As they were coming in for a landing, a “plume” of bad weather suddenly appeared in front of Hawaiian Airlines pilots who hit severe turbulence just seconds later. Dozens of passengers were injured. Passengers experienced a “hard jolt” and then a “free fall” sensation. One passenger crawled back to their seat during the incident. Phones, jackets and water bottles “floated” around passengers and “two hard hits” occurred during the incident. The details from the 2022 incident near Kahului, Hawaii, are described in a just-released National Transportation Safety Board final report which blames the pilots for flying over the plume instead of going around it. Prior CNN reporting from the incident says 36 people were injured with 20 going to the hospital. According to the NTSB’s final report, before Hawaiian Airlines flight 35, flying on an Airbus 330-299, departed Phoenix and headed for Honolulu, the captain was informed of “potential turbulence and embedded convective activity” over the Hawaiian Islands. After a mostly uneventful flight, the pilots described a “plume” appearing vertically in front of the aircraft filled with 283 passengers. “It’s building fast,” one pilot said. The crew called the lead flight attendant onboard, but within a few seconds, the airplane lurched. The lead flight attendant was never able to alert the other seven flight attendants. Story has details.<br/>
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Transat A.T. Inc. reported a big boost in profits in its latest quarter, driven by millions of dollars in compensation from an engine maker as well as an uptick in passenger figures. Net income surged to $41.2m in the three months ended Oct. 31 versus $3.2m in the same period a year earlier, the travel company said. About $33.6m of those earnings came from aircraft engine giant Pratt & Whitney, which dolled out the compensation after recalling its turbofans for inspection and repair. Air Transat, one of many airlines hit by the recall, had grounded a half-dozen planes by this fall as a result. The profit increase also owes to a nearly three per cent rise in passenger traffic, Transat said in a release Thursday. CE Annick Guérard maintained a cautiously optimistic outlook for the year ahead. “The decline in inflation and interest rates also suggests an increase in consumers' discretionary spending. This situation should provide a suitable backdrop to deliver further yield improvements,” she said.<br/>
Air Baltic CE Martin Gauss remains confident in the prospects for the airline’s initial public offering, despite its being pushed back at least to the first half of next year Speaking to FlightGlobal in London, Gauss said the “market is not right” for the IPO from which the carrier aims to raise E300m ($315m). “We have a concept which is proven to work – both wet-lease and scheduled flying – therefore we’re very positive about the business plan,” he says. “We have a strong team, the senior management is very capable of doing the job – but we need to have investors pay the right price.” Air Baltic wants to strengthen its balance sheet with the new equity. Gauss says the carrier has an “expensive bond”, which the company can refinance with a better interest rate in 2026. The equity and the lower bond will “significantly leverage” the airline, he states. He says the airline is in “advanced discussions” with a large international listed airline for a pre-IPO investment, and expects to attract interest from potential investors in other sectors – particularly the Baltic retail market.<br/>
Jetstar is adding more seats to its services from Christchurch as it adds another aircraft to its fleet of Airbus A320s based in the Garden City. As a result, from Sunday, Jetstar will fly daily to Melbourne and the Gold Coast, increasing from three and four days a week respectively until the end of January. The additional capacity will also bolster the Auckland schedule with an extra flight most days. As a result, from Sunday, Jetstar will fly daily to Melbourne and the Gold Coast, increasing from three and four days a week respectively until the end of January. The additional capacity will also bolster the Auckland schedule with an extra flight most days. Auckland to Wellington will also get more capacity. It is the first time Jetstar has expanded its fleet in New Zealand in more than 10 years. The extra plane will bring the total to three aircraft at the airport and eight in its New Zealand fleet, allowing a 35% increase in seat capacity across the Tasman and a 21% increase in seat capacity on Jetstar’s existing domestic routes. Christchurch Airport's aeronautical development general manager, Gordon Bevan said airlines make decisions based on data. "Our numbers show a strong demand for Jetstar’s services. This isn’t just a summer spike – we’re seeing sustained growth in both domestic and international interest in Christchurch as a destination and as the gateway to the South Island. Big brother Qantas is adding 21% more capacity to their Christchurch operation, too.” ChristchurchNZ’s CE Ali Adams said was not surprised to see the airport bucking the trend and increasing its capacity.<br/>