Sunday night marked the unofficial first day of the IATA’s Ground Handling Conference (IGHC), held annually in a different city every year. This year, the city of Doha, Qatar was chosen as the designated city for the conference, the first time the IGHC has been held in Qatar, as well as in the Middle East in general. [caption id="attachment_21932" align="alignnone" width="1024"] This is the first time that the IGHC is being held in the Middle East. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Tom…
Since the introduction of numerous low-cost airlines to the transatlantic market, access to Europe has never been easier or cheaper. New fuel-efficient aircraft and low-cost business models have allowed for increased competition among low-cost carriers, with more and more starting up every year. This series will serve to give an in-depth…
This past week has been a week to forget for United Airlines as three separate incidents with passengers' pets have caused a PR nightmare for the airline. One incident involved a passengers pet passing away on a flight, while the other two involved pets being sent to the wrong destination.…
Last week, a Russian airplane lost over three metric tons of gold bars during take-off from the airport of Yakutsk in Siberia. The precious cargo inside the Nimbus Airlines Antonov AN-12 had shifted during taxiing and damaged the freight door. When the plane accelerated for takeoff, the door opened and…
After the excitement of the Italian general elections was over, the future of Alitalia entered a stage of definitions. The commissioners of the extraordinary administration process decided a few months ago to postpone any ruling about Alitalia's future until the elections passed. The measure was logical and necessary, since moving…
Following the crackdown on faux emotional support animals and the two United Airlines incidents this past week, it is important that travelers know what to expect when bringing their pets onboard airplanes. For example, did you know that pets can’t fly as cargo on many Airbus aircraft due to the…
In an interview published this weekend in a major UK newspaper, Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky alluded to potential plans to disrupt the aviation industry. “We’ve seriously considered a lot of things around aviation and we’ve spent a lot of time exploring different concepts,” Chesky told the Sunday Times.…
All eyes at Boeing Field were on Icelandair last week as their first Boeing 737 MAX 8 made its initial appearances in the airline's livery. Previously, the newest aircraft for the Icelandic airline was only recognizable by a sliver of the iconic blue and yellow paint on the tail of the…
Disclaimer: This article contains opinions from the author based on his personal experiences with this topic In 1972, United Airlines, with help from Western Direct Marketing, created the first true airline frequent flyer program. Members received special plaques, among other things, but that was just the beginning. Over the course…
In the fast-growing Argentinian commercial aviation market, Flybondi, a new player, has begun selling tickets, 5,000 of them in the first four hours. The expectation for these tickets was high. After a long and intense advertising and brand positioning campaign, Flybondi was set to define its first routes, the schedule for…
