Rumor Mill Abuzz with Fleet Composition Guesses

A merger between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines is coming to fruition, and the reception is, as it always is between separate pilot groups, cautious at best. The Air Line Pilots Association weighed in with a somewhat benign comment, stating only that the Alaska Airlines Master Executive Council (ALA MEC) "evaluated the business case for this merger and what it may mean for pilots of both Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines as well as our passengers and other stakeholders."

Real Time Flight Routing Saves Fuel, Money at Carrier Scale

NASA has published a brief review of its success in a pilot program with carriers using an EFB-based routing app that provides en-route, real time guidance for improved efficiency and flight times. The Regulator designed the Traffic-Aware Strategic Aircrew Requests (TASAR) system, a piece of algorithmic software that crunches the specs of each and every route possibility to provide the best choice for pilots. With the basis for routing, NASA found an eager partner in APiJET (formerly iJET), a connectivity company that offered a broad spectrum of updated info throughout the air traffic system. The firm licensed TASAR from NASA for use in their "Digital Winglets" app, named after the NASA invention.

Deal Brings Za600 Engines to the UK for "World's First Electric Airline"

ZeroAvia found a like-minded partner abroad, finding a deal with up-and-comer Ecojet abroad. Ecojet, a nascent carrier promising to be the "flag carrier for green Britain", will be open for business in 2024 using a fleet of standard transport aircraft for its routes to and from Edinburgh. Not long after, thanks to a deal with ZeroAvia, the carrier hopes to retrofit the entire fleet with the firm's ZA600 engines - whenever they're certified, of course. At the moment, ZeroAvia is looking for certification in 2025.