Southwest Airlines acquires AirTran

Southwest Airlines has agreed to acquire all the outstanding shares of common stock of AirTran Holdings, Inc. for cash and Southwest common stock.
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Biofuels Could Be Cleared For Aircraft Use

In just five years, the aviation industry’s decades-long reliance on petroleum-based fuels has been turned on its head. The future lies in fuels from sources that range from animal fat to microalgae. But with the technology in hand, the question now is whether biofuel producers can raise the investment needed to launch commercial-scale production.
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ANA to announce new low-cost carrier today

Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) is set to announce later today that it will set up a new low-cost carrier.
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Boeing Launches 787 Dreamliner Flight Training

SEATTLE, Aug. 26 – Boeing Training & Flight Services has started 787 Dreamliner flight certification training following the provisional approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Boeing’s Seattle-based 787 flight training devices. As part of flight training, pilots train on a 787 flat panel training device and a 787 full-flight simulator. Both devices are manufactured by Thales.

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Checking-In On Boeing’s Social Media and Online Movement

By David Parker Brown, on August 27th, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Not that long ago Boeing entered into the world of social media and I wanted to take a moment to see how it is going.

Personally, I have seen huge changes in the past six months in regards to Boeing and social media. They have come an extremely long way when it comes to connecting with regular people like me and you since I started this blog just over two years ago. By making a huge push, I think they have been highly successful. However, I wanted to see how Boeing feels about their progress.

I decided to speak with Todd Blecher, Communications Director at Boeing based in Chicago, and Bernard Choi, who works for the Communications Department for Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Seattle, to hear their take on Boeing’s progress.

When I asked Blecher if he felt their efforts have been successful he responded with: “I look at success on two levels. The first is whether we consistently generate appealing digital content. The reactions we’ve received since we started using Boeing.com as a storytelling platform and engaging through Twitter lead me to believe that we do.”

Blecher admitted that he wished their numbers were a little higher for the unique content they are creating on their website, but they were very happy with how their efforts at Farnborough turned out. “Our Farnborough micro site was a watershed moment, coming just a few months after we began communicating differently through Boeing.com,” Blecher stated. “We attracted 103,710 visitors who made more than 225,000 visits and 222,300 views of our videos. That was remarkable for us. I’m very proud of that effort.”

On top of making a lot of great and unique content on their website, Boeing has also been making a great effort to...
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British Airways Promises More Innovation

Posted in August 23, 2010 ¬
British Airways (BA) says its innovative products and services have kept the airline in a leading position around the world over the years.

Paul Dhami, British Airways Ghana Manager, says BA is “pleased to be at the forefront of airline innovation”. He cites the airline’s website, ba.com as one of the most important developments of the past decade. “Our website has evolved into a one-stop shop for customers, and uptake has been so encouraging that we have been able to reduce our local sales outlets,” says Dhami.

The site, with an average of 2.5 million visitors each week, allows customers to book flights, manage their booking, select seats, order meals, check-in online and even print a boarding pass!

In 2007, the airline collaborated with Standard Chartered Bank to allow customers to book flights online and pay at any branch of the bank. This has been so successful that even travel agents are making use of this facility.

In 2009, ba.com introduced a dynamic packaging facility enabling customers to book hotels, car hire, local sightseeing tours, attractions and tickets to create the entire travel experience from one website.

Over 25,000 customers daily choose to check in for their flight using ba.com’s online check-in tool, significantly reducing the time needed and stress encountered at the airport.

This facility has been extended to the mobile phone, and BA passengers using BlackBerry, iPhone or Android phones are able to access an application which allows them to check in for their flight on the move, and even access a mobile boarding pass.

Dhami also promises improved in-flight service as the airline gets in shape to return to profitability.

“We are rolling out new cabins for our aircraft with improved in-flight entertainment systems providing customers with more choice,” he added. “We also pioneered the UK’s first mid-air email and text-messaging services on UK-US flights using the latest technology.

“Managing our environmental impact is also very important and the next few years will see British Airways launching more fuel efficient aircraft, using more sustainable materials and exploring new operating methods ensuring that our commitment to combating climate change is at the forefront of everything we do,” concludes Dhami.

Lo que viene: fusión de Gol y Copa

Según trascendió, ambas aerolíneas se unirían para hacer competencia a Latam.

En la carrera por dominar y descollar en el próspero mercado aeronáutico de Latinoamérica se van cimentando uniones estratégicas entre aerolíneas. Mismo escenario acontece en Europa y Estados Unidos.

El pasado año, en plena recesión económica, se fusionaron Avianca de Colombia y Taca de El Salvador de manera a mantener los precios y no subir las tarifas.

LAN de Chile y la brasileña TAM sorprendieron al anunciar su acuerdo de unir las dos marcas para concebir Latam Airlines Group. Esta aerolínea, sumando los números de cada empresa, será el nuevo gigante de América Latina.

En este contexto, a las demás líneas aéreas del continente no les resta otra que ver la manera que ir uniendo fuerzas para evitar quedar rezagados en la competencia.

Conforme trascendió, Copa Airlines de Panamá y la brasileña GOL Líneas Aéreas Inteligentes SA se fusionarían también para crear así el tercer grupo de importancia del continente.

Copa y Gol, desde el 2005, trabajan en base a una alianza comercial. El acuerdo representa importantes beneficios para los pasajeros conjuntos de ambas empresas, ya que facilita mayores opciones de vuelos y conexiones entre Brasil y el Hub de las Américas de Copa en Panamá. Las empresas trabajan juntas para ampliar el alcance de su cooperación a más destinos en Brasil y Latinoamérica.