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The Disapperance of Northwest Orient Flight 2501
This Friday will mark 67 years since the disappearance of Douglas DC-4 over Lake Michigan gripped the nation. On June 23, 1950, a Northwest Orient Douglas DC-4 was making its way northwest over Michigan. Captain Robert Lind was in command of flight 2501, carrying 55 passengers from New York to Minneapolis and then Seattle. The […]
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Swift Air to Acquire Eastern Airlines
In a leaked internal email, it was revealed that Phoenix-based Swift Air will purchase Miami-based Eastern Airlines. The email was sent Friday morning to Eastern employees from Eastern CEO, James Tolzien. It appears that the deal will be completed by the end of August and will see the Eastern brand co-exist with Swift Air. The […]
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Counter-Opinion: Why I’m Against ATC Privatization
Last week, President Donald Trump announced a reform of the United States Air Traffic Control system. His proposal consists of taking control over air traffic control away from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and instead placing it in private hands. This idea has been floating around in Congress for many years now, and is based […]
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TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: Northeast Airlines
Originally founded as Boston-Maine Airways in 1931, Northeast Airlines was known for their distinctive bright yellow aircraft and service along the eastern seaboard. The airline was originally created as a contract carrier for Pan Am, by the Boston and Maine Railroad and the Maine Central Railroad. The airline’s first route connected Boston with Bangor, Maine, […]
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Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-200 (N861NW): Three Incidents in One Week
On May 20, Delta Air Lines flight 135 was in cruise, near the end of its long-haul flight to Detroit from Amsterdam. While preparing for the upcoming approach into Detroit, the flight crew noticed vibrations in the right-hand engine of the Airbus A330. As a precaution, the flight crew decided to divert to Toronto. Thirty-five […]
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Southwest Hopes to Bring The ‘LUV’ to HawaiI
On Wednesday, Southwest Airlines’ CEO Gary Kelly addressed airline shareholders at its annual meeting in Phoenix. At the meeting, Kelly addressed various goals and the growth plan for Southwest going forward. One of the key points was the airline’s future growth and possible expansion to Hawaii. The island state is a popular tourist destination, and […]
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TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: National Airlines
The city of St. Petersburg, Florida is often overlooked in the history of aviation, even as it hosted the first airline in the world in 1914. More recently, the city was the founding home of National Airlines in 1934. The brainchild of George T. Baker, the airline began operations from the city’s waterfront Albert Whitted […]
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TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: Freedom Air
In the summer of 1995, a new carrier entered the trans-Tasman market offering low-fares and no frills, service. This airline was Kiwi Travel International Airlines. In response to the new competition in its home market, Air New Zealand, via its subsidiary Mount Cook Airline, launched Freedom Air. Freedom Air began operations in December of 1995, […]
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A Forgotten Soviet Shoot-Down: The Story of Korean Air 902
In September 1983 the Cold War was on the brink of becoming hot. The Soviet Union had shot down a Korean Air Lines Boeing 747 that had strayed over their airspace. The strike resulted in the deaths of all 269 on board, including prominent conservative congressman Larry McDonald. The intentional hit by the Soviets remains […]
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Spirit Airlines Becomes Latest Airline to Drop Cuban Operations
On Friday, South Florida-based Spirit Airlines announced that they would be pulling service to Cuba, joining fellow ultra-low cost carrier Frontier Airlines and regional carrier Silver Airways in leaving the island nation. Spirit’s sole Cuban route between Ft. Lauderdale and Havana will end on May 31. Spirit’s flight to Havana started on December 1, but […]