Jaunted - Tag: 737

The Way We Once Traveled: American Airlines' Astrojet

JetSetCD — 2012-01-16T13:49:59-05:00

We'll fully admit that we save our ticket stubs even sometimes our bag tags. Of course travelers of decades ago were no different; in fact, they were worse. Sometimes we dig up vintage gems that deserve to be shared. All week, we'll look at a few lost pieces of ephemera that continue to inspire.

In the 1960s, when the World's Fair was taking over New York City, American Airlines had nice little pamphlets printed to attempt to entice people who didn't live in New York into taking their planes to visit the event. What planes, exactly? Oh, just the newest Boeing dressed up in a shiny silver paintjob complete with red lightning bolt, a look called the Astrojet.

Flying from Toronto to Chicago in a 737: Our First-Person Flight Sim Fun

jetflyboy — 2012-01-05T11:54:17-05:00

Since we do a good amount of flying, we've been lucky enough to enjoy seat 1A but also thankful enough just to be onboard in the last row of economy. Recently, this Jaunted writer had the opportunity to sit in an all totally new area of the plane (to us). No, I didn't get to travel in the cargo hold as luggage, instead I got to fly the plane.

Long gone are the days when children were escorted up to the cockpit for a view of the brains of the aircraft, a visit with the pilots, and, inevitably, a set of plastic wings. Since 2001, airlines no longer allow passengers access to the flight deck for obvious reasons, but the dream still exists for many.

Last month we told you all about the British Airways simulator gift card idea. Obviously, my family and friends were listening since I received a boarding pass (gift voucher) for a 60-minute flight simulator experience with a company called Flight Experience. As someone whose interests are primarily consumed by travel, I am always looking for a way to upgrade. Naturally I went ahead and upgraded myself from the 60 to the 90-minute simulation.

This Airplane Has a Movember Mustache

JetSetCD — 2011-11-15T13:35:18-05:00

In the only bit of positive news from Qantas this month, the airline has painted a mustache on one of its Boeing 737s. The mustache is to show Qantas' support for Movember and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. "Movember" has, over the last few years, become more and more popular around the world as a time for guys to grow a mustache to draw attention to prostate cancer. It's essentially the male version of women wearing pink during Breast Cancer Awareness month (which was October).

The Movember cause hits close to home for Qantas, as CEO Alan Joyce is a survivor of prostate cancer. His was discovered and treated, but he notes: "if it weren't for early detection, there is every chance I would have been dead within 10 years."

The Latest on the Southwest Airlines Issues, Delays, and Cancellations

kjb — 2011-04-04T08:42:41-05:00

Alright, so in case you missed it over the weekend, a Southwest Airlines plane had to make an emergency landing at a military base in Yuma, Arizona due to a 3' hole in the airplane. The good news is that the pilots and flight attendants kept passengers calm and got everyone back on the ground safely, but the bad news is that this could actually even happen.

Following the incident, Southwest sent a portion of their fleet in for extensive checks, examining their fuselages for cracking. So far they’ve giving the go ahead for around 19 planes to join their friends back in the air and they’re still busy reviewing the rest of the planes to ensure that they’re good-to-go.

There's Still Time To Pay Last Respects To United's 737

kjb — 2009-09-24T08:58:20-05:00

We’re all about praising new startup airlines with their fancy new menus, in-flight WiFi, and other nouveau niceties. But we do still have a place in our hearts for the classics, and that’s why we are a little sad to see United Airlines’ last Boeing 737 fly off into the sunset. The Airbus A320 is the new kid in town, but we’ll definitely miss the good old days of listening to Channel 9 and having to rely solely on the safety card in the seatback pocket for in-flight entertainment.

The last flight of their Boeing 737-300 will be on October 28, and fittingly, it will be flight number 737. The old bird will take off from Washington Dulles, make stops at ORD, DEN, and LAX, before finishing its career at SFO. San Francisco is where the airline will start stripping the plane of all the good bits and pieces before sending it out to pasture in Victorville, California. It’s been a long 41 years for the plane, and despite the forced retirement, United wants to send it off with a little fanfare.

What Fuel Prices? Copa Adds New Routes, New Planes

pbb — 2008-08-07T15:45:06-05:00

Continuing the trend of foreign carriers that are doing just fine despite doom and gloom in the US aviation market, Copa Airlines is adding new service to cities across South America and the Caribbean and will add six new planes to its fleet by the end of this year.

All the new routes will be out of Tocumen International Airport in Panama, the airline's long-time base, and will serve Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. Service starts in December.

On the aircraft front, six new Boeing 737s will bring the Copa fleet up to 43 planes. The carrier also already owns more than a dozen Embraer 190s, which are about to get really popular in Brazil.

Related Stories:
· Copa Airlines Announces Expansion Plans [Official Site]
· New Routes coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: egmb757lover]

Air China Didn't Get the Memo

pbb — 2008-07-17T11:33:55-05:00

The near-term future of Chinese aviation is all about smaller planes, so when Air China needed some big jets, it had to look elsewhere. The state-owned carrier just announced that it plans to buy 45 new aircraft from Boeing, growing its fleet by 35 percent with the purchase.

Most of the new 777s and 737s will fly out of Beijing, further entrenching the airline at PEK. (You know the flag carrier gets that sweet real estate in T3.) Also on the horizon for Air China are 15 787s, if and when those next-generation jets roll off the line.

What we're still wondering about, though, is when these new planes will be delivered. After all, another carrier just jumped to the front of the Boeing production queue.

Related Stories:
· Air China Announces $6.3 Billion Deal [AP, via Google]
· Happily Welcoming Our New Chinese Aviation Overlords [Jaunted]
· Boeing coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Air China's Olympics livery: Wikimedia]