By Myron Nelson Airline schedule “meltdowns” seem to be in the news of late. Whether the event is experienced broadly throughout the industry, or confined to a single carrier, one of the first questions that arises is why it is that a disruptive event, like a storm, can last just a few hours, yet it […]
Southwest Airlines sadly announced the passing on May 8 of Colleen C. Barrett, one of the most prominent and beloved family members of the airline. After starting as the legal secretary of founder Herb Kelleher, Colleen became the first corporate secretary and advanced all the way to president of the airline earning devotion, accolades and […]
On New Year’s Day 2022, Holly Hegeman, the founder, publisher and editor of the PlaneBusiness Banter, sent an email to her subscribers advising that she was ceasing publication of her popular newsletter. Hegeman’s self-described “PBB” was utilized by airline aficionados, investors and personnel, both management and labor, for over 25 years. Upon a foundation of […]
June M. Morris, a quiet but significant innovator and leader in the travel and airline industries, passed away on July 23 at her home in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was 90 years old. In the early 70s, Mrs. Morris started travel agency Morris Travel in a corner of her husband’s photo finishing shop. At […]
Some—perhaps even many—pilots of Experimental aircraft never operate their artfully homebuilt aircraft on any runway surface not considered “improved,” meaning asphalt or concrete. That’s certainly fine, and a lot may never desire to do so either. But that doesn’t mean they can’t. With some common sense, proper planning and following the right procedures, many homebuilts […]
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Experimental Aircraft Association have stepped into help reopen Mexico to experimental-registered aircraft. A quirk of the way experimental/amateur-built aircraft are approved in the U.S. has led to some confusion when those aircraft are flown out of the country. Until late last year, Mexican authorities had no issues […]
As I write this, it is August 31, 2020, which wouldn’t normally mean anything to anybody, especially me. Except for this particular day is my official termination (retirement) date as a pilot for Southwest Airlines. Because of accrued vacation, I flew my last official trip a few weeks ago and I turned in my airline […]
I wasn’t flying for my airline job on 9/11. I had just finished a trip the night before and was lazily reading the newspaper when one of my twin girls getting ready for school ran in and told me to turn on the television. Minutes later we watched the second tower collapse. “What does […]
