Antique Boeing Flight a Success: Airline Pulse News and Notes for March 3, 2016

by Josh Lew
Last updated: 9:30 AM ET, Thu March 3, 2016

Photo courtesy of Thinkstock

American Airlines Sticking to First Class on Longer Routes
American Airlines is currently the only U.S. carrier to have three classes on transcontinental routes between New York and LA or San Francisco. The airline has had success with small first class cabins (10 suite-like seats), which have proven popular with Hollywood types and business people.

Restored Boeing 727 Finally Takes Off
The first-ever Boeing 727 to fly a commercial flight was restored over a 25-year period by a retired airplane engineer. The plane made a short flight from Everett, Washington to Seattle's Boeing Field where it will be put on display in the Museum of Flight.

Tech Startup Teams with JetBlue to Offer Local Content
Austin-based entrepreneur Joah Spearman is the co-creator and CEO of Localeur, a crowd-sourced review app that is described as a high quality version of Yelp. He has agreed to a partnership with JetBlue to distribute reviews from the Localeur site to JetBlue customers via the airline's social and digital channels.

Alaska Airlines a Surprise Applicant for Cuba Routes
Alaska Airlines surprised some by applying for twice-daily service between Los Angeles to Havana. American Airlines is applying for the same route. A decision on who will get the route is still several months away.

JUST THE LINKS

Maori is an official language in New Zealand, and a group of language activists wants it to be treated as such. They are campaigning for Maori language signage to be required in all New Zealand airports.

Singapore Airlines is excited about its new Airbus A350s, the first of which was delivered recently after a decade-long wait. The A350-900s will help the Singaporean flag carrier compete on more long haul routes.

Brazil has now officially raised the amount of an airline that a foreign firm can own to 49 percent. This will help the country's struggling airlines get the injection of cash that they need from international investors.

easyJet has now entered the competitive London-Paris market. The European LCC will fly from London Southend airport to Charles de Gaulle four times per week.

Delta has announced a new code sharing deal with KLM subsidiary Transavia. This will increase the number of transit options in Amsterdam for Delta passengers who fly across the Atlantic to the Dutch city.

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