A last-minute provision is inserted in military spending legislation approved by congress two weeks ago. This change has annoyed the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Finance Committee that has asked employee pension data from American Airlines and Continental Airlines. The changes are aimed at reducing the carriers’ obligation to employee pension fund. Few other smaller airlines would be required to make their employee pension funds over time. The break is estimated at roughly $2 billion. Both carriers said the changes were needed to give them parity with carriers like Northwest and Delta. To punish the companies, the senators are forcing them to provide extensive information on their pension and compensation plans. It is said that an investigation would be done to see if the changes snuck into the war funding bill are fair. Committee chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont and ranking Republican Charles Grassley of Iowa have asked for the response from the CEOs of Houston-based Continental and Fort Worth-based American by June 15. Image Source: Chron.com

Today, time is money. If you are a businessman trying to fly from point A to point B, you might want to try the latest jets in the aviation industry. The Falcon 7X, Cessna Citation X, Gulf Stream G550 are the fastest world class jets that offers the real jet speed. By now, you are probably wondering how fast these airplanes are?The planes can reach following speeds: Falcon : 0.9 Mach Cessna Citation X : 0.92 Mach Gulfstream : 673 miles per hour Most of these are higher than any average airliner flying a huge airbus. Randy Brandoff, V.P. of Marquis Jet agrees: A lot of it comes down to time, access and comfort. Almost all of these planes are equipped with wireless LAN, DVD players, and other luxury items you can think of. According to Cessna, the Citation X is the largest, longest and fastestaircraft made by the company. The Citation X has a high speed cruise capability. This version of Cessna can save about a whole hour of flight time from Los Angeles to NYC under normal conditions. So much for the good old Cessna. The Falcon on the other hand provides: * cabin comfort for business people. If I was a businessman investing in private jet, this would be my main criteria. * comes with a wide body which means more room. * High speed of 5,950 nautical miles. The Gulfstream G550 is a whole different story. It can fly at a even higher speed of 6,750 nautical miles: which is way higher than the Falcon X. However, it ain’t cheap to own one of these jets. The G550 for example is priced at $36 million. So from the previous comparison, we can see that G550 is the king of corporate planes and the real deal. I would definitely settle for the G550 not only for speed, but also for looks. After all, looks go along with time and money in the corporate world. Images Credit: Coffeemania

The historic Qantas Boeing 707-138B lands for the last time at Sydney International Airport. The final touch town for Qantas, a 47-year-old Boeing 707, Australia’s first passenger jet aircraft is to be at the outback Queensland town of Longreach, where national airline Qantas began in 1920. Rescued from a scrap heap in Britain, it underwent a four-year restoration only to be flown back to its final display-resting place. The pilot captain Roger Walter had said that, the plane was a joy to fly, much different from flying a modern jet aircraft with modern instrumentation. This plane has been a passage between Australia and the world. Museum manager Colin Westwood said the passenger jet made aviation history by cutting 21 hours off the flight time from Australia to England. Though you can no longer be a passenger on it but definitely check it out at the Qantas Founders Outback Museum. Source: SMH

The departures of all United Airlines were halted system-wide for two hours due to a computer malfunction. It is said that the problem was computer outage which lasted from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. PDT, when the departures were able to resume. O’Hare, Dulles and airports in Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco are the hubs of United Airlines and all United flights across its system had been grounded because of the computer hangups. Inbound and outbound flights of United Airlines at O’Hare International Airport were delayed between one and two hours. However, United flights at Washington Dulles International Airport did not affect departures on any other airlines. At San Francisco International Airport, a dozen United flights had been affected and most delays averaged 20 to 30 minutes. Transportation officials say delays were shorter at Washington, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The cause of the problem is not yet known. Image Source: CNN

Zoom Airlines the UK sister company to Canada’s premiere low cost, full service, transatlantic airline, has landed its first flight in the U.S. Joining the ranks of stiff competition between low cost transatlantic airlines. The low-fare, full- service airline will operate daily flights from New York’s JFK Airport to London Gatwick for $199.00 each way, excluding taxes. And, as a special promotion, flights departing from JFK between June 22 – July 13, 2007, will be offered for $99.00 one way, with taxes included. Unlike competitors, Zoom’s booking service features flexible one-way fares with no precincts. It will also be pioneering a number of new environmental and ethical policies in its new services from the UK to the USA. It will be using Boeing 767-300 aircraft with a seat pitch of 31" in Economy and 36" in Premium Economy. The New York to London flights will offer economy and premium economy services, including full meals and in-flight entertainment at no extra cost. Zoom has operated full-service, low-cost flights from Canada to the UK for the last three years and has been granted permission to operate from London Gatwick as an official UK carrier to the United States along with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. Image credit Read

The seat pitch in the economy cabins is going to increase as per the proposal made by Europe’s air safety authorities (EASA). Safety and the health issues are the factors that have led EASA make this proposal. According to European Union legislation planes must be able to be evacuated in less than 90 seconds. But EASA claims that less seat pitch and cramped conditions can hamper emergency evacuations. Moreover, less seat pitch increases the risk of passengers developing deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). It is a blood clot that develops, usually in the legs, when movement is restricted and which can be fatal if it reaches the lungs or brain. The standard size of seats in economy on many aircraft is 16-inch and a survey carried out last year showed that two-thirds of men and one in seven women were too broad-shouldered for these seats. Women feel the pinch around the hips and these 16-inch seats are two narrow for them. The decision is not yet taken but once the decision to increase the seat pitch is taken all airlines flying to and from Europe will be affected. It is said that if the authority of EASA were increased, the rules could only be enforced for the existing planes. No, doubt that increase in seat pitch will give more legroom to the passengers but will all the passengers enjoy the luxury space, only time will tell. Source: MSNBC

Yotel, a Japanese-style capsule hotel which is the brainchild of the team behind Yo! Sushi is getting a Cinderella makeover next week and lands at Gatwick, ready to welcome those who fear they might miss their flight. The Japanese capsule hotels are coffin-like rooms stacked one on top of the other. The hotel was invented as ultra-cheap accommodation for office workers who miss the last train home. The Yotel will have premium and standard cabin capsules, providing privacy, rest and sleep tweaked with a touch of class. Travelers will also be able to book cabins in four-hour blocks for $62.50, ideal for sudden delays or lengthy lay-overs. Each air-conditioned, 10.5 square meter capsule contains a sofa-bed, work desk with free Internet connectivity, en-suite bathroom with "monsoon rain shower" and flat-screen TV, with program downloads available. When you’re awake, there are 60 TV channels, 80 radio channels, 5,000 music tracks and new-release DVDs to keep you entertained. You can also order food through the TV. Costs: A standard cabin from £25 for four hours, from £55 overnight; a premium cabin costs from £40 for four hours, from £80 overnight. Bookable on-line, each Yotel has fully automated check-in and check-out. Another capsule hotel will follow at Heathrow before the year’s end. Don’t you wish to miss the flight once? Trust me it’s a hip new way to kip. Source: Daily Express.

Irish regional airline Aer Arann is all set to launch its new service from Galway to Newcastle with free tickets at check-in for the first passengers, local musicians and dancers. Flights will run on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, offering travelers good opportunities to take a short break in Galway. One-way tickets start from £35 inclusive of fees and charges. Colin Lewis, head of sales and marketing at the airline said: We are excited to be linking Newcastle to Galway, a truly captivating county and a well-preserved area in Ireland. We are committed to ensuring our Newcastle customers can travel in comfort to Galway, the gateway to the west of Ireland, we believe it will prove to be popular destination with visitors from Newcastle. Flight details: Galway to Newcastle: Departs 6.30pm, arrives 7.55pm (Monday, Thursday, Friday) Departs 7.15pm, arrives 8.40pm (Sunday) Newcastle to Galway: Departs 8.25pm, arrives 9.55pm (Monday, Thursday, Friday) Departs 9.10pm, arrives 10.40pm (Sunday) It is anticipated that the new route will plea the leisure travelers keen to experience the delights of both destinations during long weekend breaks. Image Source: Just The Flight

The time has gone when air-taxis were meant only for the top executives and the fabulously wealthy. Florida based company, Dayjet Corp. plans to launch affordable air-taxi service this August. The company aims to bring the real convenience of corporate jet travel to the general public. The air taxi is the ultra-quiet plane that is same as a sport utility vehicle, which has just three passenger seats in the configuration. It has a top cruising speed of 425 mph (685 kph). The range of the air taxi is around 1,240 miles depending on the heft of the two pilots and passengers, all weighed in before boarding. There are no on-board bathrooms but the passengers are sure to get ample cabin-space legroom. Initially, DayJet will fly only at limited airports but within 12 months of launch it plans to offer service between 20 regional airports in four states across the U.S. Southeast. Per seat, on-demand: DayJet will provide per seat on demand service which means travelers who pay an annual $250 membership fee will have to pay only for the seat they reserve and not for use of the whole aircraft as in a charter service. There are no fixed-flight schedules, so travelers have to pick a time for reaching their destination. DayJet will start its Monday-to-Friday service with a fleet of just 10 planes. Launch of air taxi service by DayJet will make it easier for people who are not super rich, and wish to go for lower cost, private and point-to-point air travel. Source: MSNBC

The terrorist attack Saturday in the Glasgow airport in Scotland seems to have got US security hackles up. Therefore, those of you traveling are sure to see more police and bomb-sniffing dogs at airports. Random vehicle checks also seem to be part of the security check agenda, so do have all the needed official documents in place! A survey conducted by AAA predicted that about 4.7 million people planned to fly over the holiday, which stretches over two weekends, since the Fourth of July falls on a Wednesday. About 34.7 million people said they planned to drive. Almost 38 percent of the respondents said they planned to leave on Friday, before the airport attack. As per the Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff he threat level for U.S. aviation had been at orange, or high, since last August. The d number of personnel has also been increased, especially at transit points. Many of whom are likely to be in plain clothes. Your duty of course would be to report anything that seems suspicious. Though airport officials have said on their Web site that the checks should take less than two minutes I’m pretty sure they will take longer than that. You might have to wait long frustrating lines until your turn. So come prepared with good music and lots to read! Image credit Source: CNN