Great Moments in Travel History – July 2015
One of the planes, an Airbus A321T, that American ordered on
One hundred and fourteen people died on July 17, 1981, when two connected walkways at the Hyatt Regency Kansas City in Missouri collapsed and fell into the hotel’s lobby, where a dance was in progress. An additional 216 people were injured that day, and, until September 11, 2001, it was the deadliest structural collapse in U.S. history.
On July 22, 1983, the FAA announced that a pilot who qualifies in either a Boeing 757 or 767 models is automatically qualified on the other because the two had so many features in common.
Boeing began production of its 767 wide-body aircraft on July 14, 1978. The aircraft was the company’s first wide-body twinjet, as well as its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. United Airlines was the launch customer for the 767 in 1982 and Delta Air Lines is currently the largest operator, with over 90 in service.
In July 1991, Kimpton Hotels instituted a brand-wide pet-friendly program. The hotelier accepts all pets, regardless of size, breed, or weight, at its properties at no extra charge.
Pan Am agreed to sell its European routes, as well as its Pan AM Shuttle, to Delta for $260 million on July 11, 1991.
On July 31, 1992, Thai Airways Flight 311 crashed into a mountain while attempting to land at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. All 113 people onboard perished.
TWA Flight 800 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on July 17, 1996, 12 minutes after taking off from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. All 230 people onboard the Boeing 747-100 were killed. The investigation revealed that a fuel tank explosion was the cause of the crash.
Boeing delivered China Southwest Airlines’ first Boeing 737-600 on July 20, 2001.
On July 1, 2002, America West Airlines Flight 556, an Airbus A319 bound for Phoenix from Miami, was called back to the terminal after suspicion arose about the pilots’ sobriety. Captain Thomas Cloyd and First Officer Christopher Hughes failed a sobriety test at the airport and were arrested. A subsequent breathalyzer test showed that Cloyd’s blood alcohol content was 0.091, while Hughes’ was 0.084, both of which were more than double the FAA’s limit of 0.04. Both men were given jail sentences.
On July 2, 2002, six Israelis were shot at El Al’s ticket counter at Los Angeles International Airport by Hesham Mohamad Hadayet, an anti-Israeli Egyptian who opposed U.S. policy in the Middle East. The incident was deemed an act of terrorism, and was one of the few to take place on American soil since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashed shortly after takeoff from Port Sudan, Sudan on July 8, 2003. All 117 people onboard the Boeing 737-200 died in the crash.
The first 787 Dreamliner rolled out at a ceremony attended by 15,000 people at the Everett, Washington final assembly facility on July 8, 2007.
On July 17, 2009, a bomb exploded in the Jakarta JW Marriott hotel, destroying the first floor of the property and killing six people.
With the delivery of its 78th Boeing 777 on July 29, 2009, Emirates became the largest operator of Boeing’s 777 aircraft. The carrier flies every model type of the 777.
As part of its effort to streamline Dreamliner production, Boeing acquired Vought Aircraft Industries’ operations at its South Carolina facility on July 30, 2009. Boeing later built its second final assembly plant for the Dreamliner at this location.
The Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower opened on July 6, 2011 in Panama City, Panama. The hotel is a 70-story, 2,500,000-square-foot (230,000-square-meter) waterfront condominium.
American Airlines announced an order for 460 new aircraft on July 11, 2011, setting a record for the number of planes ordered by an airline at one time. The order was divided into 200 Boeing 737 aircraft and 260 Airbus A320 aircraft.
On July 13, 2012, Amtrak announced plans to build a high-speed bullet train network that will run from Boston to Washington, with stops in New York and Philadelphia. The new trains are expected be in service by 2040.
Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed on July 6, 2013, while landing at San Francisco International Airport. Three of the 307 people onboard the Boeing 777-200ER were killed, while 181 were injured. The incident was the first fatal crash of a Boeing 777 since it entered service in 1995.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
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