AAR CORP. today announced that it has been selected by Bombardier Aerospace, Belfast to design and manufacture composite flap track fairings for the wings of the new CSeries family of commercial aircraft. The work will be performed by AAR Composites, which develops and fabricates advanced composite structures for a wide range of aviation and aerospace applications. The contract could be worth more than $90 million over the life of the program.

The CSeries aircraft, Bombardier’s newest platform, is specifically designed for the 100- to 149- seat market. The aircraft will be built with 70 percent advanced lightweight structural materials, which contribute to the fuel efficiency, performance and extended range of the aircraft.
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JetBlue Airways today announces an increase from two to four daily nonstop flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) beginning July 1, 2010, providing more options and more value to coast-to-coast travelers. In addition to its LAX service, JetBlue offers the only nonstop service from the East Coast to two other L.A. Basin airports : Burbank and Long Beach.

JetBlue launched twice daily service from both JFK and Boston’s Logan International Airport to LAX on June 17, 2009, and based on the successful launch of service and strong customer demand for JetBlue’s premium low-fare product, is pleased to double service from New York (expanding to four daily flights) while maintaining its popular Boston route with convenient twice-daily service.
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American Eagle Airlines, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, will begin nonstop jet service between Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI) beginning July 2. The Tri-Cities airport is centrally located between the cities of Bristol, Kingsport and Johnson City, Tenn., and serves the communities of Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina. Eagle will operate the service with 44-seat Embraer ERJ-140 jets.

“American Airlines was the first carrier to operate at Tri-Cities Regional Airport, launching service Sept. 1, 1937, and we are delighted to bring the American brand back, with service to the Tri-Cities area from our hub in Chicago,” said Gary Foss, Vice President – Planning and Marketing for the AA Regional Network. “From the Birthplace of Country Music to NASCAR racing at the Bristol Motor Speedway, the Tri-Cities area has a tremendous amount to offer. (continue reading…)

Emirates Airlines has issued a strong warning to Airbus not to delay the introduction of the A350.

“We have clearly told Airbus that we will not accept again what they did to us with the A380,” Emirates Airlines President Tim Clark told The Daily at the ITB tourism exchange in Berlin. He pointed out that unlike in the case of the A380 – which was two years late – Emirates Airlines has alternatives to buy elsewhere: “All I have to do is pick up the phone and order more Boeing 777s,” Clark stressed. He showed concerns that the schedule could already begin to slip. “We have told Airbus numerous times that in our view they should build in more margin in terms of time and performance parameters, but they wanted to have it their way. Now they are already eating into margins,” Clark criticized.
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Fewer people jetted off to the sun last year, with airports experiencing the biggest decline in airlines passenger numbers since records began 65 years ago.

Statistics from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have reveal a slump in holiday traffic across all UK airports with 7.4% fewer passengers passing through terminals.

That overall trend was more than matched at Cardiff International Airport, where passenger figures showed a decrease of more than 18%.

Cardiff, which in 2007 was the fastest growing regional airport in the UK, saw 1.63million passengers use its services compared to 1.98million in 2008 and 2.10million in 2007.
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Alaska Airlines today announced a realignment of its marketing, sales and online commerce groups.

Joe Sprague, a 10-year veteran at Alaska Airlines, has been named vice president of marketing. Sprague will be responsible for the carrier’s overall marketing strategy as he oversees marketing communications, sales, reservations, food and beverage, customer care, the Mileage Plan frequent flier program and Board Rooms. Sprague will also retain responsibility for Alaska Air Cargo, a division he has led for the past two years.

Steve Jarvis, formerly Alaska’s vice president of marketing, sales and customer experience, will assume the new role of vice president of customer innovation and alaskaair.com. (continue reading…)

British Airways expects to lease up to 22 aircraft from eight airlines in order to maintain services during a planned cabin crew strike this month.

It will use the aircraft to supplement its short-haul schedule from London Heathrow, and allow it to operate, overall, about 30% of its short-haul schedule over the initial strike period.

British Airways expects to carry 60% of booked passengers during the three-day strike from 20-22 March, adding that a number of other customers will be offered alternative British Airways flights or services on other carriers.
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GOL plans to reactivate two more Boeing 767s as the Brazilian carrier expands its new widebody charter operation to include flights to the US, Europe and South Africa.

The company stopped operating 767s in 2008 after dropping all long-haul services at its Varig division but at the end of last year reactivated one aircraft for charters to the Caribbean. ATI and Flightglobal reported last month the carrier was looking at re-activating additional 767s as part of a plan to expand its Caribbean charter operation, which was launched in July 2009 and now uses a mix of 767s and Boeing 737s.
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Turkey’s national carrier, Turkish Airlines, or THY, is aiming to expand its passenger capacity and market share in the central European country of Hungary, where it says it has seen great interest in the airline.

The company plans to increase the number of passengers utilizing THY’s flight services in Hungary, said Levend Ar?soy, THY’s director-general in the country.

THY participated in the 33rd International Budapest Tourism Fair last week and drew a good response, Ar?soy said. (continue reading…)