The Stop for Cheap Airline Tickets

Air India, the national carrier for India, is planning to resume Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights next week.  The airline owns six of the Dreamliner jets and an official with the airline said they are performing test flights today.  The unnamed official said they plan to resume commercial flights next week and that international flights might begin as early as three weeks.  India’s directorate general of civil aviation Arun Mishra has said they are satisfied with the improvements to the battery system.

The Dreamliner was grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in mid-January, a move that was followed by regulators around the world.  This came after two incidents that involved the plane’s batteries, a fire on one parked plane and a smoking battery on another plane inflight.  Boeing has created a new battery system that has been approved by the FAA.  Air India ordered a total of 27 Dreamliners from Boeing.
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On Thursday, Cebu Pacific had to cancel flights to and from Boracay due to wing damage on the 70-seater plane they use on the route.  The airline reported cracks on the wing of the plane due to an impact from hitting a bird.  The airline apologized to customers, hundreds of which were affected by the cancelations.

Candice Iyog, vice president for marketing and distribution, said Cebu Pacific canceled four domestic flights to and from Boracay.  The company issued a statement on Thursday that indicated they were performing a thorough check on the plane before putting it back into service.  Affected passengers were put onto the next available flights to Caticlan and Kalibo and they were given travel vouchers and meals.
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Japanese airlines are getting ready to resume flights on their Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft once the installation of the new battery systems on the planes is complete, a battery system that will reduce the risk of there being a fire with the lithium ion batteries.  On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave their official approval of the new system, and in Japan, Transport Minister Akihiro Ohta said they have decided the FAA has made the right decision and all possible safety measures have been put into place.

Around the world there are 50 Dreamliners in service, all of which were grounded in mid-January.  Of the 50, Japan’s All Nippon Airways, the airline that launched the plane, has 17 and Japan Airlines has seven.  The grounding of the planes has made it necessary for the airlines to cancel hundreds of flights and endure huge revenue losses.
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Starting in July, US Airways will bring back complimentary wine service to economy passengers on their overseas flights to Europe, South America, and Tel Aviv.  US Airways has agreed to merge with American Airlines and American brought back the complimentary beer and wine service on their international flights last year.

In addition to the free wine service, US Airways will also start serving a complimentary continental breakfast to First Class passengers flying on red-eye domestic flights.  Pre-ordered DineFresh meals are currently available to economy class passengers on west-bound domestic flights, but will soon be available on select east-bound flights.  The airline is also going to be offering international business-class passengers a redesigned amenities bag that will include Red Flower spa products.
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Safety authorities in Europe have decided to follow the lead of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and allow the resumption of Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights, now that Boeing has come up with a new design for their onboard lithium ion batteries.

This comes after the planes were grounded in mid-January.  The FAA approved the battery changes made by Boeing on Friday and is expected to soon lift the flight ban that was placed on the planes three months ago by issuing an “airworthiness directive.”
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Boeing could have its 787 Dreamliner back in the air within a week as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved their battery fix.  This comes despite the fact that the actual cause of the fire and smoke seen on two separate planes was never discovered.  The FAA announced that next week they will send instructions to all airlines and they will lift the ban on the Dreamliners that has been in place since mid-January.

This means that as soon as the new safety system is installed in their planes and the airlines have clearance from the regulators in their country of origin, they will be able to resume flights.  Boeing is ready to get to work and has 300 people divided into ten teams and stationed all around the world to begin the work on the planes, which could begin as early as Friday.  Boeing’s chief engineer Mike Sinnett said it will take five days to install the new battery system.
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Severely strong winds overnight have wreaked havoc on sailing and flights in Ireland.  An orange status weather warning was put into effect by the met office and marine areas had a gale warning in place.  Dublin Airport said that strong winds overnight caused them to divert some flights and cancel others.  The airport issued a statement that last night’s flight disruptions will affect today’s operations.  They are warning passengers to check ahead on their flight status.

Aer Lingus reported that the strong winds had a major effect on their operations, causing a large number of their flights to be diverted from Dublin and Cork airports to UK airports.  This had resulted in the delay or cancelation of a large number of their flights on Thursday morning.  They asked passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport and they have indicated that passengers can change their flight bookings online.
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A spring storm that moved into southern Ontario has brought with it ice pellets and freezing rain for Toronto and the surrounding region.  In anticipation of the storm’s arrival, airports prepared in advance.  Toronto’s Pearson International Airport canceled 13% of their flights for the day and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport canceled 12% of their flights.  Affected airlines include Westjet, Porter, and Air Canada, all of which issued warnings for their passengers to keep an eye on their flight status.

The storm reached Toronto at about 7:00 am on Thursday morning.  In addition to the disruptions flights at the airports are facing, school buses are not running in a number of localities, although schools are open.  The Grade 10 Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test will be a go for students in Toronto, but has been postponed for students in Peel and York.
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A spring storm has been moving eastward from Colorado through to South Dakota, prompting officials to warn people to stay home if at all possible.  Thousands of people in the western states have lost power as high winds have been accompanied by freezing rain in some parts and moderate snowfall from the Dakotas to Wisconsin.  Nebraska was also hit with snow and winds strong enough to cause a train derailment.

At Denver International Airport six inches of snow were reported to have fallen and hundreds of flights were canceled, other delayed.  High winds caused damaged throughout the western states and the National Weather Service reported Cheyenne’s high of 12 degrees was a record low for April 9.  The previous record low was set in 1997 and was 23 degrees.  With the freezing rain, the weight of the snow on trees and power lines, and the heavy winds, more power outages are likely.
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The Transportation Department received an overwhelming number of complaints, increasing by 20% last year over previous years.  While airlines seem to be doing a better job when it comes to on-time flights and the handling of baggage, these complaints are connected to the smaller seats that airlines are using to try to cram more people onto planes.  Empty middle seats are gone and many people who have bought tickets are being turned away because airlines overbook their flights.

The data from the Transportation Department was analyzed by private researchers, and considering what passengers are dealing with, they say they are not surprised passengers are upset.  Dean Headley, a business professor at Wichita State University in Kansas who is a co-writer of the report, says the airlines are taking 130-seat planes and stuffing them with 150 seats to increase revenue.  Then passengers are saying to them they don’t fit in the seats.
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