Singapore Airlines Big Boeing Order

Singapore Airlines has ordered eight Boeing 777-300 Extended Range (ER) airplanes. The Singapore Airlines order is valued at $2.4 billion at Boeing current list prices. 


The order was first announced on 10 August 2011 but attributed on Boeing's Orders Deliveries website to an unidentified customer. In total, Singapore Airlines has ordered 85 Boeing 777s, 27 of which are 777-300ERs. 


 "This order is part of our ongoing fleet expansion and modernization program, which enables us to offer our latest cabin products to our customers," said Goh Choon Phong, chief executive officer for Singapore Airlines (SIA).


 "The additional 777-300ERs will also help us further strengthen the Singapore Airlines network, providing our customers even more travel options." SIA currently operates nearly every 777 model produced, including the 777-200, 777-200ER, 777-300 and 777-300ER.

Lion Air's roar for 230 Boeing 737's

Indonesia's Lion Air has agreed to buy 230 Boeing 737 aircraft with a list price of $21.7 billion, the White House said on Thursday, touting the sale as the US firm's biggest-ever commercial order.

The deal was announced soon after President Barack Obama touched down in Bali for the East Asia summit on the final leg of a regional tour partly aimed at drumming up markets for US products at a time of slow growth back home.

The White House also highlighted other deals, some already announced, including the sale of eight Boeing 777 planes to Singapore Airlines and an order for Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters by Brunei's ministry of defence.

UK biggest airlines join forces

The bosses of four of the biggest airlines in the UK have put their various feuds on hold to demand that the government scrap the tax that all passengers must pay on flights departing from the UK.

The chief executives of British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair andeasyJet claimed on Thursday that air passenger duty (APD) is "incredibly damaging" to the economy.

In an unprecedented demonstration of unity in the fiercely competitive aviation industry, the bosses joined together to claim that the tax, which generates £2.2bn a year for the Treasury, is a drain on the economy because it puts tourists off visiting the UK and discourages businesses from investing in Britain.

Emirates Massive Boeing Order.

( Emirates airline placed a blockbuster order for 50 Boeing (BA.N) 777 jetliners at the Dubai Air Show on Sunday, underscoring the confidence brimming among fast-growing Gulf airlines despite growing fears of stalling global growth.

UA and CO merge moves ahead.

In a recent speech, Jeff Smisek, CEO of United Continental Holdings, likened merging two large airlines to a total house remodeling. 


 "We are not doing painting and spackling here," he told a group of business executives in Chicago. Like a large construction project, the integration of United and Continental airlines is having its share of drama: meshing disparate cultures; the issue of new union representation contracts running behind schedule; some disgruntled pilots; customer confusion; and a long to-do list that includes minute details such as the proper verbiage when warning flight attendants to prepare for takeoff.


 Executives at United Continental maintain that crucial operational issues have been addressed and that the merger is proceeding without major glitches. "From my perspective, things are on track," says Jim Compton, United Continental's chief revenue officer. "Merging two airlines is a long process and complicated. We have a lot of work ahead of us." United and Continental announced their $3 billion merger in May 2010, creating the world's largest airline to be branded "United." They said they would generate up to $1.2 billion from cost savings and new revenue from their combined flight networks. The combined airlines would generate annual revenue of about $29 billion (based on 2009 financial results), they said. 


Shareholders approved the deal in September 2010. For now, the two carriers are flying under their own banners, and the company doesn't expect to finish merging the two reservation systems until the end of March. But some early integration tasks, such as painting planes and replacing signs, are proceeding quickly. Other crucial customer service issues — aligning frequent-flier programs, recoding kiosk software, agreeing on a reservation system standard — have made progress, too, Compton says. United Continental also has begun to rejigger the combined fleets by shifting some planes to better matching routes. For example, a United Boeing 777 plane, with both first- and business-class cabins, has replaced the business-class-only 757 jet used by Continental from Newark to Brussels, considered a premium market. 


 Mark Ozenick, an aviation consultant at SSA & Co., says dealing with mechanical and hardware issues is easier than combining and transforming the culture. "Where mergers fail is when they don't humanize the process and are not integrating the culture," he says. "Continental has a reputation for being very customer-centric. United not so much. At least that's the perception in the marketplace."


Read more 

Still learning how to make aircraft, but I am buying 55 of them

The European plane maker Airbus was subjected to deep public humiliation this week by one of its most important customers!


Qatar Airways accused the aircraft maker of “still learning how to make aeroplanes”. Akbar Al Baker, the outspoken chief executive of the expansionist Gulf carrier, used the platform of the Dubai air show to strongly criticise Airbus’ new widebody aircraft, the A350, and to threaten to pull a big order for other planes. 


He gambled on fear of a potential massive order loss to get a much better deal from Airbus.   It's been reported although not confirmed that his public bashing of Airbus saved his company nearly $20,000 on each of the 55 air frames he later ordered.   


The order for 55 aircraft with Airbus is worth $6.4bn at list prices, but we know that the list price is nowhere near the price Qatar will be paying. 


Qatar is the launch customer for the manufacturer’s popular new narrow-body plane, the A320 Neo. The gulf airline currently has a fleet of 103 aircraft, which Mr Al Baker expects to increase to 170 by 2016. 


Mr Al Baker told a morning press conference that he didn't feel he could go anywhere with Airbus, over a “large” order of planes. “Unfortunately I feel Airbus is … still learning how to make airplanes,” he said. Mr Al Baker piled on further embarrassment on the European Aeronautic Defence and Space company complaining its planned new A350 long-haul aircraft was taking so long. 


Qatar have ordered 50 of the A320 Neo short-haul aircraft and five A380 superjumbos.

Frontier to cut jobs.

Frontier Airlines will cut at least 220 jobs as it reduces flights, cuts the number of seats and the Indianapolis-based parent Republic Airways Holdings looks to spin off or sell the airline.


 Company officials said the reductions in Frontier’s workforce, which totals about 5,000, may be accomplished through attrition or voluntary leaves rather than all of them as layoffs. The reductions are expected to be at Frontier’s primary hub airports in Denver and Milwaukee. The carrier is cutting more than 20 flights a day, roughly one-third, of its traffic at Milwaukee. 


 Frontier still has a handful of flights daily at Indianapolis International Airport. Republic Airways acquired the financially distressed Frontier and Midwest airlines two years ago and combined them under the Frontier brand name. Since then, Republic Airways has struggled with Frontier’s profitability in the face of rising fuel prices and the stiff headwinds of competition. The current strategy is to position Frontier among the ultra low-fare carriers while flying larger airplanes with more seats to sell. Last week, Chief Executive Bryan Bedford told Wall Street analysts that the company’s board of directors has agreed to hire an advisor to assess the financial future of Frontier and possible options to sell the airline to another carrier or to investors or an equity fund or to spin it off to shareholders.

Spirit double booking fee.

Spirit Airlines Inc. is nearly doubling the fee it charges to book domestic tickets online.

The Miramar-Fla. company increased its "passenger usage fee" from $8.99 each way to $16.99 last week, according to spokeswoman Misty Pinson. The international fee fell $2 each way to $16.99.

Spirit aims to charge its passengers low base fares but then adds a bevy of fees for everything from placing a carry-on bag in the overhead bin to having a glass of water onboard. In January it plans to start charging $5 for each boarding pass a ticket agent prints.

The passenger usage fee is charged to anyone buying tickets online, which are the bulk of Spirit's sales. Anybody who treks to the airport to buy a ticket can avoid the fee.

Porter wins praise.

Porter Airlines is celebrating its recent ranking as the highest rated Canadian Airline in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Top 30 Airlines category.

The survey also places Porter in second place worldwide in the Small Airlines category, and fifth place worldwide in the Top 30 Airlines category, which includes elite industry leaders such as Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Emirates.

The annual awards reflect the opinions and preferences of Condé Nast Traveler's discerning readers, who rate destinations they visited in the past year, and the means of getting to them. Over 28,000 people voted in the 2011 survey, which selected the top cities, hotels, airlines and more.

"Condé Nast Traveler is widely recognized as a trusted source for travel advice and information, and we're proud to be chosen by readers as one of the best airlines in the world," said Robert Deluce, president and CEO of Porter Airlines. "Our passengers enjoy a truly unique premium travel experience, and this distinction is proof of that."

Offering a blend of speed, convenience and service, Porter has revolutionized short-haul air travel since its launch in 2006, rapidly becoming an industry leader and developing a loyal following among business and leisure travellers in each of its 18 markets.

About Porter Airlines Porter Airlines is Canada's third-largest scheduled carrier, based at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Porter is an Official 4 Star Airline® in the World Airline Star Rating® by Skytrax, committed to offering speed, convenience and service as part of a premium travel experience. A refined journey begins on the ground with comfortable airport lounges and service-oriented team members. The experience continues seamlessly in the air with spacious interiors and well-appointed crew. Passengers enjoy complimentary services, including free in-flight wine, beer and premium snacks, all aboard modern aircraft.

The airline currently offers flights to Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Moncton, Halifax, St. John's, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Timmins, Windsor, New York (Newark), Chicago (Midway), Boston (Logan), and has seasonal flights to Mt. Tremblant, Que., Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Burlington, Vt.

Air France KLM slide in profits

Air France-KLM reported a steep slide in profitability in the quarter ended Sept. 30, as passenger traffic was insufficient to offset a higher fuel bill, and set a three-pronged recovery plan to get the airline back on an even keel.

The airline issued a profit warning for the full year, saying it now expects to report an operating loss in the year's last quarter, as well as for the 12 months through Dec. 31, compared with previous guidance of a higher operating profit.

Air France-KLM is changing its financial year to the calendar year from a year that ended on March 31.

Net profit for the three months ended Sept. 30—the second quarter of the current financial year that exceptionally will be for only nine months—was €14 million ($19.4 million), compared with €290 million a year earlier.

WSJ

Airbus ends A340 production

 Airbus SAS has ended production of its four-engine A340 aircraft after the jet with the company’s longest fuselage lost out to Boeing Co.’s twin-engine 777 model.

Airbus, the world’s largest maker of commercial aircraft, announced the end of the program today as parent European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. reported earnings. Terminating the program will lead to an operating gain of 192 million euros ($261 million), EADS said, without explaining why it’s concluding production of the jet that started service in 1993.

“In an environment where the fuel price is high, the A340 has had no chance to compete against similar twin engines, and the current lease rates and values of this aircraft reflect the deep resistance of any airlines to continue operating it,” said Bertrand Grabowski, managing director of the transport group at DVB Bank SE, among the biggest aircraft financiers in Europe.

Kingfisher cancels over 80 flights -

Kingfisher Airlines appears to be in deep trouble,  the airline had cancelled over 80 flights and faces a very uncertain future.  The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to Kingfisher Airlines after the latter cancelled at least 80 flights over the past three days, saying it was taking some of its aircraft off flight schedules to add business class seats on them.

Qantas A380 diverts to Dubai after engine problem

An engine fault forced a Qantas Airways A380 plane bound for London to divert to Dubai on Friday, exactly a year since a mid-air engine blowout prompted the Australian airline to ground its entire fleet of A380 superjumbos for nearly a month.

The Airbus aircraft had an "oil quantity defect" in one engine which was switched off according to standard procedure, a Qantas spokeswoman in Sydney said, adding Qantas engineers would investigate the problem.

The plane, with 258 people on board, including English actor, comedian and writer Stephen Fry, landed safely in Dubai.

Singapore 777 over runs Munich runway

The Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 is surrounded by rescue personnel after it slid off the runway at Munich airport.

Munich Airport said a Boeing 777 airliner flown by Singapore Airlines slid off its south runway when landing today, and that no passengers were injured in the incident.'

The 143 passengers and 14 crew members left the aircraft using normal portable stairways following the 12.14pm accident, and no one was injured, Florian Steuer, a spokesman for the airport, said in a phone interview. The runway is closed and the airport operator hopes to reopen it later this evening.

The cause of the accident, which involved a flight from Manchester, England, has yet to be determined, the airport operator said in a statement.

BA may buy BMI

Lufthansa has said it is selling British Midland (BMI) to International Airlines Group (IAG), which owns British Airways and Iberia. No details have yet been given of how much will be paid for the loss-making carrier. The airlines said they hoped to sign a purchase agreement "in the coming weeks" and complete the deal before April 2012. 


The sale still has to be cleared by regulators. BMI, which is based in Castle Donington in Leicestershire, operates flights to Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The key issue for regulators will be the extra take-off and landing slots at Heathrow Airport that BMI owns. 


 The acquisition would mean that IAG would have more than half of the landing slots at the UK's busiest airport. Virgin Atlantic, which said it had also made a bid for BMI, is likely to strongly oppose the deal. "British Airways' hold over Heathrow is already too dominant and we are very concerned - as the competition authorities should also be - that BA's purchase of BMI would be disastrous for consumer choice and competition," Virgin Atlantic said. Lufthansa bought the 50% of BMI owned by its then chairman Sir Michael Bishop in 2008, taking its holding to 80%.

China Southern Starts New Zealand Service.

China Southern Airlines has started flying daily to and from New Zealand in a move welcomed as a boost for the economy.

The airline began flying three times a week from Guangzhou to Auckland in April - a service which was yesterday increased to every day.

Auckland Airport general manager of aeronautical commercial Glenn Wedlock said the airport was focused on increasing air services and direct routes, particularly in booming Asian markets.

Lufthansa talks to BA over BMI sale.

German airline Lufthansa is set to enter exclusive talks to sell loss-making carrier bmi by the end of the month, with arch rival IAG , the owner of British Airways, seen as the front-runner, sources said on Tuesday.

"The price won't be substantial, it's mainly about cleaning Lufthansa's balance sheet and getting rid of the debt," one source close to the sales process told Reuters.

Bmi has been a millstone around Lufthansa's neck and by putting it up for sale, the company has admitted efforts have stalled to turn around the unit, which reported losses of 154 million euros ($214.8 million) for the first nine months of 2011.

Thomas Cook sorry for dead dog.

An airline has apologised to the owner of an English bulldog which died on a flight to Gatwick Airport.

The dog, Buster, owned by a member of the armed forces returning from duty in Cyprus, was found dead in a container on the Thomas Cook Airlines flight.

The airline was fined £6,500 and ordered

Singapore Airlines to launch budge airline.

Singapore Airlines is hoping to muscle in on Asia's burgeoning no-frills travel market with a new long-haul budget carrier it's calling "Scoot."

The low cost airline will begin operating by June 2012 with four Boeing 777-200 jets flying by the end of that year, its chief executive Campbell Wilson told reporters Tuesday.

Scoot plans to initially focus on destinations that are five to 10 hours from its base at Singapore's Changi International Airport and fly to four or more cities in Australia and China.

Qantas Back In the Air

Australia's Qantas Airways returned to the air on Monday after grounding its entire global fleet over the weekend in a bold tactic to force the government to intervene in the nation's worst labor dispute in a decade.

Qantas took the drastic step to ground all flights on Saturday, disrupting 70,000 passengers and spurring the government and its labor-market regulator to seek a quick end to hostilities between the airline and unions.

At the government's instigation, Australia's labor tribunal ordered Qantas to resume flights and banned trade unions, which have waged a damaging campaign of industrial action, from staging more strikes while negotiations continued.

"That was the only way we could bring that to a head," a bleary-eyed Qantas CEO Alan Joyce told reporters after 36 hours of round-the-clock brinkmanship.

Later, after being given the all-clear from aviation regulators, Qantas resumed flights from Sydney with an Airbus A330 bound for Jakarta.

EU + US carbon war?

 Twenty-six nations, including the United States, are expected to lodge a formal protest on Wednesday against a European Union law to make all airlines travelling to and from Europe pay for their carbon emissions.

The protest at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) meeting in Montreal, Canada, is likely to escalate transatlantic tension, which has triggered an anti-EU bill in the U.S. Congress.

It declared illegal the EU plan to make all flights buy carbon permits under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) from Jan. 1 to offset their emissions.

The proposed U.S. legislation could mark the beginning of a trade war, analysts and lawyers said. The following looks at some of the issues.

Down at last

Footage shows Boeing 767 landing

A Boeing 767 with 230 people on board has made an emergency landing at Warsaw airport, apparently without its landing gear.

It appears the Polish Lot aircraft, en route from New York, circled the city to burn up fuel and allow emergency crews to gather in preparation for the landing.

LOT 767 Lands without wheels!

A Boeing 767 on a flight from Newark, New Jersey, made a dramatic emergency landing at Warsaw, Poland's Frederic Chopin International airport Tuesday after problems with its landing gear, an airport spokeswoman said.

All the passengers on the flight, from Newark Liberty International Airport to Warsaw, are safe and uninjured, she told CNN. Newark Liberty serves the greater New York area.

The LOT Polish Airlines flight, which had been due to land at 1:35 p.m. local time, circled above the airport for an hour before coming down in a belly landing at 2:40, she said.

"After noticing a central hydraulic system failure the standard procedure for emergency landings at Warsaw airport were implemented," LOT said in a statement, saying emergency crews were in place on the ground to assist.

There were 231 people aboard the flight, 220 of them passengers and 11 crew, the airline said.

The passengers "stayed calm" during the emergency landing and after reaching the terminal were cared for by support staff and psychologists, the airline added.

The shower smiles in a politician.

Air Canada Deal?

The union representing Air Canada flight attendants was optimistic on Tuesday that its members would support a last-minute labour deal hammered out with the country's biggest airline.

The tentative contract agreement was reached between Air Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees CUPE.L on Tuesday afternoon, less than nine hours before the start of a strike by about 6,800 flight attendants, which would have grounded much of the airline's fleet.

The agreement must still be ratified by union members, who rejected a previous deal with Air Canada last month.

"We are pretty confident that we have a good deal," said Jeff Taylor, president of CUPE's Air Canada component.

Air Berlin fleet cuts

By Victoria Bryan Reuters

Germany's two largest airlines said on Wednesday they were cutting capacity and fleets to salvage profits, as economic turbulence hits bookings numbers and prompts customers to put off booking flights until the last minute.

Air Berlin (AB1.DE) said it hoped to pass on planes it no longer needed to Asian rivals, while German flagship airline Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), which on Tuesday shocked investors with a profit warning, said it would now only increase capacity over the winter by 4 percent.

Lufthansa had in July already reduced the planned growth in capacity to 6 percent, down from an original 12 percent and indicated on Wednesday it could cut more seats.

Go's Goahead

Brazilian airline Gol has been given the green light for its purchase of low-cost carrier Webjet by the country's civil aviation administration ANAC.

Shortly after the deal was signed on 8 July, the agreement was forwarded to ANAC and other government agencies for final approval. ANAC's go-ahead is conditional on similar approvals from Brazil's securities exchange commission (CVM) and the CADE - a justice ministry agency that oversees large-scale financial transactions.

More drama from bomb trial

The accused underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab has "vehemently" objected to plans by prosecutors to show a model of the device he is charged with attempting to use to blow up a passenger airliner on Christmas Day 2009.

"Abdulmutallab vehemently objects to the government introducing a model of the bomb," Anthony Chambers, who is Abdulmutallab's stand-by attorney, said in documents filed late on Tuesday with the U.S. District Court in Detroit, reports Reuters news agency.

"Presenting the jury with a model of the bomb is unfairly prejudicial, and is only meant to inflame the jury and appeal to the jurors' emotions," Chambers added, in asking that the evidence be excluded.

Chambers said the government's pictures of the remnants of the bomb would achieve its goal. The trial is set to start on October 11.

Singapore Airlines all set to introduce low cost carrier -

 

Facing stiff competition from low fare air-carriers, Singapore Airlines is all set to introduce a low cost carrier soon, a top official said on Tueday.

 

China low-fuel landing row reflects growing pains

 

Aviation authorities have ordered stiff punishment for a local airline whose pilot refused to yield to a Qatar Airways jet requesting to land because it was short of fuel, highlighting growing concerns over safety in China's overcrowded skies.

Cathay Pacific to launch premium economy class

 

Cathay Pacific's new premium economy class is likened to the airline's regional business class, shown above.

Cathay Pacific will introduce premium economy seats to its fleet in the second quarter of 2012.

World's safest airlines revealed

 

Two other European airlines, Air France-KLM and Lufthansa, featured in the report, which was published by the Geneva-based Air Transport Rating Agency (ATRA).

Six of the ten safest airlines – Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, American Airlines and US Airways – are based in the United States. Japan Airlines was also named among the top ten.

In its “Holistic Safety Rating” report ATRA compared publicly available data on 100 of the world’s largest airlines.

It took into account 15 different criteria, including the age of the each airline’s fleet, their pilot training facilities and the number of accidents they have been involved in during the last ten years.

ATRA, which operates independently of any airline, manufacturer or regulatory authority, says the study was undertaken to “provide the aviation sector with rigorous and transparent information, liable to encourage airlines to track, interpret and discuss any criteria in the organisation contributing to flight safety.”

Each year, the European Union releases list of banned airlines, often considered to be the world’s most dangerous. The latest list, published in April, can be seen at http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/list_en.htm. It includes 37 Kazakh carriers and 43 Indonesian airlines.

World's safest airlines revealed - Telegraph

Qantas forced to issue apology after 'blackface' stunt on Twitter is branded 'appalling' racism

 

Australian airline Qantas has been forced to issue a grovelling apology after one of its attempts at social media advertising was branded racist.

The airline had offered two tickets to the deciding game of the Bledisloe Cup between Australia and New Zealand national rugby teams in Brisbane on Saturday night.

Set up earlier in the month, the Qantas Twitter giveaway promised two exclusive tickets to the game, at Suncorp Stadium, to the two fans who could best show their support for the Australian team.

Qantas overhauls with $9 bln fleet order, 2 new airlines!

 

Australia's Qantas Airways is setting up two new airlines in Asia and ordering $9 billion of new Airbus aircraft as part of a do-or-die makeover to salvage its loss-making international business.

Qantas will also cut 1,000 jobs in Australia as it shifts its focus to the world's fastest-growing aviation market, triggering threats by unions to block the move and a government pledge to scrutinise the plans.

In-flight film explains mysteries of female pleasure

 

 

Credit: Reuters/Daniel Munoz

The in-flight entertainment on some planes run by Australian airline Qantas currently contains a somewhat unusual offering -- a movie that purports to elucidate the mysteries of female sexual pleasure.

Cathay Pacific oral sex scandal - Pilot, stewardess sacked

 

A pilot and a flight attendant were dismissed from Cathay Pacific after photos of them having oral sex in a cockpit appeared online and in print, the Hong Kong airline said.  The airline's chief executive John Slosar said the couple, who have not been identified, "are no longer employees of the company."

Allegiant Airlines to close its Grand Rapids base, reduce destinations

 

Air travellers still will be able to use low-cost carrier Allegiant Air to fly out of Gerald R. Ford International Airport, but the Las Vegas-based airline is closing its base here and reducing the number of destinations it serves.

10 injured as PIA plane starts wobbling!

 

At least 10 passengers were injured when a Pakistan International Airline (PIA) plane coming from Multan to Islamabad started wobbling in the air due to bad weather conditions, 30 minutes air travel away from Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad (BBIAPI) here on Friday.

ANA, AirAsia to set up low-cost carrier in Japan

Japan's All Nippon Airways and Malaysia's AirAsia said on Thursday they will launch a new low-cost airline in Japan to further tap Asia's burgeoning budget-travel market.

Tourists dominate on world's longest 747 route for Qantas

The first Qantas flight from Sydney to Dallas arrived at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in May. Photo: AP

Qantas's new flights to north Texas are carrying mostly leisure passengers from Australia looking to visit the US, airline figures show.

The Flying Kangaroo started services to Dallas/Fort Worth in May, operating four times a week using a Boeing 747-400ER.

Airline, FAA at odds over emergency landing at DFW

 

View footage and news report

— American Airlines was at odds with the FAA on Monday over what happened on board a Boeing 777 wide body jet that made an emergency landing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Sunday night.

A viewer snapped photos of the plane flying low and dumping fuel after taking off for Brazil and circling for an unplanned return to D/FW.

Officials with American say an indicator light suggested the plane's right engine caught fire, but the airline says there was no fire.

The FAA said airport fire-fighters reported spraying foam on the wheels after the plane landed.

The entire event played out in the North Texas sky around 8 o'clock as hundreds, perhaps thousands looked up. Fans at the Texas Rangers game could see it, and some called police reporting a plane on fire.

Within seconds of take-off, pilots of the Boeing 777 knew there was trouble. A panel light indicated a possible engine fire, so they started dumping fuel and making plans for an emergency landing.

Dave Jennings could see it unfolding from his home in Carrollton.

"I looked up and saw it dumping fuel, made a sharp turn over the house, and then back towards the west," he said. "I grabbed my phone cam and took out after it."

Jennings' video shows the plane dumping fuel, as it apparently did for most of its 12-minute flight. Fully loaded for the long trip to Sao Paolo, Brazil, the jet was too heavy to land.

American said after the jet took off heading south, the pilots made a left turn over Irving. Flying at a lower-than-usual altitude, the big jet flew across Interstate 35E, then turned north toward Carrollton before turning back to D/FW for the emergency landing.

Some people along the route said the dumped fuel coated their cars and floated on their pools.

Witnesses couldn't help but worry. "I hope it's fuel they are dumping and not smoke coming out the back," Jennings said.

American Airlines told News 8 there was no engine fire and that it had received no complaints of fuel contamination.

Any residents with legitimate concerns should contact American's customer relations department.

But in conflict with what the airline said, the FAA says fire-fighters reported extinguishing a fire in the jet's right engine.

A spokesman for D/FW Airport said its fire-fighters did use foam, but that it was sprayed on the wheels and brakes; after the plane landed, it was still so heavy that several tires blew out and overheated the brakes.

American said the entire event remains under investigation.

Airline, FAA at odds over emergency landing at D/FW | wfaa.com Dallas - Fort Worth

American Airlines Orders 460 Planes

AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, despite years of losses and an increasing debt load, showed it is still a high roller by ordering 460 new aircraft from Boeing Co. and Airbus with a total sticker price of nearly $40 billion.

U.S. airlines fight prospect of higher security fees

 

U.S. airlines are fighting the prospect of sharply higher passenger security fees that could be part of any deficit-reduction plan.

In other news….

 

GULF AIR has signed a joint marketing agreement to aggressively drive inbound tourism from the Middle East to Copenhagen.

The agreement between the airline and the route development programme for the city, Copenhagen Connected, is expected to boost sales to Gulf Air's newest destination.

The agreement was signed at a press conference marking the airline's inaugural flight to Copenhagen.

Gulf Air CCO Karim Makhlouf said: "We believe that with the opening of our new Copenhagen connection and aggressive marketing campaign in collaboration with Connected Copenhagen, Denmark will soon become a popular destination for tourists from the region."

SHENZHEN AIRLINES, the fifth largest carrier in China, has been accepted as a future Star Alliance member.

Bringing Shenzhen Airlines into the alliance is part of a long-term strategy to expand the Star Alliance network into the future growth markets, providing the international traveller with optimal flight options.

Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht said: "With the approval of our Chief Executive Board (CEB) we today formally start the integration process of Shenzhen Airlines, which upon completion will allow Star Alliance to once again enlarge its offer across mainland China and neighbouring countries."

LUFTHANSA has opened a new lounge at Frankfurt Airport complete with spa facilities and seating for over 300 guests.

The First Senator Lounge in the departures area of the airport's Terminal 1 is the carrier's largest lounge and covers an area of more than 1,800sqm.

A spokesman said: "Frequent flyers who have achieved Senator status now have an opportunity to relax in style at Lufthansa's largest airport lounge.

"Top customers can for the first time enjoy a modern wellness area with luxury facilities that include ten showers and two spa rooms."

Lufthansa Senator Card holders can unwind and enjoy massages, facials, full-body treatments or other beauty treatments.

SWISS has introduced new apps for Android and Nokia smartphones allowing customers to obtain information, book tickets, check in and receive mobile boarding passes.

Similar apps for BlackBerry, iPhone and Windows Phone 7 have already proved successful and SWISS now offers apps for most smart mobile phones.

With the iPhone and the Android, the boarding pass can be received directly as soon as the customer has checked in and can be called up again by simply shaking the phone.

The apps also provide the very latest details of a SWISS flight's departure or arrival time.

AIR FRANCE has launched a new route from Paris to Lima, the capital city of Peru.

The carrier is operating five weekly flights between the two cities, complementing the seven weekly flights to Lima operated by KLM out of Amsterdam.

A spokesman said: "We have witnessed Peru's impressive development, economic growth and its reputation among the international community.

"This new Paris-Lima route will also increase the opportunities for transporting goods between our continents."

Air France and KLM offer weekly cargo hold capacity of up to 165 tonnes on the route.

EMIRATES 'ice' system has scooped the World's Best Airline Inflight Entertainment award for the seventh consecutive year.

The airline's latest system, ice Digital Widescreen, offers a choice of over 1,200 channels of entertainment, including over 280 movies from around the world, hundreds of TV choices and thousands of music tracks from contemporary to classical.

Patrick Brannelly, Emirates vice president corporate communications, said: "This year's Skytrax World's Best Airline Inflight Entertainment award once again underlines our relentless commitment to providing the best inflight entertainment in the air - offering more content, in more languages and ultimately more choice, than ever before."

DELTA AIR LINES has launched a new non-stop service between Detroit and Beijing, its third destination in China.

The flight will operate five days each week on 269-seat Boeing 777 aircraft featuring full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite, as well as Delta's new Economy Comfort class, which offers additional legroom and early boarding.

Vinay Dube, Delta's senior vice president - Asia Pacific, said: "As a major gateway to the region, our Detroit hub is a key part of our Asian network, and our new flight to Beijing will mean even more opportunities for economic development and job growth in the city."

AIRBERLIN is expanding its junior management scheme to offer engineering and business science, as well as aeronautics, graduates an 18-month trainee programme.

In the course of the programme, trainees will get to know all aspects of airberlin technik, the aircraft maintenance section of the airberlin group, and become actively involved in the production, engineering and planning, business development and controlling departments.

Trainees will be based in Berlin and Dusseldorf and the programme will include taking responsibility for managing projects associated with aircraft maintenance and servicing.

Updated - Air Malta: Strike may cause airline to collapse

 

Air Malta warned in a judicial protest today that it may have to permanently stop operations if a threatened pilots' strike goes ahead.

In a judicial protest filed against the Association of Airline Pilots (ALPA), the airline said that should its flights be stopped by the strike, it would incur enormous costs and there would be a clear and imminent danger of it having to stop operations.

Gun Found At Newark After Jet Blue Flight.

Federal US officials are attempting to determine how a stun gun was brought on-board a JetBlue flight that landed at Newark airport in New Jersey.

Airbus trying to break Boeing monopoly at American Airlines

 

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is trying to break Boeing's monopoly at American Airlines, which is considering an order of 250 passenger planes, The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday.

Citing unnamed people familiar with industry proposals, the newspaper said Airbus had assembled a team of lenders and leasing firms to help it dangle almost $6 billion in preferential financing before American Airlines.

Airbus's offer has a catalog value of almost $23 billion, but that is being heavily discounted, the report said.

The unit of European Aeronautics Defence & Space Co., is offering American 130 of the current-generation A320s and 130 of the more fuel-efficient A320neo, the paper noted.

However, Boeing wants to keep Airbus out of American hangars, The Journal said.

Jim Albaugh, chief executive of Boeing's commercial airplane unit, is expected to meet with American officials on Monday.

Boeing is offering 737-800s and 737-900 Extended Range planes, but the price and financing terms are unclear, the paper said.

"Right now, Boeing is in a tough situation," said The Journal quoted Adam Pilarski, senior vice president at aviation consulting firm Avitas, as saying. "They need to try to convince the airline to give them a few more months to announce their intentions for the 737

AFP: Airbus trying to break Boeing monopoly at AA: report

Qantas pilots vote to authorise strikes, seek more talks

 

Australia's Qantas Airways  faces a risk of more industrial unrest after a pilot's union authorised strike action, though a work stoppage did not look imminent as the union said it wanted to continue talks with the airline.

Anti-APD campaign hits UK airports

 

A campaign to persuade the government to drop a planned rise in air passenger duty (APD) began today at airports, with campaigners handing leaflets to passengers declaring ‘Hands off our holiday, Mr Taxman’.

Fighter plane collision at Duxford show investigated

 

An inquiry has begun after two classic US fighter planes collided during an air display show in Cambridgeshire.

One of the planes, thought to be a P-51 Mustang, plummeted to the ground after their wings touched, forcing the pilot to parachute to safety.

The pilot of the other plane, a Skyraider, went on to land safely, after the military aircraft took to the air during the Flying Legends show.