12.31.2007 | 11:16 pm | Flight Comparison
First released to the market in 1970, the Boeing 747 has become the most widely recognised commercial “Jumbo Jet” in the world. The distinctive look and style of the plane has been seen in every airport in every world, such is the popularity of this record breaking jet. So what doe sit actually offer?
Upon release in 1970 the Boeing 747 held the passenger capacity record of over 500 passengers in any one flight for an amazing 37 years. While all of the planes are known as Boeing 747’s there have actually been 4 further updated versions after the original Boeing 747. With a cruise speed of some 555mph and a maximum speed of over 580mph, the plane brought new and previously unknown elements to the commercial air flight market – speed, comfort and reliability. In all honesty it was the Boeing 747 which put the commercial air travel industry on the map.
The Boeing 747-400 is the latest version on the market and has a massive range of 7,260 nautical miles per journey ensuring that long range flights are no problem. The beauty of the Boeing 747 range is their versatility with passenger, freight and other versions available with just a small number of adjustments to the original shell. The “hump” at the front of the structure allows any plane to be converted into a freight craft at very short notice, with space available for a front loading bay. So what next for the Boeing 747 series?
While the industry has moved on in many ways and Boeing themselves have brought out new and more advanced planes since the original Boeing 747, the plane will have a place in aircraft folklore for many years to come. As well as the speed and load capacity, it is the reliability factor which has prompted such interest in the plane – something which is ever more vital in today’s business arena.
12.28.2007 | 11:19 pm | Flight Comparison
Commonly known as “Heathrow”, London Heathrow airport is the principle airport of the UK and the busiest airport in Europe. However, it is also the fact that the airport actually handles more international traffic than any other airport in the world which really brings home how vital and influential the airport is. If Heathrow comes to a stand still this can have a massive knock on effect to many different areas of the world!
For those who are not aware of the history of London Heathrow, the airport was built in the 1930s as a military base although it did not receive its current name, Heathrow, until the 1940s. The name derives from the small hamlet of Heath Row which was actual demolished to make way for the airport, and would have stood roughly where terminal 3 is today. After WWII the airport fell quiet as the military preferred to make use of their various other facilities around the country and Heathrow was ultimately transferred to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in January 1946. It was on the 1st January 1946 that we saw the first commercial flight from the airport, a trip to Buenos Aires via Lisbon.
The 1950s, 60s and 70s saw a constant increase in size and capacity for the airport as it started a surge to the highest league of airports around the world. When you consider that first phase of the airport’s life as part of the military to today’s situation which sees 67 million passengers a year, over 90 airlines using London Heathrow and in excess of 170 destinations available worldwide, it really is a remarkable story.
After former owner BAA was taken over by Spanish conglomerate Ferrovial Group, London Heathrow airport is for the first time under foreign ownership. However, the presence and influence of the airport is still as strong as ever with landing spots like gold dust – priceless.
12.27.2007 | 11:22 pm | Flight Comparison
Originally built back in 1942, there was not an awful lot of investment into what is now John F. Kennedy International Airport, with an initial $60 million made available. It was not until 1948 when the airport was awarded the honour of being New York’s main airport that the full story began to unfold.
While commonly referred to as Kennedy or JFK, John F. Kennedy International Airport is America’s most influential airport which accounts for some 17% of all US air traffic travelling outside of the States. Located in Queens, New York City, the airport only received its “new” name in 1963 in memory of the late President JF Kennedy having been formerly known as Idlewild Airport. While it is the newest of New York’s 3 main airports it is by far and away the busiest, not only accounting for the bulk of overseas travel but the vast majority of freight shipments into the country. As far as influence goes, there are few airports in the world which can match John F. Kennedy International Airport.
While it is the home to the likes of JetBlue Airways, Delta Airways, American Airlines, British Airways and United Airlines to name but a few, the airport actually has the worst punctuality record of any airport in the US with masses of flights arriving and leaving later than scheduled. This has been a major issue for the US authorities and they have been looking at a variety of ways to try and improve the airport’s record.
While still some way behind London Heathrow, John F. Kennedy International Airport handles in excess of 46 million passengers a year. The Heathrow - John F. Kennedy International Airport route is by far and away the most popular international flight path with over 2.9 million passengers flying between the airports each year. But what does the future hold for JFK airport?
12.26.2007 | 11:44 pm | Flight Comparison
As anybody who has covered airplane history will know, the Wright Brothers Orville and Wilbur are credited with producing the world’s first powered aircraft able to carry a human. Their design was the first such aircraft to incorporate an array of controls, the basics of which are still around today, enabling the fixed wing to be manipulated and controlled during flight. The first ever flight of their ground breaking plane was 17 December 1903 – a day that has gone done in airplane history.
The beauty of the Wright Brothers plane was the fact that they did not go for all out power, which may have increased the time span of a flight, but still left many issues with the control of the aircraft. Using their experience from working with an array of machinery in their bike and motors shop they created a wind tunnel and set about trying to unlock the mysteries of in flight control. This concentration on in flight controls gave them a head start on many of their competitors who were looking at bigger and more powerful engines to counter act the control problem.
Determined to put their idea into action the brothers carried out a number of unmanned glider runs to test their theories and put everything they had researched into practice. The came the big day in 1903 when they added power to their glider prototype after approaching a friend to build a light powered engine for them. Problems arose in the run up to that eventful day, broken propellers, crash landings and the like, but the brothers kept their focus.
Then came the big day! Their first flight saw them 10 feet off the ground and fly for a total of 120 feet, the second flight saw this increase to 175 feet and then 200 feet after that. The modern day airplane was now in existence, and as they say, the rest is history!
12.25.2007 | 8:59 am | Flight Comparison
While it has been less than 50 years since man first landed on the moon, if you look in the newspapers today you would guess that space travel for the air travel consumer was just around the corner. Is this really the case?
There is no doubting that there are a number of companies vying for the bragging rights to be the first company to fly a plane into outer space and back, as you would a traditional domestic aircraft, but it is not quite that easy. The likes of Richard Branson have been vocal in their support for such ventures with Branson himself ploughing millions of dollars into his space craft / air craft business. However, when you get down to the detail you will soon see that air travel for the masses is still some way off with tickets for Branson’s first flight (expected in 2009) to cost in the region of $200,000 per person!
When you also consider what you will get for your $200,000, 5 minutes of weightless in space, is it really worth the money and investment?
If you take a longer term view, there are hopes that man will be able to travel well into the solar system in years to come, when technology catches up with the ambitions of the many. The likes of Richard Branson’s venture may well grab all of the headlines, but they are also the next stage in the move towards easier and great space travel. Without the investment of business people like Branson the air line industry would be staying still while all around them move on.
While this short burst of air travel which will cost a cool $200,000 is not too far away, it is the longer term picture which is starting to take shape.
12.24.2007 | 10:52 am | Flight Comparison
Over the last 20 years we have seen some major changes in the air line industry with the emergence of the budget airlines, financial difficulties for some of the more established companies and a backlash from the “green” lobby who have been accusing the airlines of gross negligence with regards to the environment. So what does the future hold?
Overall the future looks very bright for the airline industry, although we are likely to see some major changes over the next decade as competition continues to grow. When you consider the prices for some of the long haul flights today compared to a decade ago you really begin to wonder how much fat there really was on the airlines only 10 years ago. The airline operating costs of today are only a fraction of the costs associated with the industry prior to the likes of the internet and improved technology.
While there is no way that prices can continue to fall at they rate they have been, we may well see the emergence of yet more small niche airlines such as the budget airlines. With talk of air pods to carry you around a city and ever smaller planes for those shorter journeys, it looks as though air travel may soon be as easy as walking on and off a bus.
The industry has come so far over the last 10 years that many people are finding it very much quicker and cheaper to jump on a plane for inter-country journeys than travel by say car or bus. There are many directions which the industry could take over the next 10 years, although inter-city flights and even space travel are looking very hot at the moment. However, as always the future direction of the industry can change so quickly with technology and consumer spending just two of the main ingredients in the mix.
12.21.2007 | 11:44 am | Flight Comparison
While we have seen some of the major US airlines in serious financial difficulties, we are still seeing the likes of UK based British Airways under increasing pressure from a more competitive market place and competitors who seem to be at little nimbler than the UK giant. So can British Airways survive in the current market place or will it need to adapt?
There are very few airlines in the world that can boast a history which goes back to 1924 (British Airways), and the deep rooted market knowledge that goes with this. However, there is no doubt that the older stalwarts of the industry are struggling to adapt and keep up with some of the smaller niche players who have already cut their costs to the bone, and don’t get as much pressure from the unions. British Airways has been held to ransom by the unions on a number of occasions in the past, and while they have fought back of later, they are often hampered by long running disagreements which keep flaring up.
Many people seem to forget that the likes of British Airways have a much larger cost base than the newer airlines and while they need to adapt, this will invariably mean cost cuts of some sort. However, we also need to consider the successes which British Airways have had which include the Go! Airline which was sold to Easyjet and the Airmiles business which was also sold off, raising many millions of pounds in the process. These are both ventures which British Airways built from nothing.
The one main are of air travel which has separated British Airways from any of the other airlines is the transatlantic operation which has flown millions of people between the US and UK. Even this operation will be seeing more pressure in the coming years with a whole host of changes planned under the Openskies agreement. That said, British Airways have come through worse than this unscathed, but they may need to move a little quicker in the future to keep one step ahead!
12.20.2007 | 7:39 am | Flight Comparison
As we enter a new era of air travel in which every movement we make in the air port is monitored, every piece of luggage we carry will be checked and any suspicious packages may spark a full scale alert, many are starting to ask who will ultimately pay for the cost of increased security. As you might have guessed, even though the airlines are taking the brunt of the cost increase at the moment, it will be the customer who pays. But is this fair?
The last ten years have seen some major changes in the way in which air travel and airport security operate. We have also seen a major change in the terrorism climate with constant threats occurring around the world, although many turn out to be hoaxes there is no way these can be ignored. The cost of this increased security is starting to mount up, at a time when fuel prices are as high as they have ever been. There is no doubt that the pressure on fuel prices and the increased cost of security cannot all be taken by the airlines, so what happens next?
While there have been no direct increases in the cost of air travel because of the extra cost of security, the longer the issue drags on and becomes more of a way of life, the more chance that at least part of the cost will be transferred to the consumer. In the overall picture there are few who would argue that there was not at least some merit in this move, but just how much the consumer will pay remains to be seen.
This has made the vast array of flight comparison sites even more valuable to the consumer, trying to find the best deal at the right price. However, as competition is still high there are many deals out there, it is just a matter of finding them!
12.19.2007 | 7:57 am | Flight Comparison
While there is on doubt that over the last 20 years the internet has radically changed the business landscape across the world, what has the effect been on the air travel industry? Has it actually benefitted the consumer?
Many people who book their flights online will have no idea how the system worked before the internet came to light, the long delays finding a flight, the dozens of phone calls and the cost. There is no doubt that the internet has had a major effect on the air travel industry making many of the smaller airlines more accessible and also spawning a new sector in the shape of the budget airlines. The budget airline industry would not have been able to operate under the old system before the internet, where operational costs were much higher and many people seemed to stick to the major airlines.
We have also seen a major increase in the number of flight comparison sites which have access to the flight schedules of all of the major airlines around the world, prices and availability of seats on any individual flight. When you also add the fact that there is now no need to wait for your tickets, instead printing a copy from the internet, both the cost and timescale for finding and receiving your ticket has been greatly reduced.
Ultimately this has led to a more transparent air travel industry which has released a new level of competition into the mix. Now that prices are so readily available it is much easier to see who is competitive and what exactly is on offer. In the cut throat world of air travel it has never been so vital for the airlines to be competitive on pricing, services and reliability because these are the facts which will make or break their businesses in the long term.
12.18.2007 | 7:59 am | Flight Comparison
While there has been much attention given to the massive array of flights which go in and out of Heathrow airport each day, there are forecasts that flight numbers are set to double over the next 20 years. When you consider that this will mean 800,000 flights a year (an average of 3 planes landing or taking off every 2 minutes) how on earth can the airport even hope to cope with such capacity demands?
While Heathrow has long been recognised as one of the major airports in the world, taking more international passengers than any airport in the world, expansion at the airport seems to take years to go through. First there is the application, then the review by the authorities, then the inevitable complaints from locals and environmental groups, then the public review and finally the answer. These stages in total can take more than 10 years to complete – as recent expansion plans at the airport have shown – so how can the airport owners plan ahead based on such dramatic forecasts?
As the cost of a new runway or new departure lounge is absolutely massive, costing hundreds of millions of pounds, so there is no way that the owners of ANY airport in the world would commit themselves to this kind of investment without being sure that capacity was set to grow. Heathrow is in quite an advantaged situation because throughout all of the major delays and security issues of the last few years, the airport has performed better than the vast majority of its competitors around the world.
It is this organisation and position in the airline industry which should see Heathrow continue to grow in years to come, although there is an awful lot of planning ahead to ensure that there is capacity for the future. Forget the current economic slowdown we are about to enter, forget the next 5 years, any investment decisions made now may not come into play for at least 10 years. This is why it is vital that investment decisions, expansion plans and the like are put into place as soon as possible to ensure the unique position of Heathrow airport in the airline industry, is maintained for the longer term.
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