The major objective of this post is providing the latest Boeing news to readers. We are available with the most significant facts of Airbus and Boeing. So, without wasting your more time, have a quick look at the news:

American Airlines Schedules Inaugural A321neo Route:

American Airlines has scheduled its inaugural A321neo flight. The airline will base the aircraft at Los Angeles and Phoenix. This will see the aircraft initially trialed on domestic routes before potentially going on to service routes like Hawaii and short Transatlantic hops.

You may remember that Simple Flying previously reported that the first A321neo in American colors had been spotted in Hamburg.  We previously reported that the first A321neo flight would take place between Phoenix and Los Angeles on April 2nd. This has, however, changed, since that article was published.

American Airlines will become the third customer of the A321 in America. This is behind Hawaiian Airlines, who recently retired their B767s and Alaska Airlines.

Southwest Hawaii Flights Will Launch Before June 2019

Southwest Airlines’ eagerly awaited Hawaii flights are looking like they might slip into the second quarter of 2018. The only way they’ll happen in the first quarter, as the carrier had hoped, is if the shutdown ends within the next week.

However, there are few indications right now that the shutdown is going to end any time soon. That means we’ll be looking at the second quarter of 2019, running from April to June. Calling the delays ‘maddening’ their Chief Executive, Gary Kelly, added that revenue outlook for the near future could be negatively impacted too. They already got their FAA approval, but are waiting on an ETOPS certification before they are allowed to start the route.

Government Shutdown Is Causing US Air Safety To Rapidly Decline

One of the more troubling effects of the US government shutdown (which has been going for longer than a month now) is a decline in air safety.

This is because many of the team members that we take for granted when flying, from air traffic controllers, TSA officials, federal air marshals and more, are all currently working without pay.

The situation is causing pilot unions and other cabin crew to raise alarm bells and demand the situation be resolved as quickly as possible.

Many of the essential services that airlines use, such as air traffic control, security, immigration and more, are funded solely by the government. With the government being shut down, these staff members don’t get paid.

Only Now Has China Banned Pilots Smoking On Commercial Flights

Many airlines ban smoking entirely on an aircraft. Rightly so, smoking can make the environment on a plane dangerous. There has been one notable exception: China. Smoking in the cockpit is not outright banned. Up until now, Chinese airlines were notorious for pilots smoking during flight.

It seems now that the Civil Aviation Administration of China, or CAAC for short, is taking a stand against pilot smoking. They have directed airlines to initiate bans on smoking for pilots now. Ultimately, this will be a big change for Chinese airlines.

Smoking on Planes

It was not too long ago that smoking was a part of traveling. Many airlines had a smoking section in their aircraft. As the public health debate about smoking progressed, there came some actions in the airline industry. In the United States, smoking was banned on airlines by a new law in 1987. By 2000, all flights in the United States prohibited smoking. Smoking by pilots was also phased out. Nowadays, every major airline in the United States bans smoking. Likewise, smoking is not allowed on any passenger flight operated by a major air carrier.

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