Boeing's Dreamliner completes first commercial flight

The All Nippon Airlines flight carried its first passengers from Tokyo to Hong Kong. (www.bbc.co.uk) More...

Why It Costs So Much to Fly From These Airports

Texas in your travel plans? Use Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport and you'll face the highest average domestic airfare in the country: $477. Fly from the city's Hobby Airport—29 miles away—and you'll find one of the lowest average fares in the country: $299. (online.wsj.com) More...

The 'pregnant plane' that can give birth to a new 787

In Seattle, the world's biggest building - 100 acres under one roof - is used to piece together sections of plane from different parts of the world, such as Japan, the UK and Italy. But to transport aircraft wings, nose cones and tailfins to the US, specially adapted 747s have been designed. They are just big enough to hold the aircraft parts - a hi-tech version of a ship in a bottle. UK viewers can see Dallas Campbell's full report in the second episode of Supersized Earth. The series… (www.bbc.co.uk) More...

Flying Car Cleared for Takeoff

A flying car or "roadable aircraft" made by Terrafugia called the Transition has received special exemptions from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Jonathan Welsh has details. (online.wsj.com) More...

A Closer Look: Transitioning to the next generation 777 and A340

Building on last Friday's post about unlocking customers to evaluate competing airframer's products, I wanted to look a bit closer at the changes Airbus and Boeing made to develop their respective second generation 777s and A340s. For Boeing, the aircraft maker would evolve the 777-200ER and -300 into the the 777-300ER, -200LR and freighter, while Airbus would take its A340-300 and -200 to become the A340-500 and -600. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

"Pan Am" shows off glamour of the Jet Age

"Pan Am" glamorizes the '60s and airline travel - no one is taking off their shoes or removing their laptops here - and will surely continue to show off exotic places and pilot-stewardess relations as the show continues. (www.cbsnews.com) More...

Worst Airline Blunders of 2011

“I had to fight to keep my eyes open” are words you never want to hear from your pilot. But two British pilots were so fatigued earlier this year that they admitted to falling asleep—on the same plane. (www.travelandleisure.com) More...

Delta Reroutes Flights As Solar Storm Hits Earth

Delta Air Lines Inc. said Tuesday that it was rerouting some transpolar flights between Asia and the U.S. to avoid the impact of the largest solar storm in almost a decade. The Atlanta-based carrier said some flights to Detroit and Minneapolis-St Paul from Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul took a more southerly routing on overnight flights, though a spokesman said planes flew faster to keep schedules intact. Tuesday departures from the U.S. were expected to follow similar routes. Airlines… (online.wsj.com) More...

Cargolux has informed Boeing it will not take delivery of the 747-8F

Cargolux has informed Boeing it will not take delivery of its first 747-8 freighter on Monday as planned, due to a contractual tussle, the airframer confirms. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Video - The Shuttle Launch Like You Have Never Heard It Before

I've seen many launches of the space shuttle from the point of view of the rocket booster, but none, none I tell you, match this one. It's simply amazing for one reason: the sound. Put your headphones on and listen. (www.youtube.com) More...