UNITED AIRLINES

United Airlines, Professional Airline Flight Control Association and Transport Workers Union Reach Tentative Agreement; United and Association of Flight Attendants Announce Collaborative Process

United Airlines today announced that the company has reached a tentative agreement on a new joint collective bargaining agreement with the Professional Airline Flight Control Association (PAFCA) and the Transport Workers Union (TWU) for United's dispatchers. PAFCA represents dispatchers at the United subsidiary, and TWU represents dispatchers at the Continental subsidiary. The tentative agreement covers and is subject to ratification by United's more than 330 dispatchers. United, PAFCA and TWU reached this agreement with the assistance of the National Mediation Board (NMB).

"Working with the National Mediation Board, we were able to reach a responsible tentative agreement that recognizes the good work and contributions of our dispatchers," said Tracy Lee, United's vice president of network operations. "I want to thank the National Mediation Board and the negotiating committee for helping us reach this important milestone."

In addition, United reached agreement with the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) this week to begin a collaborative process of facilitated problem-solving in an effort to reach a joint collective agreement for flight attendants. United has used similar processes to achieve joint agreements with other work groups, and the airline was encouraged by AFA's commitment to move forward on this positive, working-together path. The parties have requested the assistance of the NMB to facilitate these discussions, and will meet with NMB representatives next week and during the next scheduled bargaining session in June.

United has achieved joint collective bargaining agreements with a majority of the company's represented work force, including pilots, fleet service, passenger service, reservations and storekeeper workgroups. The company expects to enter back into negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, representing United's technicians, soon.

About UnitedUnited Airlines and United Express operate an average of more than 5,200 flights a day to 369 airports across six continents. In 2013, United and United Express carried more passenger traffic than any other airline in the world and operated nearly two million flights carrying 139 million customers. United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft and, in 2014, will take delivery of 35 new Boeing aircraft, including the B787-9 as the North American launch customer, and will welcome 27 new E175 aircraft to United Express. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 195 countries via 26 member airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world.

THIS WEEK AT NASA

VÍDEO DE LA SEMANA EN LA NASA

Fuente : NASA

FIRST A380 DELIVERY TO ASIANA AIRLINES

Vídeo: Entrega el día 26 de mayo del primer A380

Fuente : AIRBUS

ILA - BERLIN AIR SHOW

Berlin Air Show's busy first day, which was officially opened during a ceremony with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

LA FLORISTA Y EL AVIADOR

“Para atrás ni para coger impulso”, la frase se la atribuyen al comandante Che Guevara. No estoy de acuerdo con él. Una mirada hacia el pasado, reafirma quienes somos hoy en día.

Este breve relato puede parecer peliculero pero ¡¡NO!! Es real

Era un 21 de mayo de 1969. Hace 45 años, la florista y el aviador se habían conocido casualmente unos meses antes. Algo comenzó a nacer.

Por Sant Jordi, fiesta catalana que se celebra el 23 de abril, ella tímidamente le regaló un libro. Él le envió una rosa. Desde ese día y hasta el 21 de mayo coincidieron dos o tres veces. Hasta que el aviador la invitó a visitar el Aeropuerto de El Prat en Barcelona y mostrarle algo de lo que ella nunca había conocido.

En ese lugar, en la cabina de mando de un DC-4, la florista y el aviador se prometieron AMOR ETERNO. Ese fue el inicio, un amor sincero y duradero.

La florista, hace unos años voló hacia el infinito. El aviador continua recordando lo auténtico de ese pasado.

Yo arranqué

del jardín del amor

una pequeña flor

que en mi pecho guardé

Fascination

EL MISTERIO DEL VUELO MH370

"Flight MH370 the Mystery", este es el título del primer libro sobre la trágica desaparición del vuelo MH370 y que, según diversas fuentes anónimas, el avión malasio fue derribado durante ejercicios militares estadounidenses y tailandeses en el Mar de la China Meridional.

Según el escritor Cawthorme, lo que ocurrió con el Boeing 777, desaparecido desde el 8 de marzo, ha sido encubierto dado que "los implicados tendrían poderosas razones para guardar silencio", dice el escritor estadounidense que incluso de encontrarse las cajas negras, podrían tratarse de una falsificación realizada por quienes intentan ocultar lo ocurrido.

NOTA: El Mar de la China Meridional es una porción del Océano Pacifico que comunica a éste con el Océano Índico

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LA CIA HA OCULTADO INFORMACIÓN SOBRE EL AVIÓN MALASIO

El ex primer ministro de Malasia, Mahathir Mohama, acusó a la Agencia de Inteligencia de Estados Unidos (CIA) de encubrir información sobre la desaparición de la aeronave de Malaysia Airlines.

En medio de las crecientes versiones de que el avión fue blanco por "error" de un ejercicio militar conjunto entre EE. UU y Tailandia, Mahathir asegura que la CIA y la compañía Boeing, fabricante de la aeronave, han ocultado información sobre la desaparición. "Aviones como en MH370 no desaparecen". El influyente ex primer ministro asegura que en la actualidad ningún avión desaparece de la nada, ya que todos los sistemas de comunicación son de gran alcance, dan seguimiento por radio y vía satélite y que las cámaras de vídeo poseen gran capacidad de almacenamiento. "El avión está en algún lugar, tal vez sin las marcas de Malaysia Airlines", "El vuelo MH370 habría sido rastreado por satélites que normalmente proporcionan los datos en todos los vuelos comerciales, su posición, tipo de aeronave, número de vuelo, aeropuerto de salida y destino".

CHINA Y RUSIA COMPETIRÁN CON BOEING Y AIRBUS

China y Rusia elaborarán un avión que llegará a ser un competidor de los Boeing y Airbus.

Durante el encuentro del presidente ruso, Vladimir Putín, con su homólogo chino, Xi Jinping, que tiene lugar hoy martes en Shanghái, Rusia abrirá al país asiático el paso a la tecnología aeronáutica y elaborarán conjuntamente un avión de largo alcance y fuselaje ancho.

China estaría interesada en la construcción de por lo menos 1.000 aviones de doble pasillo, cuyo proyecto esquemático ya ha sido elaborado por la Cooperación Aeronáutica Unida rusa. Si se alcanza hoy el acuerdo, Rusia y China podrían fundar una empresa aeronáutica conjunta que podría competir con la europea Airbus y la estadounidense Boeing.

PALMA DE MALLORCA : NUEVA RUTA CON REINO UNIDO Y ALEMANIA

El Aeropuerto de Palma de Mallorca estrenó hace unos días y hasta septiembre una nueva ruta con Birminghan (Reino Unido) que estará operada por la compañía inglesa FlyBe. La frecuencia será de cuatro operaciones a la semana, los martes, jueves, sábados y domingos.

También comenzó el pasado día 18 de mayo y hasta octubre, a operar una nueva ruta con Dresden (Alemania). La compañía es Germania y conectará el aeropuerto mallorquín con la ciudad alemana, dos veces por semana, los miércoles y domingos.

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EL TRÁFICO DE PASAJEROS EN EL AEROPUERTO DE SAN SEBASTIÁN CRECE 

Los cuatro primeros meses de 2014 se hjan saldado en el Aeropuerto de San Sebastián con un crecimiento del 7% en el rtráfico de pasajeros, hasta alcanzar la cifra de 72.696 pasajeros.

En el mes de abril los pasajeros registrados han sido 18.436 y las operaciones han ascendido a 427.

Actualmente los vuelos regulares disponibles conectan Gipuzkoa con Madrid y Barcelona, con Air Nostrum y Vueling respectivamente.

Denominación del Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas (+lista de repr...

AEROPUERTO ADOLFO SUAREZ - MADRID-BARAJAS

Vídeo : Cortesía de AENA

El sistema de navegación por satélite GBAS, operativo ya en España

NAVEGACIÓN POR SATÉLITE GBAS

Vídeo : Cortesía de AENA

Aeropuertos al limite - Capítulo 1

AEROPUERTOS AL LÍMITE 

Vídeo : Capitulo I

 

United Airlines Launches Service With New Embraer 175 Aircraft

Aircraft offers customers an improved regional flying experience

United Airlines has introduced the Embraer 175 aircraft to the United Express fleet, with service on the modern and spacious regional jet operating between Chicago and top business markets Washington and Boston.

United Express carrier SkyWest Airlines began Boston service today. Service between Chicago and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport began Saturday. The E175 flights complement existing United service in those markets.

The 76-seat E175 regional jet is the newest addition to the United Express fleet, enabling the airline to offer an improved regional jet experience. With 12 seats in United First, 16 seats in United Economy Plus and 48 seats in United Economy, the E175 offers more personal space for customers, with wider seats and aisles than other regional aircraft. Each United First seat features a power outlet. The aircraft's large overhead bins can accommodate standard-sized carry-on bags, resulting in more convenience for customers.

"We are thrilled to welcome the E175 to United Express and celebrate the launch of service from our hometown of Chicago," said Sandra Pineau-Boddison, United's senior vice president of United Express. "This fantastic new aircraft will enable us to better serve our customers, particularly in high-frequency business markets."

United will offer E175 in several additional markets beginning in June, complementing existing United services:

• Chicago-Minneapolis /St. Paul, beginning June 5
• Chicago-Atlanta, beginning June 15
• Houston-Atlanta, beginning June 15
• Houston-New Orleans, beginning June 15
• Chicago-New York LaGuardia, beginning June 23
• San Francisco-St. Louis, beginning Sept. 20
• San Francisco-Austin, beginning Oct. 26
• San Francisco-Dallas/Fort Worth, beginning Oct. 26
• San Francisco-Minneapolis/ St. Paul, beginning Oct. 26

SkyWest Airlines will operate the services to and from Chicago O'Hare International Airport and to and from San Francisco International Airport. Mesa Airlines will operate the flights to and from Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

United expects to introduce 70 E175 aircraft into the United Express fleet by the end of 2015. As United inducts new aircraft into the fleet, the airline will remove smaller, less efficient regional aircraft from the fleet. The E175s consume less fuel per seat and have fewer CO₂ emissions per seat than the aircraft they replace.

About United
United Airlines and United Express operate an average of more than 5,200 flights a day to 369 airports across six continents. In 2013, United and United Express carried more passenger traffic than any other airline in the world and operated nearly two million flights carrying 139 million customers. United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft and, in 2014, will take delivery of 35 new Boeing aircraft, including the B787-9 as the North American launch customer, and will welcome 27 new E175 aircraft to United Express. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 195 countries via 26 member airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world.

 

INFORMACIÓN INMEDIATA EN CASO DE COMPORTAMIENTO ANORMAL DE UN VUELO

La OACI decide que es una "prioridad" disponer de información inmediata en caso del comportamiento "anormal" de un vuelo, aunque considera que es más "rápido" que las aerolíneas implanten los sistemas necesarios de forma voluntaria.

A esa conclusión se llegó en la Reunión Especial Multidisciplinaria Sobre Seguimiento Mundial de Vuelos de Líneas Aéreas, celebrada en la sede de la OACI en Montreal, Canadá.

"Tras una reunión de dos días, la OACI ha comunicado a su Consejo que acepta un seguimiento internacional a los aviones, tras la desaparición del vuelo MH-370". 

La reunión congregó a representantes de controladores aéreos, aeropuertos, aerolíneas, pilotos, expertos de radio, y reguladores de aviación.

NASA's Fleet of Satellites Help Understand Climate Change on This Week @...

Vídeo : Cortesía de NASA

TRIPULACIÓN DE MUJERES

En la historia de IBERIA es la primera vez que, en un vuelo de largo radio, coincidió una tripulación formada exclusivamente por mujeres.

Una comandante y dos copilotos a los mandos del Airbus A340-600, volaron recientemente a Sao Paulo, con una sobrecargo y ocho tripulantes de cabina de pasajeros para atender a los 350 clientes que viajaron. ¡¡El mundo es de ellas...!!

Federal Aviation Administration Key Congressional Issues Update

FAA Proposes $63,000 Civil Penalty Against Skinfix, I The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $63,000 civil penalty against Skinfix, Inc., of Halifax, Nova Scotia, for allegedly violating U.S. Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Regulations. The FAA alleges that on July 10, 2013, Skinfix shipped a quart of ethyl alcohol on a UPS aircraft from Bedford, Nova Scotia to Chatsworth, Calif. Workers at the UPS package sorting facility in Louisville, Ky., discovered that some of the alcohol had leaked through the shipping box. Ethyl alcohol is considered to be a Hazard Class 3 Flammable Liquid. Investigators determined the shipment was not accompanied by shipping papers to indicate the hazardous nature of its contents and it was not marked, labeled or packed in accordance with the Hazardous Materials Regulations. The box also contained no hazardous material inner packing, such as inserts or absorbent materials, and failed to protect against a release of hazardous material into the environment under normal transportation conditions. The FAA alleges that Skinfix offered the shipment without providing emergency response information, and that the company failed to properly train its employees in packaging and shipping hazardous materials. Skinfix has given the FAA additional information to consider before making a final determination about the case.

Students in Cocoa, FL Speak with NASA Mission Control

Expedition 40/41 Crew Undergoes Final Training Outside Moscow

Vídeo : Cortesía de NASA

INSIDE THE FLAME NEBULA

Inside the Flame Nebula

Stars are often born in clusters, in giant clouds of gas and dust. Astronomers  have studied two star clusters using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory  and infrared telescopes and the results show that the simplest ideas for  the birth of these clusters cannot work, as described in our latest press  release. This composite image shows one of the clusters, NGC 2024, which  is found in the center of the so-called Flame Nebula about 1,400 light  years from Earth. In this image, X-rays from Chandra are seen as purple,  while infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope are colored red,  green, and blue. A study of NGC 2024 and the Orion Nebula Cluster,  another region where many stars are forming, suggest that the stars on the  outskirts of these clusters are older than those in the central regions.  This is different from what the simplest idea of star formation predicts,  where stars are born first in the center of a collapsing cloud of gas and  dust when the density is large enough. The research team developed a  two-step process to make this discovery. First, they used Chandra data  on the brightness of the stars in X-rays to determine their masses. Next,  they found out how bright these stars were in infrared light using  data from Spitzer, the 2MASS telescope, and the United Kingdom Infrared  Telescope. By combining this information with theoretical models, the  ages of the stars throughout the two clusters could be estimated.  According to the new results, the stars at the center of NGC 2024 were  about 200,000 years old while those on the outskirts were about 1.5  million years in age. In Orion, the age spread went from 1.2 million years in the middle of the cluster to nearly 2 million years for the stars toward the edges. Explanations for the new findings can be grouped  into three broad categories. The first is that star formation is continuing to  occur in the inner regions. This could have happened because the gas  in the outer regions of a star-forming cloud is thinner and more diffuse  than in the inner regions. Over time, if the density falls below a threshold  value where it can no longer collapse to form stars, star formation will  cease in the outer regions, whereas stars will continue to form in the  inner regions, leading to a concentration of younger stars there.  Another suggestion is that old stars have had more time to drift away  from the center of the cluster, or be kicked outward by interactions  with other stars. Finally, the observations could be explained if  young stars are formed in massive filaments of gas that fall toward  the center of the cluster. The combination of X-rays from Chandra  and infrared data is very powerful for studying populations of young  stars in this way. With telescopes that detect visible light, many  stars are obscured by dust and gas in these star-forming regions,  as shown in this optical image of the region. NASA's Marshall  Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra  program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.  The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge,  Mass., controls Chandra's science and flight operations. Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/PSU/K.Getman, E.Feigelson,  M.Kuhn & the MYStIX team; Infrared:NASA/JPL-Caltech ›

NASA : VIEW OF THE EARTH FROM MERCURY CAPSULE

On May 5, 1961, astronaut Alan B. Shepard,  Jr. had a view of Earth that no American had seen before, looking down on the home planet from the Freedom 7 Mercury capsule on his history makin suborbital flight.

The 15 minute flight lifted him to an altitude of over116 miles and a maximum speed of 5,134 miles per hour.

Durinbg the flight, Shepard reported seeing the outlines of the west coast of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, along wint Florida's Lake Okeechobee.

ETIHAD Y SUS AIRBUS A380 - AIR CHINA PEKÍN-BARCELONA

La aerolínea Etihad, con sede en Abu Dhabi, ofrecerá en breve a sus pasajeros acaudalados a los que ya no les agrada las butacas de primera clase una suite en miniatura, que consta de: un dormitorio con cama, un baño privado con ducha y un mayordomo.

En este nuevo lujo Erihad constará también con chefs privados y niñeras para los pasajeros de primera clase. El A380 también contará con una nueva primera clase denominada First Apartaments y clase de negocios, mientras que la cabina de clase turistica tendrá asientos "inteligentes". 

AIR CHINA ESTABLECE VUELOS ENTRE PEKÍN Y BARCELONA

El primer avión que cubre esta ruta aterrizó en el Aeropuerto de El Prat esta mañana a las 10,15 horas locales, después de 13 horas de vuelo, con 271 pasajeros a bordo.

Air China operará entre las dos ciudades con cuatro vuelos semanales (lunes, jueves, viernes y domingo) con una parada técnica en Viena. La compañía utiliza un Airbus A320-300 de 290 plazas.

EL VUELO MH370 DE MALAYSIA

Once personas relacionadas con la red terrorista internacional Al Qaeda han sido detenidas la semana pasada y están siendo interrogadas en relación a la desaparición del vuelo MH370 desaparecido.

Los sospechosos fueron arrestados en Kuala Lumpur, en el estado malasio de Kedar.  Todos los detenidos son miembros de un grupo terrorista de reciente formación que estaban planeando atentados en el país.

Los detenidos son estudiantes, trabajadores, e incluso una joven viuda, y su detención e  interrogatorio obedece a una petición directa del FBI y el MI6, el servicio de inteligencia exterior británico.

Según las informaciones disponibles, algunos de los sospechosos han reconocido que estaban planeando atentados en Malasia pero todos han negado su implicación en la desaparición del avión.

Sin embargo, y según confirmaron fuentes oficiales a un diario británico, "la posibilidad de que el avión fuera desviado por terroristas" todavía es creible y los investigadores internacionales han pedido que se escrutine a este nuevo grupo terrorista.

A MUSICAL MOMENT ON THE SPACE STATIO

VÍDEO : Cortesía de NASA

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and general aviation groups will launch an eight-month national safety campaign titled, "Got Weather? #GotWx," to help general aviation (GA) pilots prepare for potential weather challenges they may encounter during the 2014 flying season.  FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and GA leaders will kick-off the Got Weather? campaign this Sunday, May 4, in Anchorage at the Great Alaska Aviation Gathering. "General aviation is a vibrant part of our country's culture and our economy," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "But too many lives are lost each year in general aviation crashes related to weather.  This campaign will help ensure that our general aviation pilots are prepared in the face of bad weather and are as safe and well-trained as possible." The United States has the busiest and most complex airspace in the world, including a very active GA community of 188,000 pilots. Weather is the most lethal cause of all major causes of GA accidents. According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), nearly 75 percent of weather-related accidents are fatal. "GA pilots have an opportunity to make a real difference in improving safety this season by asking friends and family to get engaged in the campaign, by being prepared, and fine tuning their pre-flight decision making skills," said FAA Administrator Huerta. "The Got Weather? campaign takes advantage of the tremendous resources our GA partners have for pilots to improve their skills and knowledge."   The Got Weather? safety campaign will run through December and refresh each month to feature a new weather topic such as turbulence, thunderstorms, icing, crosswinds, and the resources available to pilots.  Pilots can go to one user-friendly website to get fast facts about the topic and links to partner videos, safety seminars, quizzes, proficiency programs, online training, case studies, and more. The campaign partners will share campaign materials, link to the website, and promote the campaign on social media. "Weather is the one variable in flight that we haven't certificated, and Mother Nature's performance is capable of overriding forecasts and aircraft specifications. The best preparation is a full understanding of what you're up against," said Bruce Landsberg, president of the AOPA Foundation. "The link between aviation safety and weather is something that can never be overemphasized," said Sean Elliott, vice president of safety and advocacy for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. "Understanding weather and how it affects your planned flight is essential, and that's why EAA supports this safety initiative for all aviators." "Ensuring a safe flight is the first and most important responsibility for all pilots," said National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) President and CEO Ed Bolen. "Since adverse weather is the leading cause of the most severe aviation incidents, we are joining with FAA and the industry to promote an intense focus on using the best weather information available and making sound judgments to ensure continued enhancements to aviation safety." The National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) Most Wanted List includes "GA: Identify and Communicate Hazardous Weather," as one of the Board's advocacy priorities. According to the NTSB, FAA's Got Weather? outreach efforts are an encouraging sign of the FAA and aviation community's commitment to improving GA safety. The Got Weather? campaign partners are: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA), American Electronics Association (AEA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), FAA Safety Team (FAASTeam), GA Joint Steering Committee, General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Helicopter Association International (HAI), National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA), National Air Transportation Association (NATA), National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO), National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI), National Business Aircraft Association (NBAA), Soaring Society of America (SSA), Society of Aviation and Flight Educators (SAFE), University Aviation Association (UAA), U.S. Parachute Association (USPA).

AIR CANADA NUEVA RUTA CON CATALUNYA

Desde el próximo 9 de mayo, el aeropuerto el Prat de Barcelona recibirá el primero de los cinco vuelos semanales Barcelona a Toronto que tiene previsto ofrecer AIR CANADA. Programa de vuelos que estará activo hasta el 25 de octubre.

Air Canada operará con una aeronave Boeing B767-300ER con capacidad para 240 pasajeros en clase turista y la posibilidad de reservar asientos especiales más cómodos y con mayor espacio entre asientos, situados  en la denominada Premium Rouge.

También, desde el día 5 de junio y hasta el 20 de octubre, Air Canada operará dos vuelos semanales Barcelona-Montreal, con una capacidad de 240 pasajeros en clase turista y 24 en Premium Rouge.

Air Canada, miembro fundador de Star Alliance, vuela a más de 180 destinos en cinco continentes: 60 destinos dentro de Canada, 54 en Estados Unidos y 67 en Europa, Oriente Medio, Asia, Australia, Caribe, México y América del sur.

El pasado año 2013, Air Canada transportó a más de 35 millones de pasajeros.