Republic Airways today ordered 40 twin-engine CS300 aircraft from Canada’s Bombardier and took 40 more options on the 138-seat rival to Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’ A320.

The order was a boost for Bombardier, which is advertising its new CS series aircraft as a more efficient replacement for the 737 and the A320.

Republic is the parent company of several U.S. carriers including Frontier Airlines, Midwest Airlines, Chautauqua Airlines, Lynx Aviation, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America.

Bombardier’s CS series of planes carries the same number of passengers as the smaller variants of the 737 and the A320. It is one of …

Read more »

United Airlines has signed orders for 25 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, nearly three months after it announced its intent to buy the planes.

The airline won’t take delivery of the first of the fuel-efficient twin jets until 2016. The mid-sized planes will take the place of Boeing 767s now in United’s fleet. United has an option to buy up to 50 more of the planes.

The Chicago-based airline has said it also will buy up to 75 aircraft from Boeing rival Airbus. United said it will buy A350XWB airliners from Airbus.

The 50 787s are valued at $4.2 billion at list …

Read more »

Here’s an idea from the Tacoma Regional Convention + Visitor Bureau: If you belong to a group that hosts conventions or meetings, do your best to convince the group to convene or meet in Tacoma, or Puyallup, or Lakewood, or any other city or town hereabouts.

The program is called, aptly enough, “Meet in YOUR City,” and it is meant “to encourage residents of Pierce County to bring meetings to our area.” So state a release this week from the bureau.

The program, said communications manager Zak Nelson, pairs the bureau with residents who belong to an association, corporation or …

Read more »

Gov. Chris Gregoire has proclaimed that Feb 21-28 will be known as Washington Saves Week. The proclamation says savings are fundamental to the stability and vitality of the state, and that adequate savings are critical components of personal financial security.

In that spirit, this week The News Tribune will offer a series of tips to help readers save.

Today’s Tip: Claiming the EITC

Low- and moderate-income workers annually qualify for an Earned Income Tax Credit when they file their returns. Typically, the credit goes unused by approximately 25 percent of qualified workers – who are entitled to receive a …

Read more »

South Africa’s Comair says it plans to buy eight new Boeing 737-800 aircraft to renew its fleet.

The company has 20 Boeing earlier model 737s in its fleet. The new aircraft will be delivered beginning in 2012.

The airline picked the 737 over Airbus’ rival A320.

The 737 is built in Boeing’s Renton factory.

When Alaska Airlines announced two and a half years ago that it would partner with Southern California’s Row 44 to provide Internet service aboard its fleet of Boeing 737s, the airline was a pioneer among domestic carriers.

Had SeaTac-based Alaska rolled out that wireless Internet service on schedule, it would have been the first major domestic carrier with that capability aboard its planes.

But technical, political and financial issues intervened, and Alaska, save for one demonstration aircraft, still doesn’t offer Internet access on its flights. In the meanwhile, many of its competitors do.

That’s about to change. Alaska announced today …

Read more »

Austrailian discount airline Virgin Blue has reached an agreement to order up to 50 Boeing 737 single-aisle jets, the airline said today.

Virgin Blue already flies Boeing 737 in its domestic Australian service.

The news came as the airline announced improved profitability in the six months ending in December. Virgin Blue made $56 million during that period compared with a loss of nearly $91 million during the same period in 2008.

Rival Qantas has ordered new aircraft for domestic travel, so Virgin Blue is countering with more capacity of its own.

Boeing builds its 737s in its Renton plant. …

Read more »

The Port of Tacoma commission selected Shey-Harding, a Seal Beach, Calif.-based executive search firm, to help the port find a new executive director.

The commissioners heard from three finalists today and chose Shey-Harding because of its flexibility, industry involvement and available resources, according to Tara Mattina, the port’s spokeswoman.

The port received nine proposals from firms vying for the contract. Only one of the companies – Seattle-based Waldron & Company – was from Washington state.

Port staff plan to check the winning company’s references and negotiate a contract to bring to the commission, perhaps as early as March 4, for …

Read more »