Last week, Fox News compiled a list of the 12 best budget airlines, which is worth checking out if you have some free time to spare. Some of them you may have never heard (such as FastJet). Others you've probably never tried (such as LAN Airlines or IcelandAir) and a few may seem obvious (Southwest - but are they really considered 'budget' these days?) 

Here is the 'Desirable Dozen' ranked in no particular order. The ones in bold represent airlines that I have flown on in ...

Last week, I published a post detailing the resumption time lines of the 787 Dream liner which has been grounded since January 16 (my birthday) due to battery overheating. Since the time of the grounding, Boeing has began the process of installing modified batteries housed in a stainless steel box that will run at a much cooler temperature.

Additionally, there is a ventilation pipe that will lead directly from the box to the outside of the plane, such that in case of fire, smoke will ...

Above: All Nippon Airways JA813A, a 787 I flew from Seattle to Tokyo on October 25, 2012, prior to the aircraft's grounding. Photo taken by me @SeaTac airport

No-going for Boeing

It's been nearly a decade since Boeing Co. unveiled cutting-edge plans to launch the Boeing 787 Dream Liner, the most technologically advanced passenger aircraft to date.

However, since then, the ride has been hellish, at best, for Boeing, global airlines and passengers ...

The playing field continues to level out between the major global alliances as TAM Airlines of Brasil will be joining OneWorld in early 2014.

While not unexpected, the decision has been widely discussed since TAM agreed to merge with Santiago, Chile-based LAN Airlines in 2010 to form LATAM Airlines Group.  At the time of the merger announcement, each individual carrier belonged to separate, competing alliances, with LAN serving as a long-time OneWorld member since 2000, and TAM ...

Singapore Airlines to end nonstop services to Los Angeles and Newark

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about ultra-long haul routes. I used two textbook examples of Singapore Airlines' nonstop services from Singapore Changi airport (SIN) to Newark Liberty International airport (EWR) and Los Angeles International airport (LAX), representing the #1 and #2 longest flights in the world, measuring at 9,535 miles and 8,770 miles respectively. Singapore launched both of these routes in 2004 ...

LATAM board of directors chair Mauricio Rolim Amaro, LAN CEO Ignacio Cueto, TAM board chair Maria Claudia Amaro, LATAM CEO Enrique Cueto. Courtesy, LAN Airlines. Image courtesy of Air Transport World.

It's official: LAN and TAM Airlines have finally completed their merger transaction to create LATAM Airlines Group.

The combined carrier will now represent the largest airline in Latin America, offering passengers access to 150 destinations in 22 countries ...