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File photo of United Airlines jets on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Proposed new flights to Japan lead this week’s air travel news in the meetings and events industry.
This week both American Airlines and Delta announced their intention to apply for additional flights to Tokyo’s Haneda airport. American said that the application will cover additional service from Dallas – Fort Worth, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The airline currently operates one daily flight between Los Angeles and Haneda, a service that began in 2016. The proposal would add one additional service from Los Angeles, which American says will improve connection options for customers, as well as new flights from Dallas and Las Vegas. The new service will operate as part of American’s Pacific joint business with Japan Airlines.
Delta’s application, meanwhile, covers daily daytime service between Haneda and Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta and Portland, as well as twice-daily service out of Honolulu. The proposed routes would be the only direct service currently offered by U.S. carriers out of Seattle, Portland, Atlanta and Detroit, and they would add to the carrier’s existing service from Minneapolis – St. Paul and Los Angeles. Pending government approval, the new routes would launch in 2020.
The two applications are the result of an agreement reached last month between the United States and Japan to expand access at Haneda, a deal that will open up to 12 additional daytime slot pairs for operations by U.S. carriers.
Also on the West Coast, this week Alaska Airlines unveiled plans for a new 8,500-square-foot, top floor lounge at San Francisco International Airport. Set to open in 2020, the new lounge will be located in Terminal 2, offering guests sights of the Bay and the runway, as well as a number of food and beverage options, including a tapas bar in the afternoon and evening. Made-to-order meals will also be available for purchase. The move is part of the airline’s ongoing investment in its lounge experience, which will also include refreshes of its lounges in Portland, Anchorage, Los Angeles and Seattle.
In other domestic travel news, this week American Airlines released its summer schedule for its Charlotte hub, which will include more than 700 daily flights by the end of this year. Notable new flights will include two daily flights to Baltimore, two to Fort Lauderdale, one to Orlando and one to Newark. The airline also plans to increase its Chicago O’Hare service to 10 daily flights, Los Angeles to eight and New York – JFK and Newark to up to 16 daily flights. The airline will also launch new long-haul international service to Munich on March 30, as well as eight additional new routes this year: to Erie, PA, in May; and to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and Traverse City, MI in June. This week also saw the reopening of the airport’s refreshed Admiral’s Club.
In Europe, this week saw low-cost carrier Norwegian report that, in 2018, it became the largest non-North American airline to serve the New York and New Jersey area, overtaking British Airways. The airline carried over 2 million passengers in 2018, falling 50,000 passengers short of being tied with Air Canada for the largest international airline to serve New York City.
Also this week Paris-based XL Airways announced it will move its flights from New York – JFK to Newark Liberty starting June 3 and combine its operations with its 100 percent business class sibling airline, La Compagnie. That airline has been operating out of Newark since 2018.
Finally, in the Caribbean, this week St. Maarten welcomed the inaugural flight on JetBlue’s new daily service from Fort Lauderdale.
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By Jason Neely and Jamie Freed
ADDIS ABABA/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Boeing Co will brief more than 200 global airline pilots, technical leaders and regulators this week on software and training updates for its 737 MAX aircraft, as Ethiopian Airlines expressed confidence in the planemaker despite a recent crash.
The carrier will work with Boeing and other airlines to make air travel safer, its chief executive, Tewolde Gebremariam, said, after regulators this month grounded the worldwide fleet of the aircraft following a crash that killed 157 people.
“Despite the tragedy, Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines will continue to be linked well into the future,” he said in a statement on Monday. “Ethiopian Airlines believes in Boeing. They have been a partner of ours for many years.”
However, many questions on the 737 MAX “remain without answers”, Tewolde added, and a spokesman for the carrier said it had no “immediate plans” to attend the Boeing session, without giving further details.
Wednesday’s meeting is a sign that Boeing is nearing completion on a planned software patch required to return the grounded fleet to commercial service, though it will still need approval from regulators.
The session in Renton, Washington is part of an effort to reach all current, and many future, 737 MAX operators and their home regulators to discuss software and training updates to the jet, Boeing said in a statement.
The 737 MAX is Boeing’s best-selling plane, with orders worth more than $500 billion at list prices.
Garuda Indonesia was invited to the briefing, Chief Executive Ari Askhara told Reuters on Monday. Last week, Indonesia’s national carrier said it planned to cancel its order for 49 737 MAX jets, citing a loss of passenger trust.
“We were informed on Friday, but because it is short notice we can’t send a pilot,” Askhara said, adding that the airline had requested a webinar with Boeing, only to be rejected.
A Boeing spokeswoman said the meeting formed part of a series of in-person information sessions.
“We have been scheduling, and will continue to arrange, additional meetings to communicate with all current, and many future, MAX customers and operators,” she said.
Garuda, which has only one 737 MAX, had been reconsidering its order before the Ethiopian crash, as had fellow Indonesian carrier Lion Air, which suffered a crash in October that killed all 189 aboard.
Boeing had informed the airline of the meeting but it might not attend, said Lion Air Managing Director Daniel Putut, who declined further comment.
Singapore Airlines Ltd said its offshoot, SilkAir, which operates the 737 MAX, had received an invitation to the meeting and would send representatives.
Representatives of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore will also attend, a spokeswoman for the regulator said.
Korean Air Lines Co Ltd, which, before the grounding, had been due to receive its first 737 MAX in April, said it planned to send pilots to Renton. South Korean low-cost carrier Eastar Jet will send two pilots, a spokesman said.
On Saturday, teams from the three U.S. airlines that own 737 MAX jets joined a session in Renton reviewing a planned software upgrade.
Flydubai representatives attended that session and some will also attend this week’s meeting, a spokeswoman for the Dubai-based airline said.
A U.S. official briefed on the matter on Saturday said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had not yet signed off on the software upgrade and training but aimed to review and approve them by April.
It remained unclear whether the software upgrade, called “design changes” by the FAA, will resolve concerns stemming from the investigation into the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash.
Tewolde, the airline’s chief executive, said until there were more answers about the 737 MAX, the planes should remain grounded, adding, “Putting one more life at risk is too much.”
The U.S. official said planned changes included 15 minutes of training to help pilots deactivate the anti-stall system known as MCAS in the event of faulty sensor data or other issues. It also included some self-guided instruction, the official added.
(Reporting by Jason Neely in Addis Ababa and Jamie Freed in Singapore; additional reporting by Cindy Silviana in Jakarta, Heekyong Yang in Seoul, Alexander Cornwell in Dubai, Tracy Rucinski in Chicago and David Shepardson in Washington; Writing by Jamie Freed; Editing by Michael Perry and Clarence Fernandez)
Credit: Annie Spratt/ Unsplash
Do you travel often for work? Do you have a trip coming up for either leisure or family obligations? If you’re pregnant, these circumstances take on a whole new meaning. Not to worry, traveling while pregnant doesn’t have to be a daunting task and many women do it successfully. Whether you just found out you’re pregnant or you’re just about ready to pop we’ve got you covered on what you need to know. Here is what you need to know about air travel and pregnancy.
Some women may choose not to travel (if they can help it) during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. This is mostly attributed to the dreaded morning sickness that can ensue and even be heightened with air travel. Another reason that some women may be cautious about traveling by plane within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy is the higher risk of miscarriage compared to the rest of pregnancy. The risk is present, however, whether you’ll be flying or not.
Traveling during the second trimester of pregnancy would be the most comfortable option. The morning sickness has probably already subsided and you’re probably getting to know your pregnant self well enough to manage. As long as you have had a healthy pregnancy thus far, plane travel should be as much as a breeze as it could be.
Marking the start of your third trimester, at 28 weeks and further traveling by plane may be more uncomfortable, especially with anything longer than a couple of hours. As you approach closer to your due date, labor becomes more likely so you may want to keep your due date in mind, allowing for a generous time cushion. Small risks do blood clots are also something to keep in mind with long travels when pregnant so it is essential to take proper precautions as to not develop one.
As always, keep in close contact with either your doctor or midwife if you plan to travel. Travel is stressful for everybody and being pregnant, this stress may have a negative effect on you and baby. If your pregnancy has been healthy and complication-free it’s safe to say that any domestic plane travel shouldn’t cause problems.
Have you traveled by plane while pregnant? How was your experience? Let me know in the comments below.
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(Last Updated On: March 24, 2019)
Flying United Airlines To Chicago But Forgot It Was Spring Break
ONN – Flying United Airlines To Chicago But Forgot It Was Spring Break
Oakland News Now Note: this post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest version of an experimental Zennie62Media mobile media video-blogging system network – part of a new approach to the production of media. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and social media pages. The objective is real-time on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. We are constantly working to improve the system network coding and also seek interested content and media technology partners.
via IFTTT
https://youtu.be/JUQuMertC_Y
Zennie Abraham is the CEO of Zennie62Media
United Airlines And American Airlines Dual Night Landing At SFO Airport
Oakland News Now – United Airlines And American Airlines Dual Night Landing At SFO Airport This happened at the end…
Bella Bacinos Chicago Italian Restaurant Closing. On The Menu: A New Chicago Loop Location
Bella Bacinos, the popular Chicago Italian trattoria restaurant loved by YouTube Vlogger Patti Honacki and owned by longtime restaurateurs and…
Oakland Army Base Flyover On United Airlines
Oakland Army Base Flyover On United Airlines ONN – This is from United Airlines as the B737-800 approached SFO Airport…
Last year, I had the dubious privilege of flying United Airlines on three domestic routes. Call it bad luck, but I can’t say they impressed me too much on any of those occasions. Nonetheless, I was excited to fly United’s 787-8 in domestic first class (the international business class cabin is sold as first for marketing consistency). It would be a new aircraft for me, as I’d only flown the -9 variant before, and what’s not to like about flying novel widebody aircraft on short haul routes? I also filmed the experience for my YouTube channel:
Denver is a truly vast airport, the largest in the United States by land area. Its geographic position and customer experience make it a good place for a hub, although the concourses are huge. Bring walking boots and rations for longer transits between gates!
Check in was a breeze thanks to Premier Access, which comes with any domestic first class ticket on United. I avoided all the queues at the regular desks, and the kiosks were easy to use.
One point many European fliers overlook when flying in the USA is that, with only a few exceptions, wholly domestic first class tickets won’t get you into airline lounges. Lounge access is generally sold or packaged with credit cards. United is no exception.
The United Clubs here won’t let you in unless you’re connecting on the same day to an international flight, or you have Star Alliance Gold status. Sadly, I earned my Gold status after making this trip, so no free lounge goodies for me.
Boarding was efficient, although I’ll never understand airlines’ continual obsession with boarding groups (United has five, in comparison to American’s NINE!). On boarding, all the electrically-adjustable window shades were thoughtfully set to fully dark, to prevent the cabin from overheating in the summer sun. Naturally, I turned the window transparent at the first opportunity.
United’s 787-8s work long haul routes into places like the Far East, and are laid out in a 2-2-2 configuration in business class. This means window seat passengers have to step over their neighbour to access the aisle – not so bad on a short day flight like this, but far from ideal on a 10 hour slog with passengers asleep or reclined most of the time.
In summary, its perfect if you’re travelling as a couple, but less so for lone passengers. There’s also very little privacy in the seating layout. There’s a pathetic divider which comes nowhere near eye level. At least they’re relatively comfortable though.
Take off was brisk and we were soon heading over the stunning Rocky Mountains. The penalty for seeing beautiful mountains below is usually turbulence, and naturally we got quite a bit of chop as soon as the meal service started (sod’s law!).
The meal service infuriated me. Seated in 1A, I was literally the first passenger to place an order, and chose the eggs and refried beans as it sounded like a nice change. The flight attendant said she would “have to see if she had any left at the end”.
Now, I don’t mind airlines not fully catering each choice, and only having a certain number of each, as we all have a responsibility to avoid waste. But I do resent being made to feel like a second-class passenger. Essentially, in line with some other airlines like British Airways, United sometimes prioritises meal orders in the galley and give first preference to high status customers. So, the FA was going to wait and see how many “more important” customers placed orders after me, and would then decide if they would get “my” meal.
This practice is nonsense. Full disclosure: I was in the past a BA Gold member and while I’d almost always get my meal choice on long haul I regularly called out this practice on FlyerTalk as fundamentally wrong. This doesn’t happen even in the cheapest restaurants and it shouldn’t happen on a $300 airline ticket either.
Anyway, the food. Pretty bad all round. Surprisingly bland and, frankly, by the end I couldn’t have cared less is the meal had ended up in front of a United Premier 1K member. The eggs were soggy and the fruit plate was insipid. I’ve never been impressed by United’s food and keep wondering if I have terrible luck with this. I welcome opposing views in the comments, particularly as I have several more flights booked with them. Give me hope!
There’s also an irritating foible with the seat on the 787-8. The power port is located uncomfortably over your shoulder, such that it’s difficult to reach with either hand while sitting down with the seatbelt on. I had to actually unbelt and stand up to unplug my devices for descent. First world problems on a mountain-jumper flight like mine, but these aircraft fly routes which sell for thousands of dollars. Thankfully, United is installing splendid Polaris seats across the fleet, and I have an exciting trip on their 787-10 booked for May, which I’m confident will be a world apart from the tired seats on this trip.
We descended into San Francisco from the east and caught a glimpse of Moffat Air Base. Landing was punctual and uneventful.
The cost of my ticket? A not-too-bad $300, but I’d advise against spending it unless, like me, you want the miles (I collect with the unfashionable Air New Zealand) or if you want the novelty of flying a widebody.
United remain a conundrum to me, although I look forward to flying them more this year. I hope the food is better next time!
United Airlines on Friday announced that it would become the first U.S. airline to offer non-binary gender options for customers booking flights.
The company said in a statement that customers will now be able to select the title “Mx.”when booking flights or signing up to become a MileagePlus member. Customers can identity as male (m), female (f), undisclosed (u) or unspecified (x).
The airline said the decision was an attempt to “lead the industry in LGBT inclusivity.”
The move comes after the industry trade group Airlines for America (A4A) announced new gender options in February.
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest and United Airlines are members of A4A.
A4A said the implementation of the new gender options is up to each individual airline, but it will be the industry standard as of June 1.
The Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) requires passengers to disclose their gender identity before each flight. The federal agency, however, will accept any gender identity as long as it matches the flyer’s government-issued ID, according to National Center for Transgender Equality.
Several states, including Colorado, California, Oregon, Minnesota, Maine and Washington, D.C., already offer the X gender option for driver’s licenses.
United’s Chief Customer Officer Toby Enqvist said in a statement that the airline was proud to be the first to offer the inclusive booking options.
“United is excited to share with our customers, whether they identify along the binary of male or female or not, that we are taking the steps to exhibit our care for them while also providing additional employee training to make us even more welcoming for all customers and employees,” Enqvist said.
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Flying is more popular than ever. Last year alone, worldwide passenger traffic jumped to 8.3 billion – a 7.5 percent increase from the year before – and aircraft movement rose 3 percent in the same period. With travel becoming more common around the world, airports are facing the difficult challenge of accommodating more travelers than ever before while avoiding investing in larger spaces or purchasing additional aircrafts. Physical infrastructure expansion is often not an option due to lack of land; not to mention large-scale construction projects take up valuable time, during which travel needs continue to evolve and expand.
The answer to moving a higher volume of passengers at faster speeds is to simplify the traveler experience. From walking into an airport, to arriving at a destination, technology will make the future of travel an easy and simplified process, allowing passenger traffic to flow and profits to roll in. While every airport recognizes this need to streamline, some fear easy airport experiences will come at the price of decreased safety. But security and simplicity do not have to be mutually exclusive for long. We are rapidly moving toward a future in which emerging technologies are solving the tug-of-war between the desire for simple, intuitive experiences, and increased security. These technologies are currently being rolled out around the world and will soon be a fundamental part of every airport, altering the way we experience air travel.
Here are the three areas of air travel that will be most affected by technology that ensures simultaneous passenger ease and safety:
Security lines are the number one way airports keep people safe – and slow them down. Airport security check points, while the most time-consuming and unsavory part of flying, serve a valuable purpose in ensuring all travelers remain safe from harm. These checkpoints cannot be removed entirely, but they must be reimagined if airports are going to continue increasing customer volume. TSA PreCheck has made a significant impact on efficiency in recent years, but the inconvenient process to achieve this status deters many passengers from taking advantage of the system. The solution in redesigning security check points is replacing the current system with biometric scanning technology.
Biometric technology offers facial, fingerprint, palm, voice, iris, and retina recognition capabilities that identify passengers with hyper accuracy. Combined with a database of biographic information on travelers that will flag any suspicious activity, these solutions allow people to step through security lines in literally a blink of an eye. Companies like CLEAR are already putting this technology to the test at over 30 airports worldwide, simultaneously improving safety measures and increasing checkpoint speed. The reliability of biometric scanning makes scanning IDs and boarding passes obsolete, opening up the possibility of airports eliminating the requirement for passengers to carry them completely.
Scheduling flight landings and take-offs is complicated business, involving many oscillating factors from the wind speeds to fuel levels. Luckily, automation technology is simplifying the process by proactively evaluating and ordering each flight. By deciphering all the data points involved with each flight, automation technology determines which flight can leave and arrive on which runway and at which time, cutting down on bottlenecks and unnecessary taxing on the ground. Besides speeding up the process and decreasing delays, this technology greatly enhances the safety of passengers just by analyzing the pilot’s voice.
Due to weather, scheduling, or personal reasons, pilots can experience high levels of stress in the air.
According to a recent account, pilots can even go without eating between back to back flights or work over 13-hour days. Using natural language processing (NLP) technology, solutions are actively being discovered that prioritize flights based on the tone and perceived anxiety level of a pilot’s voice, giving landing preference to a plane that may be at higher risk.
Anyone who has checked a piece of luggage knows the feeling of anxiously staring at the conveyor belt, waiting for the right suitcase to appear. But worrying about baggage safety will soon be a thing of the past. By retrofitting checked luggage with Internet of Things (IoT) enabled tags, passengers will be able to see exactly where their bags are moving from an app on their phones, tracking them from the moment they are out of sight, to picking them up at baggage claim. Imagine the peace of mind for passengers in being able to pin point their luggage, and decrease the time spent crowding around the conveyor belt.
IoT technology also has the power to help airport officials keep track of cargo, streamlining the ground handling system with greater visibility into the moving bags. Last year alone, cargo traffic rose 7.7 percent worldwide – making IoT solutions more needed than ever as airports manage a high volume of moving pieces on the ground. The sensors will also be able to detect temperature and humidity of these bags in transit, quickly identifying any luggage that could pose a threat.
These are just a few of the ways emerging technologies are greatly impacting both the safety and ease of air travel, making it possible for airports to continue to meet the demands of the growing number of passengers. Not only will IoT, NLP, and biometric solutions accommodate the already increasing passenger traffic, they will make flying so simple that it will attract new customers. In the future, it may even be considered easier to fly than take a train or car for mid-range distances. The future of technology-enabled, passenger-centric security and simplicity is on the horizon – and it will transform the way we think about flying for the better.