Indonesia Grounds Five Regionals
Indonesia grounded five airlines, giving them three months to improve safety standards or face a ban, according to RAN’s sister publication Air Safety Week. A safety audit found Helizona, SMAC, Asco Nusa Air, Tri-MG Intra Asia Airlines and Dirgantara Air Service failed to meet minimum standards in all safety categories, transport ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan told Agence France Presse. The airlines have been moved into the transport ministry's bottom safety ranking and have had their Air Operator's Certificates (AOC) suspended. "They can't fly because their certificates have been froze,” he said. “If, after three months they don't take any action, their AOCs will be revoked." The transport ministry in June revoked the AOC of Adam Air after the troubled budget carrier failed to meet a three-month deadline to improve its safety standards.

Nonstop Cedar Rapid-NY on AE
Even as the carrier contracts, American Eagle Airlines began nonstop service between The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids (CID) and New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA). American Eagle operates the round-trip service with its 37-seat Embraer ERJ-135 jets.
"We are pleased to be adding service to Cedar Rapids," said American Eagle President and CEO Peter Bowler. "With service to Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, St. Louis and now, New York City, our customers will be able to connect anywhere in the world that American Airlines flies."
"American Eagle is a great business partner for Eastern Iowa travelers," said Airport Director Dan Mann. "With 17 daily departures and nonstop service to Chicago, Dallas/Ft. Worth, St. Louis and now New York City, American Eagle is The Eastern Iowa Airport's largest air service provider. The continued support of travelers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and the entire region is essential to sustain this new service for future growth."

BBD, Comair Celebrate RJ Anniversary
It was on June 1, 1993 that Comair launched North American CRJ regional jet service with a flight from the airline’s base at Cincinnati to Toronto. On June 26, 2008, the 15th anniversary was celebrated at Comair’s headquarters in a ceremony attended by Comair President John Selvaggio, and Bombardier Commercial Aircraft Senior Vice President-Sales Jim Dailly.
The anniversary comes as 50-seat regional jets are coming under pressure given rising fuel prices. Despite that, the introduction of the CRJ 200 service at Comair was an historical watershed in regional airline history since it proved that jets could make money in the short-haul operations served by regional airlines. The concept, introduced with Short Bros. FJX program in 1987, defied conventional wisdom, but went on to transform the industry into the giant it is today. Related Story
The pioneering aircraft was the first from a firm order for 20 aircraft, plus options for another 20, of the revolutionary 50-seat regional jet. Comair, a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta which operates as a Delta Connection, kept re-ordering the aircraft to raise its total CRJ Series orders to 130 regional jets. The airline currently operates 100 CRJ100/200, 15 CRJ700 and 13 CRJ900 jets.
“Comair’s 15-year relationship with Bombardier has been marked with many milestones, with the most recent being the introduction of first-class service for our customers,” said Selvaggio. “We are honored to have played an integral role in Bombardier’s history, and we look forward to continuing our partnership in the years to come.”
“We are obviously very proud of the impact our CRJ aircraft have had on air transportation not only in the United States but around the world,” said Mr. Dailly. “The original 50-seater has evolved into regional jets with 70 and 90 seats and, with the advent of the CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft late in 2009, 100 seats.”
Firm orders for CRJ100/200/700/705/900/1000 aircraft now stand at 1,667 with 1,485 delivered as of April 30, 2008.