The feature will allow female travelers to see the seats that other female travelers have pre-booked during online check-in. It will be accessible to women traveling either alone or as part of a family reservation. According to the airline, the primary goal of this initiative is to enhance the safety and comfort of female travelers while also mitigating the risk of assaults onboard.

“IndiGo is proud to announce the introduction of a new feature that aims to make the travel experience more comfortable for our female passengers. This has been introduced based on market research, and is currently in pilot mode aligning with our #GirlPower ethos,鈥� IndiGo statement reads.

鈥淲e are committed to providing an unparalleled travel experience for all our passengers, and this new feature is just one of the many steps we are taking towards achieving that goal,鈥� the airline wrote.

IndiGo talks to ATR, Embraer, and Airbus about orders for 100 regional aircraft

• Aircraft
• Airlines

byLuke Peters

2024-05-14

The new seating options tailored to Passenger Name Records (PNRs) with women travelers, and currently is available in a pilot phase.

The low-cost carrier has further changes in the pipeline beyond the seating option currently under trial. It also plans to launch a tailor-made business-class product on some of its aircraft that will operate on the busiest domestic and international routes by the end of 2024. The initial pricing will be highly competitive, strategically positioned to contend with its nearest competitors, Air India, the flag carrier of the country, and Vistara.

IndiGo to launch business class service, reports 26.7% income increase

• Airlines

byJean Carmela Lim

2024-05-24

This pricing approach may appeal to passengers seeking premium services at more affordable rates.

The Virgin Australia Boeing 737 was on route to Melbourne Airport (MEL) on May 27, 2024, when the male passenger became disruptive.听

As well as running through the cabin naked the passenger also allegedly knocked a Virgin cabin crew member to the ground.  

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) arrested the man when the aircraft returned to Perth Airport just before 20:00 after only an hour of flying, according to .听听

“We can confirm on Monday 27 May, VA696 Perth to Melbourne, returned to Perth,” the statement read. On arrival in Perth, the aircraft was met by the Australian Federal Police and the disruptive guest was offloaded,” Virgin said in a statement.  

The airline added: 鈥淭he safety of our guests and crew is our top priority and we sincerely apologize to guests impacted.鈥� 

The AFP also confirmed that following the passenger精东影业 arrest he was transferred to a hospital for assessment. 

“AFP officers arrested a man after he allegedly ran naked through the aircraft mid-flight and knocked a crew member to the floor,” a spokesperson for the AFP said. 

The exact charges the man will face have yet to be finalized but it’s expected that he will appear in court on June 12, 2024.听

American Airlines: world精东影业 longest serving聽flight attendant dies aged 88

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-05-26

The new combi interior conversion option allows for both passengers and cargo to be flown simultaneously, marking the Cessna SkyCourier as a truly versatile aircraft.听

Textron Aviation, which owns the Cessna brand, announced on May 20, 2024, that the new option will allow operators to transport nine passengers and cargo at the same time.  

Deliveries of the new aircraft configuration are expected to begin later this year. 

 鈥淭his newly certified combi kit adds to the growing list of options for the versatile Cessna SkyCourier,鈥� said Lannie O鈥橞annion, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Flight Operations at Textron. 鈥淭he Combi will allow operators to use the aircraft for an even broader range of missions globally and quickly change configurations to best serve their needs.鈥� 

Currently the Cessna SkyCourier twin-engine, high-wing turboprop is available in both freighter and passenger variant as well with a gravel kit option for maximum flexibility. 

Textron says its current customers of the SkyCourier include government agencies, law enforcement and militaries, corporations, and humanitarian organizations. 

The aircraft can be operated by a single pilot and can carry up to 19 passengers without cargo onboard while as a freighter the Cessna SkyCourier can transport up to three LD3 shipping containers with a 6,000 pounds of payload capability. 

The aircraft is powered by two wing-mounted Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65SC turboprop engines and features the .听

The SkyCourier has a 900 nautical-mile maximum range.听

Textron Aviation delivers 100th Beechcraft King Air 360

• Business Aviation

byClement Charpentreau

2023-10-19

According to , the passenger was returning from the lavatory around 30 minutes after takeoff when the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner suffered severe turbulence.听听

During the turbulence, the Air New Zealand Dreamliner 鈥渄ropped鈥�, resulting in the 47-year-old German passenger fracturing his tibia and fibula. The exact nature of how the fractures occurred was not reported.听

With six and a half hours of the flight remaining the decision was made to continue to Aukland where the passenger could receive treatment rather than opting to divert to another airport.  

A doctor onboard the flight was able to provide immediate medical treatment and the passenger was provided with pain relief.  

According to Hato Hone St John, paramedics met the aircraft at AKL at around 05:40 on April 17, 2024, and transferred the patient to Middlemore Hospital in Aukland.  

The New Zealand Herald reported that the paramedics described his injuries as 鈥渕oderate鈥�.听听

‘Clear air turbulence’

Air New Zealand confirmed to the news outlet that the passenger’s injuries were as a result of 鈥渃lear air turbulence鈥� which is described as 鈥渟udden severe turbulence occurring in cloudless regions鈥�. 

Air New Zealand精东影业 Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer Captain David Morgan told The New Zealand Herald that during a medical incident crew would contact Flightcare Global. 

A decision regarding the best course of action for the patient would then be recommended by the Flightcare Global team with assistance from any medical experts helping on the aircraft.  

鈥淭he safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is our number one priority. Our crew are trained to respond to medical emergencies and always prioritize the wellbeing of the customers onboard the aircraft,鈥� Captain Morgan said.  

The passenger was said to be in a stable condition in hospital and awaiting surgery.听听

Air New Zealand designates airports for first all-electric flights聽

• Sustainability

byMiquel Ros

2024-04-17

The lawsuit filed in a Texas District Court, United States (US), on February 16, 2024, said that during a Lufthansa flight from Austin to Frankfurt on March 1, 2023, Elwaleed Sidahmed “violently struck the cabin ceiling and was thrown violently back down to his seat鈥� due to turbulence.听

Court documents seen and reported by claim that the seat belt sign on flight LH469 was lit up at the time and cabin staff failed to warn passengers before the turbulence occurred.听听

The 鈥渟evere and violent turbulence鈥� happened about an hour into the flight aboard an Airbus A330, Sidahmed claimed. 

A Lufthansa spokesperson told Business Insider that the plane was struck by 鈥渂rief severe turbulence鈥�. 

The airline referred to it as 鈥渃lear air turbulence鈥�, which can 鈥渙ccur without visible weather phenomena or advance warning”. 

The lawsuit also claims that after the Airbus A330 diverted to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) cabin crew told the passengers to delete any photos or video of the incident. 

“Upon landing, the flight crew told passengers over the plane’s speaker to delete any pictures or videos they had taken of the flight,” the suit claims. 

精东影业 has contacted Lufthansa for comment.听听

American Airlines becomes only US carrier to fly between New York and Tokyo

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-02-25

The exercise will be carried out anonymously and no customers will be forced to take part, but Finnair is hoping to find some willing volunteers that can help.听听

The data collected will help the Finnish flag carrier to optimize its current aircraft balance calculations which ensure that flights operate safely.  

While airlines know the exact weight of the aircraft, fuel, hold luggage, cargo, food and water, the passenger weight is calculated based on averages.  

Finnair can either gather the data itself and have it approved by the aviation authorities or use weights defined by the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA). 

Finnair last collected passenger weight data in 2018 so is due to update its information that will be used for the next five years. 

鈥淲e use the weighing data for the average calculations required for the safe operation of flights, and the collected data is not linked in any way to the customer’s personal data. We record the total weight and background information of the customer and their carry-on baggage, but we do not ask for the name or booking number, for example. Only the customer service agent working at the measuring point can see the total weight, so you can participate in the study with peace of mind,鈥� Satu Munnukka, Head of Ground Processes at Finnair, said. 

The process will take place between February and May 2024 at Helsinki Airport (HEL) and the data will be passed to the between July and September 2024.听

Once verified, Finnair will use the information for aircraft balance and loading calculations between 2025 and 2030.   

The scheme will cover selected European flights within Helsinki Airport精东影业 Schengen area and a number of long-haul flights departing from the non-Schengen side.   

鈥淚n the previous measurements five years ago, a good number of volunteers wanted to participate in the weighing, and we hope to have a good sample of volunteers, both business and leisure travelers, also this time, so that we can get the most accurate information possible for important balance calculations,鈥� Munnukka added.

Global Airlines takes ownership of first Airbus A380 as CEO hits back聽at critics

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-02-04

The passengers on the Aeromexico flight said the man took the drastic action after they had been left waiting for four hours inside the plane on the tarmac without ventilation or water.听

The Aeromexico flight had been due to depart Mexico City International Airport (MEX) on January 25, 2024, at just before 9am local time but a maintenance issue discovered once passengers had boarded the plane had caused the takeoff to be delayed.听听

As a result of his actions, Aeromexico was forced to deplane everyone from the aircraft and the wing walker was subsequently arrested.听听

However, it seems that the arrested man had the support of many other passengers on board the flight with 77 signing a statement written while on the aircraft supporting the man精东影业 actions.听 聽

M谩s de 3 horas esperando a que 鈥渟olucionara鈥� la falla de su aeronave, sin aire, con puertas cerradas, sin agua, sin informaci贸n, se帽oras de la tercera edad al borde del desmayo y su empleada (de cuarta por cierto) burl谩ndose de la situaci贸n

— Regina (@regina_villazon)

鈥淭he delay and lack of air created conditions that endangered the health of the passengers. He saved our lives,鈥� the statement read according to the .听听

An incident report written up following the incident backed the passenger精东影业 statement.  

鈥淎round 11:37 am, a Mexican airline reported the beginning of a disturbance due to passenger discontent on flight AM672. The flight had been due to lift off at 8:45 a.m. Thursday, but because of a maintenance alert on the plane, the captain had to return to the gate for the required maintenance,鈥� the airport document said.  

The report added: 鈥淭he passengers were unhappy and one of them opened the emergency door and stepped out on the wing. This event required the plane to be changed.鈥� 

Video footage taken on the place shows exacerbated passengers speaking with cabin crew members.  

There has been a distinct rise in these types of incidents being documented by weary passengers after they are left for hours, often in uncomfortable conditions, waiting for clearance to takeoff.  

鈥淎 passenger on a flight to Guatemala opened an emergency door on a plane while it was stationary at a remote position, stood on a wing and then re-entered the cabin, without affecting the aircraft or anyone else. In line with international security regulations, this person turned himself over to the authorities,鈥� a spokesperson for MEX said. 

The passengers were put on another plane and arrived at La Aurora International Airport (GUA) in Guatemala City nearly five hours late.听听

Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 and Aeromexico Boeing 737 jets collide in Mexico聽

• Aircraft
• Airlines
• Aviation Safety

byRytis Beresnevicius

2023-04-18

According to , the passenger entered the Boeing 777 jet normally at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) but rather than take his seat, he proceeded to the opposite end of the aircraft and opened the door.听听聽

The Air Canada flight was due to takeoff for Dubai on January 8, 2024, at 9:35 pm local time but after the passenger fell onto the tarmac the flight was significantly delayed.听听

鈥淭he passenger sustained injuries falling to the tarmac with emergency services and the authorities attending,鈥� an Air Canada spokesperson told the Toronto news publication. 

The airline was unable to confirm the extent of the passenger’s injuries from the fall or if he was taken to hospital for further medical attention.   

There were 319 passengers due to fly out from YYZ on the Boeing 777, but they were subsequently delayed by six hours and took off in the early hours of January 9, 2024.听听

According to Boeing, the 777-300ER is 18.6 meters in height and the aircraft door is around six meters off the ground.  

The Air Canada, registered C-FIUV, jet is 15 years old and joined the carrier精东影业 fleet in 2008. 

Lufthansa Innovation Hub identifies top cities for Advanced Air Mobility launch

• Aviation Technology and Innovation

byClement Charpentreau

2024-07-12

Today, his website provides media, industry news, insights and updates, alongside his most recent ventures in business and consulting within aviation.  

In an interview with 精东影业, Sam revealed plans to build a new platform for travelers to share and review their travel experiences.听听

You launched SamChuiPhotos.com in 1999 during the dot com boom. What was your thinking process and motivation for jumping into content creation at that point? 

Sam: Like you said, that was during the dot com bubble. Everybody wanted to have a website and I was so into aviation. During that time, I was a university student and I thought, let精东影业 start a website sharing photos. That’s why it’s called SamChuiPhotos. That’s how everything started. 聽

I was an aviation enthusiast when I was young, watching planes come and go in Hong Kong and in Sydney, Australia where I grew up. There’s nothing better than going out to the airport fence to smell the jet fuel when a 747 SP taxies past you. The pilot sometimes waves at you as well. You are just holding on to the fence and looking at them. It’s wonderful. Then the next moment you just tell yourself, 鈥業 want to be a passenger, I want to fly in that plane and see what it精东影业聽like鈥�. That精东影业 how it all started.听

You鈥檝e flown on many unique flights, such as the British Airways Concorde and Singapore Airlines A380 inaugural flight. What were those experiences like for you? What was going through your mind during those moments? 

Sam: Super tough question. I think every flight I鈥檝e taken was unique in its own way. I’ve done the Concorde supersonic. I’ve taken a flight that landed in Antarctica on the Blue Ice runway. I’ve travelled to Mount Everest base camp on helicopters. And I flew on the Antonov 22, the world’s biggest turbo prop. So, honestly, there are so many experiences聽in the portfolio that I could say that they are all unique. I don’t have a single favorite. 聽

All of these experiences made me start to think that I needed to start documenting all of this. During that time, we didn’t have really good video cameras, but we had pictures. We just had the first generation DSLR cameras. So, I started to make trip reports. One of those stories I told was when I traveled 10,000 miles from Australia to Toulouse, just to watch the first maiden departure of the A380. I gave a review of what it was like to see them coming back, waving at the crowd, and how that moment felt. That精东影业 how I started sharing all the experiences.听

In 2007 you launched your YouTube channel. Was that the deciding factor in transitioning from plane spotting to video content? 

Sam: It was all through random discovery, honestly. There was no path to walk or follow. Videos seemed cool, but video cameras were not so good those days. So, I uploaded one video, then it became dormant for about eight years until I figure out in 2015/16 that there were better cameras, better smartphones. Social media was on the rise, and I started thinking, 鈥榣et me share more鈥�. I realized I was聽getting followers, up to 1000聽followers every day. It dawned on me that people really liked the videos and the content, and there were really great and encouraging comments. People really appreciated what I was putting out there, and I decided that there was a future doing this. 聽

I was working in an investment house in Abu Dhabi and I had a very good paying job. It was very secure and had good benefits. It wasn’t until I became 37 years old, at a very late age, that I decided to quit that job and fully go into aviation content creation. It was really odd. I was paralleling the two jobs, but I realized my true passion was actually in aviation. When I was working in finance and investment, all I was thinking was where to fly on the weekend, and how to use all my savings to fly everywhere. Then when the content creation started, I saw that you could make money from that. The money from YouTube, the money from social media, was able to support me and聽make me a living. 聽

After about a year paralleling the two jobs, I decided to jump and go full time. And boom, like a rocket, I suddenly gained five days of productivity. After leaving your day job, you are completely on your own, but the thing is, you will never look back because you will be able to gain all the productivity you want – to do whatever you want, to fully focus on what you want to do.听

By 2016, your channel was averaging millions of views per video. From a personal perspective, what fundamentally changed for you as you entered this new period? 

Sam: Well, I will say that for myself it never changed. Today, I’m still an aviation geek, I’m still an enthusiast. All the stuff I’ve done is because I like what I do. It’s passion that drives me to what I want to do. For example, I’m going to get on the airBaltic flight for my departure. I want to jump seat into the cockpit, I want to see what it’s like for pilots flying the A220. Things like that drive me, because I enjoy doing all these things, and I want to share all the experiences. So, from that perspective, I don’t think anything has changed at all. 

Walk us through your creative process. How do you decide to do a flight review, pick a flight or select a specific aircraft type that you want to fly on? 

Sam: It’s very simple. It is actually completely up to me. I look at things that I haven’t done before that I have a huge interest in, whether it’s flying a new airplane type, a new airline, or an event like an airshow or a delivery flight from the Airbus factory. There’s a mixture of my own things and events and news that精东影业 fresh out of our industry. 

Collaboration plays such an important part in what you do and the content creation process. How do you navigate that? What’s your approach to collaboration in the industry? 

Sam: To present a video, I want special access. I don’t want to sit outside the fence where everybody has the same level of access. I want to be an insider. I want to be behind the scenes, inside the airlines. To have access to see what their catering looks like, how they create their food, what their operations are like, and how pilots fly in a cockpit. I think my content is different because I like to explore different angles to do a lot of things that normally people would need access to. 聽

How you gain access is the question. That精东影业 a lot of relationship fostering as well. Also, I want to cover broader topics, such as my visit to Avia Solution Group to touch on the new concept of ACMI leasing. It’s continuous learning, because there are always new things in aviation, because people are innovative.听听

Has there ever been a time where you wanted to fly on a particular aircraft or review a particular flight, and the collaborating party said no? 

Sam: There are always challenges and difficulties. I have never flown the Antonov 225, sadly, because I assumed the plane would be there and now it’s been destroyed. It’s so sad. There’s always a lot of challenges and work behind the scenes to get permission. Not all the Civil Aviation Authorities allow you to jump seats or allow you to put a camera in the cockpit. The FAA wouldn’t do it on Part 121 for the US passenger airliners.听

So, there’s a lot of challenges there, but you have got to put your thinking hat on when you can’t do something and explore or suggest alternatives and be inquisitive about what you can do. There are lots of things that can give you new energy and give you new scope as well.听听

Do you have a team that helps you manage your content creation or are you handling it all yourself?  

Sam: To be very honest, I was handling most of it before, up until a point when I figured out I could use some synergies. Today, I do have two very good friends as editors who help me put together the music and graphics. I’m still the original editor, and I do a lot of the videos that I’ve filmed on my own. I go through the footage, I clean it. I put it all together, then I send it out to one of the editors who will add music and do the final touch. I will say I’m a bit of a control freak and I like to have control of my own content.

For example, when people see replies from my Instagram or LinkedIn accounts, that’s actually me replying. Now I also have a company that helps me to translate some of the YouTube long content or short forms on Facebook and other platforms. So, it’s getting there, but I still like to maintain my own personal touch.听

If someone wanted to replicate what you’ve built, what kind of blueprint would you suggest that they focus on? 

Sam: I would say, focus on relationships. Like any business, the success factor lies in whether you are able to foster good relationships. If so, you will gain access, you will have exclusive content. Your content will benefit viewers and viewers will enjoy watching it. There are many multiple ways to get there, but if you just replicate people, doing the same thing over and over, I don’t think you will get there. You need to do something that is your own niche, that has your personality inside it. I think a lot of YouTubers have succeeded because they have their own niche. 

As a travel enthusiast and as a creator, what were the first thoughts that went through your mind in 2020 when travel vanished? 

Sam: Well, 2020 is a year that a lot of people want to forget and as an 鈥榓v geek鈥� we want to forget as well. The 747s were all fast tracked to retirement by British Airways, Qantas and KLM. All the 747s were supposed to retire in 2023 and they brought that forward. It was a horrible year. 聽

I was lucky, I still had mobility as I was living in the United States, and I was able to move around because we didn’t have a lockdown as severely as Asia Pacific did. But I would argue that during COVID, I changed. Once I quit my day job, from 2017 to 2020, I was mostly focused on content creation. However, in 2020, and then when 2021 came, I started an aviation consultancy that is focused on B2B, business strategy, relationship, marketing and intelligence. So, I came to support a lot of my clients, not just making videos or social media, but rather supporting their day-to-day business. I have amassed a massive network of between 10,000 to 20,000 contacts all over the world. A lot of my clients require access to relationships. They request connections to people who can help them in different countries, or if they have AOG, they ask if I would be able to help. 聽

I have this consultancy now that is able to help foster relationships. Today we’re upgrading to helping people through purchase and sale transactions, as well as mergers and acquisitions. So, I have shifted from my B2C world of content into the business world now I am running this consultancy business. Every day is a new day and it精东影业 challenging. It’s all about thinking about solutions.听

Which travel trends today would you say are most prevalent in the industry right now? 

Sam: If you look at Dubai Airshow 2023 as a recent example and a trend, on Day One, the orders had already exceeded the entire Paris Air Show in value, I believe. So, aviation is fully back, and this is an exciting time. We’re on the upslope right now and aviation companies are investing in their businesses again. There are many different aspects, including sustainability and SAF. Airlines are ordering new airplanes, they are investing in new products, new first class, new business class, new interiors. The whole supply chain is driving through right now, and it is in an expanding phase which is very exciting. It creates an opportunity for jobs at every level for engineers, for pilots, for cabin crews, for administrations – generally everybody. 

How do you think innovations in sustainability, urban air mobility and SAF will impact or influence the travel experience for the traveler?  

Sam: With SAF, I’m not an expert, but I’ve been told that the cost of producing and acquiring SAF is very high. The question is who is going to absorb the cost, whether it is going to pass from the government to the airlines, and then to the end user, meaning passengers. Then we’re going to have to bite the bullet, because we’re going to pay a much higher fare if the industry fully embraces the idea of SAF. That’s also quite debatable right now, because while the industry wishes to ramp up with all of these sustainable fuels, right now there’s not enough supplies to go net zero. 聽

With EVTOLs, these are exciting, and I’ve been seeing them at every air show. There are many different companies producing EVTOLs. Some of them are hybrid, some of them are actually pilot-operated electric airplanes, but they haven’t been certified. I don’t know how they will get certified. They need a lot of data and test flights to be certified. There has to be a standard in every place where they can fly as well, because they can’t just fly and cross each other. They have to fly standard routes. So, this whole thing hasn’t developed fully, but it’s promising, because there is already a vision, and a lot of test flights are taking place with EVTOLs.听

How do you find the time to stay up to date with what’s going on in the industry? 

Sam: It’s funny, as I try to kill two birds with one stone. When I have a business meeting to go to somewhere, I will look up the location and fly an interesting airline that I haven’t reviewed or haven’t done a video on. So, I try to maximize my trip, make a video and maximum and enjoy everything to the fullest.  

With the launch of your consultancy business in addition to your content creation, what would you say is next from Sam Chui? 

Sam: There’s one very interesting thing I want to do, which has been in the making for the last two years. It’s no longer about being just one single person creating an airline video to talk about the experience. It’s about bringing everyone together – all the followers, the general flying public of 4.5 billion people in the world, coming together.  
I will create a platform for people to review their experiences and review their flights. One person like me making a video cannot summarize an airline, based on just one voice. But if all the people can give their opinions and data, we will have transparency – which airlines are doing good, which airlines need to improve. I believe the future is going to be very simple. Because a lot of people don’t read anymore, I think it’s going to be data, imagery, pictures and videos. So, I’m going to create a platform that’s going to combine the reality of passenger experience. People can review and rate their flights, and they can submit photos and experiences. It’s a bit like a TripAdvisor for the airline industry. So, that’s what I’m going to develop in the next couple of years. 

Why are travel experiences so important to you? 

Sam: It精东影业 something I enjoy, because this is where my passion is. I spend the happiest time in the air and just going through the airline product, whether it’s having a nice glass of champagne or looking out a window at a contrail. It’s something that I鈥檝e found – that these are the best type of experiences and I need to create a platform to let everybody share experience and enjoy together.  

How do you find time to balance your content creation and business ventures with your personal life as well? 

Sam: Well, you know, aviation is 24/7, 365. It’s extremely time-consuming and also extremely tiring. You fly around the world, you get jet lag as well, right? There’s got to be a sacrifice in some part while you gain in some others. So, I will say you just need to prioritize and know your goal and focus on your goal. 

Can you tease on any upcoming projects that your followers can look forward to? 

Sam: The biggest thing next year, apart from the flight rating project, is to get myself back to flight training as well. I’ve got my private pilot license, but I’d like to progress more. I’d like to get IFR instruments done, commercial done, then I hopefully can get a type rating done so that I can have a taste of commercial pilot’s life as well. That’s one thing in the planning for the next two years.听听

Also, flying some of the dangerous flights. People like to go to exciting places, so I want to fly the PC 12 to an airfield in France. It精东影业 a short airfield going up and down the slope. I’d like to fly to St. Barts and Saba in the Caribbean. There are a lot of aviation adventures that I haven’t done that I’m looking forward to doing next year.听

Did the Queen of the Skies choose you or did you choose the Queen of the Skies? 

Sam: It works both ways. When I got the aviation bug, it came from the Queen of the Skies. Then, once the bug was inside me, I chose the 747 back. Then I said I wanted to fly only to 747 most of the time. I have to say I’m very proud – I鈥檝e flown nearly 300 times on this airplane now almost extinct in passenger flying. There are just a couple of carriers still flying it – most are cargo now – and it’s like nothing else. The 747 is really the mothership that opened the world to different travel opportunities. It’s a game changer. 

President US at VistaJet Leona Qi on how the executive jet firm conquered the US聽

• Executive Spotlight

byMiquel Ros

2023-12-27

Under revised immigration rules introduced following the United Kingdom精东影业 exit from the European Union, a British passport must be less than 10 years old on the day of travel and have at least three months remaining on the intended day of return. 

The passenger involved in the incident, Mark Starkey, was booked on Ryanair精东影业 06:00 departure from Luton to Alicante, Spain on December 8, 2023. His UK passport was issued on December 11, 2013, and has an expiry date of July 11, 2024. Given the dates, Starkey精东影业 passport met both conditions of travel listed above. 

However, notwithstanding this, a ground services supervisor at the airport insisted the document was ineligible and refused Starkey to board his flight to Spain.  

According to the Independent newspaper, Starkey passed through airport security and passed the departure gate passport check without an issue.  

鈥淭he ground staff lady noted that I only had three days left on my passport from the day it was issued for the 10-year rule,鈥� Starkey said.  

鈥淚 said that I knew and this was my last trip of the year before I got my passport renewed. She waved me through, and I started walking towards the plane. She then called me back and said that she wanted to double-check with the immigration people at Ryanair,鈥� he continued.  

He added: 鈥淪he called them and gave them my details but was stating 鈥業 don鈥檛 think he can fly鈥�. She then put down the phone and said that my passport was not valid. I said that I disagreed and asked to speak with a manager. She said she was the supervisor and the person in charge. I asked to speak with the Ryanair immigration person, but she refused saying that only she could do this and they had said that my passport was not valid. 

鈥淚 was stunned that I was completely stonewalled. I then had to try and get back through the airport.鈥�  

Starkey subsequently returned to his home in Buckinghamshire and traveled to Spain the following day on easyJet, having confirmed that his passport was valid to use for travel.听 聽

Ryanair has since issued an apology to Starkey for the treatment he received from its staff at Luton.  

鈥淲e sincerely regret that this passenger was incorrectly denied travel by the handling agent at Luton airport, who wrongly believed that this passenger精东影业 passport was not valid for travel to the EU,鈥� said a Ryanair spokesperson. 

In the Brexit negotiations, the UK requested that British passport holders be treated as third-country nationals, meaning that the rules covering the validity of non-EU passports are applied to UK passports as well.听 聽

Ryanair to recruit 150 new cabin crew at two UK bases聽

• Airlines

byLuke Peters

2023-11-28