Air Travel: 737 Max Update, New Star Wars Plane

This week the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) tested the Boeing 737 Max in a flight simulator, although the organization did not say how the aircraft performed. The aircraft is undergoing testing after undergoing updates to its anti-stall software, which is believed to have been involved in two deadly crashes. 

The FAA head is scheduled to brief international regulators on the status of the aircraft at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Montreal on Monday, September 23. 

Also this week LATAM Airlines Group released the first image of its aircraft inspired by the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge area at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. LATAM customers will be able to fly on the themed aircraft from the group’s São Paulo/Guarulhos hub to Orlando, as well as Miami, Madrid, Frankfurt and Paris, starting in October. The aircraft, a Boeing 777 with a capacity for 410 passengers, was designed Disney’s creative team in conjunction with Lucasfilm, and was painted using stencils.

Finally, in new flight news, this week TUI announced plans to operate charter flights to Los Cabos, Mexico, out of London Gatwick, starting in November. The flights will operate twice weekly, and they will make TUI the only airline to offer direct flights between the UK and Los Cabos. 

In addition to the new flights, TUI will offer vacation packages to the destination’s two main resort areas, Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo. Travelers will be able to choose from hotels including the new, 639-room, all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos, as well as TUI’s sister all-inclusives, the Riu Palace Baja California and the Riu Hotel Santa Fe, both of which are on Medano Beach. The company will offer seven-, 10-, 11- and 14-night vacation packages. 

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