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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
In the late 1980s, Partnair was flying the Norwegian skies, becoming the fifth largest airline in Norway by revenue. The airline was founded in 1968 as Paralift Air Service by a group of parachuters to own and operate an aircraft so that they did not have to rent. The service began with a Cessna 180 […]
