Sir Richard Branson, the founder and President of Virgin Atlantic, has written to the President of the United States, Barack Obama, to warn of the dangers to consumers if BA and American Airlines are allowed to effectively merge. Friday 14th August marked the first anniversary since troubled carriers BA and AA applied to regulators for permission to fix prices and schedules, and share marketing and operational data.
Regulators in the US and Europe have been studying crucial data relating to the application and assessing the dominant market shares which BA and AA would have on some of the most popular and profitable routes between London Heathrow and the US.
And there was light at the end of the tunnel. August 2009 has became the first month that shows a positive growth for a year as global airline capacity is showing marginal growth. Compared to 2008 levels, the world's airlines have 314.2 million seats on offer this month, a modest 0.2% (approximately 473.000 seats) increase.
Vice president OAG Market Intelligence David Beckerman said that "after a year of capacity cutbacks, it is encouraging to see positive numbers in the year on year comparisons. August is traditionally one of the busiest months for air travel, and it will be interesting to if the steady upward trend we have seen since May continues once the summer vacation season draws to a close."
JetBlue recently began selling a $599 'all-you-can-jet-pass' that allows passengers unlimited travel with the carrier from September 8 to October 8, 2009. The pass can be used on all JetBlue flights with available seats and can be booked, only by phone, 3 days in advance. How many passes are available is not disclosed by the airline, yet JetBlue says that "it is the goal that everone who wants to purchase one can get one".
More information can be found on the website of JetBlue, or by phone (800) 538-2583.
Ali Mohmed al Megrahi, the man responsible for blowing up a Pan Am Boeing 747 over the Scottish town of Lockerbie as it was flying from London to New York on December 18, 1988, is about to be granted freedom on compassionate grounds, the final decision resting with Scotland's Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill. With the crash, all 259 people on board the aircraft were killed, as well as 11 people on the ground.
Libya has repeatedly called for Megrahi's release, with the latest attempt undertaken at a meeting between Gordon Brown and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi last month. Megrahi was sentenced to life in prison and is currenly battling against advanced prostate cancer.
Fokker Services announces the introduction of an integrated Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for the Fokker 100 and Fokker 70. With the integrated GNSS system Fokker operators will be able to obtain a more accurate aircraft track keeping performance allowing for shorter approaches and lower decision heights, saving time and fuel, lowering carbon emissions and, not least, enhancing safety and schedule reliability. Launch customer for the system is Air Niugini, the national airline of Papua New Guinea. One of their Fokker 100s will be used for the certification test flight process.The system’s accuracy is of special importance to Air Niugini, given the challenging weather, terrain and approach tracks they face at some of their domestic ports.
