Aerofreaks

Traveling to New York from Mumbai only in 45 minutes! Apparently, it may sound like bizarre but it’s true. An USA based company has developed an aircraft that can complete this journey with in 45 minutes.

The Silver Dart hypersonic glider, developed by Chicago-based PlanetSpace, which functions like a space shuttle, will be used to commercialize space travel and revolutionising air travel. (See video)
Chirinjeev Kathuria Chairman of PlanetSpace said:

It can glide anywhere from any point on the earth, for example, from New York to Bombay in 45 minutes and it’s very stable. Also, what’s very important from a technological point of view, on re-entry its deacceleration is one earth gravity. What that means is it approaches the speed of a normal jet plane on landing and basically can land on any runway that a 737 can run on. So, it’s an ideal vehicle for intercontinental travel.

Company hopes to have demonstration flights delivering crew and cargo to the International Space Station as well as the point-to-point travel within the globe in between 2009 to 2012. PlanetSpace also plans to initiate flight of Silver Dart for space tourists by 2009, which is expected to cost around $200,000 for each astronaut.

Via: IBNlive

They are doing this to enhance tourism and also because their nearest rival Qantas Airways of Australia cut a fuel surcharge on some flights last week following falls in the international oil price. The government of Newzealand remain a majority owner of the airlines.

Chief executive Rob Fyfe is quoted to have said:

We are determined not to play at the margins and today’s announcement is a clear signal that Air New Zealand is taking a more fundamental and deeper approach to its business

They are also reviewing fares on international routes but cuts are unlikely.

Via: Playful

Are you afraid to take a flight? Then try one of these colorful planes. Their advertisements might just drive your fear away.

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Now customers using jet airways can book and pay for their E-Tickets over an exclusively customized and secure IVR system. Owing to its features, the IVR system takes care of customer’s credit card details and processes them by itself.

For security reasons the credit card data security is not accessible to the call center staff. The best part of this is that it can handle multiple passengers and multiple sectors.

A new ‘Pay Online’ service has also been offered by the airlines. Through this passengers can pay for and issue e-ticket against an already created booking.

Via: Internet News

Thousands of British Airways employees have voted in favor of a strike following bickering compacting on sick pay and pensions, union officials said Monday.
96 percent of its trade union members Monday voted in favour of a strike in the largest majority ever seen.
Jack Dromey, the union’s deputy-general secretary is quoted to have said:

BA cabin crew have voted to say the airline has gone too far, BA must rebuild the trust of its cabin crew by negotiating rather than imposing change and by listening to its staff rather than riding roughshod over their concerns.

Cabin crew workers had claimed the airline put pressure on them to come to work even if they felt sick. Further talks are set for later this week, both sides said.

Though the airline has reduced ticket prices due to reduced fuel charge, if a strike did take place it would cause disruption at airports and cancellation of flights.

Via: USA Today

The airline has surely been caught on the wrong side of fuel hedging contracts formulated to protect them from fuel price rises. The reason for not reducing fares is that they had purchased their fuel before hand and so the recent fall in prices had not reduced its fuel bill.

Air NZ said its fuel bill this year would be around $1.1 billion, up from around $900m last year and $480m three years ago.

Over the past six months the price of crude oil has fallen from a peak of about $US78 a barrel to under $US52.

Other airways like the British Airways, have reduced their fares.
If it carries on like this passengers are likely to shift to airlines offering cheaper tickets.

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Via: Stuff

Apparently they had put a picture of Machu Picchu, on a poster under a slogan Have you seen Nepal? Guess they really need to take a proper tour of their country. Royal Nepal Airlines has apologized to Peru after mistakenly using a photo of the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu to promote tourism in Nepal.

The blunder came to the notice of Peruvian mountaineer Ernesto Malaga, who was visiting India last month, on a poster hanging on a wall in the airline’s office in New Delhi. The end result was a manager getting ousted and it being reported as an isolated.

I would say it was an embarrassingly, ignorant mistake considering Peru’s government is urging residents and visitors to vote for the Andean Machu Picchu site as one of the world’s new seven wonders in a publicity campaign by the New7Wonders Foundation

Via: Stuff

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today awarded the new nonstop U.S.-China route to United Airlines. A daily service between Dulles International Airport near Washington and Beijing Capital International Airport will be accorded to them.

Northwest spokesman, Bill Mellon said:

The record showed that Northwest’s proposal would have benefited the most passengers, served the most U.S. cities, and provided the quickest and most efficient routings to China,

In winning the route, UAL beat out applications from American Airlines, Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines, which all wanted to boost their Pacific routes

United States carriers, decrepit by low-cost competition at home, have sought out growth on profitable international routes, and China’s economic development presents a good opening for airlines with service there. United Airlines (NASDAQ: UAUA) operates more than 3,700* flights a day on United, United Express and Ted to more than 210 U.S. domestic and international destinations.

Via: The New York Times

Hijacking of a plane in mid air would be complex for hijackers as Federal Aviation Administration has asked plane makers to make some changes in the current design of commercials jets.

According to the FAA’s proposal, jet makers would require designing airplanes with stronger floors, bulkheads and ceilings that can better protect crewmembers and in case of a bomb onboard, then a shatterproof compartment would be require to place the bomb. FAA said the proposal would decrease aircraft vulnerability and increase aircraft survivability in the event of a bombing or hijacking.
The new proposed rule would be applicable on those planes that will be built by the end of this year or in the beginning of next year. The new rules won’t affect the already existing planes.
Alison Duquette, FAA spokeswoman said:

Following what we did after 9/11 replacing cockpit doors, this takes it a step further by improving areas such as bulkheads and floors in front of the cockpit.

Responding on new proposals, world’s two largest airplane makers Chicago-based Boeing Co. and European jet maker Airbus SAS said we are assessing the required modifications. Jim Proulx, Boeing spokesman said that We’re committed to working with the FAA and our customers to enhance the safety and efficiency of our air transport fleet. Industry sources said that it would enhance the cost of plane manufacturing up to $450 million over dozen of years.

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Two state owned carriers Indian and Air India has spent a big amount of Rs 20 crore in order to train their pilots for flying away airplanes even in the dense foggy conditions, as a result, this year carries operated maximum number of flights during the lowest visibility on airports.

The crew passed through an intensive training program, which aimed at teaching them that, how to take-offs and land with the help Category-III Instrument Landing System. The mess comes only for two and half months in between the mid of November to January last.

However, it is a major cause of concern that still private airlines seem reluctant to adopt this technology, and are leaving passengers in trouble especially in winter. Among the reasons for the delay is the high cost of training pilots in these low-visibility systems. Indian civil aviation ministry has already asked private carriers to train their pilots but literally airlines indifferences making mockery of government’s appeal.

It is very piteous that on the one hand, private players are giving tough competition to state owned carriers by reducing their airfares and on the other hand, they bear unaccountability about the convenience of travelers. What I think is that instead of advising airlines the government should make it mandatory for all airlines to get equipped with CAT-III equipment making them capable of landing in zero-visibility condition.

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