Category: US & Canada

Forget Self-driving Cars, a Helicopter Completes 30-mile Autonomous Flight

Reading Time: < 1 minute Cars aren’t the only autonomous vehicles being tested. Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has “successfully demonstrated a 30-mile autonomous flight using a Sikorsky S-76® commercial helicopter.” A video recently published to YouTube shows a flight operator directing the aircraft’s takeoff with a tablet. The operator can also use the device to select or enter a flight […]

World’s Busiest Airport Couldn’t Give A Gate For Qatar Airways

Reading Time: 2 minutes Over 500 passengers aboard the first Qatar Airways direct flight from Doha to Atlanta on a super jumbo A380 faced inconvenience as they got caught up in an international rivalry between airline heavyweights. When Qatar Airways Flight 755 flew over 12,000 km from Doha, Qatar’s capital, and landed at Atlanta airport, the world’s busiest, a […]

American Airlines Strikes a Deal With ViaSat To Bring Satellite WiFi To 100 Planes

Reading Time: < 1 minute American Airlines has gone non-Gogo, striking a deal with Southern Californian communications company ViaSat to bring satellite-powered WiFi to 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircrafts by September of next year. The deal comes in the wake of some fairly tense dealings between the airline and Gogo, whose traditional in-flight WiFi speeds (and near ubiquity) have been […]

United Unveils New Polaris Business Cabin And Lounge

Reading Time: < 1 minute United Airlines’ new premium business product—United Polaris—was unveiled today. The product rebranding includes all aircraft interiors, digital media, inflight service and airport lounges. It will be offered Dec. 1. “This completely reconceived experience exemplifies the new spirit of United and the innovation, excitement and operational momentum across our airline,” United president and CEO Oscar Munoz […]

Missing Plane Mystery: What Happened To Cessna Flying To Van Nuys?

Reading Time: < 1 minute The mystery deepened Thursday into what happened to a student pilot and his flight instructor after their single-engine Cessna 172 airplane disappeared over the coast of Catalina Island on a flight to Van Nuys Airport on Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard Search suspended its search at 8 p.m. Monday after more than 16 hours of […]

Indonesia, US Cooperate To Develop Aviation Safety System

Reading Time: 2 minutes The US Trade and Development Agency ( USTDA ) has provided a grant to help Indonesia develop its aviation safety systems in eastern areas of the country. The US Embassy’s counselor for commercial affairs, Rosemary Gallant, who represents USTDA, and the Transportation Ministry’s civil aviation director general, Suprasetyo, signed the grant agreement in Jakarta on […]

Tires From 87 Merrill Field Planes Get Slashed And Vandalized

Reading Time: < 1 minute Vandals slashed the tires of 87 planes at Merrill Field in Anchorage early Thursday morning. Officials and pilots at the field say it’s the largest act of air travel vandalism they’ve seen in their careers. Merrill Field Airport manager Paul Bowers said the vandalism likely occurred between 1:30 and 6:30 in the morning, but airport […]

United Airlines Starts The Longest Flight Operated By 787 Dreamliner

Reading Time: 2 minutes United Airlines today launches the only nonstop flights between the United States and Singapore, using the world’s most advanced passenger airplane, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, to operate the service from the airline’s San Francisco Pacific-gateway hub. The nonstop flights connecting the two financial and tech centers will save travelers up to four hours’ journey time […]

Delta’s New Airport Security Lanes Could Double the Speed

Reading Time: < 1 minute Delta Airlines wants to minimize the drudgery of airport security lines. On May 26, the company paid for and installed two “innovation lanes” that allow up to five passengers to prepare their carry-ons for security scanning at the same time. The lanes, which are both in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, each feature five “divestment points” — designated spots where people […]

Bombardier Continues its Domination of the North American Turboprop Market

Reading Time: < 1 minute Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced today that Calgary-based WestJet Encore Ltd. has signed a firm order for nine Q400 turboprops. The transaction is a conversion of options booked by the airline’s parent company WestJet and will increase WestJet Encore’s fleet to 45 Q400 aircraft. Based on the list price for the Q400 aircraft, the transaction is […]