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United States aviation news

How to Fly on a Private Jet for $109

Public charter operator JetSuiteX wants to deliver a private jet–style experience for the cost of a commercial flight. Affordable private jet travel? It's the way of the future, if California-based JetSuite has anything to say about it. The private jet company has carved out a niche as a “value” operator, and today takes its business plan one step further by launching an u...

ONE Aviation and Scheme Designers signs consultation agreement

Scheme Designers and ONE Aviation have entered into an agreement to provide concierge-level design consultation for each customer buying a new  Eclipse 550 aircraft. Alan Klapmeier, chief executive of ONE Aviation, said: “Scheme Designers has earned a reputation for being able to bring a customer’s vision and personality to life in their aircraft livery, making them an exc...

Alaska Air buys Virgin America for $2.6 billion

There's going to be a little less competition among airlines following a big takeover announced Monday. Alaska Air Group has agreed to buy Virgin America for $2.6 billion, the airlines said. Alaska Air(ALK) said it will pay $57 per share, sending Virgin America (VA) stock soaring 40%. Including debt and aircraft leases, the transaction is worth about $4 billion. The combined airline will...

United Airlines flight attendant pulled emergency slide, walked away

A United Airlines flight attendant pulled the emergency slide and exited a parked plane at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on Monday morning. After the Boeing 737 made a complete stop at the gate, the flight attendant opened the plane's front door, deployed the emergency slide, slid out and welked away.  "When we landed ... we were told to stay in our...

Boeing Bridges UAE entrepreneurs success route

Boeing has invested US $225,000 in a three-year 'Start-Up Bridge Program' to aid budding UAE entrepreneurs. The aerospace giant has joined forces with INJAZ UAE, a non-profit member of the Junior Achievement Worldwide education initiative and TEJAR Dubai, a division of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI), to deliver the program, which follows similar successful campaigns in...

How This Blood Drone Can Save Lives in Africa

A tiny plane made by a California-based startup is set to begin making deliveries of blood throughout Rwanda, where roads ‘are washed out 95 percent of the time in the rainy season.’ Inside this tiny plane in wet, windy California sits a bunch of blood. It looks like one of those RC doohickeys, and it can only handle 3 1/2 pounds of the stuff, but it’s an RC doohickey that&...

Boeing to buy directly from new 737 aircraft seat maker

Boeing Co said on Monday it had picked a new aircraft seat supplier for its most popular jet, the 737, a move that industry experts said adds competition to leading seat makers Zodiac Aerospace and B/E Aerospace. In response to questions from Reuters, Boeing said it will buy seats directly from the new supplier, LIFT by EnCore of Huntington Beach, California - a break from the past pr...

Richard Branson’s Letter on Virgin American Merger

I would be lying if I didn’t admit sadness that our wonderful airline is merging with another. Because I’m not American, the US Department of Transportation stipulated I  take some of my shares in Virgin America as non-voting shares, reducing my influence over any takeover. So there was sadly nothing I could do to stop it. Richard Branson has shared a post with his thoughts on...

Boeing LIFTs 737 seating options

Boeing is to unveil its latest economy class seat for its top-selling narrowbody at the Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) which opens tomorrow in Hamburg – which it developed with the product’s inventors after meeting them when they unveiled a prototype at last year's show. The LIFT by EnCore seat for the 737 NG and Max will be available as a factory fit and retrofit, and...

Flying Colours completes first of eight Sparkle Roll CRJ200 conversions

Flying Colours Corp., the North American MRO, completion and refurbishment specialist, has announced the first of eight CRJ 200 conversions, will be re-delivered to Joint Venture partner Sparkle Roll Jet (SRJ) before the end of April. The multi-class format required a new STC for China which the Civil Aviation Administration of China, CAAC, certified at Flying Colours Corp.’s Peterboroug...

Boeing, Ryanair Celebrate Milestone Delivery of Airline's 400th Next-Generation 737-800

Boeing  and Ryanair marked a milestone today with the delivery of the airline's 400th Next-Generation 737-800. The Irish low-cost carrier operates the largest fleet of Next-Generation 737-800s in the world. "The Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with its industry leading technical reliability and seating capacity, has been the foundation upon which our successful and safe growth ha...

Ag drone startup ready to take off

In the 21st-century version of a land rush, more than 600 companies have received permission to fly drones over farm fields and collect agricultural data. Only one of them is headed by a 27-year-old experimental physicist and headquartered in an old warehouse building in downtown St. Louis. Harrison Knoll, the founder and chief executive of Aerial Agriculture, thinks his company stands out in o...