American Airlines Mechanic Dies At 100 After 80-Year Career—He Was Older Than American Itself [Roundup]

News and notes from around the interweb: Azriel Blackman, Airline Mechanic for 80 Years, Dies at 100 (NYT) “He was older than American Airlines,” he said in an interview. The company has been celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, noting the first flight of Robertson Aircraft, one of the dozens of small airlines that combined in 1930 to form American Airways; it became American Airlines in 1934. …In 2012, American honored Mr. Blackman’s tenure by flying him around New York City in a restored, propeller-driven DC-3, part of the airline’s fleet that carried passengers between the mid-1930s and the late 1940s. He sat in the cockpit as it flew along the Hudson River, over Central Park and past the former site of Aviation High. “He was taken aback by all of that,” his son said. “He didn’t really know how to accept praise of that magnitude. In his mind, he didn’t feel he had done anything extraordinary. He loved going to work. He considered the people he worked with family, and it was enjoyment to him. That was his real reward.” More on American Airlines fixing the interiors of its planes. "Our customers’ experience on board our aircraft is one of the most important drivers of their overall experience with us. They expect and deserve our cabins — including seats, armrests, tray tables and Wi-Fi — to not only be operable, but look their best. And we have an… — JonNYC (@xJonNYC) August 29, 2026 Virgin Australia Velocity: Spokane airport is planning a lounge. Memphis airport is getting an Escape lounge 3,200 square feet in the main rotunda, eventually expandable to roughly 4,900 square feet when utilization triggers are met. West Palm Beach airport will get lounges in the A/B–C Terminal Connector whose construction will require demolishing the current Escape Lounge. Philadelphia airport is getting a 1,500 square foot, 50-seat Escape lounge in terminal D around the end of the year. New Tampa airport lounges. A September 3 board item will authorize negotiations with Manhattan Construction for a 15,000 square foot lounge in Airside A that’s expected to be a United Club and a 4,000 square foot common-use lounge in Airside C. Construction won’t happen until the back half of next year. Topics on this page