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UK regulator launches drone code miss-following Lufthansa near

Alan Dron Jul 22, 2015 Increasing numbers of near misses between unmanned aerial

vehicles (UAVs) and airliners in the UK have prompted the

countrys regulator to launch a new code of practice for UAV operators. The code, launched Wednesday with a Drone Safety

between a miss-nearAwareness Day, immediately follows a

Lufthansa Embraer E-195 and an unidentified UAV on the

approach to Warsaws Chopin Airport on July 20. Illustrating the dangers, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)

on Wednesday released details of one such incident, known

as an airprox, involving an unnamed airlines Airbus A320, which came within an estimated 20 feet of a remotely

controlled mini-helicopter hovering over London Heathrow

Airport in July 2014. The A320 was at 700 feet, on short finals

to runway 09L. The CAA has recorded three further instances of airproxes

between airliners and UAVs between May 2014 and March this

year. between a UAV and increasing fears of a collisionThere are

an airliner. Many close calls have occurred near airports,

when airliners are at low altitude and speed, worsening the

potential effect of a collision.

In January, air traffic controllers (ATCs) at Dubai

International, the worlds busiest airport in terms of international passengers, had to suspend all operations

for just under an hour after small UAVs were seen in the

vicinity of the runway. Neighboring Abu Dhabi has since

banned all drone sales to the public.

The CAA has launched its new code of practice in

conjunction with the UKs ATC provider, NATS and the pilots union, BALPA, targeting the increasing number of recreational drone users.

There have been UK guidelines in place for some timefor example, drones must always be kept within the

operators line of sight, not exceed a maximum altitude of 400 feet, and be kept away from airports or airfieldsbut these are now being re-emphasized.

There is already criminal legislation in the UK that can

charge drone operators with recklessly endangering an aircraft in flight, which can result in a prison sentence. In April 2014, the CAA successfully prosecuted an

individual for flying an unmanned aircraft through

restricted airspace over a nuclear submarine base,

believed to be the first such prosecution worldwide.

We want to embrace and enable the innovation that arises from the development of drone technology, but we

must ensure that this is done safely, with all airspace

users in mind, CAA director of policy Tim Johnson said in a statement Wednesday.

It is imperative that people observe the rules when operating a drone. Drone users must

understand that when taking to the skies they

are entering one of the busiest areas of

airspace in the world. When doing so, they

must be aware of the rules and regulations

for flying drones that are designed to keep all

air users safe. The CAA has welcomed moves by drone

manufacturers to build geo-fencing capabilities into their products. Geo-fencing

prohibits drones from being flown into pre-

programmed geographical areas, such as

airport control zones. It can also set altitude

limits.

The CAA has also launched a dedicated

online resource where existing and potential

users can access advice on safe drone

operation.

Avianca Brasil joins Star Alliance Avianca Brasil joined the Star Alliance in ceremonies at

So Paulo Guarulhos International Airport Wednesday. Aviancas membership brings the number of Star airlines to 28. Today we are setting the future pace of our airline and close a two year process, which saw us move to a new IT

platform, review and update our internal processes, and

specific training program for our employees to ensure

they can provide the best possible service to customers.

We are proud to be part of the most experienced airline

alliance and are pleased to put Brazil back on the Star

Alliance map, Avianca Brasil president and CEO Jose Efromovich said. Avianca Brasil is the fastest-growing airline in the country.

From 2010 to 2014 it increased in market share from 2.6%

to 8.4%. Until May, the airline continued this trend,

reaching a cumulative market share of 9%. The airline adds 15 new destinations in Brazil to the

existing 12, which Star carriers already served, bringing

the total to 27. to the oneworld alliance switched from StarBrazils TAM

in March 2014 after merging with oneworld member LAN

.LATAM Airlines GroupAirlines to form

Airlines placing hope in biofuels NEW YORK The number of global fliers is expected to more than double in the next two decades. In order to carry

all those extra passengers, airlines are turning to a

technology very few can make work on a large scale:

converting trash into fuel. They have no other choice. As people in countries such as China, India and Indonesia get

wealthier they are increasingly turning to air travel for vacation

or business, creating an enormous financial opportunity for the

airlines. The number of passengers worldwide could more than

double, to 7.3 billion a year, in the next two decades, according

.International Air Transport Associationto the But many in the industry believe that without a replacement for

jet fuel, that growth could be threatened by forthcoming rules

that limit global aircraft emissions. Its about retaining, as an industry, our license to grow, says

, managing director for environmental strategy at Julie Felgar

plane maker Boeing, which is coordinating sustainable biofuel

research programs in the U.S., Australia, China, Brazil, Japan

and the United Arab Emirates. Cars, trucks and trains can run on electricity, natural gas, or

perhaps even hydrogen someday to meet emissions rules. But

lifting a few hundred people, suitcases and cargo 35,000 feet

into the sky and carrying them across a continent requires so

much energy that only liquid fuels can do the trick. Fuel from

corn, which is easy to make and supplies nearly 10 percent of

U.S. auto fuel, doesnt provide enough environmental benefit to help airlines meet emissions rules.

Unlike the ground transport sector, they dont have a lot of , a bioenergy policy expert Debbie Hammelalternatives, says

.Natural Resources Defense Councilat the That leaves so-called advanced biofuels made from

agricultural waste, trash, or specialty crops that humans

million 30 last month announced a $ United Airlinesdont eat. stake in Fulcrum Bioenergy, the biggest investment yet by a

U.S. airline in alternative fuels. Fulcrum hopes to build

facilities that turn household trash into diesel and jet fuel. FedEx, which burns 1.1 billion gallons of jet fuel a year,

promised Tuesday to buy 3 million gallons per year of fuel

hopes to make out Red Rock Biofuelsthat a company called

had already Southwest Airlinesof wood waste in Oregon.

agreed to also buy some of Red Rocks planned output. These efforts are tiny next to airlines enormous fuel consumption. U.S. airlines burn through 45 million gallons

every day. But airlines have little choice but to push biofuels

because the industry is already in danger of missing its own

emissions goals, and thats before any regulations now being and U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyconsidered by the

international agencies. The industrys international trade group has pledged to stop increasing emissions by 2020 even as the number of flights

balloons. By 2050, it wants carbon dioxide emissions to be

half of what they were in 2005.

Dubai -Austrian Airlines to cease Vienna

services

Kurt Hofmann Jul 22, 2015

-will stop Vienna Austrian Airlinessubsidiary Lufthansa

Dubai services on Sept. 13 due to overcapacity. The

airline began serving the route in 1996. Austrian Airlines said in a statement: The overcapacity, built up in recent years, resulted in fierce price

competition as up to 800 seats per day were on offer. This

ultimately made the Vienna-Dubai route unsustainable for

Austrian Airlines. Emirates Airline operates double daily services between

Vienna and Dubai with a Boeing 777-300ER. Austrian Airlines CCO Andreas Otto said, The [767-300ER] capacities, which will become available, will be

deployed for attractive, new destinations, such as Miami,

Mauritius and Colombo in Sri Lanka starting in October.

m.atwonline.com/airports-routes/austrian-airlines-

cease-vienna-dubai-services

Airline lounges are as important as ever including in economy

The revitalisation of airport lounges is often a sign that

business and first class travel is booming and a series of top-notch lounges are crowning a welcome trend, from

small airlines to larger carriers. Lounges are important to

passengers, particularly to the high value customers

airlines need to attract and retain in a competitive market. At one end of the size and network spectrum, OpenSkies,

opened its attractive which operates all of three aircraft,

earlier this month. At the Orly Ouest lounge in Paris212

other end, Singapore Airlines opened its vibrant new

SilverKris lounge in London Heathrows new terminal 2 this spring, adding another lounge option to the Star

Alliance hub at LHR and putting a stake in the ground

where the newer Gulf network carriers are also upping

Etihads dedicated Heathrow their game, like with . Residence lounge

Cathay Pacific, with its suite of lounge options across

Hong Kong international airport The Wing, The Pier, The Bridge, The Cabin, The Arrival has created a very clever opportunity where it can close one of the lounges

completely for refurbishment (as it recently did with its

The Pier lounge, which reopened in late June) while the

remaining lounges take up the slack.

http://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/2015/07

/22/airline-lounges-are-as-important-as-

ever-including-in-economy/

Cathay also operates some of the best outstation lounges in the

world, often combining business and first class lounges into a

single facility (as at Paris Charles de Gaulle). Its signature noodle

bar, and particularly the cult favourite dan dan noodles, are

presented in CDG alongside a decent French Champagne and a

selection of petit fours, including some excellent macarons. Virgin Atlantic has long been a candidate for best business class lounge in the world with its London Heathrow Clubhouse which contains a spa, hair salon, bar, restaurant, roof deck, hot tub,

music studio, TV wall, games area and library clearly believes that its brand is well served by outstation lounges worldwide. Its

New York lounge is excellent, and it has just opened a new

Clubhouse in Terminal 2 at Los Angeles LAX, in the space where

the old Air France lounge used to be. The fact that Virgin can share these airport products with partner

and part-owner Delta in some terminals is a plus for the strategy of interweaving a bit of Virgin magic and Delta practicality. Qantas, too, is an airline that relies on its branding in premium

classes. It has long operated the signature oneworld lounge in

Singapore, where its European flights used to stop before it

entered into a strategic partnership with Emirates, and its new

lounge is top-tier. But its ever-frosty relationship with Cathay

Pacific has meant that the airlines are only nominal oneworld

partners there and, indeed, in Hong Kong, where Qantas combined business-first lounge is higher up the preference list

than Cathays business offerings for many passengers.

The global alliances, too, continue to play their part in

the lounge game, with the new LAX oneworld complex

(largely managed by Qantas) and Star Alliance facility

receiving But even the US airlines, whose lounges have

long been funded by paid club membership or affiliated

credit cards rather than as part of premium travel, are

getting in on the act. JetBlues new JFK Terminal 5 outdoor rooftop lounge is receiving rave reviews (and whichever genius named its

dog-friendly area the Wooftop deserves a raise),

while Delta has its open-air Sky Decks, opened in the

summer of 2013, and United has been investing in new

and refurbished United Clubs, including one in London

Heathrows new Terminal 2 that has been winning significant praise.

is Of course, its not just airlines. American Express as a perk for its continuing to introduce new lounges

Platinum and higher customers, where other cardholders

can enter for a fee. Amexs most recent lounge is a new concept, the Centurion Studio in Seattle, a smaller space

than its Dallas or LaGuardia lounges, but one very much

with the same design language and service standards.

Houston is next on the Amex to-do list. is planning to roll out a And, indeed, Turkish Airlines

in transit lounge for connecting economy passengers

Istanbul, where the airlines massive business lounge complex has been highly rated since its opening in 2011. Which airline will be next? plaudits, as does the new SkyTeam lounge in Sydney.

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