Travel Buzz – June 29, 2012
United Airlines expects to receive its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner in September
“United, which will be the first North American airline to receive the long-awaited plane, has long said it expects to take delivery in the second half of 2012. A spokeswoman on Friday repeated that statement.
However, a Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper blog on Friday cited internal communications at United specifying September as the anticipated delivery month. United and Boeing are both headquartered in Chicago.
The Dreamliner, the first of which was delivered last fall to Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways, is a twin-aisle plane that offers the best fuel economy and range for a craft its size and offers passengers greater comfort while flying. However, the plane is just as well-known for incurring lengthy production delays. Boeing delivered its first 787 about three years late because of design and construction problems.”
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Airbus will choose Mobile, Alabama as the site for its first US production plant
“It’s a move that could bring hundreds, possibly thousands of new jobs to the Mobile area.
Airbus is looking for a location to build single-aisle airplanes for the commercial airline industry, and looking to expand into the North American market.
If the plan comes to fruition, Airbus would likely pump several million dollars into a plant that would be located on the Gulf Coast, likely at Mobile’s Brookley Field.”
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A TSA agent spilled the ashes of a man’s grandfather during a security search, and then laughed about it
“While going through the customary security lines at the Orlando airport, Gross says a TSA agent not only opened the jar, but also started searching through the jar with her fingers. During the search, she accidentally tipped the jar and spilled about a third of the ashes on the floor.
“She didn’t apologize. She started laughing. I was on my hands and knees picking up bone fragments,” Gross told the television station. “I couldn’t pick up all, everything that was lost. I mean, there was a long line behind me.”
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The US Transportation Department has proposed a new rule that would require airlines to report on lost or injured pets
“This new rule is good news for animal lovers,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says. “It will help ensure that all animals can be transported safely and will enable consumers to more accurately compare airlines when it comes to the care provided to their pets in the air.”
The reports now cover all incidents involving pets transported by their owners. The proposed rule would expand the reporting to cover all cats and dogs transported as part of a commercial shipment, so it would cover breeders.
Airlines reported 35 deaths, nine injuries and two lost animals during 2011, according to department reports. Through April this year, 12 animals have died and 14 were injured.”
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Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines has joined the SkyTeam alliance
“MEA is the 17th member of SkyTeam, which gathers big players in the aviation industry, including Air France, China Airlines, Delta, KLM, and Saudi Arabian Airlines.
Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi said the step was of considerable importance for MEA, particularly at a time when Lebanon was facing turbulent economic and political conditions.”
