Our Air France A319, parked at Gate L21 at CDG
We had purchased a Premium Economy fare to fly from San Francisco to Istanbul (IST) via Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) with a 60-minute layover. While I was looking forward to checking out Air France’s medium-haul Premium Economy service from CDG-IST, the carrier quietly eliminated the class on everything but long-haul flights and placed passengers into regular Economy. Not nice.
Fast-forward to our landing at CDG — our inbound flight on the A380 was delayed taking off from SFO and spent its time circling the airport grounds, finally docking 45 minutes before our next flight. Would we make it in time, or would we have to spend four hours waiting for the next flight and losing an entire evening in Istanbul?
Number 24 and 25 of Qatar Airways’ 787 Dreamliners at the Everett Delivery Center
Every plane flying today had its delivery flight at one time or another. Many have been built at Paine Field, in Everett, WA and then flown to each airline’s home base to be put into operation. When the opportunity came up to join Qatar Airways on the delivery of their 24th and 25th Boeing 787 Dreamliners, how could I say no? I didn’t!
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The 787 line
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Down the 787 line
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The 777 line
For most airlines, the whole experience is more than just the flight itself. There are pre-events, meals, speeches, and then the best part: the flight. I wasn’t able to participate in everything, but I was able to enjoy a line tour of the both the 787 and 777. Getting into the Boeing Factory never gets old, and seeing how making building complicated aircraft look easy is a feat in and of itself.
The business class cabin in the Qatar 787-8
These media events are also about the people who attend. The airline media world is not so big and made up of many great folks. Part of my excitement was being able to hang out with people like Jason Rabinowitz, Paul Thompson, Seth Miller, and I got to meet Mark Lawrence for the first time. A bunch of AvGeeks flying in a 787 halfway across the world? Yes, please!
The MRJ enjoys its first flight – Photo: Mitsubishi
Earlier this week, the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) took to the skies for the first time. The aircraft lifted off from Nagoya Airfield (NKM) and flew for about 90 minutes before landing. The flight not only was special for the aircraft manufacture, but also for the country of Japan, since they have now joined the exclusive club of countries that produce a flight worthy airliner.
People are lined up along the fences to watch the MRJ’s first flight – Photo: Mitsubishi
’œThe MRJ successfully took to the sky today thanks to ongoing cooperation and support from all members involved,’ said Hiromichi Morimoto, President, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation. ’œWe will make our utmost efforts towards type certificate acquisition, committing all our resources to develop and produce the finest regional jet aircraft to enter commercial service in 2017.’
The bold green tail in the sun at Paine Field
I was recently given the opportunity to check out EVA Air’s new livery on a brand new 777-300ER at Boeing’s Everett Delivery Center. I have always been a fan of EVA’s green and orange livery, and I am quite impressed with the new design.
Although images of the new EVA Air livery had leaked on Twitter a while back, there is a big difference between viewing small images online and seeing a new livery in person. With a “Dreamliner-esque” line going down the entire fuselage, the new design is more evolutionary than revolutionary, but I think it works.
Although, at first glance, the new livery might appear to closely resemble the old one, upon closer look, one might notice a darker green on the belly of the aircraft and the removal of the orange on the rudder.
EVA Air Boeing 777-300ER, photographed on October 31, 2015 from Clay Lacy Astrovision Learjet – Photo: EVA Air
The changes at the airline are not just on the outside. This new design is part of EVA Air working to become a five-star airline in the next five years. To learn more about the airline’s future, not only did I have a chance to tour the inside and outside of their newest 777-300ER, but I also had a chance to sit down with their president, Austin Cheng, to get a better understanding of the airline’s future.
One of the seating areas for the new Alaska Airlines Board Room at SEA’s N Satellite – Photo: Neil Enns | Dane Creek Photography
As of November 10, customers visiting Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s North Satellite terminal will have an enhanced passenger experience. After several months of delays and postponements, the new and highly-anticipated Alaska Airlines Board Room opened for business between Gates N1 and N2.
The N Board Room supplements the main location in the D Concourse of the main terminal, allowing passengers to have lounge access closer to Alaska’s departure gates in the remote terminal. This lounge is meant as a stopgap until a permanent lounge opens in 2018 as part of an overhaul and expansion of the North Satellite building.
When the project was first announced in December of 2014, the original target opening date was mid-2015, but postponements kept rolling in and pushing the date further out. Coupled with little information about lounge design and amenities, the anticipation grew, especially within the frequent flyer community on Flyertalk.
