Author: Joseph Alba
Joseph Alba
Mr. Alba was previously Editor of the Airport Press for 12 years covering both local as well as global aviation news. Prior to this, Mr. Alba had Executive positions in Systems Engineering and Marketing with IBM World Trade, and had foreign assignments in the Far East and Latin America earning three Outstanding Achievement Awards. Mr. Alba also directed a new function dealing with Alternate Fuels for Public Service Electric & Gas company in New Jersey and founded a Natural Gas Vehicle Consortium consisting of car company executives and fleet owners, and NGV suppliers in New Jersey. Mr. Alba was a founding partner of ATA, an IT Consulting company which is still active in Central and South America. After leaving the armed forces, Mr. Alba’s initial employee was the U.S. Defense Department as an analyst.
According to the charts prepared by Statista in their latest analysis, it would appear that the transport industry is not doing too badly. But the chart is not telling the full story. The collapse of employment in the service industry’s is spectacular. Perhaps a more descriptive word is disastrous. And it is the service industry that puts people on airplanes and it is the service industry that welcomes them once they are at their travel destination. So, the service industry is the feeder system into the transport industry and the end-point by which travelers, both business and personal measure the…
Tyler Morse really did have a great idea with his TWA Hotel because last month, taking a page from the JFK TWA Hotel venture built by MCR and minority partner, JetBlue Airways, a new hotel is being planned for 2023 occupancy minutes from at Dallas Fort Worth Airport. And the theme airline is Braniff, which like TWA, is a defunct airline. The agreement was signed with Dallas historical property developer MM Property Holdings, Inc., the new owner of the Hostess College property, which was purchased from Greenway Properties of Dallas. MM Property Holdings was the developer of the historic 169-room…
In a November 18th newswire, Boeing announced that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today rescinded the order that halted commercial operations of Boeing 737-8s and 737-9s. The move will allow airlines that are under the FAA’s jurisdiction, including those in the U.S., to take the steps necessary to resume service and Boeing to begin making deliveries. The FAA has given clearance for the Boeing 737 MAX to fly again after being grounded for almost two years. Though the aircraft got the green light from the FAA, it will not be carrying passengers right away because the agency said it must…
On September 9th in Geneva, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged governments to begin careful planning with industry stakeholders to ensure full preparedness when vaccines for COVID-19 are approved and available for distribution. The association also warned of potentially severe capacity constraints in transporting vaccines by air. Concentrating on the air cargo segment of the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, Brandon Fried, president of the Airforwarders Association may have expressed it best in his column in the Air Cargo News of September 9th. “The scarcity of available aircraft, inconsistent temperature control in idling planes, and delays caused by a…
On Friday, September 11th, 2020, Wreaths Across America calls for every American to stand outside and wave a flag for one minute at 8:46AM, 9:03 AM, 9:37AM and 10:03AM. At 8:46 a.m., On Tuesday, September 11th, 2001, five hijackers took control of American Airlines Flight 11 and flew it into the heart of New York City and the northern facade of the World Trade Center’s North Tower (1 WTC). At 9:03 a.m., five other hijackers flew United Airlines Flight 175 into the southern facade of the South Tower (2 WTC).At 9:37 a.m., another five hijackers flew American Airlines flight 77 into the western facade…
Yes, it was only a scale model weighing nearly 50lbs. but like all great ventures, it must begin in a formulated step by step process; first with a modest design model, then separate power train testing in wind tunnels, and finally ending with a final design aircraft with months of manned aircraft testing. As the usual FAA requirement, before certification all testing needs to check all communications, software apps, electronics, avionics, fuels systems, powers sources and demonstrate that the aircraft can perform every maneuvering and flying protocol demanded in actual flying conditions. All steps necessary to obtain aircraft certification can…
In the closing days of August, the United Arab Emirates said it would establish full diplomatic ties with Israel, which would make it just the third Arab nation to do so. The long-awaited announcement set off a flurry of excitement in Israel, bringing years of covert business and security ties into the open and adding an appealing tourist destination for both the UAE and Israel. How does a diplomatic breakthrough such as this affect the aviation business as well as trade and tourism? The travel opportunities throughout the region are obvious. Israeli TV stations have already dispatched reporters to the…
The Port Authority announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a landscape architecture or engineering design firm to advance improvements to the Flushing Bay Promenade as part of the AirTrain LGA project and $8 billion redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport. The Port Authority has proposed an AirTrain to traverse the northern edge of the Grand Central Parkway adjacent to the Flushing Bay Promenade that provides a long-awaited rail link to LaGuardia Airport. A full presentation was made at the regular meeting of the New York Community Airport Roundtable’s LaGuardia Airport section. The meeting took place at Vaughn College, which sits just…
This month, the membership of the LinkedIn network were asked what event exemplifies the spirit of Aviation Day; a commemoration of aviation that was begun by President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1939, to commemorate the birthdate of Orville Wright who was born August 19th, 1871. The membership chose the flight of the Wright Flyer in Kitty Hawk North Carolina on December 17, 1903. The aircraft would have appeared simple but was an engineering marvel made from balsa wood and fabric. They even made one wing four inches longer than the other to compensate for the weight of the engine which was a…
The date is unknown, but many believe the arrival of the new vaccines will be this coming winter. That is the announcement of the vaccine developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. And with it comes the challenge of distribution from the manufacturer to our health care facilities. Both the United States and Russia are on the brink of announcing the introduction dates of their products and experts are warning of logistical challenges for distribution, both in the United States and world-wide. The actual transportation of huge dosages of the vaccine is only one challenge; there is also consideration for…