An easy delivery "over the Pole" from Mirabel.

(Written on 23/07/2021)(Permalink)

Sorry, I had read this twice before I understood their apparent sensitivity. Somehow, "the variant that dare not speak its name" has a nice ring to it!

(Written on 23/07/2021)(Permalink)

So, the re-assembled wreck of the 747 (painstakingly reassembled from bits scavenged from the floor of the Atlantic off Long Island) has served its purpose for investigation and can be disposed of. Seems reasonable. The French are still holding bits of the 2000 F-WTSC Concorde airframe in a hangar in France - 21 years on. At some point, investigations close - and, sadly, new investigations open which will need storage space.

(Written on 23/07/2021)(Permalink)

Is it me, or does the first sentence in the linked article make no sense at all in the English language? QUOTE: Southwest Airlines Cancellation: If you are willing to cancel a booked flight ticket then you must have to be proactive to go through the Southwest Airlines check-in process helps to change and cancel a flight ticket in no time. It would be good in case you feel like obtaining the policy in order to cancel a flight ticket and want a complete refund as well. UNQUOTE And what was the "June 2021 mess" in the article text above?

(Written on 09/07/2021)(Permalink)

Unlikely to be going out of business if they have survived COVID. So here's a conspiracy theory - they want to reduce carbon emissions by not flying lightly-loaded aeroplanes! They reckon that, if loadings are low on 1-2% of their flights, they may consolidate flights to increase the load factor.

(Written on 03/07/2021)(Permalink)

When we were travelling across the USA in the Noughties, Continental Express had a fleet of 145s (might have been 145s - someone here will know). It was fine for the hop from Newark up to Toronto in Canada. British Airways Regional had about 20 145s on the books at one time - great little racing car for zipping up the country. With one seat on the port side and a pair of seats on the starboard side the cabin actually worked fine (the walkway down the middle was "sunken", so you stepped up into your seat. I found them perfect to fly - but would agree that a transatlantic hop might be a stretch.

(Written on 03/07/2021)(Permalink)

Having read the article referred to in this squawk, I cannot help but feel that "Las Vegas International Airport" would have been better for the long term. Conversely, I recall the line in the asteroid-apocalypse film "Deep Armageddon" (yes, I know two films came out at the same time in the late 1990s) - "Well, we'll all have high schools named after us". As an aside, here in the northwest of the UK, Manchester International Airport is always referred to, locally, as "Ringway".

(Written on 18/06/2021)(Permalink)

Here's wishing Boeing a successful first flight. Do prototypes still leave their landing gear down throughout the first flight? Good luck Seattle.

(Written on 18/06/2021)(Permalink)

First World problem.

(Written on 18/06/2021)(Permalink)

Well, the incidents usually involve a French driver! Selective quotation follows; AF358 A340-313 Toronto long landing, ravine, fire; AUG2005; AF449 A330-203 CFIO mid-Atlantic JUN2009 AF296 Early A320-111 Habsheim CFIF (controlled flight into forest) 26JUN1988. Lessons are usually learned from every incident; let's hope that this is the case at DCA. On this one at DCA, thank heavens for a run-off area. Personally: if I walk away from it, it was a good landing. It's entirely binary - survive or...

(Written on 11/06/2021)(Permalink)