Finnair extends the operating period for its Chicago and San Francisco routes

Finnair is extending the operating period for both its Chicago and San Francisco routes during the upcoming fall. The Helsinki-Chicago route will be extended until December 3 with two weekly flights. Originally, the route was set to operate from April 19 until October 27. Chicago is the largest city in the American Midwest and a global hub for business, leisure and the arts. Finnair started a seasonal service to Chicago during the summer of 2015.

The Helsinki-San Francisco route will now be extended until December 5 with two weekly frequencies. Originally, the route was to be operated from May 3 until September 27.  San Francisco is well-known for its buzzing food scene, hilly terrain, Victorian architecture and proximity to Silicon Valley. Finnair began a seasonal service to San Francisco during the summer of 2017. 

Visa Launches Program to Give Consumers a Better Travel Experience

Visa,  today unveiled a new program focused on giving consumers a better experience for any mode of travel, whether by air, rail or car. By engaging directly with airlines, transit operators, car manufacturers, rental companies, parking and fuel providers, Visa can help create innovative solutions that integrate new and emerging technologies into every kind of journey.
The Transportation Center of Excellence is a global service that brings together the power and scope of Visa's programs including the Visa Developer Platform, Visa Token Service, Visa Ready for Transit and Visa Global Transit Solutions with its global network of Innovation Centers and Studios.

PenFed Credit Union, Gary Sinise Foundation and American Airlines Plan Free Benefit Concert in Puerto Rico

PenFed Credit Union, along with Gary Sinise Foundation and their official airline partner American Airlines, today announced plans for a special benefit concert featuring Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band on March 2, 2018 to raise awareness of Puerto Rico's hurricane recovery needs and to provide an evening of entertainment open to all.
"Hurricane Maria is still impacting Puerto Rico," said James Schenck, President and CEO of PenFed Credit Union. "Although the devastating winds and flood waters hit five months ago today, millions of Puerto Ricans continue to feel the aftermath of the storm in their daily lives. Many survivors have endured months without electric power, fresh food and running water. This free concert is a team effort to remind our fellow Americans of the ongoing needs of Puerto Ricans, and show our appreciation for everyone who has stayed on the island working hard to contribute to Puerto Rico's recovery and renewal."

Best Beaches In The World.................

TripAdvisor®, the travel planning and booking site, announced this week, the winners of its Travelers' Choice® awards for Beaches. The gorgeous Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos won the top honour as the best beach in the world this year, up from the number two ranking last year and reclaiming the top spot it held in 2016. Florida's Clearwater Beach was the number one beach in America, up three spots from its U.S. ranking one year ago, and capturing the top spot in the country it held in 2016. Award winners were determined based on the quantity and quality of traveller reviews and ratings for beaches on TripAdvisor, gathered over a 12-month period.

TripAdvisor has awarded 355 beaches overall, including the top 25 in the world and local lists for Asia, Europe, Africa, South Pacific, South America, Middle East, Caribbean, Central America, Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S.

Read on to find out the top ten beaches in the world.

Copa's Fourth Q Results

Out this week, Copa's fourth quarter results. 
Copa Holdings reported net income of US$100.8 million for 4Q17 or earnings per share (EPS) of US$2.38, as compared to net income of US$90.5 million or earnings per share of US$2.14 in 4Q16. Excluding special items, which for 4Q17 include a non-cash gain of US$0.5 million associated with the mark-to-market of fuel hedge contracts, the Company would have reported a net income of US$100.3 million, or adjusted EPS of US$2.36, compared to an adjusted net income of US$54.7 million or adjusted EPS of US$1.29 in 4Q16.
For full year 2017, net income reached US$370.0 million or EPS of US$8.72, compared to a net income of US$334.5 million or earnings per share of US$7.90 for full year 2016. Excluding special items, which for 2017 include a non-cash gain of US$2.8 million associated with the mark-to-market of fuel hedge contracts, Copa Holdings would have reported an adjusted net income of US$367.2 million or EPS of US$8.66, compared to an adjusted net income of US$201.4 million or adjusted EPS of US$4.75 for full year 2016.

Airbus’ A321LR goes the distance to open new horizons for airlines

The best-selling A320 Family marked a new milestone last week with a Paris-to-New York nonstop flight flown by the A321LR – demonstrating this jetliner version’s ability to serve new markets and operate on heavily-travelled North Atlantic routes with the highest levels of efficiency and comfort.

The LR designation is for ‘long range’ and with good reason: the A321LR has the longest range of any single-aisle commercial aircraft today, able to fly 7,400 kilometres nonstop.
Its ‘long legs’ are signified by the No. 1 A321LR’s livery featuring the Eiffel Tower and Statue of Liberty – a representation of the Paris/New York route flown yesterday from Le Bourget Airport near the French capital to the New York region’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The aircraft also is well suited for intra-regional airline segments in Asia, the United States and other markets.

Norwegian takes delivery of final Boeing 737-800 aircraft

Norwegian, arguably the World’s Best Low-Cost Long-Haul Airline, today took delivery of its 100th direct buy Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the last of this aircraft type in its fleet. Norwegian originally ordered 42 737-800 in 2007 and leased 26 of these aircraft between 2008 and 2016. The airline now has a total of 118 737-800 aircraft in its fleet.
“Today’s delivery marks the end of an era for Norwegian. When we first introduced the Boeing 737-800 aircraft to our fleet 11 years ago, we did so because it was a modern aircraft with a record of reliability, fuel efficiency and low operating costs,” said Bjørn Kjos, CEO of Norwegian. “Now, at the dawn of a new era, our fleet expansion will continue with more environmentally friendly aircraft as we prepare to take delivery of more than 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft over the next few years.”

Finnair opens direct flights to Minsk, the capital of Belarus

Finnair is expanding its network and will open a direct, year-round route between Helsinki and Minsk on June 9, 2018. Flights between Helsinki and Minsk will be operated twice per week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with an Embraer 190 aircraft. Currently, Finnair also co-operates with Belavia on the Helsinki-Minsk route and Finnair’s own flights will bring the total amount of weekly flights up to five. 

Minsk is well known for its history, architecture and cultural arts scene. The city’s many museums and historical sites also offer interesting activities for travellers interested in history and culture.  

“A direct route to Minsk compliments well our network and will serve especially well customers travelling between Belarus and North America,” says Juha Järvinen, Chief Commercial Officer for Finnair. “Additionally, our new Minsk flights will connect well to Finnair’s Asian and European network.” 

Russian flights to Egypt put back to April

The planned resumption of Russian flights to Egypt over two years after they were banned by Moscow over security concerns has been postponed until April, Cairo airport officials said Tuesday, citing delays in booking procedures and the reopening of offices of the countries’ national airlines.

Modern baggage-scanning equipment has been installed and Russian security will be allowed to oversee operations in Cairo as part of the reopening of the route, initially planned for February, they said, hinting that the main requirements placed by Russia have been met and the reason for the delays could lie elsewhere.

The move comes as a setback for Egypt, which has hoped for a resumption of the flights for months, when its warm winter weather draws tourists from countries to the north, including what was once a large amount from Russia. Airport officials gave no further reason for the delay.

Meridiana Launches New Look: Air Italy

Meridiana, Italy’s long-established privately owned airline, has announced an exciting new phase of growth and development with its new identity as Air Italy. Qatar Airways previously strengthened its commitment to Italy in 2017 with the acquisition of 49 percent of AQA Holding, the new parent company of Air Italy, while the previous sole shareholder Alisarda kept 51 percent.
Qatar Airways previously strengthened its commitment to Italy in 2017  with the acquisition of 49 percent of AQA Holding, the new parent company of Air Italy 
Air Italy will provide travellers with an innovative,  sophisticated and stylish carrier, offering an enhanced travel experience

During a press conference this week in Milan, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Mr. Akbar Al Baker; Mr. Marco Rigotti, Chairman of Alisarda and AQA Holding;  Mr. Sultan Allana of Alisarda and AKFED and Mr. Francesco Violante, Chairman of Meridiana, unveiled Air Italy’s fresh and modern brand identity and presented the new airline business plan, focusing on excellent passenger experience and the next generation of traveller, aimed at positioning itself as Italy’s leading airline.
Air Italy aims to have approximately 50 aircraft by 2022 and is already committed to receiving 20 of the brand new Boeing 737-Max aircraft type from April 2018, over the next three years. Air Italy will also receive five Airbus A330-200 aircraft this year from the Qatar Airways’ fleet, prior to these being further replaced by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, commencing May 2019.

Qatar Airways Welcomes the first A350-1000

Much of the World's aviation correspondents descended upon Toulouse, France today for the handover of the first super advanced Airbus A350-1000 to launch customer - Qatar Airways. The excitement had been building for quite some time and was literally palpable in the last half an hour before the celebrations and press conference began.  The aircraft is the first of 37 A350-1000s ordered by Qatar and is the first ever Airbus aircraft fitted with the revolutionary new Qsuite seats, which offer unrivalled levels of comfort and space including the first ever double bed in Business class.  Qatar Airways is the world’s largest A350 XWB family customer with a current total of some 76 aircraft on order and is also the largest A350-1000 customer to date. The growing airline was the launch customer for the 900 model and has indicated that it may upgrade some outstanding A350 orders to the new 1000 version in the future. The carrier says they expect to receive six 1000's this year. “Qatar Airways always demands the very best for its customers, so it is right that we are the first airline in the world to fly the Airbus A350-1000,” said Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, “This remarkable state-of-the-art aircraft will become a firm part of Qatar Airways fleet and will keep us ahead of the curve, allowing us to continue to offer our passengers outstanding levels of comfort and service”.

Forbes Travel Guide Announces 2018 Star Rating Awards

As it celebrates its landmark 60th anniversary, Forbes Travel Guide today unveiled its 60th list of worldwide Star Rating winners, continuing its exceedingly selective approach for recognising the world's finest properties and rewarding gracious, intuitive service.

The 2018 award winners include 27 new Five-Star hotels, 70 new Four-Star hotels and 76 new hotels in the Recommended category. Other first-time recipients include five Five-Star restaurants, 24 Four-Star restaurants and 10 Recommend restaurants. The list also honours five new Five-Star spas and 29 new Four-Star spas. See the complete list of winners here.

Southwest Airlines Cargo To Go Beyond Borders

 Southwest Airlines announced this week, its intention to begin shipping cargo to select international destinations beginning in May 2018, subject to requisite government approvals. The first international destinations Southwest Airlines Cargo® expects to serve are Mexico City, Cancun, Cabo San Lucas/Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta with more international destinations planned for 2018.

"By offering the cross-border services that our Customers are looking for, we're able to help meet the needs of businesses throughout the United States and, soon, in Mexico," said Matt Buckley, Southwest Airlines' Vice President of Cargo and Charters. "As we enter the international cargo market for the first time, Customers will have more opportunities to experience the friendly and reliable service for which our Cargo Team is known."

United add 737 Max 9 to its domestic schedule

United Airlines announced this week it has added its newest aircraft type, the Boeing 737 MAX 9, to its domestic flight schedules. The MAX 9 features Boeing's Advanced Technology winglets and fuel-efficient engines providing a quieter ride and the ability to fly farther on less fuel than some of its existing fleet.
United expects to begin operating MAX 9 aircraft on 7th June, between its hub at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport and five cities. Beginning 29th June, United expects to add additional MAX 9 flights from its Houston and Los Angeles hubs including service between Los Angeles and Honolulu.

Lufthansa Don't Like Air101

German airline group Lufthansa don't like this site, despite the largely positive coverage we've given the airline and its subsidiaries.  We applied to their affiliate programme but received the following message "your application for http://air101.co.uk to Lufthansa UK has been denied. Lufthansa UK do not think that the content of your site is suitable."
We also had subscribed to their mailing list for press releases, however, that has also now seems to have been removed.  
Perhaps they are taking revenge for Air101 not being overly positive or excited by the new brand identity and livery of Lufthansa. 

It does seem a rather petty and juvenile way for an airline to behave, however, we will continue to cover the airline in a fair and balanced way.