A380 to return to New York JFK

Since Emirates pulled the A380 off services between Dubai and New York's JFK Airport in early 2009 due to poor passenger numbers the big apple has not had the benefit of any A380 services from any carrier. That is set to change from November 23 when Air France receives their first super-jumbo which they have announced will operate daily on the Paris (CDG) to New York (JFK) route.

In addition Emirates have announced that due to recovering passenger numbers they expect to see their A380 return to the Dubai (DXB) New York (JFK) route within the first half of 2010. At present the company hasn't revealed exactly how many services will return but for detail of routes as soon as they're announced stay tuned...

It will be great to services returning to New York as this will now make it possible to fly almost entirely around the world on the A380 (currently the only gap is across the continental US - between New York JFK and Los Angeles LAX).

Also for detail of the Air France A380 timetable and all other carriers A380 services see the following up to date post:

Which Routes the Airbus A380 flies:

V Australia take off to Thailand & South Africa

V Australia, the international offshoot of Australian Airline Virgin Blue has announced the expansion of its network adding two new destinations. The airline will add services to Phuket (Thailand) from Brisbane and Melbourne, plus flights between Melbourne and Johannesburg (South Africa). In addition there with also be increased services to Los Angeles with twice weekly flights between Melbourne and LA. The airline has also applied to fly between Australia and Fiji and says it's keen to keep expanding its network for its customers.

The implementation schedule for the above services is outlined below:

• Brisbane to Phuket - twice weekly from 22 Nov 2009.
• Melbourne to Phuket - once per week from 3 Dec 2009.
• Melbourne to Los Angeles - twice weekly from 1 Dec 2009.Melbourne to Johannesburg - one per week from 13 Mar 2010. (In time for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in S.Africa)

It is great to see that even in these turbulent times for the aviation industry where many airlines are cutting services at least some Airlines are still expanding their network and providing customers with greater flying options and prices to match. See the V Australia website for introductory sale prices in economy and business classes.

Virgin Galactic - Flying... but not as you know it!!!

Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group is renowned for taking wild ideas and making them into an everyday reality. His latest venture to make space travel affordable for the "average" person took a step closer with Virgin Galactic officially unveiling its Mothership for public viewing. The aircraft named WhiteKnightTwo was on show at Mojave Air & Space Port in Los Angeles for the annual gathering of the Experimental Aircraft Association's Air Venture before a host of engineers, space enthusiasts and dignitaries.

While the craft has at least 12 months of rigorous testing still ahead before any commercial flights are even considered, the latest news move the dream of many one step closer to reality. Virgin Galactic already has more than 300 reservation from people keen to experience weightlessness and a journey to the outer atmosphere. At US$200,000 per person it doesn't come cheap, but then again what price can you put on a once in a life-time experience...

So if you're one of the lucky ones with a spare 200k lying around and keen to share the experience with the other 300 your chance could be closer than you think. Meanwhile for the rest of us, we are left to watch in awe and keep saving!!!

Visit the following link to learn more about Virgin Galactic and keep up to date with the latest news:

http://www.virgingalactic.com/

Boeing 787 Dreamliner remains a dream... for now!!!

Yet another set of delays have meant that Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner remains a dream for a while longer. Boeing last month failed to meet an earlier announcement that the 787 would fly by the end of June due to design problems during ground testing.

The delays are the fifth in a series of problems including parts shortages, defects and subsequent redesigns which customers awaiting the aircraft getting inpatient with Boeing failure to meet its promises. Already Boeing has lost 73 orders for the plane this year which brings its order book down to 850.

With the latest delays likely to postpone its inaugural flight by at least six months Boeing could well find more airlines using their escape clauses in their contracts to defer or cancel more orders in the present economic environment. While Boeing has not announced a revised flight date, Boeing said it intended to provide an update to the market in the next two months.

While the delays are frustrating for carriers and passengers alike, safety should and does remain of primary concern. For the moments everyone will just have to sit tight and wait for Boeing to sort out its latest problems. But rest assured, this plane will fly when the time is right... Boeing has to much riding on it for it not to.