As Low-Cost-Carrier Wars Continue as 2 Join Forces

Amid an increasingly crowded airline landscape, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines have announced a definitive merger agreement under which they will combine to "create America's most competitive Ultra-low fare airline." The arms race of low cost carriers has accelerated over recent years, ultimately resulting in the designation of "ultra-low-cost-carriers" to distinguish those who continue to carve operating costs to the bone. The merger comes after a bid of nearly $3 billion by Spirit for its relative competitor, in what they hope will grow to strengthen their foundation in the market. The resulting company will serve destinations across the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean

AD 2021-26-22 Prompted By An Uncontained Failure Of An HPT Stage 2 Disk

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2020-20-13 for certain General Electric Company (GE) CF6-80A and CF6-80C model turbofan engines. AD 2020-20-13 required ultrasonic inspection (UI) of high-pressure turbine (HPT) stage 1 and stage 2 disks and replacement of any HPT stage 1 or stage 2 disk that fails the inspection. This AD was prompted by an uncontained failure of an HPT stage 2 disk and the manufacturer's subsequent determination to expand the population of affected HPT disks requiring UI inspection. This AD requires UI of HPT stage 1 and stage 2 disks and replacement of any HPT stage 1 or stage 2 disk that fails the inspection. This AD also expands the appli