IAGblog Podcasts

A this year's WAEA conference in Palm Springs, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to catch up with AirCell's EVP John Happ. John explains that AirCell is still growing rapidly - their fleet size is approaching 600 aircraft and will be at 700 by year end. This number is expected to double in 2010.

Interestingly he tells us the firm will be talking about an option for beyond the shoreline option next year. He also notes the business model remains in flux - "optimization is a challenge". Approximately 85% of users access the system from a laptop - and of the remainder, some two thirds access is from an iPhone.

Perry Flint is Editorial Director at Air Transport World and joins us each month to discuss a topic facing commercial aviation. This month it is the much mentioned green shoots some airline managers have been talking about. Perry doesn't see green shoots. In fact he sees some fundamental issues airlines need to be thinking about, not least of which is the rise in digital communications.

Having spent part one speaking about the amazing heritage of Europe's aerospace industry, in part two we discuss the movement of the skills. Where did the engineers go?

While some went off to join firms like Bombardier, Airbus and even Embraer, many stayed in the EU. Indeed, Europe has seen a resurgent design sector with top class design shops like GCT and Ferchau supplying their designs to the top tier aerospace manufacturers.

These firms represent a new type of aerospace output from Europe. Top class design and manufacturing which is just in time for the global outsourcing in this industry.

Antione Viollet is assistant editor of Air-Scoop, a leading source of insight into the LCC business. Just back from this year's conference, he shares his thoughts on what he saw and heard. There was, as you can imagine, a lot of talk about survival. Not so long ago the talk was about eco-friendly operations and high fuel prices. But the world has moved on and the new crisis is economic, so eco-friendly ops goes on the back burner.

The EU was famous for its splendid aerospace - Fokker, BAe, SAAB, Aerospatiale, CASA, Dornier. Any enthusiast knows these names. So what happened over the last decade? These fabulous names and great products disappeared. What happened to the technologies, people and creativity?

Fokker invented the regional jet concept decades ago. SAAB made an awesome turboprop - best in class. Dornier had a winner in its 728 - its the design now seen in SuperJet and CSeries. BAe's RJ was also ahead of its time.

Erkan Pinar and Jonathan Norris work in the industry and share their thoughts on this fantastic heritage and we lament on what was and might have been. Myopia killed a lot of great talent - talent now scattered around the world. And, without question, its the EU's loss.

To give a quick review of today's tanker briefing we assembled Richard Aboulafia, Scott Hamilton and Ernie Arvai. The consensus view is that the approach is more transparent than before, suiting both vendors. But the political interference is already on the table. The process is likely to be as messy as before.

This is the plane that started it all - the original Jumbo Jet. For those who have seen it up close, its something you don't forget. Telling us how the program is going (very, very well, thank you), is Jeff Armentrout, Lockheed Martin's C-5 Business Development Manager.

Jeff explains how the M is exceeding expectations - they set out to break over 30 records on a recent flight and managed over 40! The airframe has 70% of its life left and therefore can go to 2040. Truly a testament to remarkable engineering. About 75% of the better performance comes from the GE CF-6 engines.

Jeff then goes on to share thoughts about what might come next; composites, more avionics improvements, and improved fuel burn from better drag and, maybe, winglets! Yes, think about how big those would have to be on that wing. This is a great briefing for any fan of older planes that still do their job very well.

The concept is great - minimize dead time in flight by going online. Straightforward, right? For a passenger maybe. But for firms in this space - both vendors and airlines, the business models are unsettled. David Friedman and Arman Afsar are both industry veterans. They share their thoughts on the industry and its challenges with pricing, access, content and that bugbear - in seat power. In the end, we agree the industry remains uncertain - exploring for a revenue recipe that works for vendors, airlines and of course passengers.

Now that Japan Airlines is in play, a tectonic plate shift is occurring in the airline industry. Ted Reed, airline correspondent at TheStreet.com, broke a story this week that describes these events. Ted explains what the stakes are for OneWorld and Sky Team alliances. OneWorld and its members cannot afford to lose JAL. Sky Team on the other hand can play a disruptive hand here, forcing OneWorld to pay more than it wants to keep JAL. Fascinating times.

Yesterday Boeing shared some new thinking and images of its
tankers. Now there's a family and as the image above shows, the 767 has seemingly undergone a new look with winglets. Bill Barksdale, Boeing's Director of Communication for Global Mobility Systems shares the company's thinking on costs, new flight decks and Boeing's ability to try out maneuver its competitor. Boeing's tankers even have their own website now - www.unitedstatestanker.com.

Say what you will about the competition, one thing is sure, Boeing has worked to develop a much better offering. Competition has already performed its task. The other side has no doubt also been revising and refining its plans.

Previous Page  |  Next Page