After almost two weeks we finally get another episode out, but this one should be worth the wait. We have our first guest discussion session (@MaxFlight from the Airplane Geeks Podcast) and we have our first interview (Carlo Santoro from the Flight Experience Melbourne 737 simulator). In addition to all this, we also discuss the following topics:
- Bodies of the passengers on the Airlines PNG Twin Otter crash at Kokoda are returned
- Kokoda crash victims arrive home (Paul Millar @ The Age)
- 'Bubbly' pilot broke down barriers (Michael McKenna and Natasha Bita @ The Australian)
- Fellow pilots remember Kokoda crash victims (Sarah Elks and Steve Creedy @ The Australian)
- Virgin Blue to drop their code share with United (thanks to @DanWebbage for the lead)
- Virgin Blue to end codeshare partnership with United (Brendan Sobie @ FlightGlobal)
- QANTAS profits drop dramatically
- Qantas profit plunges 88pc, misses market forecasts (Bill Lindsay @ The Australian)
- Qantas shares defy profit plunge (Bill Lindsay @ The Australian)
- Qantas says LA and London routes behind profit nosedive (The Australian)
- Boeing Tells Qantas 787 Will Fly This Year (Aero News Network)
- Qantas targets costs as profit tumbles (Matt O'Sullivan @ The Age)
- Flight Centre also has a dramatic drop in their profit
- Flight Centre hits financial crisis turbulence (Michael Janda @ ABC News)
- Flight Centre optimistic on travel sector recovery in fiscal 2010 (Bill Lindsay @ The Australian)
- We talk briefly about travel agents vs online travel planning and Grant shamelessly plugs Cloud 9 Travel in Melbourne, his favourite boutique travel agency
- Falling profits are the norm at the moment with Macquarie Airports and Air New Zealand also earning less than expected
- Macquarie Airports hit by fall in asset values, air traffic (Iain MacDonald @ The Australian)
- Air New Zealand posts 90pc profit slump (ABC News)
- Air NZ rejects cartel charges (Steve Creedy @ The Australian)
- We discuss military flying in New Zealand, including the RNZAF 757, selling their A4 Skyhawks, their success with the Kaman Seasprites, buying the RAN's A4s and the RNZAF's A4 formation aerobatic team
- Australia and New Zealand getting closer to having open borders between them
- Cheap NZ flights as Tasman union looms (Josh Gordon @ The Age)
- @MaxFlight from the Airplane Geeks Podcast bravely agrees to chat with us and be recorded
- Do you think you have what it takes to save the day when your flight crew "eat the fish" but want to be sure in advance? Flight Experience Melbourne provide a 737 simulator and instructors to help you find out. Grant interviews Carlo while sitting in the sim
- Regional Express tries to expand into Queensland again
- Rex's second tilt at Queensland: Regional Express (Steve Creedy @ The Australian)
- Optus launch a 3rd satellite
- Ariane 5 Rocket Launches Satellite Duo for Japan, Australia (Justin Ray @ SpaceFlightNow)
- QANTAS passenger tries to open door in flight
- Midair drama: man restrained on Qantas flight (ABC News)
- Man tries to open door on Qantas flight (Yahoo!7 News)
- Bomb scare on Singapore Airlines
- Bomb scare: Passengers herded to back of plane (ABC News)
- We hope the winds drop further (Wind causing flight delays: Qantas (ABC News))
Our sounds come SoundSnap.com and our title track is "Younameit5" by Brian Simpson (aka t3cat5).