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Nov 01, 2024

Southwest's New Bamboo Cups: What Do You Think Of This Plastic Reducing Initiative?

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Excellent Idea. unfortunately it won't last. The OIL industtry will lobby government to get it re-introduced. Got to keep these law-breaking conglomerates happy.

I just hope the new Chinese pandas delivered to America don't get near any Southwest aircraft

Step backwards. Plastic is recyclable. This is not clean cardboard waste, so it goes straight to landfill. - the stir stick is a nice touch.

If they really want to go green, go back to ceramic mugs that are washable and reusable.

Plastic cups may have a recycling symbol on them, but they're rarely actually recyclable, especially now that China doesn't let us ship our trash to them. The bamboo cup should be compostable.

Tohoboy: someone does not know how plastics are recycled. I wonder who. Read and learn.

Somebody doesn’t understand the plastic cycle.

? My plastic is recycled locally. The various types are cleaned, melted down, then extruded into new plastic products. It has never been shipped to China or India. There is no composting available. It simply gets put in with the regular trash and buried in the landfill They even shut down our grass clipping composting, so now all our grass is buried also.

"To decompose bamboo you need two fungi strains; Blue stain fungi and White lignin fungi, these will take around 4-6 months to decompose the lignin and cellulose in the bamboo and that will allow it to rot into compost" - any idea the mound of 6 months of 'disposable' cups looks like?

Sure Randy, plastic is “recyclable,” but it is the oil industry that has duped you into the scam. Most plastic waste in recycling bins doesn’t get recycled. It ends up in a landfill, incinerator, or dumped in a poor country. There’s no market or demand for recycled plastic when virgin plastic is so cheap. Quit kidding yourself that using plastic is somehow better.

I'll find out next week.

You have my sympathies.

Don t want to fly Southwest but every initiative that prevents single use plastic is certainly much welcome.

Turkish Airlines has flown to Karachi for a long time, and some flights continued to Dhaka in 2011/2012. Yet, it took until 2014 for the service to be daily, symbolizing its difficulty in expanding in Pakistan.Istanbul-Islamabad flights began in 2011, and Lahore in 2013. They became daily in 2015, a frequency maintained since then.Like many operators, Turkish faces considerable bilateral restrictions, which the extent and nature of market access. This is also why the carrier's Indian presence has barely changed and it uses IndiGo to increase access.Turkish has finally grown in Pakistan. Islamabad flights have risen to 10 weekly and Lahore to 11. Both are records and are now operational.While the A330-200/300 is mainly flown, Islamabad will also see the A350-900 and 787-9 this winter (as will Lahore at times in November/December).In the past year, Istanbul-Islamabad had 33,000 point-to-point passengers and Lahore 36,000.In contrast, Karachi had 89,000 (which benefits from Pe

In this job, I've been lucky to travel all across the continents, from North America to Asia. However, my journey in the skies started long ago when I was just three years old, during a trip to Delhi with my family. According to my parents, the aircraft I flew on was an Air India Boeing 747. What was your first flight? Let us know below!

In August, the world has more than 8,600 daily widebody-operated flights. One in 12 of the world's services is on a twin-aisle. Most flights are on the Boeing 777-300ER, an excellent variant for range, high-capacity passenger cabins, and considerable belly-hold freight volume. The A330-300 is second, and the 787-9 is third. It raises an obvious question: which widebody type or variant have you flown the most? Let us know!

Flight demand between the United States and Europe is at an all-time high. Notably, there are 4,674 one-way flights scheduled between the the US and UK this month, according to Cirium data. British Airways dominates the number of weekly flights. However, there is a host of other carriers with a significant presence in the market both sides of the pond. It’s not only the major operators such as the US Big Three and Virgin Atlantic that have a stronghold. The likes of JetBlue, Aer Lingus, TUI, and Norse Atlantic Airways are also regulars across the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, there are mainstays across the Americas and continental Europe. So, with a range of airlines to choose from, which one is the best? Let us know below!

As much as we love to dream about trips in the cabins up front, the majority of us enjoy most of our flights down back in the cheap seats. There’s usually not much to write home about - just enough space to be tolerable, perhaps some IFE if we’re lucky. But not all economy seats are equal. At their smallest, economy class seats might be 17 inches wide, with a pitch of 28 or 29 inches. Conversely, some carriers treat passengers to 34 inches of pitch and seats that are 18 inches wide; when you’re packed into the economy cabin, every inch matters.Of course, seats are very aircraft-specific. Within one fleet, there may be an Airbus A220 with a generous 19-inch seat width and 32 inches of pitch, alongside a Boeing 737-800 with seats of just 17 inches wide and a 30-inch pitch. You’d think long haul aircraft would have the best economy seats, given the time we’re expected to spend in them. But get this - the seats in the A321neo are 18 inches wide; in the 787 Dreamliner, they’re only 17

At Routes World in Bahrain, Etihad's Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer, Arik De, said that the carrier will announce "another US route very soon." Naturally, he gave no hints. It currently serves Boston, Chicago O'Hare, New York JFK, and Washington Dulles. In the past, it flew to Dallas/Fort Worth (until March 2018), Los Angeles (March 2020), and San Francisco (October 2017).Where would you like them to fly next? Let us know!

Given oneworld Alliance carrier Alaska Airlines’ recent acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, it would appear another brand is set to join the oneworld fold. The smallest of the three major airline alliances with just 13 current members, the group has the potential to grow even further.Two airlines have already confirmed they will be joining the program in the coming months. Fiji Airways (which is set to adopt the American Airlines AAdvantage loyalty program) and Oman Air (the second Gulf carrier to join oneworld following Qatar Airways) will officially join the group. Speaking to Simple Flying’s Sumit Singh earlier this summer, oneworld CEO Nathaniel Pieper said that any future airlines must bring a range of new destinations without significantly eroding the market share of existing oneworld carriers. Which airlines do you think have a complimentary network that would fit well in the oneworld Alliance?

Airbus today shared that it is talking with Rolls-Royce regarding plans for a new narrowbody aircraft for the late 2030s. The manufacturer already has the successful A320 family under its belt and also took on the A220 program from Bombardier in 2018. Julie Kitcher, the chief sustainability officer of Airbus, told Simple Flying at the Farnborough Airshow that her company is looking to continue improving aircraft fuel efficiency. What other changes could we see with this type? Let us know what you think below!

There are three major airline alliances in the world. These are oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam. Frequent travelers will often try to stick to member airlines of one alliance as their status is reciprocal across the alliance. Being based in Frankfurt, I tend to find myself flying with Star Alliance carriers, though I also enjoy flying on oneworld Airlines when I get the chance. Let us know which your preferred alliance is in the comments below!

In November/December, Breeze will fly to 65 airports with 172 routes involving 30 states. For now, the carrier's entire network is domestic. Some 29 of the 65 airports are brand-new to its network this year.As everyone knows, Breeze mainly begins routes without direct competition when it takes off, and there are numerous examples of airport pairs that have never been served before. A whopping 81% of routes do not have direct competition. Fort Myers—where it opened a base at the start of October—will have the most flights, followed by Orlando, Charleston, Providence, and Hartford.Fort Myers ranked fifth in November/December 2023, and Charleston was first. Rankings would change based on other measures.Where else would you like Breeze to fly with its A220s or Embraer? Let us know!

It is hard to be disappointed with low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers, at least when things run as they should. After all, they have a bare-bones approach, meaning expectations are usually low. It’s then easy to meet or even exceed them. The same cannot be said for the spectrum of ‘full’-service carriers, which often overpromise and underdeliver.It is hard to pinpoint one airline that has disappointed me the most because some aspects of the experience could be good, while others may not. One flight might be less than desirable, while the next – if there is a next time – might be noticeably, or at least acceptably, better. Such inconsistencies only add to the trouble.Which carrier has disappointed you the most and why? For me, it is Ethiopian Airlines. I have flown it four times, which is not really enough to have a fair impression. Still, the food was unusually poor, even by airline standards, and the cabins, even on nearly ne

Air India already flies to five destinations in the United States - Newark, Washington Dulles, New York JFK, Chicago O'Hare, and San Francisco. Some of these routes are served by multiple Indian airports. Still, during a chat with Simple Flying last month, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson shared that his airline is keen to expand within the US once it receives more widebodies. There have been reports about adding Dallas and Los Angeles to the works. Still, how much could the airline expand across the US? Could we see some additional routes along both coasts? Let us know what you think below!

While there are several factors at play when choosing a flight, many people will tend to gravitate towards a particular airline. This could be because they live near a base, have frequent flyer status, or simply prefer the service on offer. I track all of my flights in the Flighty app, and today took a look at my most flown airlines and was slightly surprised to see British Airways claiming the top spot with 49 flights compared to 41 at Ryanair (which I had expected to be at the top)! Equally cool is Air Astana with 7 flights from a single trip to Kazakhstan last summer. What are your most flown airlines? Join the conversation below!

As you may know, Malaysia Airlines will return to Paris in March 2025 after serving the French capital until 2016. Unlike then, when it used the A380/777-200ER, it’ll now run daily on the much more fuel-efficient A350-900. Air France last served the market in 2015. This means Malaysia Airlines can a yield premium from being the only non-stop operator. In 2023, Kuala Lumpur-Paris had 72,000 roundtrip point-to-point passengers, with Malaysia Airlines’ service naturally set up for Asia-Pacific connectivity.The carrier will also return to Karachi in December 2024. It last served the Pakistani city on the A330 in 2011. It will now run three times weekly on the 737 MAX 8. Paris and Karachi join Chiang Mai (new to its network) and Malé (last served in 2015), both of which welcomed the carrier in August 2024. Da Nang will see Malaysia Airlines for the first time in September 2024, while the carrier has removed plans to resume Brisbane flights in March 2025.It is somewhat funny that th

It will not be long before the brand-new Riyadh Air carries its first passengers. While this is subject to change, it is still expected to be in the first half of 2025. The carrier's AOC is anticipated be granted at the end of 2024.At a recent event, Riyadh Air's CEO, Tony Douglas, kept saying, "The brand is Riyadh, the brand is Riyadh, the brand is Riyadh," chanting cult-like. It was pretty surreal.According to Riyadh Air, 132 aircraft are on order (99 firm and the rest options). Its two-type fleet will comprise the 787-9 and the unsurprising A321neo. The specific variants, whether the bog-standard neo, LR, or XLR, are unknown. The first A321 should enter service in the second half of 2026.What do you make of the narrowbody order and the airline generally? Let us know!

Air India, the major carrier of India, is set to merge with Vistara on November 12, 2024. Following a period of decline, Air India is striving to improve and has even embraced a new brand identity. But what if Air India had chosen not to rebrand? What if, instead, they kept their original branding while implementing all the recent improvements?Currently, Air India has introduced updated logos on boarding passes, screens displaying flight information, and new cabin designs. However, if the airline had maintained its original branding, they could have showcased their legacy livery on new aircraft, such as the A350-900s, which they recently added to their fleet. The image below shows an artist's impression of an A350 in the classic livery, highlighting what could have been if the branding had remained unchanged.In addition to new planes, Air India is also enhancing its in-flight entertainment systems, spending over $400 million on cabin upgrades and a staggering $70 billion on new air

Everyone knows that New York JFK is the US's leading long-haul gateway. In the year to July, it welcomed approximately 23 million passengers from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, the Middle East, and lower South America.Despite service from airlines globally, an estimated 40% of passengers—more than nine million people—had to connect to another flight en route.More than eight in ten passengers who traveled to/from the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Southern Africa connected.Since South African Airways pulled out of JFK in 2020, Southern Africa has had no non-stop or one-stop flights, so all 100,000+ passengers transferred. (United has non-stop flights from Newark.)These were JFK's 10 largest unserved cities in the examined period. Mentioning them does not mean they warrant flights or would be commercially feasible.- Dhaka: 164,000 roundtrip passengers (served by Biman until 2006, then 2009-2011)- Bangkok: 107,000 (served by Thai Airways until 2008)- Tirana: 10

Modern aircraft have the ability to seamlessly venture on transcontinental and transoceanic adventures across the skies. The longest nonstop flight I’ve been on was a Malaysia Airlines Airbus A350 trip from Kuala Lumpur to London, which took nearly 13 hours to complete. However, I’m sure many of our readers have been on longer flights. Please share your experiences with us below!

Premium economy has become a masterstroke by many airlines in bridging the gap between economy and business class. While several airlines have been veterans in this field for years, the likes of Emirates have recently changed the game following their entrance, providing a classy product that could fit in numerous business classes across the industry. Which offerings have surprised you the most? Let us know below!

Airlines are increasingly deploying premium economy seats on the aircraft. Having flown in several business and economy cabins over the years, I have always wondered about the experience of premium economy. I recently witnessed the space to be had on Emirates' Airbus A380 premium economy and was pleasantly surprised. For those looking for that extra touch of class, I feel it may be worth it. What do you think? Let us know below!