The tiny Pacific island of Fiji has a national airline just as tiny. Air Pacific, however, dreams big and their dream just came true. In just a few short days, the Air Pacific name will be retired, ushering in the era of Fiji Airways, and more importantly, a new fleet.
After a time of financial difficulty, Air Pacific has rebounded to profitability, and decided it was time to replace their aging 747-400 long-haul fleet. Initially ordering and later cancelling a fleet of eight Boeing 787s, Air Pacific ordered three Airbus A330-200s in late 2011, the second of which was delivered last week. These airplanes represent everything that is new about the tiny airline, inside and out.
Boeing delivers Thomson Airway’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Paine Field. Image from Boeing.
Keep on flying Dreamliners!
Yesterday, Boeing delivered first 787 Dreamliners to two different airlines: Thomson Airways and China Southern Airlines.
Although there was not much fanfare with Thomson’s 787 departing Everett, thousands were at Manchester Airport to welcome the aircraft. “After much anticipation, we are very excited to welcome the 787 Dreamliner to our fleet and as the first airline in the UK,” said Thomson Managing Director Chris Browne. “Customers will be amazed at the unique look, feel and service ’“ all of which will ensure the unique Thomson holiday experience starts as soon as they step on board this fabulous new aircraft.”
The JetBlue and KaBOOM crew celebrate the completion of construction at the playground. Photo by Jason Rabinowitz.
Hurricane Sandy impacted the New York City area hard. Homes were destroyed, businesses lost, entire communities wiped out in a matter of minutes. The barrier island City of Long Beach, just a few short miles from JFK on Long Island, was one of these communities.
The cities main attraction, the boardwalk, was completely demolished. Along the boardwalk sat Magnolia Playground, which was also destroyed. Just over six months after the storm the playground is back after some help from JetBlue, KaBoom, and the local community.
American Airline’s sixth Boeing 777-300ER, sitting at Boeing Field. Photo by Brandon Farris.
I recently had the opportunity to hang out with American Airlines while the carrier and Boeing enjoyed some festivities prior to the airline taking delivery of its sixth 777-300ER (77W) on April 11th.
Everything began early in the morning with a short drive from the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Seattle to Renton, home of the Boeing 737 final assembly lines. Although we were set to fly the 777, American had recently placed a large order for the 737 NG and MAX.
An Emirates Airbus A380 at the new concourse in Dubai.
An excerpt from David Parker Brown’s story on APEX Editor’s Blog:
DUBAI: How does one go about making the world’s largest airliner, the Airbus A380, look small? Park it at the new Concourse A at Dubai International Airport, which was designed to handle the giant aircraft and all the high-end passengers who will fly in its premium cabins.
Earlier this year Emirates and Dubai International Airport opened the new concourse. David Parker Brown, a contributor to the APEX editor’s blog was invited for a tour of the Emirates Airline first and business class lounges.
Concourse A opened on 2 January 2013 and is the world’s only dedicated and purpose built concourse for the Airbus A380. The rest of the airport is able to handle the aircraft, but the new concourse was purpose-built with the A380 in mind. A formidable undertaking for the airport and airline, US$3.3 billion terminal required 159,572,880 man-hours to build.
Continue reading Emirates Shows Off Lounges in New Airbus A380 Concourse on APEX
See more photos of the Concourse A in Dubai
