Airways Magazine March/April 2021

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944), the famous French writer of The Little Prince and one of his country’s aviation pioneers, is credited with one of my favorite phrases: “Love is the only thing that grows when shared.” Our love for aviation is what has united us with you, dear readers, during these 27 years since our first magazine was issued in 1994—and we are still going strong. Evolving with the times, Airways now offers its content not only in print but also through a new digital suite, a podcast, and our social media outlets Through a growing base of contributors, analysts, and writers, Airways is reaching new audiences and breaking records of views month after month. We are humbled by you trusting us as your primary aviation news source, and above all, by…

Hello, Airways, I have just finished reading your excellent November-December 2020 magazine, from front to back, every page and article. Enrique Perrella’s article on SAS brought back many fond memories. During my time working at Thule Air Base in Northern Greenland (five years, two days, and 11/2 hours!) I flew the just over five-hour round trip between Copenhagen and Thule AB numerous times. We had a weekly DC-8 service, alternating with passenger and cargo flights. The first time was on a DC-6B (then a flight of roughly 10 hours, as far as I remember) but, after that, all the flights were on DC-8s—magnificent aircraft on which I always enjoyed flying, not the least as I mostly flew First Class. Back then, SAS had one Station Manager at the Base and, when he was…

ON THE COVER Back in 1968, VIASA was a rising star among the Latin American airlines given its prime service and extensive network. Its DC-8-63s enabled the airline to expand and grow in the US market and Europe. PHOTO MDC VIA JON PROCTOR SOCIAL MEDIA airwaysmag 2,666 likes On January 19, 2021, SWISS International Air Lines (@flyswiss) has launched two new freight services to Lima, Peru, and Seoul, South Korea. Photo: @ac_avphoto OUR MOST VIEWED VIDEO Qatar Airways’ (QR) first nonstop flight between the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and the Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha, Qatar’s capital, took off on January 29, 2021. Airways is now on YouTube. Be sure to subscribe and get the latest news and our Weekly AvFix.…

1 ALASKA AIRLINES BOEING 737 MAX 9 N913AK (MSN 44079 LN 7598) On January 24, Alaska Airlines (AS) took delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 9, now that the type has been cleared to return to the air. AS plans to receive 68 new Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft in the next four years, with options for 52 more. AS has also planned to lease 13 MAX 9s in exchange for 10 Airbus A320s. 2 UPS BOEING 767-34A(F)(ER) N374UP (MSN 65909 · LN 1228) UPS has taken delivery of its 77th and next-to-last Boeing 767 on order. Here it is on its delivery flight from Paine Field (PAE) to San Antonio (SAT) on December 23. 3 SPIRIT AIRLINES AIRBUS A320-271N N932NK (MSN 10008) To promote its new loyalty program, Spirit Airlines (NK) has applied unique titles featuring country-pop singer Brett…

Paper flight tickets had existed for almost 100 years. In 2008, they became history. A new book pays homage. SINCE THE beginning of scheduled flying, passengers had boarded with paper tickets—until, in 2008, E-tickets replaced them worldwide. The history of paper-tickets began in 1910, when Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft DELAG, the German operator of Zeppelins, started issuing multi-page air tickets to airship passengers. For the first scheduled flights operated by aircraft, in 1914 in Florida, air tickets initially resembled their railway counterparts. However, in 1930, the international aviation cartel IATA laid down the first handwritten global guidelines for the issuing of air tickets, which remained in effect until the 1970s. Passengers were handed a small booklet with coupons that enabled them to travel on a certain flight between two or more cities. There was a…

AIR EUROPE (AE) can trace its history back to 1978, when Errol Cossey and Martin O’Regan approached Harry Goodman, owner of UK Inclusive Tour (IT) operator Intasun. The two former Dan Air (DA) executives had a novel business proposal. With economic instability in the United Kingdom on the wane, the package holiday business was slowly beginning to recover. Laker Airways (GK) and British Caledonian (BR) had decided to focus on their scheduled operations. There was therefore a gap in the market for a brand-new charter carrier. Cossey and O’Regan knew just how difficult it was to make money running an airline, especially one that relied heavily on the summer holiday season of May to September. To differentiate their new airline from competitors and gain more charter contracts from tour operators, the team…