Airlines
Norwegian Boeing 737-8JP LN-NII pushing back from stand 08 as "NORTRANS 1821" to Boston/Providence on the first ever transatlantic flight from Cork Airport. (Photo: Shane O'Connor)

Norwegian Begins Transatlantic Service from Ireland

This weekend, Norwegian began what will be the first of many flights from Ireland under their new Air Operator's Certificate (AOC). The transatlantic flights launched from Cork, Dublin and Shannon, highlighting the significant start of operations in the country. The news follows an earlier announcement this year in which the carrier stated that it would operate 19 weekly transatlantic flights from the three airports to U.S destinations such as Stewart International Airport, north of New York City, and Providence, near…

Argentina’s First Low-Cost Carrier Obtains Government Approval

Earlier this week, Flybondi, a new low-cost carrier based in Argentina, announced that it had officially received government approval from Argentina's Ministry of Transport. The approval will now allow the airline to operate 85 routes, which include 43 domestic routes and 42 international. This concession will last for 15 years.…

An Airport to Nowhere: The Curious Case of Berlin Brandenburg

When ground was broken to begin construction of the new Willy Brandt Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BER) in 2006, it was a signal of intent for a city pushing to reinvent itself. Named after the Nobel Prize-winning former mayor of Berlin and scheduled for completion on October 30, 2011, it…

Cathay Dragon Approved for United States Service

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on June 29, 2017 that Cathay Dragon has been approved to begin service from to the United States under exemption code 49 U.S.C. §40109 and amended foreign air carrier permit under 49 U.S.C. §41301. The Hong Kong-based carrier filed to operate flights to…

Qatar Airways Approved to Operate British Airways Flights During Cabin…

Qatar Airways has been approved to operate flights on behalf of British Airways during a planned cabin crew strike set to start on July 1 and last 16 days. The strike is the latest in an ongoing dispute which began over crew pay between the British carrier and mixed fleet…

Southwest Drops Two of Three Cuba Routes

From September 4, 2017, Southwest Airlines will end service to two of the three cities the airline flies to in Cuba. The airline currently serves Varadero and Santa Clara once daily from Ft. Lauderdale and Havana three times daily, twice from Ft. Lauderdale and once from Tampa. Southwest initially began…

Norwegian Takes Delivery of the Boeing 737 MAX 8

As of June 29, 2017, Norwegian Air took delivery of two 737 MAX 8s, becoming the first European airline to take delivery of a 737 MAX aircraft. Following a ceremony and celebration at Boeing's Seattle Delivery Center, select guests departed on one of the two new aircraft for a flight…

TBT (Throwback Thursday) in Aviation History: Go Fly

In the 1990s, the low-cost market in Europe was booming. Both Easyjet and Ryanair were experiencing success in offering low-cost, no frill flights. This success began to effect the performance of full service carriers in Europe. British Airways decided to fight this competition by starting its own low-cost airline separate…

Alaska Introduces Mariners-themed Aircraft

On June 28, 2017, in a special gate celebration at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Alaska Airlines introduced a Boeing 737-800 with a special Mariners livery, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the team as well as their partnership. Passengers bound for Santa Ana, California on Alaska flight 506 were greeted by the…

EasyJet Launches Skill on Amazon Alexa

As of June 26, 2017, easyJet announced that it has launched a 'skill' on Amazon Alexa, becoming the first European airline to do so. A 'skill' is a program built in to Amazon Alexa that allows users to interact with the device using just their voice. “We are delighted to…