Pegasus Airlines places order for 25 new Airbus A321neo's

The leading low-cost airline in Turkey, Pegasus Airlines placed an order for  25 Airbus A321neo aircraft it was announced on 21st December.

This new order comes on top of an order the carrier already had for 18 A321neo and 57 A320neos from Airbus, bringing a total of 100 firm orders from the airline.

Pegasus has decided to move to a pure all-Airbus fleet will further enhance positive strategy to grow both its domestic and international network with one of the best middle-of-the-market aircraft currently available.  Pegasus Airlines General Manager Mehmet T. Nane: “Turkey keeps strengthening its position in the world aviation market every day and we as Pegasus are an important part of this transformation. The order we placed in 2012 for 100 Airbus aircraft was the biggest order in Turkey’s aviation history at the time. We received the first aircraft of this order in Q3 2016 and now we have an agreement to convert 25 options into firm orders. We will continue to grow our fleet one step at a time and with our new aircraft we will continue to offer more comfortable flights for our passengers.”

“The latest Pegasus Airlines’ order for the A321neo ACF variant underlines that Airbus offers the best, most efficient and most comfortable solution in the Middle of the Market segment,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer – Customers, Airbus Commercial Aircraft. “Combining latest innovations in cabin design with unprecedented capacity and range capabilities, the A321 ACF will further boost the airline’s passenger experience and competitiveness in the highly contested growth market while reducing its environmental footprint.”

The ANA Flight to nowhere - 'unauthorised person' caused flight to turn around - after four hours!

An “unauthorised person” on an ANA flight heading for Tokyo caused the flight to turn around and go back to Los Angeles - after four hours, even though the airline knew there was nothing untoward going on other than a 'simple' mistake.

There was no security or safety threat involved, there was no danger, yet somehow, even in these days of heightened airport security that a passenger, whose identity has not yet been revealed was able after check-in to get into the departure gate area and then to actually board the flight, even past the final boarding checks and on the aircraft. The flight departed as normal and it was only after the passenger told crew four hours into the 11-hour flight that there was an issue that the airline, ANA became aware of the problem.

Why the aircraft had to turn around after four hours, even after ANA and Los Angeles Airport had worked out it was an 'innocent' mistake has not been advised to the 150 passengers onboard the flight some of which took to Twitter to comment on the situation.  American model, Chrissy Teigen, who was on the flight tweeted  “A flying first for me: 4 hours into an 11 hour flight and we are turning around because we have a passenger who isn’t supposed to be on this plane. Why...why do we all gotta go back, I do not know.”  and   “Why did we all get punished for this one person’s mistake?” she asked. “Why not just land in Tokyo and send the other person back? How is this the better idea, you ask? We all have the same questions.”

Local police confirmed it was a simple mix up, yet an investigation is underway to establish how such a mistake could take place that allows an international passenger with a ticket and boarding pass for a different airline to board the wrong flight and for it to depart. 

ANA refused to comment when we asked for a response. 

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Black Basketball Players Booted Off American Airlines Flight Over Blanket Theft

(Photo Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Ever stolen a blanket from a flight?  Ever been tempted to sneak one of those rather thin and slightly too small fabric offering in your cabin bag before you disembark after a flight?  

 But what happens if you haven't been tempted to pinch one of those useless blankets, you're given one by a fellow passenger, you are black and on an American Airlines flight?  You'll probably get kicked off the flight!

American Airlines has been forced to apologize to two black professional American basketball players who were, indeed kicked off one of their passenger aircraft in Dallas after a member of cabin crew accused them of stealing blankets.

An airline spokesperson, Joshua Freed said on Tuesday that Memphis Hustle guard Marquis Teague, in the picture above)  and forward Trahson Burrell boarded the flight bound for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Sunday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.  Two first-class passengers gave the players their blankets as they headed to their seats in coach. But a black flight attendant accused them of theft and forced them off the plane.

Joshua Freed says the airline apologized to the players at the airport and also flew them to Sioux Falls later that day - first class. 

Norwegian launches New Year sale

22 direct routes from the UK and Ireland on sale from £99/€99 one-way

Today, (26th December) Norwegian has launched the start of its New Year sale offering traveller’s savvy savings on selected flights from the UK and Ireland.

Based on departures from 1st February to 31st May 2018*, holidaymakers can now book a long-haul flight from London Gatwick from £130 one-way or a transatlantic flight from Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland from £135/€99/£99 one-way.

London Gatwick to 13 direct routes from £130 one-way

Holidaymakers looking to beat the winter blues can now book a bargain flight from £130 one-way on long-haul routes from London Gatwick, including Norwegian’s first low-cost route to South America launching 14th February and two new routes to the US cities of Chicago and Austin launching March 2018. All 13 long-haul routes direct from Gatwick are included in the sale and include:

New York JFK from £139.90

Boston from £129.90

Orlando from £179.90

Fort Lauderdale/Miami from £159.90

Denver from £149.90

Las Vegas from £199.90

Los Angeles from £169.90

Oakland/San Francisco from £159.90

Seattle from £149.90

Singapore from £159.90

Chicago from £144.90

Austin from £164.90

Buenos Aires from £274.90

To book visit www.norwegian.com/uk/flight-deals-new-year

Northern Ireland and Scotland to the USA from £99/£135 one-way

For passengers looking to head across the pond from Scotland and Northern Ireland next year, they will be able to bag a bargain flight to the U.S. east coast with Norwegian. The airlines' new routes from Edinburgh and Belfast direct to Stewart International Airport (in New York state), as well as flights from Edinburgh direct to Providence Airport (offering connections to Boston and New England) and Bradley International Airport (New England), are included in the sale. Fares are available from £99 one-way from Belfast or £135 one-way from Edinburgh.

Passengers can book now at www.norwegian.com/uk/new-year-flight-deals.

Emirates Banned From Tunisia

Emirates has been banned from landing in Tunisia or using its airspace it has emerged today following widespread anger in Tunisia after some Tunisian women were prevented from boarding Emirates flights.

The Tunisian transport ministry advised the measure would stay in force until Emirates was able to "operate flights in accordance with law and international agreements".

However, officials in the UAE said "security information" regarding visa's had caused the delays. "We contacted our Tunisian brothers about security information that necessitated taking specific procedures," Emirati Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash said via social media today, adding "We highly value Tunisian women and respect them," .

Tunisian government officials said the UAE had banned Tunisian women from flying to or transiting through its territory.  On Friday the Tunisian government said it had asked the UAE ambassador to clarify what was happening and had been told that the measures had been temporary and had already been lifted.

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Sun Country Airlines Announces Two New Destinations −Honolulu, Hawaii, And Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

 Sun Country Airlines announced on Wednesday seasonal service to new destinations Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL), and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (MYR). The new flight segments offer Sun Country customers access to these popular beach destinations, expanding Minnesota's Hometown Airline™ network to 43 domestic and international destinations.

Seasonal flights to Honolulu will be offered May 19 through August 19, 2018, via Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, Terminal 2, and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Passengers departing from Minneapolis will have a short stop in Los Angeles before continuing to Honolulu. The new service will fly four times a week, Friday through Monday.

Honolulu provides Midwest- and Los Angeles-based travellers a getaway to a tropical paradise, complete with stunning beaches such as Waikiki, historic landmarks and fine dining.

Emirates to start London Stansted - Dubai service next year

 Emirates announced on Wednesday that it is to launch a new daily route from Dubai (DXB) to London Stansted (STN) on 8 June, 2018. With its strategic position close to the tech and pharma hubs of Cambridge and Peterborough, Emirates will be the first Middle Eastern airline to operate out of the popular North East London airport.

The daily route will be operated by the airline’s new three-class Boeing 777-300ER offering customers 6 seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 306 in Economy Class. The aircraft is fitted with its game changing, fully enclosed private suites in First Class, as well as refreshed Business and Economy Class cabins.

Outbound, flight EK33 will depart Dubai at 09:30hrs, and will arrive in London Stansted at 14:10hrs. On its return, flight EK34 will depart London Stansted at 21:10hrs and arrive in Dubai at 07:05 the following day.

Opening the London Stansted gateway was a strategic decision by Emirates to serve the thriving business community in London’s north east and the wider 7.5 million population that fall within its catchment area. Hong Kong, Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore and Mumbai are the most popular business destinations from the East of England, which Emirates serves daily through its Dubai hub. Leisure travellers can enjoy direct, daily services to Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Bali and the Indian Ocean islands.

More than 25 of the world’s largest corporations have established operations in the wider Cambridge and Peterborough area, with Airbus, Astra Zeneca and GSK amongst the multi-national companies based there. Such businesses have helped establish the London Stansted Cambridge Corridor as one of the top five global knowledge regions, alongside world-leading San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Boston.

With the introduction of the London Stansted daily service, there will be 10 Emirates flights daily, connecting Dubai and London. Passengers can also fly to London Heathrow and Gatwick. London Stansted Airport is one of the capital’s major airport serving London, as well as the wider regions of England’s South East and the Midlands. The airport is connected to London via the Stansted Express which operates a regular daily service to London Liverpool Street Station. The train takes only 47 minutes and passengers arrive in the heart of the City of London, from where they can then connect to regional trains and the London Underground.

Read on to find out what Emirates President Sir Tim Clark says...

CheapOair Announces Predictions for 2018 Travel Trends

CheapOair, the leading flight-focused hybrid travel agency, has today announced its travel trend predictions for 2018.  By analyzing year-over-year data, and taking factors into consideration such as the economy, demographics of travellers, airline trends, and more, CheapOair is anticipating some interesting travel developments for the New Year.

According to recent reports by the FAA1, industry revenue in 2017 is expected to finish out with about a 4% increase. CheapOair predicts that in 2018, the travel industry can expect to see even more growth that could approach 6%. With this growth and with travellers constantly looking for new ways to save money on airfare, fare unbundling will become more popular among both legacy and low-cost carriers alike, giving travellers complete control over what benefits they are willing to pay for and omit, in order to find the cheapest prices for their flights. 

 

Special Negaraku livery for Malaysia Airlines second Airbus A350

Malaysia Airlines today received its second A350-900 aircraft with the special Negaraku livery. MH5025 departed Toulouse, France at 2.02pm on 22 December 2017 and arrived KL International Airport at 9.45am today.

The A350 XWB bearing the registration number, 9M-MAC carries the Jalur Gemilang, representing all Malaysians whose flag the airline carries worldwide.

Malaysia Airlines’ Group Chief Executive Officer, Izham Ismail was present to greet the aircraft.

The A350 XWB has 286 seats, with a three-class configuration: four seats in First Class, 35 in Business and 247 in Economy Class.

Delta promotes Rahul Samant to executive vice president

Delta Air Lines has promoted Rahul Samant, Chief Information Officer, to Executive Vice President reporting directly to Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian effective 1st January. 

Rahul Samant 

“As we look to our future and transforming the customer experience, we know that technology is a critical enabler for us, second only to Delta people,” Bastian said. “Rahul has proven that he’s the right leader to guide us on our digital transformation making IT a competitive advantage for Delta.”

Since joining Delta in February 2016, Rahul and his team have simultaneously focused on fortifying Delta’s information technology infrastructure while driving programs and innovative processes to make technology a competitive advantage for Delta.

Under his leadership, the team has developed and implemented tools and technology to enhance the customer experience; built a new disaster recovery data centre in record time; and embarked on a multi-year effort to digitally transform the company.

Prior to joining Delta, Samant served as AIG’s Chief Digital Officer, responsible for internal- and external-facing web, mobile and social assets, and harmonizing efforts across contact centres, social media, the Internet and the company’s intranet. Rahul also led AIG’s captive IT unit in Manila and managed the company’s use of vendor resources overseas.

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EasyJet asked to be a German feeder airline at Berlin

 EasyJet's Europe boss says the airline has been approached to be a provider of feeder flights from Berlin’s Tegel airport to the long-haul routes for other airlines.

“We have already had very many enquiries from other airlines that want to use our flights as feeders,” Thomas Haagensen told German newspaper daily Berliner Morgenpost on Saturday. The comments come after EasyJet began the process of taking over some of the failed German airline Air Berlin’s operations at Berlin's Tegel Airport.  The orange budget brand will be taking over the leases for around twenty-five Airbus A320 aircraft as well as a large number of slots at the airport.  Apparently, according to the newspaper, easyJet had already taken on, subject to contract, some 500 former Air Berlin staff in the region. 

The prospect of being or becoming a feeder airline within Europe is not wholly unexpected, indeed a number of airlines have looked into this prospect. Ryanair, Wizz, easyJet and others have all investigated various feeder operations within Europe within the last couple of years.  

Indeed, easyJet is already trying to turn itself into a 'feeder' type airline at London Gatwick this year, with the introduction of a new booking website specifically aimed at making it 'easier' for passengers to connect from easyJet services to those offered by its long-haul partners like WestJet and Norweigan. Although, using the new platform passengers end up paying more for their tickets, plus a connecting fee and it takes a great deal longer than the published minimum connecting times at Gatwick for other airlines.  

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Getting a Visa to Enter Brazil Just Got Easier

Thanks to a new electronic visa system, Brazil is becoming much easier to visit for North Americans. Southern Explorations, an adventure tour company with tours all over South America, is expecting a rush of bookings for Brazil starting in the new year. Beginning in January 2018, tourists from the United States and Canada will no longer have to wade through the complicated bureaucracy and paperwork to visit South America's largest country.

Brazil has already started to roll out an electronic visa program that eliminates the need for visitors to physically visit a visa centre in their own country to apply for and receive a tourist visa to travel to Brazil. Tourists and business visitors alike can apply for the new visas once they're available in their country of residence.

The new visas will be electronically issued within 72 hours of receipt of a correctly completed application. Marx Beltrão, Brazil's tourism minister, predicts the new visa program will increase tourism to Brazil by up to 25 percent.

First Korean Air Bombardier CSeries Jet Handed Over.

Yesterday, Pratt & Whitney and Korean Air Lines celebrated delivery of the airline's first Bombardier CS300 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney's Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine. Bombardier hosted a delivery ceremony in Mirabel, Canada where both C Series and GTF final assembly take place.

"Today we celebrate delivery of our first GTF-powered C Series aircraft. We are excited for the dramatic improvements in efficiency, emissions, and noise that will enhance our operations and passenger experience," said Soo-Keun Lee, Chief Technology Officer at Korean Air.

Transport Canada suspends West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate

Transport Canada suspended West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate today, which prohibits the company from providing commercial air services. The department took this serious action in the interest of public safety because the department identified deficiencies in the company's Operational Control System. An Operational Control System ensures that a company's day-to-day actions are compliant with safety requirements for things such as the dispatching of personnel and aircraft.

On December 13, 2017, a West Wind Aviation aircraft, with 25 people onboard, crashed in Fond-du-Lac, Saskatchewan. Transport Canada identified deficiencies during a post-accident inspection of West Wind Aviation from December 18 to 20, 2017. As a result, in the interest of public safety, Transport Canada suspended West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate and will not allow the company to resume its commercial air service until it demonstrates compliance with aviation safety regulations.

Transport Canada takes its aviation safety oversight role very seriously and expects every air operator to fully comply with aviation safety regulations.

British Airways Aim to Transform Boarding Experience

British Airways has become the first airline to trial self-service biometric boarding gates on international flights out of the USA, working in partnership with Los Angeles Airport.

As part of the airline's commitment to invest in innovation and new technology, British Airways has begun an exclusive trial that will transform customers' airport experience by improving the boarding process and significantly reducing the amount of time it takes to board an aircraft.  

The new technology, created by Vision-Box, will create a smoother journey for customers, as they will no longer need to present their passport or boarding pass at the gate – only at check-in and security. Instead, travellers can simply look into a camera prior to boarding, wait for their biometric data to be verified, and then walk onto the aircraft.