The flight crew on the Southwest jet that was forced to make an emergency landing in Philadelphia after an engine exploded described the harrowing experience in their first joint interview Wednesday. Capt. Tammie Jo Shults called her first officer Darren Ellisor an "unsung hero", saying he helped communicate with the flight attendants while she took controls for the landing. Shults, who was one of the first female fighter pilots in the US Navy, said her military training helped her keep calm. Meanwhile in the cabin, flight attendant Rachel Fernheimer said she made sure to reassure passengers that everything would be OK. The crew had met together before the flight and one of the topics they discussed was faith, according to Shults. Flight attendant Seanique Mallory said considering what happened moments later, "God had already prepared us without us even knowing." <br/>
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Sun Country Airlines will drop first class from its Boeing 737 cabins, as it proceeds with an earlier-announced seat densification under a new low-cost strategy. The airline had previously said it plans to halve its 12-seat first class cabin to six seats, but now says it will eliminate the cabin altogether. A Sun Country spokesperson says that only about 44% of the airline's first class seats are purchased at that fare level, and 30% of first class seats are taken by passengers who do not generate revenue. "This tells us that our product does not align with our customer," says the spokesperson. The airline will add seats to its 737-800 fleet to bring the total seat count on board to 183, up from 168 currently. It currently operates 16 737-800s and four 737-700s, but the airline says the four 737-700s which have 126 seats on board will not be reconfigured. The first newly configured aircraft will go into service from 1 November, and Sun Country aims to complete the modification on the fleet by end-January 2019.<br/>
EasyJet has said it will cut the cost of training for a small number of pilots as part of a drive to attract a more diverse range of people to fly its planes. Flight schools and airlines are moving to sponsor more courses, or cut the cost of training, amidst a global shortage of trained pilots. Newly qualified pilots who are chosen will have to pay E9,900 for their so-called type rating course, with easyJet making up the balance of the bill, which is typically around 30,000 pounds. A type rating determines which kind of planes pilots can fly - a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A320 at Europe's low cost carriers Ryanair and easyJet respectively - and is sought by pilots after they gain their airline transport licence. EasyJet said that the funding of up to 20 places for female or male pilots from different countries and backgrounds would help broaden the diversity of its pilots, building on an existing initiative to increase its number of female pilots.<br/>
China’s Ruili Airlines has sealed deals with four lessors to lease 15 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to accelerate its fleet expansion pace. The four lessors—AVIC International Leasing, Huaxia Financial Leasing, China Development Bank Leasing and SMBC Aviation Capital—are scheduled to begin deliveries of the leased MAXs in 2019. China’s Ruili Airlines has sealed deals with four lessors to lease 15 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to accelerate its fleet expansion pace.<br/>