It will be available in the airline’s first-call cabin from October 1 on the Dubai to New York route. … Emirates has yet to reveal the details of its A380 first-class cabin but has promised it will be even more extravagant than Singaopre Airlines’ cabin.
American Airlines’ schedule continued to be impacted heavily by FAA-mandated MD-80 inspections yesterday as the carrier cancelled another 922 flights–approximately 40% of its schedule–while attempting to fly out of the accompanying public relations storm.
Emirates said that the “first authorized mobile phone call made from a commercial flight” occurred yesterday aboard one of its A340-300s flying at 30,000 ft. en route from Dubai to Casablanca, marking the launch of its $27 million program to equip its fleet with the AeroMobile system that will allow passengers to use their own cell phones in flight. … Chairman and CEO Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said, “All seats across our fleet are already equipped with in-seat phones, as well as e-mail and text messaging capabilities via the in-seat entertainment system. . .we are delighted to now offer them the choice of using their own mobile phones.”
The Alitalia board on Saturday unanimously agreed to accept an offer by Air France KLM to acquire control of the ailing Italian carrier–subject, however, to a number of what the parties call “effectiveness conditions” that must be fulfilled by March 31.
… “The board has carried out its evaluation of the binding offer also in light of the worsened airline sector and macro-economic scenario, as well as considering the critical situation of the company and available alternatives,” AZ said in a statement, noting that the proposal offers “the appropriate solution” to preserve its assets and to promote both rapid and stable restructuring and long-term development.
British Airways are currently preparing for their 12-double decker A380’s which should arrive from April 2012.
… The A380 is a much quieter aircraft and is producing only a quarter of the noise of the Boeing 747-400.
Just three months after launching flights to Houston, its second U.S. gateway in the U.S. in addition to New York Kennedy, Emirates is expected on Thursday to announce that it will inaugurate new flights to Los Angeles this fall.
… The Los Angeles flights will be the longest in its network, taking 15 hrs. 55 mins. to fly to Los Angeles and 16 hrs. 35 mins. to return.
Singapore Airlines will begin operating all-business-class services to Los Angeles and New York in May, in a move it says will create an airline-industry first. The initiative will represent the first time any airline has operated an all-business-class service between Asia and the United States, Singapore Airlines (SIA) said.
SIA plans to convert the five Airbus [...]
Japan Airlines Corp maybuy Airbus’s midsize A350 XWB planes following production delays to Boeing Co’s new 787 Dreamliner, two company sources told Reuters.
Dubai-owned Emirates airlines, the largest carrier in the Middle East, said on Sunday it would begin flying its fleet of Airbus A380 superjumbos in October.
