Also, In the Skies. 53 Hot Aviation Happenings in Week 45

Warning to the squeamish: This week caused some creepies to crawl.

Hot happenings in the skies this week include many things worth remembering. None more so than our history.

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. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRG! (I did warn you.)

2. Heathrow’s ‘super-complainers.’

3. Condor heads to Pittsburg.

“Pittsburgh is a perfect departure point for round trips through the US or Canada,” the airline states. “Condor‘s next summer flight schedule will offer a total of 16 destinations in North America with non-stop service from Frankfurt, and partly also from Munich.

“Additional service into Europe has been a top priority for Pittsburgh International Airport and the community. We are extremely excited to welcome Condor to our growing market. The airline’s wide-body aircraft and on-board product will be a great addition for the many travelers to Europe who use Pittsburgh International Airport,” Pittsburgh International Airport CEO Christina Cassotis said.

4. Gulf carriers will upgrade their lounge space in Frankfurt.

5. Norwegian introduces lounge service at Oakland-San Francisco.

• The new Escape Lounge at OAK will be the first to open on the West Coast.
• Norwegian’s Premium passengers will find a relaxing atmosphere with contemporary furnishings and an extensive complimentary locally inspired food menu created in partnership with Oakland-based Chef Chris Pastena.
• Unlimited free alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, free high-speed Wi-Fi, newspapers, and magazines will also be available.
• Norwegian’s economy passengers and customers of other airlines can buy access to the Escape Lounge.

Thomas Ramdahl, Chief Commercial Officer at Norwegian said: “We’re upgrading our Premium passengers’ journey with complimentary access to the newest airport lounge in the Bay Area. Norwegian is defining premium low-cost travel with an enhanced experience without the price tag. Our customers expect high quality, choice and affordable fares which is why Premium passengers can enjoy the fantastic brand new facilities of the Escape Lounge at Oakland in addition to select lounges in other parts of the world.”

6. Etihad Airways features top-chefs at ‘Taste of the World’ in Abu Dhabi.

The 10 chefs taking part in the event will compete to show who among them epitomizes Etihad Airways’ food philosophy: remarkable culinary experiences throughout the journey, on the ground and in the air, using innovative cooking techniques and the creative use of ingredients.

Patrick Pierce, Etihad Airways Vice President Sponsorship, said, “We draw inspiration from the finest restaurants and emerging chefs from the world’s major culinary capitals, serving inspired dining both on the ground and in the air, and doing it with the style and sophistication that has become synonymous with the Etihad Airways brand.”

Etihad Airways has 235 Inflight Chefs and 495 Food and Beverage Managers in service.

7. Nok Air CEO shares his views on the passenger experience.

8. Yes, please. More of this.

9. Panasonic Avionics unveils new modem.

Paul Margis, Chief Executive Officer of Panasonic Avionics Corporation, says: “As we continue to optimize our second generation Global Communications network, we are constantly looking for new pieces of critical technology that will enable our customers take full advantage of HTS and XTS technology. Newtec’s broadband modem, which is based on the innovative DVB-S2X standard and customized to our requirements, allows us to access much larger blocks of frequency and better support high bandwidth platforms across all of our vertical markets.”

10. Airport beacons are more than passing fancy.

11. KLM’s new Digital Lab opens.

12. ViaSat has a good week.

13. The most amusing meal of the day.

14. There’s a clever way for airlines to find rooms for disrupted passengers quickly as needed.

15. Emirates Airline introduces mobile visas. (Smart.)

16. Why, look at that, balancing supply and demand works!

17. Who will add Premium Economy next?

18. OAG and Skyscanner partner up.

Hugh Aitken, Commercial Director at Skyscanner, said: “Research from March 2014 showed that more than 20% of UK travellers checked their flight status information via mobile device or tablet—this will only have increased in the last two and a half years. OAG enables us to provide real-time flight status information on the day of travel, underpinned by the same data that our customers have come to rely on to book the best travel option.”

19. Saudia reveals interiors of new 777-300ER.

20. Thoughts from airline execs on the impact of long-haul, low-cost routes.

“We’re just on the brink of something new coming along,” Emirates Airline president Tim Clark said.

“There will be lots of airlines that label themselves long-haul, low-cost and will never make a penny,” IAG CEO Willie Walsh said.

(Plus worries over protectionism.)

21. Thoughts from IAG on Open Skies.

22. WOW Air list of destinations from Cork Airport.

And Pittsburg is popular. (It is nice.)

23. Open and Fair Skies thing aside, Qatar Airways hopes for joint venture with American Airlines.

24. Speaking of which, I think the question is whether alliances matter any more. Thoughts?

25. The latest scoop from APEX on leading content strategies.

26. Alaska Airlines’ own content game is quite good.

27. Airlines get failing grade on mobile UX. (2017 Goals.)

28. Setback for Ryanair and TUIfly as EU demands repayment of Austrian airport credits.

29. And United faces problems with EU too.

30. Scotland’s Airports are growing.

31. Austrian Airlines picks Inmarsat GX broadband service.

32. There was an election in the U.S..

I’m off to CAPA Asia where other CEOs and industry leaders will be discussing this topic. I’ll share the highlights.

33. Soon, a turkey will be pardoned.

34. Lufthansa introduces Mildred Facebook Messenger chat bot.

35. Sabre reservations glitch affects multiple airlines, causes flight cancellations and delays.

A previous systems failure briefly affected some Sabre customers in October.

36. Cityjet is in a buying mood.

Earlier this year, rumours circulated that Cityjet might buy Denmark’s failing Cimber Air from SAS. SAS and Cityjet have an established wet-lease collaboration on regional services, and the Irish carrier bought SAS’ Finnish Blue1 last year.

37. IAG updates strategy at Capital Markets Day.

38. Could IAG become the next big A380 customer?

39. British Airways cabin crew consider industrial action after rejecting 2% pay rise considered inadequate.

40. Emirates simplifies its fleet to two large aircraft types.

41. Cathay’s Dragon branding will debut soon.

42. Hawaiian Airlines debuts destination-inspired fashion.

43. We have a take-off date for Crystal Cruise’s ultimate-luxury plane.

44. Lufthansa argues the case to life night-flight bans at Frankfurt.

45. Frankfurt Airport’s growth is stagnant.

46. Further airport privatisation in Europe.

As ACI-EUROPE explains, with government funding decreasing it is the only way to ensure adequate investment in infrastructure.

47. Great opportunity here to learn more about ancillaries.

48. Airbus wants more women engineers.

49. We could use more women pilots and Captains too.

50. Qantas reveals new Business Class Pyjamas.

51. Stressing over week 51? Alitalia is ready.

52. Airlines should keep this pique over chocolate in mind.

53. We honour those who ensure our freedoms through their personal sacrifice.

“Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.”
— In Flanders Fields – by John McRae

As we enter week 46: Remember the sky is still there and more beautiful sometimes than the heart can bear.