China Southern Airlines on Saturday received Airbus’ first delivery of A380 jumbo jet.

The A380 jumbo jet landed at the Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) Saturday morning and will start its maiden voyage from Beijing to Guangzhou, the provincial capital of southern Guangdong Province on Monday, said Tan Wangeng, a senior manager of China Southern.

It is Airbus’ first out of five A380 jets to be delivered by Airbus to China Southern, according to Airbus.

The A380 jumbo jet will fly on commercial domestic route between Beijing and Guangzhou from Oct. 18-26 and between Beijing and Shanghai Pudong International Airport from Oct. 27-29.

China Southern’s A380 has a 506-seat cabin featuring eight luxury first-class suites, 70 flat-bed business-class seats and 428 economy-class seats.

Don’t mess with the cabin crew onboard Hong Kong Airlines, because they’re about to become martial arts masters. No, really! After a flight attendants trained in close-range combat found her skills helped her deal with unruly and heavy passengers, the airline has now made such training compulsory for all flight crew, with other HK Airlines staff invited to learn as well.

According to the AFP, the flight attendants will specifically learn Wing Chun, a form of Kung Fu ideal for up-close combat in confined spaces.

Flight crew won’t just be using it to chop troublesome passengers into submission; it’ll also aid with overweight passengers. The Wing Chun-trained FA who inspired all this actually found her strength allowed her to better deal with an overweight man who was feeling ill onboard a flight. Those who are currently in the program say they’re enjoying it, since being able to defend themselves is a valuable skill.

Korean Air has unveiled a unique feature on board its new A380 superjumbo — a luxury duty free shop available to passengers during their flight.

In the battle for the flashest and most innovative Airbus A380 implementation Korean Air has raised the stakes with its plans for an in-flight duty free shop on all 10 of its A380 Aircraft the first of which will go into operation on 10 June 2011 on the Seoul to Japan route.

The Korean Air A380 in-flight duty free shop will feature 5 display units, the first being a video display which simply shows product advertising that companies can purchase advertising on, the other display units include a liquor display unit, cosmetics display unit and a display unit for high value items such as jewellery and watches.

Chris Whetter Sales/Project director at AIM says that Korean Air’s A380 in-flight duty free shop will be located on the main deck at the rear of the aircraft, in fact the shops liquor and cosmetics display units will be located either side of the rear stairs that lead to the upper deck and the air crafts Lounge/Bar area.

Mr Whetter explains that during a flight first class passengers will first be invited to browse the duty free shop, followed by Business Class passengers, and finally if there is adequate time remaining economy class passengers would be invited.

“The shop replaces 13 seats on the aircraft so you’re losing a lot of revenue, but the Korean mentality is that they buy all the duty free on every flight,” says Whetter. “It was Korean’s concept to do it and they approached us as being one of the companies with very high quality and excellent design. There were two bidders and we won the programme.”

“If there is severe turbulence the shop has to be emptied out,” says Whetter, adding that “on taxi, take-off and landing the alcohol has to be stowed”

Korean Air believes that by selling high priced upmarket duty free items will more than offset the revenue lost from the 13 seats that their in-flight duty free shop takes up. In addition the display unit and duty free goods added to this the weight of the shop will be less than the combined seating luggage of 13 passengers therefore there would be less fuel burn. If all goes to plan it looks like it will be a win/win for both passengers and the airline.

The first of Korean Air’s 10 A380 aircraft goes into operation on 10 June 2011 between Seoul and Tokyo, followed by Bangkok, Hong Kong and North American routes.

Here’s a novel way to while away the time and burn away some calories during those interminable long-distance flights: an exercise bike suitable for inflight use.

The airline which brought us an award-winning toilet in the Airbus A380 has now created an aircraft-ready stationary exercise bike for frequently-flying fitness fanatics.

Boffins at Lufthansa Technik – Lufthansa’s engineering, maintenance, repair and overhaul service division – revealed the bike at the close of last week’s Aircraft Interiors Expo at Hamburg.

It uses the same lean-back recumbent design as seen in many lifestyle gyms, but don’t expect to hit the same rpm as you would on the ground due to the cabin pressure at altitude and lower oxygen concentration in the air.

FlightGlobal reports that Lufthansa Technik took an off-the-shelf product made by Italy-based Technogym and modified it to satisfy aviation regulations.

Qantas says the Airbus A330 was forced to land in Cairns on Wednesday afternoon after an electrical fault caused smoke and small flames to appear near the left-hand windscreen of the cockpit.

The airline praised the pilots for reacting calmly to the fire, saying they showed quick thinking in donning oxygen masks and extinguishing the flames, while diverting the Sydney-bound flight to the nearest airport.

“There were no ill effects or injuries experienced by any of the 147 passengers or 11 crew, and all passengers were accommodated on other domestic services to complete their journey to Sydney,” a Qantas spokesman said in a statement.

He said the pilots were being praised for “their calm response to the incident.”

The fire broke out at 3.35pm and the plane arrived in Cairns 50 minutes later.

Qantas said the incident would be investigated, and that the Australian Transport Safety Bureau had been notified.

Emirates, the world’s biggest airline by international traffic, said the 90 Airbus SAS A380 superjumbos it’s buying won’t be sufficient to meet the carrier’s projected demand.

The aircraft “are well spoken for and frankly, the way things are going for us at the moment, the 90 certainly won’t be enough,” President Tim Clark said today in a phone interview. “Demand for our services seems to be continuing to grow apace. We’re moving forward very robustly.”

The carrier, already the biggest customer for Airbus’s 517- seat plane, has expanded its traffic sixfold in the last decade by connecting international passengers through its Dubai hub. Emirates is also the biggest operator of Boeing’s 777 long- range airliner.

Emirates has 12 Airbus A380s in its fleet, with another three to go into service by November. Deliveries will restart in September 2011, with the carrier receiving the remaining planes through November 2017.

Today Continental Airlines announced the first route for a 787. The route will be from Houston to Auckland, New Zealand. Continental plans to operate the route starting Nov. 16, 2011 and they expect to receive their first 787 in August 2011.

Here’s CO’s press release:

Continental Airlines Announces New Service From Houston Hub to Auckland, New Zealand

First route worldwide to be announced for the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner

HOUSTON, May 26

HOUSTON, May 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) today announced another major step in development of its Houston hub with plans to begin nonstop Boeing 787 flights to Auckland, New Zealand on Nov. 16, 2011 (subject to government approval).

Auckland will be added to the 63 international destinations that Continental
currently serves nonstop from Houston, and will become the 26th destination in Continental’s Pacific network. Continental serves more destinations in the Pacific region than any other U.S. carrier.

Continental will be one of just three airlines flying nonstop between North America and New Zealand. At approximately 7,400 miles, the new route will be the longest from Continental’s Houston hub. Continental plans to operate the route on a daily basis, with five-times-weekly service during certain periods in the first year of operation.

On May 3, Continental announced that it has agreed to merge with United Airlines in a merger of equals to create the world’s leading airline. The success of the Houston Auckland route will be enhanced by the additional traffic flows through Houston that are expected to result from the merger.

First 787 Route Announcement

Continental is the first airline in the world to formally announce specific, initial route plans for its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. The airline has firm orders for 25 Dreamliners. The 787 is a new-technology composite aircraft with lower operating costs, better environmental performance and an improved cabin environment for customer comfort. Deliveries to Continental are expected to begin in August 2011. The aircraft will have 228 seats, including 36 of Continental’s new flat-bed BusinessFirst seats for the best rest on long-distance flights.

Today Continental also unveiled a modernized and expanded customer check-in facility in Terminal C at its Houston hub at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

“Our new route to Auckland and our new and upgraded facilities at IAH are tangible examples of the emphasis we place on continuing to expand Houston’s role in domestic and international aviation,” said Jeff Smisek, Continental’s chairman, president and CEO. “This hub has ongoing growth opportunities because it has a strategic location, space for expansion, support from the community and an excellent team of Continental co-workers who deliver our clean, safe and reliable service.”

“This new flight between Houston and Auckland shows how the Dreamliner will create new opportunities to connect global markets that currently are not being served,” said Mario Diaz, Houston Airport System director of aviation. “As the largest hub for Continental, George Bush Intercontinental Airport is honored to be selected as the launch pad for the Continental Boeing 787.”

Convenient Connecting Flights

The Houston-Auckland route will benefit from connecting traffic at both ends. Continental’s Houston hub will draw passengers from throughout North America. In addition, Houston will be a very competitive connecting hub for travelers on itineraries between Europe and Auckland.

Auckland is home to Air New Zealand, one of the 27 carriers including Continental which are members of Star Alliance. Air New Zealand and its regional airline partners offer service to 20 destinations in New Zealand and seven in Australia, including Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Coolangatta (Gold Coast), Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

Schedule

Following is the preliminary schedule for the new service, planned to take effect Nov. 16, 2011. Continental will begin taking reservations and selling tickets on the new route later this year.

Leave Houston Arrive Auckland Leave Auckland Arrive Houston
11:50 a.m. (same Summer 9:30 p.m. 5:10 a.m. (2 days later) 3:40 p.m. day)

11:55 a.m. (same Winter 9:10 p.m. 6:55 a.m. (2 days later) 5:55 p.m. day)

About Auckland and New Zealand

Auckland’s waterside location has fostered the locals’ love affair with the sea, earning this place the nickname “City of Sails.” The city sprawls over a narrow isthmus between the waters of the Waitemata and Manukau Harbours. A cloak of rainforest covers the surrounding hills, dozens of dormant volcanic cones dot the landscape and inviting islands are scattered throughout the vast Hauraki Gulf. Two of the best island getaways are Waiheke Island and Great Barrier Island.

Auckland’s heart beats to a Polynesian rhythm, its people a melting pot of European, South Pacific and Asian cultures and a strong indigenous Maori heritage. This diversity brings with it an abundance of unique dining and shopping experiences.

Auckland’s temperate climate, easy access to the coast and variety of activities earn the city consistent “top five” rankings in international lifestyle surveys.
New Zealand’s awesome landscapes, lush forests, amazing wildlife and pleasant climate make it a haven for many outdoor activities, and a great place to unwind. New Zealand society is diverse, sophisticated and multicultural and the Kiwi people are known for their honesty, friendliness and openness. A great advantage of New Zealand is that all of its diverse physical, cultural and artistic landscapes are so close to each other.

You better believe it! Ryanair spokesman, Stephen McNamara, in an interview with the Irish Times, states the airline will proceed with plans to charge passengers for using toilets during short haul services of under 1 hour.

McNamara commented, “one toilet will discourage over-dependence. There is nothing in the rule book to say that an aircraft has to have any toilets at all, which might sound strange, but we believe three toilets are excessive.”

The airline, in its in-flight magazine, stated the introduction of coin-operated toilets would reduce fares by at least 5%, and is part of efforts by Ryanair to reduce the number of toilets on its aircraft, to make room for an additional six seats.

This is truly cutting edge stuff MOL is playing with. Of course it means airport toilets will be the last place every Ryanair passengers will stop at prior to boarding and be the first place they will go after deplaning. Cartoons of how to identify (dare we say profile?) a Ryanair customer will be to see if their eyes are afloat. On the one hand this is so ludicrous and funny while on the other hand it is downright obnoxious.

Japan Airlines (JAL) is expected to file for bankruptcy today, and announce drastic cuts to its workforce as the ailing carrier seeks to restructure.

However, the airline will likely maintain its operations as it seeks protection from creditors.

Japan’s transport Seiji Maehara announced last Friday that the government will decide on a restructuring plan for JAL today, say media reports in Japan.

The airline is also expected to cut its workforce by a third over the next three years, bringing the total staff strength to 36,000, the reports add.

A JAL spokeswoman declines to comment.

The carrier is expected to file for protection from its creditors, under the Japanese equivalent of Chapter 11 in the USA.

Japan’s Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of Japan (ETIC) is working on a restructuring plan for JAL, and is likely to offer ¥300 billion ($3.3 billion) in government funds.

Banks are also expected to forgive several hundred billion yen in loans.

In the meantime, JAL has secured approval from its current and former employees to make cuts to pension schemes in a bid to cut costs.

The carrier posted a fiscal second quarter net loss of ¥32.1 billion and reportedly owes creditors $15 billion.

An era ended at United Airlines on 28 October as the carrier operated its last Boeing 737 passenger flight, more than 40 years after introducing the twinjet.

Flight 737, operated by 737-300 N331UA, took off from Washington Dulles and made what amounted to a farewell tour with stops at all the carrier’s hubs – Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles, with the final touchdown at its San Francisco maintenance base.

United – which alongside Lufthansa was a launch customer for Boeing’s narrowbody workhorse – introduced the 737-200 into revenue service on 28 April 1968, and added the -300 model in 1986 and the -500s in 1990.

At its high point United’s 737 fleet totalled 220 aircraft. The aircraft’s squat appearance compared with contemporary aircraft at the time resulted in many of United’s pilots nicknaming the airplane “guppy”.

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