(The 10 week countdown to 2017 has started. Eeeeek!)
Hot happenings in the skies this week include new outfits, fewer profits, and sweet torture.
This weekly post is my ‘round tuit’. Included are stories which caught my eye and others which I couldn’t cover in-depth during the week, but thought Flight Chic readers would want to know about.
1. Delta debuts attractive new uniforms.
.@Zac_Posen enters the runway! #DeltaRunwayReveal pic.twitter.com/BjflyRvxdC
— Delta News Hub (@DeltaNewsHub) October 18, 2016
.@Zac_Posen presents his iconic new uniform collection exclusively for @Delta! #DeltaRunwayReveal pic.twitter.com/VqlDn8jwIt
— Delta News Hub (@DeltaNewsHub) October 18, 2016
.@Delta Technical Operations collection. #DeltaRunwayReveal https://t.co/OJ3l7ELW7N @DeltaTechOps pic.twitter.com/7v7nnQSJH9
— Delta News Hub (@DeltaNewsHub) October 18, 2016
.@Delta Airport Customer Service collection: Ramp and Cargo https://t.co/OJ3l7ELW7N #DeltaRunwayReveal pic.twitter.com/RFhZ2Glj6I
— Delta News Hub (@DeltaNewsHub) October 18, 2016
.@Delta In-Flight Service collection. https://t.co/OJ3l7ELW7N #DeltaRunwayReveal @DeltaIFSAssist pic.twitter.com/e4SzwxrzKD
— Delta News Hub (@DeltaNewsHub) October 18, 2016
Choice of purple and charcoal over navy was smart differentiation @Delta. And the red is RED, which ❤️💜!
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 18, 2016
Delta Reveals New Uniforms By Zac Posen https://t.co/XyMh01Mi8K via @thedesignair
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 18, 2016
Love the new @Delta x Zac Posen uniforms. Purple & red subtlety hints at Virgin Atlantic partnership & I want this dress pic.twitter.com/CDhoGxQFTI
— Cynthia D (@JetSetCD) October 18, 2016
Timeline: The evolution of Delta's uniforms @DeltaNewsHub https://t.co/ZlPwfwiYj2 //Very fashionable time travel. #avgeek
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 17, 2016
2. Airbus Group Silicon Valley project gets to work on personal flying vehicles. (They look nothing like Luc Besson’s air taxis, BTW)
Yo #aerospace! The future is hiring: “Welcome to Vahana” by @AirbusGroup https://t.co/FT8i0rxnFh
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 21, 2016
@AirbusSV Project Vahana air-taxi breaks cover – https://t.co/wYtSxgOUmK pic.twitter.com/4YpdNyahqa
— Graham Warwick (@TheWoracle) October 20, 2016
European aerospace giant Airbus has quietly lifted the curtain on an ambitious Silicon Valley project called Vahana… pic.twitter.com/9yhRx8O7NE
— Hyperstructure (@hyyperstructure) October 21, 2016
3. Airlines have a whole lot ($3 billion) to gain from RFID baggage tracking.
Global deployment of #RFID could save air transport industry US$3bn over the next 7 yrs https://t.co/LsT1spBeiy #AirportMatters #IATAWPS pic.twitter.com/Y41ezgPYCp
— SITA (@SITAonline) October 19, 2016
4. The CORSIA controversy, and should we stop flying?
ICAO’s carbon-offset agreement will not alter aviation’s environmental footprint https://t.co/jbHyf1pCtT pic.twitter.com/ItltHRDyv9
— Aviation Week (@AviationWeek) October 21, 2016
“simple: a third runway means the UK will not meet its carbon targets. Hold me to that in 2050” https://t.co/E0BOS7vMia [reality check?]
— thisdell (@thisdell) October 19, 2016
5. Alaska Airlines Virgin America merger gets (more) complicated.
Alaska Air merger suit judge warns he’ll block pretrial closing https://t.co/vdF9dJBzH1
— Seattle Times Aero (@SeaTimesAero) October 21, 2016
Hmmm… https://t.co/LsIVfgytqg
— @Heather_Poole (@Heather_Poole) October 21, 2016
Alaska CEO: Merger issues being discussed with DOJ are ‘manageable’ … https://t.co/vC0Aji53IS pic.twitter.com/oD3VAHJ7I6
— Air Transport World (@ATWOnline) October 20, 2016
Update on Alaska-Virgin talks with regulators https://t.co/ZwfhNPRjBR via @travelskills
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 19, 2016
Logic dictates approval of Alaska-Virgin America merger; anti-trust hawks loom large https://t.co/MINOt0uIWC via @capa_aviation
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 17, 2016
6. Helsinki: gets a nice wide-body jet bridge.
Our home hub @helsinkiairport has new wide body jet bride. 15 more to come. Watch #timelapse https://t.co/scBlsk1q2x #airport #HEL pic.twitter.com/0TwTk6NrbE
— Finnair (@Finnair) October 20, 2016
7. London City Airport evacuated. Reports that noxious chemicals made some passengers sick.
The incident at #London City Airport has been declared safe. Full details here https://t.co/SAdLRHfE9f pic.twitter.com/OMhfgBpzmh
— London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire) October 21, 2016
London City Airport "chemical incident". The latest on @SkyNews from this link https://t.co/K4qe34vQ3Q #londoncityairport @LondonCityAir
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 21, 2016
8. Great infographic on advancements in air navigation from SITA.
Flight navigation has progress from oil drum fires to global satellite-based tracking in the last 100 years. Infographic via @SITAONAIR pic.twitter.com/zKGFUnKaOx
— CAPA – Centre for Aviation (@CAPA_Aviation) October 21, 2016
9. Malaysia Airlines has big plans for its A380s.
MAS plans special 700-seat configuration for its A380 for use on pilgrim flights. @btmideast @JamesWorldNews https://t.co/xmSVUkpW1N https://t.co/X07syPZJgq
— Alex McWhirter (@McWhirterAlex) October 20, 2016
https://twitter.com/NewsAirbus/status/789257917845221377
10. The sliding Economy class seat gets one (major) step closer to reality.
Looking for innovation in economy class? It's coming! | Aircraft Interiors International Magazine https://t.co/SampU9CpdC
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 19, 2016
11. Samsung really wants its Note 7s back.
Samsung opens 'swap and drop' airport booths for banned Note 7 – Australian Business Traveller HT @theAPEXassoc https://t.co/wNsjkGnn48
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 19, 2016
12. JetBlue urges DOT to approve NAI’s bid, in effort to shore up its own transatlantic ambitions.
https://twitter.com/Boeingpro/status/789175505429815297
Low-cost #airlines are shaking up trans-Atlantic #travel: https://t.co/qY2NPoPtzZ pic.twitter.com/TnukcWsIYU
— flightview (@flightview) October 21, 2016
Norwegian too. https://t.co/NGUONn8oWO
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 19, 2016
U.S. Airlines Say They May Be About to Slash Fares https://t.co/6dyaqkjOmy
— Guillaume Dupont (@guildupont) October 19, 2016
13. The USDOT wants to protect passenger rights with new rules. Airlines haven’t taken this well.
US airlines protest new DOT consumer rules … https://t.co/Jg21FKJB7H pic.twitter.com/RQOSFE2Xsj
— Air Transport World (@ATWOnline) October 19, 2016
14. A peek at CPH Terminal 3 expansion plans.
Growing no. of passengers thru Terminal 3 results in significant area expansion & shortcut from metro to security:https://t.co/FRvjgXzfb3 pic.twitter.com/9WnOouSLPt
— Copenhagen Airport (@CPHAirports) October 21, 2016
15. IATA WPS: What do passengers really want?
What makes passengers loyal? Airline trade group IATA says it's these factors. #travel pic.twitter.com/EtMgl1LaDD
— David Koenig (@airlinewriter) October 21, 2016
16. Rembering the lost olive. (Passengers may have wanted the olive. We’ll never know.)
Anyone run the numbers on what that one olive cost in goodwill & brand perception? We’re still talking about it today. 😉 https://t.co/6N77t4U3Zz
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 21, 2016
And then one olive turned into half a chicken – 3 bites of chicken. https://t.co/mZrnr8f1M1
— @Heather_Poole (@Heather_Poole) October 21, 2016
I think most people are thinking, olive? I didn't even realize there were olives. https://t.co/4b3ZcSjtMR
— @Heather_Poole (@Heather_Poole) October 21, 2016
The buttonhole on the napkins, though. Pricier, but inspired. A nice little detail which speaks volumes. https://t.co/6N77t4U3Zz
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 21, 2016
17. Aviation’s suppliers continue to be an Achilles’ heel for cyber-attacks. It makes me so angry this is still unresolved. One day, I’ll tell you the whole story.
READ! Supply chain is a critical vulnerability. We suffered though this in 2006: A/Ls OEMs REGs had *no* action plan to help. Devastating. https://t.co/7l2aUBVLmL
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 18, 2016
18. Ryanair blames drop in pound for weaker profits.
Ryanair cuts profit forecast on weak pound – Airline says situation could worsen if sterling falls further https://t.co/698aZy42Nd
— Isaac ✈ 🇺🇦 Alexander (@jetcitystar) October 18, 2016
19. American has other reasons.
#americanairlines profit margin forecast disappoints #PilotsNews #aviation #avgeek #airlines #profits https://t.co/Io3mzjVrnt
— CrewSAAM ✈️ (@CrewSAAM) October 21, 2016
https://twitter.com/NewsAmericanAir/status/789260153396658176
20. Despite profits, Lufthansa’s not feeling sunny.
@Lufthansa lifts 2016 profit target after strong September, but major challenges remains https://t.co/3mtRukD9vl @ReutersAero
— Victoria Bryan (@vl_bryan) October 20, 2016
21. Emirates continues to enjoy Greece.
More Emirates capacity to Athens, just in time for Scoot's launch to Athens as its first European destination. SIA-Emirates rivalry lives on https://t.co/IO9AAaSQ5G
— Will Horton (@winglets747) October 20, 2016
22. Sabre’s customers run into systems trouble.
We are aware of the current booking errors on our website & are working diligently to fix them. Thx for your patience & please stay tuned.
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) October 17, 2016
Numerous airlines are experiencing reservations/booking issues due to a @sabreTN malfunction.
(h/t @crankyflier) pic.twitter.com/LbiSv63LKa
— AirlineGeeks (@AirlineGeeks) October 17, 2016
Major Sabre outage affecting a lot of different travel sites right now. Even the bluescreen is broken. pic.twitter.com/e3RsvLEHm2
— Alex Kremer 🎪 (@axk) October 18, 2016
https://twitter.com/VirginAmerica/status/788161996533268480
We apologize for the issue affecting our customers. We are working urgently towards a resolution and will provide updates as they arise.
— Sabre (@Sabre_Corp) October 17, 2016
Something just priced for me in Sabre. Let's hope this might mean there's a fix
— Brett Snyder (@crankyflier) October 18, 2016
23. Schiphol v Heathrow is possibly the sweetest trolling ever.
The CEO of Amsterdam's Schiphol airport trolls Heathrow with cakes every time their runway decision is delayed. Via @tompeck pic.twitter.com/To14btbMQi
— Naomi O'Leary (@NaomiOhReally) October 19, 2016
Sweet Trolling? LOL Oh, you crazy kids. https://t.co/wgVwUeiqQR
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 20, 2016
This @Schiphol @Heathrow cake-trolling story just gets cuter. https://t.co/csB6Q4exwh
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 20, 2016
OK, kicking the can a bit further… https://t.co/ICMGVa7hPH
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 18, 2016
Politicians urge May to back Heathrow third runway https://t.co/9VJeBOR2gM
— Aviation Xtended 🎧 (@AviationXtended) October 16, 2016
24. ‘Cause he’s a true-blue friend who he needs a good job.
Quick! @JetBlue hire Snoopy!!! https://t.co/EPcBD0FLBZ
— FlightChic | ✈️💺 (@designerjet) October 20, 2016
25. In my case it’s Singapore. (Headed off to AIX Asia/APEX EXPO/FTE.)
Here today, gone to #Maui @DFWAirport #airtravel pic.twitter.com/IXc6yb3Nj2
— Chris Manno (@Chris_Manno) October 19, 2016
26. Don’t miss this Rudy Maxa broadcast!
Timely! @rudymaxa will talk about this with @Heather_Poole Sat at 11:43am ETUS https://t.co/QMCoGT5T2r ICYMI podcast https://t.co/FWb2G6I3N2 https://t.co/5auUUwKtna
— deacevedo (@deacevedo) October 20, 2016