers of Safety Concerns at Allegiant

Safety Concerns trouble pilots at troubled Las Vegas based Allegiant Air.  The airline pilots union representing Allegiant Air's pilots have published a letter to the airlines customers warning them of safety concerns the pilots have with the airline. 

APA representatives Local 1224 purchased internet advertising directing prospective Allegiant customers to a letter telling them that passengers could be “flying an airline that is content with just barely meeting acceptable safety standards.” 

“This is not something we prefer to do,” said Daniel Wells, president of the union that represents pilots of 10 other airlines in addition to Allegiant. “We believe in a progressive approach, but this is a sign of how bad it’s gotten and how concerned we are.” 

The embattled airline called the letter “a scare tactic” and accuses the union of “heavy-handed bullying tactics.” 

Air Pegasus Launch Confirmed

Bangalore-based Air Pegasus will launch flights from 12th April this year after gaining its flying permit from aviation regulator DGCA. 

"We have received an Air Operators Permit from the DGCA, and plan to launch our ticketing system on April 4 and flight operations by April 12,"  said Air Pagesus Managing Director Shyson Thomas, this week. 

Air Pegasus' permit allows it to operate regional routes and will start its flying operations with two 66 passenger ATRs with plans to introduce a third within six months. 

"We already have two ATR-72 aircraft in our fleet that is sufficient to operate the three sectors we plan to start flights with," Thomas said.

787 For Perth

Asia's biggest airline China Southern to use Boeing 787's on Perth route. 

China Southern Airlines has been flying from from Guangzhou to Perth since 2011, operating three flights a week. In an announcement this week the airline says it will....

4U9525 Final Moments Video

Breaking news reports from various news agencies are mixed about a report from the French Alps that a mobile phone had been found that contains a video of the final moments of the doomed Germanwings flight. 

According to most reports, the video was shot from the back of the plane, and ties in with official accounts of the cockpit recording that prompted investigators to conclude co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit and then intentionally crashed the aircraft into the side of a mountain. 

European newspapers - Bild from Germany and Paris Match, fropm France are reporting they have seen the video and claim it was leaked by in informant close to the head of the investigation team. 

Lufthansa Knew Pilots Depression in 2009.

The Lufthansa co-pilot at the controls of the Germanwings Airbus A320 that crashed in the French Alps last week informed his bosses in 2009 that he had suffered from severe depression, says the airline this week.

Lufthansa advised on Tuesday that a search of their records found an email showing that first officer Andreas Lubitz, had informed the company of his condition as he was seeking to rejoin its training program after an absence of several months. 

According to the airline groups statement, Lubitz had sent its flight training school the email that had included medical documents describing a “previous episode of severe depression.”