AviationGeeks.com - Special Reports

In the midst of troubled financial markets, Airbus foresees strong ongoing demand for commercial aircraft. According to its latest Global Market Forecast (GMF), by 2030 some 27,800 new aircraft will be required to satisfy future robust market demand. The combined value of the over 26,900 passenger aircraft (above 100 seats) and more than 900 new factory built freighters forecast by the GMF is US$3.5 trillion.

The number 13 is often called unlucky 13 and connected with superstitious mishaps. There are several hotels and tall buildings that do not have the 13^th floor, but there are also several airlines that do not have the 13^th seat row. Below is a list of the main ones.

It’s not easy to become a flight attendant at Garuda Indonesia which is the flag carrier of Indonesia. They have them undergo strict physical examination where they are made to strip and their breasts are inspected for breast implants.

The Freedoms of the Air are international commercial aviation agreements that grant airline the right to enter and land in countries other than their home country. There are generally considered to be 9 Freedoms of the Air.

Airlikes.com is a new air travel information and reviews website. With more than 1,400 airlines and over 4,000 airports in its database, airlikes.com allows its visitors to find information and share their experiences of their flights or experiences at airports. 

The Skytrax World Airline Awards is one of the post prestigious awards in the aviation industry, just as the Skytrax World Airport Awards are in the airport industry. The rankings are based on passenger surveys and rank the best cabin staff, airport, airline, airline lounge, in-flight entertainment, on-board catering, and several other elements of air travel.

Below is a table showing how much the major airlines in the US are charging in baggage fees and how much they made in revenues from baggage fees in 3rd quarter of 2010. American Airlines seems to be the most expensive while Southwest the cheapest. Delta Air Lines in making by far the most from the baggage fee while Southwest the least. 

SkyTeam is the youngest and the second largest airline alliance in the world in terms of both passengers carried and members. It was founded in 2000 by Aeroméxico, Air France, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air and has since grown to 13 carriers from four continents. 

Oneworld is one of the three big airline alliances. The alliance was formed in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Qantas. Today, there are 12 full members with combined fleet of almost 2,500 aircrafts and transport 335 million passenger each year. Oneworld has 19 affiliates and 2 pending members.

Star Alliance was founded by Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines in 1997 as the world’s first airline alliance. The Alliance is the biggest airline alliance in the world with 27 members, over 600 million passengers carried annually and 21,000 daily departures. 

Flying to 30 destinations around the world, Virgin Atlantic's six million passengers all have their own individual demands and requests. Following a recent survey of over 3,000 of our cabin crew, Virgin Atlantic has compiled a selection of the strangest, most unusual requests received over the years. The survey revealed that the requests heard most frequently by the crew are "please can you open the window?" and "can you show me to the showers?" but the survey also revealed a few more unique examples.

We have earlier written about the increased competition airlines are facing from high-speed trains. Ryanair recently announced that they would pull out of the Madrid – Valencia route due to the new AVE high-speed train service between the two cities.