Tag: United Airlines

United Airlines extends suspension of Delhi, Mumbai flights to October 26

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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 United Airlines Holdings Inc said on Monday it was extending the suspension of its flights from the United States to Delhi and Mumbai in India until October 26, citing continued restriction of Pakistani airspace.

Pakistan closed its airspace in February after a suicide attack by a Pakistan-based militant group in Indian-controlled Kashmir led to aerial bombing missions on each other’s soil.

“We are contacting our customers to provide this update and assisting those who may need to make other travel arrangements, including rebooking on other airlines or offering full refunds,” United Airlines said in a statement.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

DGCA asks all Indian airlines to avoid affected Iranian airspace

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Indian aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has asked all its domestic airlines to avoid the affected part of Iranian airspace where a US drone was shot down by the Gulf state.

Air India and IndiGo are the two airlines which would have to re-route their network following the advisory.

“No substantial effect on Air India flights. Details being worked out for rerouting on incoming flights,” Air India, chairman and managing director, Ashwani Lohani said.

The aviation regulator of the US, the Federal Aviation Administration, has already prohibited all its airlines and commercial operators from flying over the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

British Airways, KLM, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa among others are also avoiding flying over the region.

Early Thursday, Iran shot down the RQ-4A Global Hawk drone of the US. This immediately escalated tensions in the region which is grappling with crippling sanctions after the US withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal. The drone was a high-altitude robot used for surveillance over the ocean and coastal regions.

United Airlines has also decided to suspend service between India and Newark until September 1. United operated direct flights connecting Newark to Delhi and to Mumbai.

“Given current events in the Middle East and the continued closure of Pakistani airspace, we have decided to suspend our service between India (Mumbai and Delhi) and Newark until September 1,” United said in an email response to a query from CNBC-TV18.

The US aviation regulator also warned pilots that flights are not permitted in the overwater area of the Tehran Flight Information Region until further notice, “due to heightened military activities and increased political tensions that might place commercial flights at risk,” adding that these military activities and political tensions present an inadvertent risk to US civil aviation operations and potential for miscalculation and misidentification.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

United Airlines suspends flights between India and Newark until September 1

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Amid ongoing safety concerns about Iranian airspace, United Airlines has decided to suspend service between India and Newark until September 1.

United operated direct flights connecting Newark to Delhi and to Mumbai. Air India is the only other carrier which flies non-stop on these routes.

“Given current events in the Middle East and the continued closure of Pakistani airspace, we have decided to suspend our service between India (Mumbai and Delhi) and Newark until September 1,” United said in an email response to a query from CNBC-TV18.

Early Thursday, Iran shot down the RQ-4A Global Hawk drone of the US. This immediately escalated tensions in the region which is grappling with crippling sanctions after the US withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal. The drone was a high-altitude robot used for surveillance over the ocean and coastal regions.

Following the shooting down of a drone, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency order prohibiting all US airlines and commercial operators from operating over the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

The US aviation regulator also warned pilots that flights are not permitted in the overwater area of the Tehran Flight Information Region until further notice, “due to heightened military activities and increased political tensions that might place commercial flights at risk.”

The NOTAM further added that these military activities and political tensions present an inadvertent risk to US civil aviation operations and potential for miscalculation and misidentification.

“We are contacting our customers to provide this update and assist those who may need to make other travel arrangements, including rebooking on other airlines or offering full refunds. Additionally, we will remain in close contact with relevant government authorities throughout the suspension in order to provide our customers with the latest updates and most efficient travel experience under these circumstances,” United added.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

FAA prohibits all US flights from flying over Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman until further notice

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Amid escalating tensions over shooting down of a US drone by Iran, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an emergency order prohibiting all US airlines and commercial operators from operating over the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

The US aviation regulator has warned pilots that flights are not permitted in the overwater area of the Tehran Flight Information Region until further notice “due to heightened military activities and increased political tensions that might place commercial flights at risk.”

The notice to airmen (NOTAM) further added that these military activities and political tensions present an inadvertent risk to the US civil aviation operations and potential for miscalculation and misidentification.

“The risk to US civil aviation is demonstrated by the Iranian surface-to-air missile shoot-down of a US unmanned aircraft system on 19 June 2019 while it was operating in the vicinity of civil air routes above the Gulf of Oman,” the NOTAM read.

Earlier, United Airlines also cancelled its Newark-Mumbai service until further notice due to concerns regarding Iranian air space.

“UA48 (New York/Newark – Mumbai) has been cancelled. Customers flying onboard UA9239 (Mumbai – New York/Newark) will be rebooked on alternative flights back to the US. Customers travelling on these flights will experience extended flight times due to a change in our normal flight path,” United said in a statement to CNBC-TV18.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

United Airlines suspends Newark-Mumbai flights over Iran airspace concerns

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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United Airlines said it had suspended flights from New Jersey’s Newark airport to the Indian financial capital of Mumbai following a safety review after Iran shot down a high-altitude US surveillance drone.

“Given current events in Iran, United has conducted a thorough safety and security review of our India service through Iranian airspace and decided to suspend our service between New York/Newark and India (Mumbai) beginning this evening,” the airline said in a statement.

It said that UA48 (New York/Newark – Mumbai) has been cancelled.

The airline added that customers flying onboard UA9239 (Mumbai – New York/Newark) will be rebooked on alternative flights back to the US.

“Customers travelling on these flights will experience extended flight times due to a change in our normal flight path,” it stated.

The airline is contacting its customers to provide the details of rebooking options, it said, adding that it is in close contact with relevant government authorities to ensure efficient travel experience under these circumstances.

The downing of the unarmed Global Hawk aircraft, which can fly at up to 60,000 ft (18,300 m), was the latest of a series of incidents in the Gulf region, a critical artery for global oil supplies, that included explosive strikes on six oil tankers.

Flight tracking data showed commercial aircraft were flying very close to the unpiloted Global Hawk at the time it was shot down, said OPS GROUP, which provides safety guidance to air operators.

Last month, US regulator the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advised airlines to exercise caution in flying over Iran and nearby areas, due to heightened military activities and increased political tension.

“Although Iran likely has no intention to target civil aircraft, the presence of multiple long-range, advanced anti-aircraft capable weapons in a tense environment poses a possible risk of miscalculation or misidentification, especially during periods of heightened political tension and rhetoric,” it said.

In July 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down by a missile over Ukraine, killing all 298 on board, prompting carriers to take more steps to uncover threats to their planes.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Vistara signs codeshare agreement with US-based United Airlines

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Vistara on Tuesday announced it has entered into a codeshare agreement with US-based United Airlines.

The agreement will allow United Airlines to book seats for its passengers on Vistara flights.

“Codeshare agreement with Vistara opens up more than 20 destinations across India for United Airlines,” Vistara said in a statement.

“Ticket sales by the agreement will begin later this year, pending government approvals,” it added.

Full-service carrier Vistara has got the permission from the central government to operate international flights. However, it has not started international operations yet.

“The agreement enables United Airlines to codeshare on Vistara-operated Indian domestic flights and allows for customers of both carriers to earn and redeem frequent flier miles,” Vistara said in the statement.

Disclosure: Vistara is one of the four launch partners of CNBCTV18.com.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

US airlines visit Boeing as FAA awaits 737 MAX upgrades

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Teams from the three US airlines that own 737 MAX jets headed to Boeing Co’s factory in Renton, Washington, to review a software upgrade on Saturday, as US regulators prepared to receive and review the fixes in the coming weeks.

The factory visits indicated Boeing may be near completing a software patch for its newest 737 following a Lion Air crash that killed 189 people in Indonesia last October. This month, a second deadly crash involving an Ethiopian Airlines MAX in Addis Ababa triggered the fleet’s worldwide grounding.

Timing for when passenger flights will resume remained uncertain. Boeing has come under global scrutiny along with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the agency that must approve the software fix and new training.

Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines Co, the world’s largest operator of the MAX, began parking its fleet at a facility in Victorville, California, at the southwestern edge of the Mojave Desert, to wait out the global grounding. Southwest has 34 of the jets; United Airlines has 14 and American Airlines has 24.

Acting administrator Dan Elwell told lawmakers last week that the FAA expected Boeing would complete its upgrade as early as March 25, kicking off the approval process.

An FAA spokesman said on Saturday that the agency expects to receive the software fix early next week.

A US official briefed on the matter on Saturday said the FAA has not yet signed off on the upgrade and training but the goal is to review them in coming weeks and approve them by April.

It remained unclear whether the software upgrade, called “design changes” by the FAA, will resolve concerns stemming from the ongoing investigation into the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash, which killed all 157 on board.

The US official said planned changes included 15 minutes of training to help pilots deactivate the anti-stall system known as MCAS in the event of faulty sensor data or other issues. It also included some self-guided instruction, the official added.

The Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents American Airlines pilots, said it has been in talks with Boeing, the FAA and airlines to get the airplanes flying again as soon as possible with an acceptable level of safety.

“Right now we’re in wait-and-see mode to see what Boeing comes up with,” said Captain Jason Goldberg, spokesman for the APA, part of a delegation of airline safety experts and pilots set to test the upgrade. “We’re hopeful, but at the same time the process can’t be rushed.”

Boeing said on Saturday it was continuing to schedule meetings with all 737 MAX operators.

Southwest and United said they would also review documentation and training associated with Boeing’s updates on Saturday.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Ties between Boeing and Donald Trump run deep

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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When Donald Trump spoke with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg on Tuesday to get assurances about the safety of the 737 MAX plane that crashed in Ethiopia, he wasn’t talking to a stranger.

The US president, who owned his own airline, Trump Shuttle, from 1989 to 1992, is an aviation enthusiast. Before becoming president he had his own private jet and since his inauguration, he has taken visible delight in the presidential aircraft, Air Force One.

His aviation connections have expanded during his presidency to include relationships with powerful executives in the defense industry, including Muilenburg, with whom he has talked several times.

Muilenburg told Trump in Tuesday’s morning call that the aircraft was safe and did not need to be grounded, two people briefed on the conversation said.

Later in the day, aviation officials repeated that US flights of the plane would continue.

That leaves the United States as an outlier in its response to Sunday’s crash of a Boeing 737 MAX that killed 157 people. The European Union’s aviation safety regulator on Tuesday suspended all flights by the plane in the bloc; of the top 10 countries by air passenger travel, all but the United States and Japan have halted flights.

US officials, including a bipartisan group of five Senators, are asking why the FAA is not doing the same. US Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican who chairs the Senate subcommittee on aviation and space, said he intends to convene a hearing to investigate.

The Ethiopian crash follows one of a 737 MAX five months ago in Indonesia that killed 189 people. There is no evidence yet that the two disasters are linked. Plane experts say it is too early to speculate on the cause of the crash.

Deep Ties 

Trump personally negotiated with Muilenburg to try to lower the cost of a future version of Air Force One after complaining the price tag was too high.

“He cares about business and he creates open communication lines, and we will have differences from time to time, we may not agree on every topic,” Muilenburg said in a radio interview last month.

But while the relationship hasn’t all been cozy, ties between Boeing and the Trump administration run deep.

Trump has used Boeing products and sites as a backdrop for major announcements over the course of his presidency. In March 2018 he touted the impact of his tax overhaul bill as he visited a plant in St. Louis.

Before joining the Pentagon, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who is expected to be named to the post, worked for 31 years at Boeing, where he was general manager for the 787 Dreamliner passenger jet.

Boeing has nominated Nikki Haley, Trump‘s former US. ambassador to the United Nations who continues to be a close ally, to join its board of directors at the company’s annual shareholders meeting on April 29.

Trump has also put pressure on US allies to buy products from Boeing, the country’s second-largest defense contractor which received $104 billion in unclassified defense contractsbetween 2014 and 2018.

US officials and defense industry sources said that weeks after Trump pressed the Emir of Kuwait in 2018 over a long-delayed deal for Boeing‘s F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, Kuwait said it would proceed with the order.

Boeing is also one of the largest US exporters to China, and Muilenburg told an aviation summit in Washington that purchases of its US-made aircraft by China could be part of a sweeping trade deal currently being negotiated.

Aircraft exports have thus far been spared from retaliatory Chinese tariffs.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Smile: Some airliners have cameras on seat-back screens

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Now there is one more place where cameras could start watching you — from 30,000 feet.

Newer seat-back entertainment systems on some aeroplanes operated by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Singapore Airlines have cameras, and it’s likely they are also on planes used by other carriers.

All four airlines said that they have never activated the cameras and have no plans to use them.

However, companies that make the entertainment systems are installing cameras to offer future options such as seat-to-seat video conferencing, according to an American Airlines spokesman.

A passenger on a Singapore flight posted a photo of the seat-back display last week, and the tweet was shared several hundred times and drew media notice. Buzzfeed first reported that the cameras are also on some American planes.

A United spokeswoman repeatedly told a reporter Friday that none of its entertainment systems had cameras before apologizing and saying that some did. On Saturday, Delta also said some of its in-flight entertainment screens have the cameras.

The airlines stressed that they didn’t add the cameras — manufacturers embedded them in the entertainment systems. American’s systems are made by Panasonic, while Singapore uses Panasonic and Thales, according to airline representatives. Neither Panasonic nor Thales responded immediately for comment.

As they shrink, cameras are being built into more devices, including laptops and smartphones. The presence of cameras in aircraft entertainment systems was known in aviation circles at least two years ago, although not among the travelling public.

Seth Miller, a journalist who wrote about the issue in 2017, thinks that equipment makers didn’t consider the privacy implications. There were already cameras on planes — although not so intrusive — and the companies assumed that passengers would trade their images for convenience, as they do with facial-recognition technology at immigration checkpoints, he said.

“Now they’re facing blowback from a small but vocal group questioning the value of the system that isn’t even active,” Miller said.

American Airlines spokesman Ross Feinstein said cameras are in “premium economy” seats on 82 Boeing 777 and Airbus A330-200 jets. American has nearly 1,000 planes.

“Cameras are a standard feature on many in-flight entertainment systems used by multiple airlines,” he said.

Singapore spokesman James Boyd said cameras are on 84 Airbus A350s, Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s and 787s. The carrier has 117 planes.

While the airlines say they have no plans to use the cameras, a Twitter user named Vitaly Kamluk, who snapped the photo of the camera on his Singapore flight, suggested that just to be sure the carriers should slap stickers over the lenses.

“The cameras are probably not used now,” he tweeted. “But if they are wired, operational, bundled with mic, it’s a matter of one smart hack to use them on 84 plus aircraft and spy on passengers.”

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

IndiGo names Ronojoy Dutta as CEO

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Budget carrier, IndiGo, on Thursday has named Ronojoy Dutta as its next chief executive officer (CEO) for a period of five years with immediate effect.

In December 2018, IndiGo had announced the appointment of Dutta as a principal consultant to chalk out the airline’s five-year business plan.

Dutta will report to the airline’s interim CEO, Rahul Bhatia, IndiGo said in a release. Bhatia took charge after Aditya Ghosh, president and whole time director, quit last year.

He had served as the president of Air Sahara from 2005 to 2008, president of United Airlines from 1999 till 2002 and also acted as an adviser in the restructuring of both Air Canada and US Airways.

The Gurugram-based largest domestic budget carrier also approved the appointment of Meleveetil Damodaran as chairman.

Shares of IndiGo settled at Rs 1,174.40 apiece, up 6 percent on the BSE.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow