Azul Reports January Traffic

Azul, the largest airline in Brazil by number of destinations and departures, announces today its preliminary traffic results for January 2018.

Passenger traffic (RPKs) increased 14.0% compared to January 2017 on a capacity increase (ASKs) of 12.3%. As a result, load factor was 85.4%, 1.3 percentage points higher than in the same period last year.

As in 2017, we were again in January the number one on-time airline in Brazil, with an on-time arrival rate of 84.6% according to FlightStats.

	Jan-18	Jan-17	% ∆
Total
RPK (million)	2.269	1.991	14,0%
ASK (million)	2.658	2.368	12,3%
Load factor	85,4%	84,1%	+1,3 p.p.
Domestic
RPK (million)	1.682	1.638	2,7%
ASK (million)	2.016	1.992	1,2%
Load factor	83,4%	82,2%	+1,2 p.p.
International
RPK (million)	587	353	66,4%
ASK (million)	642	375	71,0%
Load factor	91,4%	94,0%	-2,6 p.p.

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Frontier Airlines Adds 35 New Routes, Four New Cities

The American low-cost airline Frontier Airlines is expanding rapidly, connecting more people in more places than ever before.

Just recently they announced a slew of new and continuing routes:-

Colorado Springs, Colo. To/from Atlanta (new)
Denver to/from Fort Myers (expanded to year-round)
Las Vegas to/from Raleigh-Durham (expanded to year-round)
Miami, Fla. To/from San Juan, P.R. (new)
Philadelphia to/from Dallas/Ft. Worth (new)
Philadelphia to/from Grand Rapids, Mich. (new)
Philadelphia to/from Indianapolis, Ind. (new)
Tulsa, Okla. to/from San Jose, Calif. (new)
Tulsa, Okla. To/from Washington-Dulles (new)

Now today they announced new service on 35 nonstop routes and added four new cities. “This additional 35 routes is further evidence of Frontier’s commitment to deliver on our mission to make air travel more affordable and accessible to 90 percent of America,” said Daniel Shurz, senior vice president of commercial for Frontier Airlines. “We’re offering not only amazing low fares but a reliable and friendly service that allows customers to customize their travel experience to their needs and their budget. This empowers more people than ever to fly. This is what our Low Fares Done Right philosophy is all about.”

This announcement brings a number of notable milestones. Frontier moves to the top spot as largest carrier in Long Island, N.Y. in terms of destinations served (12). Moreover, the carrier moves will now be the second largest carrier in Austin (30), Denver (77), Raleigh-Durham (15), Jacksonville, Fla. (6), Philadelphia (27) and San Antonio (14) in a number of destinations served. Frontier will be the only airline serving Branson Airport. This announcement comes just a week after an announcement of nine additional routes that will also begin in April.

Frontier has added four new cities with this announcement and will begin offering Low Fares Done Right service this Spring to/from Birmingham, Ala.(April 11); Savannah/Hilton Head (May 1); Myrtle Beach, S.C. (May 20) and Branson, Mo.(June 13).

Read on for more details

WestJet reports record January load factor of 82.6 per cent

WestJet today announced record January 2018 traffic results with a load factor of 82.6 percent, an increase of 2.6 percentage points year over year. Revenue passenger miles (RPMs), or traffic, increased 6.5 percent year over year, and capacity, measured in available seat miles (ASMs), grew 3.1 percent over the same period. The airline flew a record 2.0 million guests in January, a year-over-year increase of 7.9 percent or approximately 150,000 additional guests.

Airline increases traffic by 6.5 percent &

flies a record number of guests in January

"We are pleased to start the year off with a strong year-over-year increase in January's load factor, as we continue to grow traffic in a strengthening demand environment," said WestJet President and CEO, Gregg Saretsky. "As always, I thank the more than 13,000 WestJetters whose efforts power our airline. The safe, caring and friendly travel experience they offer our guests each day is greatly appreciated."

Norwegian and Spanish pilot union SEPLA sign collective agreement

Norwegian and Spanish pilot union SEPLA today signed a comprehensive collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The CBA will be valid for two years and represents an important step forward in one of the company’s most important markets. Earlier this week, Norwegian also signed a CBA for its long-haul crews based in Italy.

Southwest Airlines Employees Earn $543 Million In 2017 ProfitSharing

Southwest Airlines announced yesterday it will share $543 million through its ProfitSharing Plan with its Employees for 2017. This equals approximately 11.3 percent of each eligible Employee's eligible compensation—the equivalent of more than five weeks' pay.

This is Southwest Airlines' 44th consecutive ProfitSharing award. The Company will pay part of the ProfitSharing award to the retirement plan and part in cash. Most Employees will receive 10 percent of eligible compensation as a contribution to the ProfitSharing Plan, and the remainder—approximately 1.3 percent—in cash, both of which will be paid on March 15, 2018. Some Employees will receive the entire ProfitSharing award as a contribution to their retirement plan accounts as specified in their collective bargaining agreement.

Finnair to offer digital newspapers on its long-haul flights

The end of the line for the printed newspaper is in sight, at least on Finnair long-haul flights as the airline moves to a more user, cost and environmentally friendly digital offering.  

Finnair is making available a wide selection of international newspapers in digital format for customers on its long-haul flights. As of today, over 50 international newspapers can be read in pdf format through the Nordic Sky portal that is available onboard Finnair’s A330 and A350 aircraft. Customers can use the portal with their own devices and do not need to purchase a Wi-Fi connection to access the newspapers.  

“We are happy to be able to offer a wide selection of digital newspapers to our international customers,” says Tiina Vesterinen, Director for Customer Experience Development at Finnair. ”With digital papers, customers always get the latest copy, regardless of where their flight is departing from, and we never run out of stock.” 

At the same time, Finnair will discontinue distributing paper versions of newspapers on its long-haul flights. Paper issues will remain on European flights for the time being until Finnair’s European fleet is also equipped with Wi-Fi later this year.  

At this stage, digital newspapers are provided free of charge in both business and economy class of Finnair’s long-haul flights, as well as on the Helsinki-London-Helsinki flight flown with an A350 aircraft.

Aviation analyst Jason Shaw welcomed the move, "It's great news, it helps the environment a little and it is so much more user-friendly to enjoy the news in a digital format. With the onset of in-flight Wi-Fi we have the world at our fingertips, without the need for dozens of newspapers and magazine taking up space and making a mess.  Other European airlines will surely follow, so well done to Finnair for leading the field."

LATAM to store Dreamliners

It's being reported that LATAM Airlines have officially started to store its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet - first or which are aircraft registrations CC-BBD and CC-BBE. The carrier is putting the new aircraft into storage over issues with the engines. 

The first, BBD has already been ferried to the Californian desert for storage at Victorville.  It's believed that BBE will be sent to the boneyard over the next few days.  How long they are going to be laid up is unclear and the carrier has not responded to requests for comment today.  

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2,050 new aircraft for Asia-Pacific by 2036 - Bombardier

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft’s 2017-2036 Market Forecast, covering the 60- to 150-seat segment, shows that the Asia-Pacific region, which Bombardier defines as Asia without Greater China, is forecasted to undergo impressive growth over the next 20 years.

This region is expected to take delivery of 2,050 aircraft, or 16 percent of a worldwide market for 12,550 aircraft valued at $820 billion U.S. Asia-Pacific deliveries should consist of 1,050 large regional aircraft (50 to 100 seats) and 1,000 small single-aisle aircraft (100 to 150 seat).

“Asia-Pacific region is the home of the fastest growing economies. Strong GDP growth and a booming middle class should drive passenger traffic numbers to triple in the next 20 years,” said Francois Cognard, Vice President, Sales, Asia-Pacific, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “Bombardier aims to build upon its strong foundation in Asia-Pacific. Due to the demand for more frequencies and more city pairs to increase connectivity between smaller communities, there is a great opportunity to continue to support the expected growth with high-performing regional and small single-aisle aircraft.”

WestJet reports fourth quarter and full-year results

 WestJet announced its fourth quarter and year-end results for 2017, with full-year net earnings of $283.6 million, or $2.42 per diluted share. This compares with net earnings of $295.5 million, or $2.45 per diluted share reported in the full-year 2016. The airline achieved its 51st consecutive quarter of profitability, reporting fourth-quarter net earnings of $48.5 million, or $0.42 per diluted share compared to $55.2 million, or $0.47 per diluted share reported in the fourth quarter of 2016. For the full-year and in each quarter of 2017, the airline flew a record number of guests. Based on the trailing twelve months, the airline recorded a return on invested capital of 10.0 percent, down 0.2 percentage points from the 10.2 percent reported in the previous quarter.

"In 2017, we continued our evolution toward becoming a global airline while flying a record number of guests and achieving our highest annual load factor in our history. We announced an agreement to enter a joint venture with Delta Airlines, which will give Canadians more access to our low fares and growing network. We also proudly took delivery of Canada's first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft this fall, and it was in service with high reliability before the busy holiday season," said WestJet President and CEO Gregg Saretsky. "WestJetters care to the core by safely providing our guests with award-winning and friendly service every day. I thank each of the more than 13,000 WestJetters for their work and dedication this quarter, especially in light of the severe cold and weather-related operational challenges."

Love is in the air - British Airways

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, British Airways is adding a romantic touch to its in-flight entertainment with the introduction of a new category – Love is in the Air.

Running until the end of February, the category plays host to a collection of films, TV shows and audio programmes, all with a romantic theme.

This includes classics like When Harry Met Sally, Chocolat and Love Me Tender, as well as more recent releases like Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool.

As part of its extensive range of TV shows, British Airways is also adding some love-themed episodes from famous series, including Friends - The One with Candy Hearts, Modern Family - Do You Believe in Magic and select episodes of Sex and the City.

Finally, the Valentine’s Day range is complemented by poems and excerpts from the likes of William Shakespeare, Robert Burns, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Jane Eyre, Thomas Hardy, William Wordsworth, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and David Herbert Lawrence, while actor Michael Sheen reads: A Lover’s Gift from Him to Her.

Boeing 737 MAX 10 Reaches Firm Configuration

 Boeing's 737 MAX 10 has reached a major milestone as the MAX program completed firm configuration on the aeroplane. This means engineers now have all the design requirements in place for what will be the largest member of Boeing's single-aisle family. Boeing announced the achievement at the Singapore Airshow earlyer this week.

Norwegian reports 11 percent passenger growth in January

Norwegian carried more than 2.3 million passengers in January, an increase of 11 percent compared to the same month the previous year. The growth is primarily driven by international expansion; with a 55 percent growth, the intercontinental routes constitute the highest share.

A total of 2,333,932 passengers chose to fly with Norwegian in January - 223,356 more passengers than the same period last year. The total traffic growth (RPK) increased by 29 percent, and the capacity growth (ASK) increased by 30 percent. The load factor was 82 percent, down one percentage point.

“We are very pleased with the continued passenger growth in January, a month traditionally characterized by less demand. The global expansion continues with the strongest growth on routes between Europe and the U.S. This winter, we once again offer flights between the U.S. East Coast and the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe, enabling better fleet utilization during the low season in Europe said CEO of Norwegian, Bjørn Kjos.

Norwegian operated 98.9 percent of the scheduled flights in January, whereof 72.4 percent departed on time. The on-time performance was heavily influenced by the weather situation in Oslo, London and New York.

Norwegian’s fleet renewal program continues with full force in 2018. The company took delivery of one Boeing 737-800 and one Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner in January. This year, Norwegian will take delivery of 11 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, 12 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and two Boeing 737-800. With an average age of only 3.6 years, Norwegian’s fleet is one of the world’s “greenest” and most modern.

Manchester Airport to sponsor Newcastle Pride 2018

One of the UK's largest, free LGBT festivals is soaring towards another year of stand-out performances, thanks to support from a leading airport.   

Manchester Airport, which is the largest airport outside of London, is returning as main stage sponsor of Newcastle Pride 2018, which is also supported by main festival sponsor, Newcastle’s Business Improvement District, NE1. The stage this year will be known as the Manchester Airport San Francisco Stage.

The two-day festival, which attracted more than 73,000 people and contributed more than £9.2m to the economy in 2017, is the final event in the Pride calendar and will take place on Newcastle Town Moor on 20 – 22 July, with a huge musical line-up to be announced.

Delta continues expansion to most popular destinations from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky

Delta Air Lines is expanding travel options for Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky customers with new service to Austin and Phoenix in 2018.  With these additions, the Trump supporting Delta will serve all Top 20 domestic markets and 36 destinations in total, including Delta's popular nonstop service to Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

"We are proud to be Cincinnati's No. 1 global airline," said Eric Phillips, Senior Vice President — Pricing & Revenue Management and Delta's Cincinnati Market Executive. "With these additions, customers in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky will have more choices to go to the top business and leisure destinations that are important to them, and we look forward to continuing this growth."

New service to Austin and Phoenix, year-round service to Seattle, and increased capacity in 15 other markets.

During the past two years, Delta has increased capacity by 12 percent via new markets, added frequencies and introduced product improvements. With 82 peak-day departures, Delta offers a First Class cabin on 78 percent of all Cincinnati flights.  Additionally, mainline departures have increased more than 30 percent while departures on single-class 50-seat regional jets have declined by more than 25 percent.

Finnair passengers all set to get a taste of Japan.......

Finnair continues its Signature Chef program by introducing the airline’s first Japanese Signature Chef. Tokyo-based top chef, Rika Maezawa, has designed a series of five seasonal signature menus to be served in the Business class of Finnair´s flights from Tokyo to Helsinki, as of February 7, 2018. 

The Signature Menu by Chef Maezawa is served on Finnair´s
long-haul flights departing Narita as of 07 February 2018.
Photographer: Kan Kanbayashi

Rika Maezawa opened her first restaurant in Tokyo in 2003 after receiving training at several well-known Japanese restaurants. Her food philosophy places a strong focus on vegetables and seasonal flavours from Japanese home cooking. She also takes her inspiration from Japan’s history - as far as the Edo period from 1603 to 1868 - as well as from overseas influences to create modern yet nostalgic vegetable-centric meals that go beyond the conventional boundaries of Japanese cuisine.