First United Airlines owned Boeing 777 in new livery

The first UA plane repainted in the new livery returned to service November 23rd. The B777 was ferried to Los Angeles from the painting facility in Amarillo, Texas. In LAX it returned to revenue service for a flight to Washington Dulles. United has started to repaint another of its 777 in Victorville, California. By the end of 2010 a total of 7 Boeing 777 will have been completed. Currently 32 narrow and wide bodies from Continental have been repainted and another 6 are currently in the paint shop. See earlier blog post on 1st Continental B777 repainted here

Woman wears bikini for airport security screening

Body scanners in place and new pat down procedures by TSA have caused a lot of controversy in the U.S. lately. A woman leaving from LAX airport decided to leave no room for such by simply passing through security in her bikini. Watch for yourself.

Lufthansa introduces slimmer seats which will make room for 2000 more

Courtesy of Lufthansa

Lufthansa will add almost 2000 more seats to it's single aisle fleet by end of 2011 by switching to slimmer seats. The new seat to be introduced during a presentation on December 15th will be more ergonomic and in a new design. It will be very similar to the new seats installed on 2 Austrian Airlines planes earlier this year and legroom will be boosted by up to 5cm according to a Lufthansa spokesperson.
Full story here

Airport tales and annoying airline passengers

Smuggling marijuana into Jamaica or  trying to sneak a dead man in a wheelchair through security are just 2 of several tales CNN writer Jessica Ravitz gathered while traveling 5900 miles through six American airports.We keep it short since the story you are about to read is lengthy but worth the read! Read it

Gay wedding on board Virgin America flight

Courtesy of Virgin America

Two men got married on a Virgin America flight from San Francisco to New York last Thursday.
The captain officiated the wedding while flying over Canada where gay marriage is legal. According to a Virgin America spokeswoman this was not the first wedding on one of their airplanes. Virgin Group Chairman Sir Richard Branson had performed a wedding in October 2007 on a flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas. Full story

Ethiopian Airlines takes delivery of 900th Boeing 777

(Source: USA Today) Ethiopian Airlines will put its first Boeing 777 into service tonight when it puts the jet into commercial service tonight on a 10:45 p.m. ET flight from Washington Dulles to Addis Ababa.
The jet is the first of five ordered by Ethiopian Airlines, which says it plans to use the 777s on its Washington-Addis Ababa route as well as "on other new long-haul, nonstop routes, such as Beijing." The carrier plans to celebrate its launch of the 777 at Dulles tonight prior to the jet's departure. Full article

All Nippon Airways goes green

(Source: Star Alliance) ANA has unveiled its first green-liveried aircraft, reflecting the airline’s commitment to environmental sustainability and lower emissions.

The green livery has been applied to a Bombardier DHC8-Q400 aircraft, which will be used on domestic routes from November 19. The new paint scheme aims to encourage awareness among passengers about ANA’s environmental strategy.

ANA Group is the first Japanese airline to receive the government’s “Eco First” certification, following the introduction of several measures to protect the environment and address climate change. The Bombardier was selected for its superior environmental performance—reduced noise pollution and lower CO2 emissions—in comparison to jet engine equivalents.

iPads for Finnair flights

Finnair is offering customers the free use of an Apple iPad in Finnair's via Lounge in Helsinki and also on certain Hong Kong flights in November.

The iPads have been loaded with entertaining content, such as newspapers and magazines, films, TV series and games. In addition, the devices offer dozens of useful applications, including Finnair's own application, which helps to gather customer feedback and product development ideas. This is part of the Rethink Quality program launched in September stimulating discussions on the http://rethinkquality.finnair.com website, led by four Quality Hunters. Earlier blog post on quality hunters here 

Pilot looses right wing and lands airplane

During an air race flying through pylons suddenly the right wing fell off. Somehow the pilot manages to land the aircraft safely.Watch the incredible video here

Malasyia Airlines receives first Next-Generation Boeing 737

Boeing and Malaysia Airlines last week celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first Next-Generation 737 with the new, passenger-inspired Boeing Sky Interior. The national carrier of Malaysia is the first full-service airline to operate the 737-800 with the new Boeing Sky Interior. Pictures courtesy of Boeing

Pictured here is the new 737 Boeing Sky Interior shown in Malaysia Airlines’ new Next-Generation 737. The Boeing Sky Interior offers more room in the cabin through sculpted sidewalls and window reveals, and new, larger stow bins that accommodate more bags while taking up less space.

Malaysia Airlines’ first Next-Generation 737 with the Boeing Sky Interior makes an approach at King County International Airport in Seattle during the airplane’s first flight.

More on Boeing 737 Next-Generation here

Sh*t happens! Luggage ruined by sewage spill at Heathrow Airport

A waste pipe burst at Heathrow airport damaged over 200 pieces of luggage. BAA who operates the airport will pay up to $1600 per bag to settle the damage. A source said: "It was a nightmare. Gallons of raw sewage came spewing out. The stench was appalling" according to the mirror.co.uk. Full story

A rather strange disguise for an asylum seeker

Canadian authorities in Vancouver arrested a man after arrival on an Air Canada flight coming from Hongkong. The passenger was observed as an elderly Caucasian man when he boarded the flight. After visiting the bathroom while in flight he emerged as an asian looking male in his twenties.We wonder if this guy really thought that this would go unnoticed.. Full story here

United Airlines Unveils Oprah's Fare Well Tour Jet

United Airlines today unveiled The Oprah Winfrey Show Farewell Season Plane. The Boeing 757 aircraft is newly painted – from nose to tail – with imagery from The Oprah Winfrey Show Farewell Season. Onboard the aircraft, customers will notice a specially decorated interior and will be greeted by a special onboard video welcome from Oprah Winfrey. Watch the 55 second time lapse video of the paint job below.

First Continental Widebody gets new United livery

Courtesy of United Airlines

In addition to the 737s, 757s and regional jets painted, a Continental operated 777 with the new look was seen last weekend at New York's Newark airport. United recons it will take them approximately 2 years to repaint the entire fleet.