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TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: Carnival Air Lines and Pan Am II
With the cruise industry performing well, particularly for Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines in the late 1970s and early 1980s, founder and CEO Ted Arison decided to experiment with the airline market. The company purchased charter airline Pacific Interstate Airlines with the goal of using Boeing 737 classic aircraft to operate between northeastern cities and the […]
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Opinion: Frontier’s Evolving Strategy Lacks the Consistency to Succeed
Growing up, we have all seen someone who tries desperately to fit in, even if it means sacrificing their individuality along the way. In the aviation community, there seems to be no better example of this than Frontier Airlines. The Early Years The carrier was originally suppose to fill in the Denver market that was […]
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It Takes Two to Tango: Aviation in the Netherlands Antilles
Since the 1990s, there has been a significant expansion in tourism of the Netherlands Antilles islands in the Caribbean, specifically Curacao and Aruba in the Southern Caribbean. Given the islands’ increasing popularity, a unique scenario has continued to occur as two airlines have continued to battle for domination in this small market. Both islands had […]
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The Fading Dutchmen: What’s Left of the Fokker 100/70s
The Fokker Aircraft Corporation launched their last great aircraft in the mid-1980s with the creation of the narrow body Fokker 100 and eventual baby version with the Fokker 70. While the aircraft wasn’t the most popular, Fokker sold a respectable 300+ airframes before going into bankruptcy in 1997. In service, the Fokker jet aircraft has […]
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TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: Japan Air System
With Japanese carriers expanding following the 1950s, the country saw the birth of North Japan Airlines. The carrier started with a small group of de Havilland Herons, Douglas DC-3s and Convair 240s serving routes in northern Japan, primarily on routes from Sendai. However, the airline saw more potential with merging with Nittoh Aviation to expand […]
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TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: Air Moorea
The islands of French Polynesia are a tropical getaway for many people each year, but traveling between islands can be a pain, with most of the main traffic filtering through Tahiti’s Faa’a International Airport. A solution for the island of Moorea was the creation of Air Moorea in 1968. The carrier started service between Faa’a […]
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Aircraft Siblings: Boeing Jets Built for Both Commercial and Military Use
While it has become easy to notice a Boeing 737 or Airbus A330 given its popularity with airlines, some might not know that the same production line that produced a Southwest Airlines 737-800 produced a military model of the same jet. In this two-part series, we will look into several commercial aircraft with military siblings. […]
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Built to Fail: General Aviation and Cargo Aircraft
While we all admire the success and fame that has come with aircraft like the Boeing 747 or Airbus A320, not every design is successful. In this multi-part series, we will be looking into some of aviation’s designs that had huge potential and didn’t live up to the hype or could have potentially reshaped the […]
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Built to Fail: Supersonic Aircraft
While we all admire the success and fame that has come with aircraft like the Boeing 747 or Airbus A320, not every design is successful. In this multi-part series, we will be looking into some of aviation’s designs that had huge potential and didn’t live up to the hype or could have potentially reshaped the […]
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TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: Great Wall and Shanghai Cargo
With the Chinese economy booming to start the 21st century, Chinese carriers were looking for a way to enter the cargo business. 2006 was the year for that to happen as both China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines starting cargo carriers. China Eastern had experience by starting China Cargo Airlines alongside China Ocean Shipping in […]