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Tags: iPhone Travel Apps / iPhone / iPhone 3GS / Air Traffic Control / JFK / AMS / Airports / Airport News / → All Tags

Listen In On Air Traffic Control From Your iPhone

Noting that Labor Day weekend means one of the busiest travel times of the year, we're tuning in to something other than our iTunes on our iPhone. It's a newish app, released this summer, and it comes from the great people behind LiveATC.net, which lets you tune in to streaming air traffic control at select airports around the world.

At $2.99, it's the most expensive app we've bought, but there's just something exciting about listening in on JFK's Tower as flights depart and arrive for everywhere from Nice, France to Rochester. A few mornings ago, we even caught the air traffic controllers wrestling with some Coast Guard traffic and the occasional helicopter.

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Tags: Tragedy / Turkish Airlines / Disasters / AMS / Chesley Sullenberger / → All Tags

Turkish Airlines Jet Crashes Outside Schiphol Airport

A Turkish Airlines 737 carrying 134 passengers from Istanbul crashed into a field outside Amsterdam Schiphol Airport today.

After initial reports that all of the passengers and the crew survived comes the news that nine people have died in the crash. Twenty people are also reported to be seriously injured. From the NY Times:

Candan Karlitekin, the chairman of Turkish Airlines, said most of the injured were seated at the back of the plane. “There was nothing extraordinary about the weather conditions, vision capability was 4,500 meters. Around 500 meters away from the landing strip, the plane landed in a field. The plane was broken into three parts, as you all saw in pictures.” ”

No one is sure yet as to why the plane crashed with Turkish Airlines saying the pilot was one of their most experienced pilots on staff. Investigations are obviously underway to determine what could have brought the plane down just three miles away from the airport runway.

Further shaking our faith in the aviation industry is Flight 1549 hero Capt. Sully who told U.S. Congress yesterday that the best airline pilots are quitting the commercial aviation industry because their pay and pensions have been slashed. We can't have that so let's pray that 2009 begins to turn around for airlines...quick.

Related Stories:
· 9 Dead as Turkish Plane Crashes in Amsterdam [NY Times]
· Captain 'Sully' Sullenberger Says A Good Pilot's Getting Hard to Find [WNYC]

Tags: All Business Class Carriers / OpenSkies / L'Avion / British Airways / Open Skies / JFK / AMS / New Routes / → All Tags

OpenSkies Travel: New Seats, New Routes

OpenSkies, the premium transatlantic airline launched by British Airways, recently announced it would start Amsterdam-New York service. But the bigger news from the airline is that it's about to rip out all its economy class seats.

Yep, now that Eos, MaxJet and Silverjet have left the market, OpenSkies is going all business class, removing the 30-passenger economy cabin and filling the space with 12 "Prem+" seats with 52 inches of pitch and 140-degree recline. With the existing premium seats and first class, the carrier's one 757 will only carry 64 passengers at a time.

Why the change? The managing director of the carrier, Dale Moss, told Cranky Flier Brett Snyder that those economy seats were "a distraction." Seems he'd rather focus on new destinations instead: Boston and Washington are candidates for future service, as are Barcelona, Brussels and Milan.

Related Stories:
· OpenSkies to Add Amsterdam Flights [Airline Biz Blog]
· OpenSkies' Earth-Shaking Announcement [The Cranky Flier]
· All Business Class Carriers coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Wikimedia]