Denim Air's new CEO, Matthijs Boertien, said the carrier is evaluating larger aircraft including the F70/F100 or members of the Embraer 170/190 family. A decision could be made by spring. Denim currently operates 14 F50s and five Dash 8s on an ACMI basis. Most recently, it secured agreements to operate F50s for Air Mauritania and Air Senegal, Boertien said. The airline also unveiled an ACMI Plus service, which provides full operational support that includes sales distribution and marketing support.

After an all-night flight to Brazil, JetBlue CEO David Neeleman was ready to take delivery of the first 100-seat, GE CF34-powered Embraer 190. But there was an unexpected snag: He had forgotten to pack a necktie for the ceremony. Aides scrambled to find one. After a few phone calls, someone came up with a yellow silk print tie that would go with Neeleman's dark blazer and tan pants. And who helped out early that September morning? "My job is to make David look good," says JetBlue COO Dave Barger with a laugh. "I'm the operations guy, so it is expected that I should have a tie."

You can say this about Piedmont Airlines: It is a company with staying power. Since its formation in 1931 it has changed names, ownership, aircraft and location, yet still it lives today as a wholly owned subsidiary of US Airways operating in the Major's Express network. That resilience will serve Piedmont well as it confronts the possibility of still more change ahead after US Airways' merger with America West Airlines in late September.

Two new airliner power-plants are offering an unprecedented choice: With engine bleed air to power aircraft systems, or without. It's a package deal, of course; in order to get the bleedless powerplant one must order the 787, while the A350 only comes with bleed air.

Boeing will install Class 3 Electronic Flight Bags on two 777-200ERs and four 737-700s for TAAG Angola Airlines beginning in third-quarter 2006, making TAAG the first African carrier to fly the Class 3 EFB in commercial service, the first commercial operator to use the EFB on a 737NG platform and the first carrier to use it on multiple fleet types.