British Airways cabin crew have started a three-day strike that is set cause severe disruption for thousands of passengers.

The BBC’s Chris Rogers was on a BA flight from Heathrow to Amsterdam on Saturday morning.

Terminal 5 was teeming with stewards acting as guides for thousands of BA staff who have volunteered to replace striking cabin crew, the stewards were there to guide them though their first day on the job.

The airline has assured passengers the volunteers have been fully trained for the job.

I was a passenger on one of just a few scheduled flights with BA cabin crew who did turn up for work.

The three-man team told me they decided to cross the picket line and were allocated on the flight to Amsterdam.

One worker – who didn’t wished to be named – said he may regret it “but he and other colleagues were thinking about the long term effects the strike would have on the company”.
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Thousands of passengers had their flights cancelled on Saturday following the launch of a strike by British Airways cabin crew.

It is first such strike in 13 years. fter talks over cost cutting between the airline and union Unite, which represents cabin crew, collapsed on Friday, the troubled airline said it hoped to keep flights running for up to 49,000 passengers on both Saturday and Sunday.

Unite said that its 12,000 members were supporting the three day walkout.

At Heathrow, which is the worst affected airport, screens were set up to protect the identities of BA staff who defied the strike.

BA said it expected 60 percent of its long-haul services and 30 percent short-haul services from Heathrow would be running over the weekend while short-haul flights from Gatwick would be halved.
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According to Continental Airlines, carriers serving New York’s three major airports should be temporarily exempt from new federal rules that fine airlines for tarmac delays.

In a Department of Transportation filing, Continental Airlines said delays from John F. Kennedy International Airport’s runway closure and construction impact all major airports in New York City.

Due to New York’s complex and interconnected airspace, Continental said “delays and delay mitigation strategies at one New York area airport adversely affect and inconvenience air carriers and passengers at another New York area airport.” Bad weather and conflicting runway approaches could cause “exponential increases” in the number of delays occurring at the other New York airports, said Continental.
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Virgin America announced this morning that it will start direct flights from Orlando International Airport to both Los Angeles and San Francisco starting August 19.

The two-year old airline, affiliated with Virgin Atlantic that now brings thousands of British tourists into Orlando, also announced introductory one-way air fares start start at $149 to LA and $199 to Frisco.

The new Orlando to California routes were among several changes the company announced, including new service between Toronto and California.

Currently, only United Airlines provides direct service between Orlando and San Francisco, while several carriers — United, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines — provide direct flights between Orlando and Los Angeles. (continue reading…)

Delta Air Lines Inc., the world’s largest carrier, is adding shuttle service with 11 daily round-trip flights between New York’s LaGuardia and Chicago’s O’Hare airports to attract business customers.

The service to O’Hare, the world’s fourth-busiest airport, will begin June 10 and replace less-frequent flights to Chicago Midway, Delta Air Lines said today in a statement. The carrier also is adding flights from Los Angeles to four U.S. cities including Hartford, Connecticut.

The Chicago shuttle steps up competition with AMR Corp.’s American Airlines and UAL Corp.’s United Airlines for business travelers, who typically pay the highest fares. Those rivals both have hubs at O’Hare. The flights will use 76-seat Embraer 175 jets, and attendants will serve meals or bagels and complimentary wine and beer, as on other Delta Shuttle routes. (continue reading…)

For the second time in a week, the Federal Aviation Administration has announced that it has proposed fining American Airlines for aircraft maintenance violations.

The FAA revealed Thursday that it sent a letter to American last week proposing a $300,000 civil penalty for the maintenance lapses, which could have endangered the aircraft, flight crew and passengers.

American Airlines maintenance workers, the FAA said, failed to properly document a malfunctioning speed indicator on an MD-82 jet in February 2009.

Not knowing about the defective indicator, crews flew the plane five times, including at night and in inclement winter weather. Such flights are allowed under American’s FAA-approved procedures, but only in daylight and clear weather.
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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…)