Huge airline profits.
New planes.
Longer routes.
Improved airports.
Heightened attention to safety.
Throw in an estimated 3.7 billion passengers for 2016 ... and
you've got a seriously busy aviation year ahead.
Air travelers hate to waste time, so let's get to
the details:
Airlines
Fuel prices: Record profits to continue?
Most airlines are already having a happy new year
as they rake in massive
profits thanks to ultra-low fuel prices.
In the United States last July through September,
domestic airlines reported profits of $9.3 billion, according to U.S. government
statistics.
And, yep, that's after taxes.
Globally, profits are "unprecedented" said Chris Sloan, founder and
president of AirwaysNews.com.
But things aren't perfect.
The number of miles airlines sell per seat are
actually down -- especially on routes with premium long distance destinations
in Asia and South America, Sloan said.
Will airlines pass some of these profits to
consumers by lowering fares?
Not likely.
Aviation consultant Shukor Yusof of Malaysia-based
Endau Analytics said there's no incentive "for airlines to reduce fares
because of low oil prices because they're doing well and the demand is
there."
However, low fuel costs do allow legacy airlines
like American and Delta to directly take on ultra low-cost carriers like
Spirit, Sloan said, "resulting in downward pressure on fares."
The average round-trip fare (without surcharges
and taxes), according to the International Air Transport Association, is
projected to be $375 in 2016.
That's 61% lower than it was in 1995, adjusted for
inflation.
Seats: More legroom
More seats with extra legroom are coming to more
U.S. domestic carriers.
But you'll have to pay for it.
Alaska Airlines plans to add more seats with extra legroom on
60 of its airliners in 2016.
American Airlines says it'll debut more seats with
legroom in a special section called "Premium Economy" on
international flights.
Mileage programs: New award calculations
The trend toward linking frequent flier perks to
how much money you spend -- rather than how many miles you have -- continues in
2016.
The next airline to adopt the policy is American
Airlines.
Beginning in the "second half of 2016 ...
award miles for travel on American marketed flights will be calculated based on
what you pay for your ticket," its website says.
Low-cost airlines: New winners
AirlineRatings.com named the best low-cost
airline for the new year in each region of the globe.
In the Asia Pacific, the winner was Scoot.
In North and South America, it was Virgin America.
South Africa's Kulula.com won for Africa and the
Middle East.
Norwegian got the nod in Europe.
Airplanes
COMAC C919: Chinese aviation vies for global
footing
This is the year the Commercial Aircraft
Corporation of China, COMAC, takes to the air with its C919 in its bid to
compete with Boeing and Airbus.
It's one of the largest production airliners
ever designed and manufactured in China.
The new plane is expected to take flight for the
first time in 2016.
Boeing and Airbus shouldn't be worried in the near
term, say analysts.
But as China's air travel market explodes in
coming decades, 2016 might be looked at as the year COMAC made its first big
move as global player.
Boeing 747: Farewell tours begin
Air France will retire its entire fleet of 747s in
January 2016, after flying jumbo jets for 46 years, striking an emotional blow
to aviation enthusiasts everywhere.
"It's with great sadness that the reign of
the 'Queen of the Skies' is coming to an accelerated end," said airline
analyst Sylvester Pittman of airlineguys.com.
"Many other airlines, including Delta, have
announced the retirement of this iconic aircraft."
The Jumbos are getting edged out by more efficient
wide-body airliners that burn less fuel while flying long distances.
Airbus A320neo: Introductory tours begin
Qatar Airways was supposed to be the first airline
to fly Airbus's super-efficient single-aisle A320neo, but in a last minute
switch-a-roo, Airbus told Dow Jones Business News it'll be Germany's
Lufthansa instead.
The plane -- which burns 15-20% less fuel than
existing models -- is expected to enter service for the first time in early
2016.
Airbus A350XWB: New tech displaces old
In aviation, the uber-advanced Airbus A350XWB
family of airliners is kind of a rock star.
So much so, Airbus sent one on a festive tour
of North and South America last summer to show it off.
What's so special?
Other than its sleek swept-back wings and curly
wingtips, it's the overall engineering.
More than half of the plane is made of strong,
lightweight carbon fiber composite, instead of traditional aluminum.
The plane is so efficient that -- with only two
engines -- it flies many routes that used to be reserved for older four-engine
airliners.
In 2016, the A350 begins its first regular service
in the United States, as Qatar Airways starts its route linking Doha with Philadelphia.
Bombardier CSeries: Airborne at last
Bombardier calls it "the first all-new single-aisle plane in 30 years."
After many delays, the Canadian plane manufacturer is finally expected to deliver its
first CSeries aircraft -- the CS100 -- to Swiss International Air Lines in
2016.
It's smaller than a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320, but
larger than a regional jet.
"It has struggled mightily to get sales, and
Bombardier has found itself in financial trouble trying to support it,"
said aviation/travel
analyst Brett Snyder.
"But the aircraft's performance looks to be
solid, and there's the potential for a rumored order from United on the
horizon."
Boeing 737MAX: More of more
It's kind of like a 737 ... to the max!
Thanks to sophisticated CFM International LEAP-1B
engines, this plane is 40% quieter and 20% more fuel efficient than its
namesake.
"Its wing shape and engine positions smoothly
direct air into and around the engine, providing additional efficiency,"
said David
Parker Brown, founder of airlinereporter.com.
The first 737Max rolled off the factory line in Renton,
Washington, on December 9.
Boeing test pilots are expected to fly it for the
first time early in the new year.
Delivery is expected to the 737MAX's first customer, Southwest Airlines, in 2017 --
half a century after the original 737.
Airports
Technology: Helpful or creepy?
Electronic beacons sense when your smartphone
enters an airport.
Then the beacons send you messages to guide you to
nearby places, like restaurants and airline gates.
More airports and airlines will start using these
kinds of apps in 2016.
One global survey reports 81% of airports plan to
invest in beacons and other sensors in the next three years.
Germany: More delays to huge project
Sorry, but this won't be the year when the new
Brandenburg airport opens in Berlin.
The ambitious project was originally supposed to open in 2011.
Oh well, maybe in 2017.
New York: LaGuardia upgrades, finally
The first major steps toward rebuilding of
the ancient and much-maligned LaGuardia Airport are set to begin in 2016
-- a $4 billion project that will last four to five years.
Airlines now using the airport's four terminals
eventually will share a giant, modern unified terminal with convenient
connections to ground transit.
"LaGuardia is always working at capacity, so
any extra 'ingredient' to the LaGuardia 'soup' creates delays," said
aviation analyst Phil Derner, of NYCAvation.com. "I don't think it will
create air-traffic delays so much, but there will be delays for passengers
during the transition."
New Jersey: iPads coming to Newark
At Newark Liberty International Airport, United Airlines' Terminal C is getting a huge, $120
million makeover.
Get this: they've promised to have an iPad
stationed at every seat at 55 different eateries spread across the terminal's
100,000-square-foot space.
It's set to open in 2016.
Los Angeles: Easier domestic-international
connections
At LAX, a new building connecting domestic
terminals with the airport's international terminal is set for completion in 2016.
This will eliminate the hassle of walking outside
or riding a shuttle to change planes from domestic flights to flights in the
international terminal.
It'll also let domestic passengers connect to
international flights without having to suffer going through security lines
again.
Brazil: Olympic upgrades
Rio de Janeiro's Galeao airport is gearing up for
the 2016 Olympics in August.
The airport is putting up a new building for arrivals and departures, along with 26 new
jet bridges and dozens of new passenger check-in desks.
Routes
Vietnam: More service
Low cost airline Vietjet Air is expected to become
increasingly aggressive in opening new markets in Vietnam, which aren't
serviced by legacy carriers, said analyst Yusof.
Cuba-U.S.: More access
Havana and Washington have restored direct,
regularly scheduled commercial flights between the United States and Cuba
for the first time in more than half a century.
Assuming aviation regulators can work out the
details, a flood of tourism from the states is expected in 2016.
New ultra-longhauls: More time in the sky
Could you handle spending 12 hours-plus in a
plane?
Airlines are adding more ultra-longhaul nonstop
routes in 2016.
United plans two of these from San Francisco International
Airport: one to Xi'an, China (lasting more than 12 hours) and the other to
Tel Aviv, Israel, lasting more than 14 hours.
Both flights will use 787 Dreamliners.
Emirates is getting the most attention for its
nonstop linking Dubai and Panama City, Panama.
When this Boeing 777-200LR flight starts in
February, it will be the longest nonstop flight in the world: 17 hours, 35
minutes across 13,800 kilometers (8,580 miles).
Safety
Aviation regulators in Southeast Asia are
concerned following the investigation report of AirAsia Flight 8501 and
the downgrading of Thailand's safety rating for its entire aviation system.
Indonesia: Increased pilot training
Officials will be spending much of 2016 inspecting
all of Indonesia's Airbus A320 airliners -- same as Flight 8501 -- looking for
a technical glitch partially blamed for the 2014 crash that killed all 162
people aboard.
The nation also will require all airlines to
increase pilot training as a result of the crash.
"I'd like to see them in 2016 pay more
attention to safety and engage perhaps with the likes of Americans or Europeans
to come help them with their infrastructure and to overhaul their aviation
systems in terms of air traffic and maintenance and the whole mechanics of
it," said aviation consultant Yusof.
Regionally, he said, there's "more
urgency" now to create a single Southeast Asian safety framework, because
many more airplanes are crossing between national air control zones.
Thailand: System makeover
A huge national overhaul of virtually all safety
rules and procedures is expected to last into August.
It all started in 2015, when the United Nations'
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) "red flagged"
Thailand.
An audit raised questions about the nation's
airline safety oversight.
Next, South Korea, China and Japan placed
restrictions on new Thai flights.
Then Singapore, Australia and the EU ordered enhanced
inspections.
And then, the U.S. FAA downgraded Thailand's
safety rating.
U.S. drones: New rules
Whether you call them drones or UAVs -- these tiny
unmanned aerial vehicles keep getting in the way of U.S. airliners.
Government regulators are still trying to get a
handle on the problem.
In 2016, the FAA is expected to release new rules
for an estimated hundreds of thousands of drone operators.
These will be aimed preventing drones from
crashing into commercial airplanes or being sucked into their jet engines and
triggering a disaster.
Preventing another MH370
Remember after the 2014 disappearance of Malaysia
Airlines Flight 370, when everyone was talking about better ways to track
airliners across oceans?
Back then, the ICAO was expected in 2016 to adopt
an airline standard for tracking planes by satellite.
But if an industry working group has its way, that standard will be put on hold for up to two years to
consider unexpected circumstances surrounding the tracking technology.
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