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Aircraft Could Go Five Times the Speed of Sound

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Boeing has finally unveiled a successor to the legendary Blackbird SR-71 spy plane, capable of travelling at five times the speed of sound.

The new ‘Son of Blackbird’ was revealed at an event in Orlando, Florida, but it’s only a concept design for now.

The new aircraft will be a direct competitor to Lockheed martin’s upcoming SR-72.

These rival firms are racing to create a hypersonic aircraft that’s capable of stealthy recon assignments – and strike missions, too.

Speaking to Aviation Week Aerospace Daily, Boeing’s hypersonics chief described how Boeing was planning a two-step development process for the new war plane. (Read more from “Aircraft Could Go Five Times the Speed of Sound” HERE)

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Alaska Air and Jet Blue Among Safest Airlines in the World; JetBlue adds Portland-Alaska Route

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By Paul Ausick. Given the number of lives lost in 2014 due to airplane crashes, it may seem a bit cynical to review a report on airline safety. However, an airline safety rating website recently announced its list of the world’s safest airlines for 2015, and we noted that two U.S. carriers are among the safest carriers in the world.

The AirlineRatings.com website listed both a top 10 and a low-cost top 10, made up from the staff’s review of the 449 airlines they monitor. The two U.S. carriers that made the top 10 list of low-cost carriers are Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE: ALK) and JetBlue Airways Corp. (NASDAQ: JBLU). Other global low-cost carriers on the list, in alphabetical order, include Aer Lingus, Icelandair, Jetstar, Kulula.com, Monarch Airlines, Thomas Cook, TUI Fly and Westjet.

Among the legacy carriers the top 10, in alphabetical order, were Air New Zealand, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, EVA Air, Finnair, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines. The U.S. legacy carriers American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL), Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) and United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE: UAL) all posted the highest possible score (7 of 7 possible stars). Four other U.S. carriers that do not fly foreign routes scored 5 of 5 possible stars: Allegiant Travel Co. (NASDAQ: ALGT), Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV), Spirit Airlines Inc. (NASDAQ: SAVE) and Frontier Airlines. (Read more about the safest airline in the world HERE)

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JetBlue Adds Anchorage Route

By Ben Mutzabaugh. JetBlue will increase its presence in Portland, adding a fourth nonstop route from the Oregon airport.

The route will be seasonal offering to Anchorage. JetBlue will begin offering daily nonstop service on the route on June 18. The 3-½ hour flights, to be operated on Airbus A320 jets, will run through Sept. 8.

JetBlue will compete head-to-head on the route with Alaska Airlines, which already flies the route. Alaska Airlines operates its second-busiest base at Portland.

Anchorage will become JetBlue’s fourth destination from Portland International (PDX). JetBlue also flies nonstop from PDX to its hubs at Boston and New York JFK as well as to Long Beach, Calif., which is a focus city for the carrier. (Read more from this story HERE)

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