Which Airline Paved the Way For “No Frills” Flights?
Joe Cortez September 24, 2015
In the spirit of #TBT (“Throwback Thursday,” not Brazil’s Tabatinga Airport) FlyerTalk takes a look back at the events that helped shape modern aviation. Here are just a few moments from history that changed the face of the industry during the week of September 20.
September 20, 2012
After a miscommunication caused Syrian Arab Airlines Airbus A320 to fly into a military helicopter, pilots were able to return the aircraft to the airport without further incident, despite having the vertical stabilizer and rudder nearly torn off. Although the pilots of the helicopter were killed, none of the 200 lives aboard the damaged A320 were lost.
September 21, 2012
The Space Shuttle Endeavor flew for the last time on top of a NASA Boeing 747, taking an aerial tour of California. On the five-hour flight, the shuttle was escorted over many California landmarks, such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. Today, the retired shuttle lives at the California Science Center.
September 22, 1966
Over 20 passengers were killed when Ansett-ANA Flight 149 crashed near the town of Winton, Australia. The accident was caused by cabin pressurization blower breaking up, triggering a mechanical chain reaction that resulted in a mid-air fire that ultimately weakening the wings and causing the crash. To this day, the incident remains Australia’s fourth worst aviation incident.
September 23, 1999
Flying on a stretch of the “Kangaroo Route,” Qantas Flight 1 experienced their most serious incident to date when weather conditions and pilot miscommunication caused the Boeing 747 to overrun their runway in Bangkok. Over 30 people received injuries as a result of the incident.
September 24, 1946
An American and Australian came together to found Hong Kong’s largest airline: Cathay Pacific. Both men put an investment of one Hong Kong Dollar into the airline, flying a DC-3 on routes between their headquarter city and Manila. Nearly 70 years later, Cathay Pacific has been honored as Skytrax Airline of the Year four times – more than any airline in the world.
September 25, 2010
After a threat of a bomb aboard the aircraft was phoned in, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 782 was diverted to an airport in Sweden and subsequently explored for explosives. One man was temporarily detained by authorities, but was subsequently released after the claims turned out to be false.
September 26, 1977
Sir Freddie Laker, credited as the father of Europe’s low cost carriers, launched his latest endeavor to offer cheap fares between the U.S. and the U.K. Called “Skytrain,” Laker’s airline flew their first flight from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The experiment wouldn’t last very long, as Skytrain was pushed out of business just five years later.
Unfortunately FlyingDanishPenguin, these TBT articles are always this poorly organized. The headline seemingly is just a way to get us to open the post but the substance never matches.
I've figured how the writer went... This is "THIS WEEK in Aviation", not "TODAY in Aviation", so he could've gone CHRONOLOGICALLY or BY DATE, and he went the latter. I would ask the writer (knowing how most FT members nitpick on EVERYTHING aviation-related) that would rather use the CHRONOLOGICAL way next week...
This article is very unorganized - the headline and the random facts in the body text do not match at all. At least provide a chronological timeline.