Delta to add more flights between New York-JFK and the Caribbean

Delta Air Lines is expanding access between New York-JFK and the Caribbean with a second daily flight to Nassau, The Bahamas, beginning Oct. 1, 2018; new daily service to Kingston, Jamaica, effective Dec. 20, 2018; and new Saturday-only service to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, beginning Dec. 22, 2018.

"No one better connects New York to the world than Delta," said Chuck Imhof, Vice President — New York and Sales, East. "We offer our customers more flights to more destinations than any other airline and we're excited to add more flights to the Caribbean to our strong network portfolio."
New services complement significant domestic network enhancements for New York’s largest carrier.

British Airways Gatwick - Toronto flight launches next week.

British Airways’ direct flight from Gatwick to Toronto will launch next week, with the service beginning on May 1. The new flight, which will operate three times a week, will be British Airways’ first flight to Canada from Gatwick.

 

It is estimated that around 724,000 British nationals visit Canada each year.* The flight timings are perfect for those looking to explore the city and maximise their time in Canada. The outbound BA2271 flight will depart at 11.35am from Gatwick, arriving into Toronto at 2.25pm, giving customers time to explore the city or attend business meetings. The return flight operates overnight, leaving travellers with a full day before heading for the airport. It departs Toronto at 7.50pm and landing into Gatwick at 7.55am the next day.

 

JetBlue And JetSuiteX Announce Codeshare Partnership

JetBlue and JetSuiteX today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership making JetSuiteX-operated flights available on JetBlue.com with a new codeshare agreement.

For travel starting May 1, 2018, JetBlue will place its "B6" airline code on JetSuiteX Air-operated flights between West Coast destinations, offering new point-to-point routes for JetBlue customers. This includes flights between Burbank, Calif. (BUR); Concord, Calif. (CCR); Oakland, Calif. (OAK); and Las Vegas (LAS), and marks the first codeshare between a semi-private public charter operator (JetSuiteX) and a major national carrier.

United Airlines Takes Delivery of the Fuel Efficient 737 MAX 9

United Airlines announced today that it has taken delivery of its first 737 MAX 9 aircraft from the Boeing Delivery Center in Seattle, WA. The new aircraft, which arrived right after Earth Day, reduced fuel use and CO2 emissions significantly compared with older generation aircraft. In honour of this more eco-friendly aircraft, United has given the MAX a new livery, similar to its fuel-efficient Boeing Dreamliner aircraft, so that employees and customers can easily recognize the plane and its superior fuel efficiency.

United expects to take delivery of two more 737 MAX 9 aircraft this month and will have 10 737 MAX 9 aircraft by the end of 2018. As previously announced, the aircraft will enter United's schedule June 7 with service between the airline's hub at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport and five cities – Anchorage, Alaska; Austin, Texas; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Orlando, FL. and San Diego. The aircraft will operate on additional routes from Houston and Los Angeles International Airport starting June 29.

Bombardier wins prestigious award for EcoDesign on the C Series

Bombardier’s EcoDesign approach applied on the C Series has won the prestigious Les Mercuriades award in the “Stratégie de développement durable” category. The honour was presented at the Les Mercuriades Gala on Thursday, 19th April, in front of close to 1,200 Montreal-area business leaders.

Les Mercuriades is one of the most prestigious business competitions in Québec, recognizing innovation, ambition, entrepreneurship and performance in small to medium enterprises and larger companies. Companies submit applications in 17 categories and all applicants are reviewed by an independent jury.

Our application focused on our EcoDesign approach when designing the C Series. Bombardier is the first and only manufacturer to have completed an environmental lifecycle approach on an entire aircraft.

Alaska Air Group reports First Quarter 2018 results

Alaska Airlines has reported its 2018 first-quarter results this week ...the airline reported a net income of $4 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, compared to $93 million, or $0.75 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2017. Excluding the impact of certain noted items, the company reported adjusted net income of $18 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, compared to $124 million, or $0.99 per diluted share, in 2017.

"Alaska is on an incredible journey. I want to thank our employees for continuing to run a highly reliable operation and for providing genuine and caring service to our guests in the midst of a complex merger," said Brad Tilden, Alaska's CEO. "We're excited to get the biggest integration milestones behind us in the next couple of months and then turn our full focus to running a great airline and realizing the full benefit of our new and expanded platform."

Some of the key highlights -

WOW launches premium service.

 WOW air, Iceland's ultra-low-fare transatlantic airline has now introduced a new full-service type of ticket.  It's called 'Premium' and the airline hopes will appeal to business travellers as well as those travelling for leisure but seeking a little more comfort, convenience and service. 

This new fare offering is aimed directly at competing with rival airlines and business services offered on legacy carriers. 

The WOW premium ticket bundle includes: the WOW air BigSeat, featuring a wider seat with a footrest and at least 37 inches of legroom; priority boarding and fast-track security; an in-flight meal and drinks; two checked bags; one carry-on item; one personal item; and no change fee for rescheduling and cancellation protection.

Hong Kong Airlines to start daily service to Manila from June 2018 and top out new training centre

Hong Kong Airlines will operate daily flights between its home base of Hong Kong and Manila, the capital of the Philippines from 1 June 2018 - the latest addition to the airline's expanding network.

According to official figures by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, visitor arrivals from the Philippines climbed to 894,489 in 2017 - a 13% growth from that in 2016. Hong Kong Airlines' new service will meet the increasing travel demand from the Philippines to Hong Kong and beyond, including popular destinations like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver in North America.

Ed Bastian named among ‘World’s Greatest Leaders’ by Fortune

Fortune Magazine has named Delta CEO Ed Bastian to its prestigious list of “The World’s 50 Greatest Leaders” for 2018, joining a group that includes captains of industry, world political leaders, and philanthropic and environmental trailblazers.

Ed Bastian CEOBastian’s addition to the annual list of the “thinkers, speakers and doers who are stepping up to meet today’s challenges” is a first for the leader of any commercial airline. Previous honorees, dating back to 2014, include such luminaries as Pope Francis, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett.

United Airlines Receives "Best-of-the-Best" Award for Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion Across All Communities

Congratulations to United Airlines who were honoured by the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and the National Business Inclusion Consortium (NBIC) this week with the "Best-of-the-Best" designation, lauding the airline's industry-leading results across all diverse segments, creating a better future for all diverse communities in business.

Alaska Airlines introduces new rules for emotional support animals

 

Alaska Airlines announced this week a new policy for guests flying with emotional support and psychiatric service animals.

As part of the new policy, starting 1st May all emotional support animals travelling on Alaska Airlines will receive a boarding pass with tips and guidelines for making their flight a success.

Southwest Cargo Top Performers

Southwest Airlines Cargo team was recognized recently as one of the industry's top performers. This month Air Cargo World announced that Southwest Cargo® was awarded this year's Air Cargo Excellence Diamond Award in the "up to 999,999 tonnes" category. "This award showcases the hard work our Southwest Employees do on a daily basis to ensure our Customers receive the best Hospitality and service in the industry," said Matt Buckley, Southwest's Vice President of Cargo and Charters. "Customers know they can count on Southwest to handle their shipments without any hesitation."

Aeromexico reports first quarter results for 2018

Aeromexico reported its unaudited consolidated results for the first quarter 2018 earlier this week.

One of the major achievements by the group was a 15.9 percent increase in first quarter revenue for 2018 compared to last year.  It was also the 32nd consecutive quarter that the airline saw positive results. 

Here's the key highlights

United Airlines Reports First-Quarter 2018 Performance

United Airlines announced its first-quarter 2018 financial results a little earlier this week,  here's the main key points.  

UAL reported first-quarter net income of $147 million, diluted earnings per share of $0.52, pre-tax earnings of $184 million and pre-tax margin of 2.0 percent.

Excluding special charges and mark-to-market adjustments, UAL reported first-quarter net income of $143 million, diluted earnings per share of $0.50, pre-tax earnings of $179 million and pre-tax margin of 2.0 percent.

UAL has repurchased $747 million of its common shares year-to-date through April 16, 2018, representing approximately 4 percent of its shares outstanding as of year-end 2017.
Consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) increased 2.7 percent year-over-year.

 More highlights continue......

More Delta nonstop flights on the way this winter between the U.S. and Europe

Delta customers will continue to have year-round nonstop access to Europe from several U.S. gateways this winter as the airline will run several key routes through the upcoming winter season:

New York-JFK to Lisbon

Los Angeles to Paris and Amsterdam

Indianapolis to Paris

Orlando to Amsterdam

"Delta customers on both sides of the pond have told us more flying between Europe and the U.S. is valuable to them and we're very excited to make more nonstops to the U.S. from Paris, Amsterdam and Lisbon through the winter season a reality," said Dwight James, Delta's Senior Vice President – Trans-Atlantic.