Gulf Air gets its second A320neo.

Photo Gulf Air

Earlier this month, Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, welcomed the airline’s second Airbus A320neo to join the fleet, which landed in Bahrain International Airport on March 6th. This is the second aircraft of the 12 A320neo aircraft ordered during the 2016 Bahrain International Airshow. This delivery also makes Gulf Air the first national carrier to fly the A320neo in the Middle East and Africa region.

Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Mr Krešimir Kučko commented: “We are delighted to welcome the second A320neo to our fleet, and proud to be the first national carrier in the region to operate the A320neo. We have a strong network in the region with multiple daily flights to 10 regional cities and the addition of A320neo into our fleet will strengthen our position in our market. We invite our loyal customers to come on-board and enjoy the experience of flying on A320neo.”

AirAsia grows Northwest China footprint with new Lanzhou route

Lanzhou is AirAsia’s latest destination in China with the announcement of direct services between Kuala Lumpur and one of Northwest China’s largest cities. 

The four times weekly service commencing 1 May 2019 will be the only direct service to the capital of Gansu Province from Kuala Lumpur.

AirAsia X Malaysia CEO Benyamin Ismail said “AirAsia is committed to growing its footprint in China. Last year, we announced a new route to Tianjin, and today’s addition of Lanzhou to our network is proof of our commitment to expanding our presence in this key market, as we continue to serve the needs of Malaysian and Chinese travellers alike.”

AirAsia China and Indochina CEO Tassapon Bijleveld said, “AirAsia is the largest foreign carrier by capacity in China, where we operate more than 600 weekly flights to 23 cities from Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. This new route will provide an additional 156,000 seats per year to China, alongside a significant contribution to tourism, trade and economic growth between the two countries.” 

AnadoluJet expands its international flight network with Erbil.

AnadoluJet, the successful subsidiary of Turkish Airlines has confirmed it will be adding a new international destination to its growing flight network with the upcoming flights to Erbil (Iraq) after its previous flights to TRNC -Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

AnadoluJet offers its advantageous prices to the passengers flying from Gaziantep and/or Diyarbakır to Erbil. The flights from both of these two cities will start on March 21, 2019.

On the new Erbil flights of AnadoluJet, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee M. İlker Aycı stated; “Turkish aviation history is undergoing a significant period of change. Istanbul Airport gives courage to Turkish Airlines and its sub-brands to make strides towards their goals. I am quite happy to see that AnadoluJet, our successful sub-brand, aims further than its borders by adding Erbil to its flight network following TRNC -Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.”

Beginning on March 21, 2019, AnadoluJet’s Gaziantep – Erbil – Gaziantep and Diyarbakır – Erbil – Diyarbakır reciprocal flights will be conducted three days in a week and tickets are being offered for the special price of $99 for the launch period.

The US FAA grounds Boeing 737 Max aircraft...finally.

Photo Boeing

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has finally called for all Boeing 737 Max 8 and 9 to be grounded in the US following the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes in the last six months.

The FAA is virtually the last major national aviation authority in the world to ground the twinjets in the wake of the two disasters. The FAA has stated that all U.S.-registered Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, including the 8 and 9 variants, be grounded as a precautionary measure.

One of the leading operators of the type in the US is American Airlines that flies 24 Max 8 aircraft which operate an average of 85 flights per day between them. The airline once again boasted of its "utmost confidence" in the Boeing 737 Max, despite a number of its pilots expressing unease about continuing to operate the twin-jet.

Sunny Sacramento to become a Spirit destination........

Photo Spirit

The US low-cost airline with the bright yellow planes has announced it will soon serve its fifth destination in California, Sacramento!  

Beginning on June 20th, 2019, Spirit Airlines will start a new nonstop service from Sacramento International Airport (SMF) to McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas.  The three daily flights will not only offer convenient service to the “Entertainment Capital of the World,” but will also provide dozens of connections to other Spirit destinations, including Columbus, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Philadelphia. 

Transport Canada closes airspace to 737 Max aircraft

Photo Air Canada

The Canadian regulator, Transport Canada has decided to follow most other aviation authorities around the world and close its airspace to the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. The announcement was made by Transport Minister Marc Garneau this morning in Ottawa.

Air Canada issued a statement pledging its support for the decision and said it would continue to work with Transport Canada towards resolution of this situation as soon as possible.   

The airline has instigated cancellation and rebooking policies without fees for passengers affected by the grounding of its 737 Max fleet.  However, the airline warned there would be some delays in rebooking passengers as its 737 max aircraft carry between nine to twelve thousand customers per day.

Photo WestJet

 WestJet also confirmed ti would be complying with Transport Canada’s decision to temporarily ground the Boeing 737 MAX fleet.  "We respect the decision made by Transport Canada and are in the process of grounding the 13 MAX aircraft in our fleet. This decision has an impact on the travel plans of our WestJet guests and we ask for understanding as we work to rebook all guests affected as quickly as possible." the airline said in a statement.

WestJet has a fleet of 162 aircraft ad the vast majority are not 737 Max aircraft (92%) and are therefore unaffected by the grounding. Therefore it expects to be able to operate with other aircraft the flights that were scheduled for 737 Max 8 aircraft.

Lufthansa Group makes large order for long-haul aircraft....................and announces sale of six A380 aircraft.

Photo Lufthansa 

The giant European airline group has placed an order for 40 state-of-the-art long-haul aircraft, split between 20 Airbus A350-900 and 20 Boeing 787-9 and also confirms that it will sell off 6 superjumbo Airbus A380's.

The Lufthansa Group is forging ahead with modernisation plans for its long-haul aircraft with the large order for 40 aircraft which have a list price value of some $12 billion.  As is usual with such orders, the Lufthansa Group has negotiated a significant price reduction and the parties have agreed not to disclose the actual purchase price.

Aeromexico halts 737 Max operations temporaryly

One of the leading airlines in Mexico, Aeromexico has said today that whilst it still has confidence in Boeing's 737 Max 8 aircraft - of which - it has 6, it has decided to temporarily remove them from its schedules.

The airline says that it will wait for further information becoming available from the investigation of the Ethiopian Airlines flight  ET302 crash that killed all onboard. The firm also confirmed it would remain in contact with Boeing as well as the aviation authorities.

"For Aeromexico, the safety of its operations and the peace of mind of its customers is the top priority. The flights operated with these aircraft will be reassigned throughout the rest of the fleet." the airline stated in a written statement.  

Norwegian to bill Boeing for costs inqured over the grounding of the 737 Max aircraft

The boss of the low-cost airline Norwegian says he will bill Boeing for the extra costs the airline has to pay following the grounding of the manufactures 737 Max 8 aircraft.

Bjørn Kjos issues a video message today in which he confirms that he will send the bill covering for all the grounded 737 max aircraft to Boeing.  He also said that the firms "first priority is to look after our customers in the best possible way. Our colleagues in Norwegian are working tirelessly to find solutions for passengers who have been affected."

Hollywood Burbank airport gets a new service with Spirit this June

The US budget airline Spirit has confirmed this week that it will soon serve Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR).  

Starting this summer, towards the end of June, the low-cost airline will begin nonstop flights three times daily between Burbank and McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas.  The three daily flights will not only offer convenient service between two entertainment hubs, but Las Vegas will act as a gateway to more than two dozen other Spirit destinations across the United States, including Austin, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Philadelphia.  The service will complement Spirit’s existing service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Las Vegas. 

Photo Spirit Airlines

“We are excited to be expanding in the Golden State, bringing our low fares and signature service to the Hollywood Burbank Airport,” said John Kirby, Spirit Airlines’ Vice President of Network Planning.  “Burbank becomes our second airport destination in the Los Angeles Basin, and enhances our service options for Tinsel Town Guests travelling to America’s Playground.”

Uzbekistan Airways gets first A320neo

On Monday, March 11th, 2019, the fleet of Uzbekistan Airways had a shiny new arrival, the first highly economical Airbus A320neo.

The newest A320neo aircraft features a two-class layout, featuring 150 seats in total spread out over  12 in business class and 138 seats in the economy class cabin. The modern design of the passenger cabin creates maximum comfort for passengers in flight.  Comfortable and wide seats with individual screens designed for entertainment, communication systems and Wi-Fi, an improved air conditioning system that guarantees the freshness of the air and its even distribution in the cabin of the aircraft for a more pleasant feeling during the flight.

Powered by economical LEAP -1A engines of the CFM International engines, they are designed to be more than 20% more economical than previous versions. Yet, the range of the new jets has been increased from 4,500 up to more than 5,000 kilometres. 

Air Astana gets second Embraer E190-E2

The second of five E190-E2 arrives for Air Astana

Air Astana has received its second Embraer 190-E2 aircraft directly from the manufacturing plant in Brazil at the start of this week.  The new arrival is configured with 12 seats in business class and 96 in the economy cabin.

The airline will deploy the aircraft across Kazakhstan and also to cities in Russia, the capital of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Urumqi in China. The aircraft's first revenue flight is scheduled to take place on 12th March on the Almaty-Uralsk route.

From 1st April the carrier will increase the number of flights it operates to Tashkent, it will offer daily flights from Almaty,  while the service from Astana will fly every day except Saturday. 

Emirates to launch second daily flight to London Stansted

Emirates to launch a second daily flight to London Stansted

The airline will operate 11 daily flights to 

three points in London

New flight timings enable more 

convenient connection options

Both Stansted flights will be operated by 

Emirates’ latest Boeing 777

Emirates announced this week the launch of a second daily flight from Dubai (DXB) to London Stansted (STN) starting 1st July 2019. The additional flight means that Emirates customers will now have 11 daily flight options to and from three London airports.  

As with the first, the second daily flight to Stansted will also be operated by Emirates’ ‘game-changing’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration with 6 private suites in First Class, 42 fully-flat beds in Business Class and 306 seats in Economy Class. The aircraft offers customers an enriched travel experience across all cabins with newly designed seats and upgraded inflight entertainment systems. Customers will also enjoy new levels of comfort with fully enclosed private suites in First Class as well as refreshed Business and Economy Class cabins.

“We are increasing capacity to London Stansted to meet steady demand from both leisure and business travellers to and from the region, as well as international student traffic to Cambridge. We continuously seek ways to maximise convenience and flexibility for our customers and the second daily flight combined with the optimal travel schedules will do exactly that; provide a seamless travel experience with Emirates,” said Hubert Frach, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations West.

Allegiant saw passenger numbers and revenue increase during February.

Photo Allegiant

Allegiant Travel Company reported preliminary passenger traffic results for February 2019, early this week.  

During the month the Las Vegas-based Allegiant carried 1,012,255 passengers, up 2.1% from the same month last year. Revenue per passenger miles also rose by 2.1% during the month.  

The budget carrier focuses on linking travellers in small cities to world-class leisure destinations. The airline offers industry-low fares on an all-jet fleet.  Beginning with one aircraft and one route in 1999, the company has grown to more than 75 aircraft and 400 routes across the country

A global landmark has become the Radisson Collection Hotel, Moscow

The Radisson Hotel Group has opened the Radisson Collection Hotel, Moscow. The rebrand is now complete and the hotel has become the latest addition to the group’s exceptional collection of premium lifestyle properties.

This content has been removed as a result of the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia.  

JetBlue Airways reports february traffic

JetBlue Airways Corporation reported its preliminary traffic results for February 2019. Traffic in February increased by 6.0 % from February 2018, on a capacity increase of 7.5 %.

Load factor for February 2019 was 81.5 %, a decrease of 1.1 points from February 2018. JetBlue’s preliminary completion factor for February 2019 was 98.5% and its on-time (1) performance was 70.0 %. JetBlue continues to expect first first-quarter revenue per available seat mile (RASM) to range between (3.5) and (1.5) %.

Air France and Atout France strengthen their partnership to promote France as a destination

Paris  

Patrick Alexandre, EVP Commercial, Sales & Alliances at Air France-KLM and Christian Mantei, Managing Director of Atout France, signed a partnership agreement to strengthen the joint actions of Air France and Atout France to promote France as a destination.

The partnership agreement signed today is in line with the desire to further strengthen the long-standing collaboration between Atout France and Air France to promote France on international markets.

The agreement provides for several joint promotional and information actions highlighting the diversity of French tourism, with the aim of developing tourism at various different French destinations while strengthening the service offered to Air France customers.

In 2018, Air France contributed to France’s reputation as a tourist destination by carrying 12.1 million customers to and from the country, including 8.3 customers to and from Paris and 3.8 customers to and from the French regions. Atout France has organized more than 2,700 events to promote French destinations abroad, trained 25,000 professionals and organized more than 2,000 press conferences in France.

American Airlines celebrity ski raises $1.4 million for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

 The 34th annual American Airlines Celebrity Ski Weekend in Beaver Creek, Colorado, concluded on March 3 and raised more than $1.4 million for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Guests were joined at the event by dozens of celebrities — including Colton Underwood, Colin Cowherd, Louis Van Amstel, Perrey Reeves and Kimberlin Brown, to name a few — for a weekend of skiing, food and other entertainment. All funds raised from the event will go directly to support the Foundation’s mission to find a cure for all people with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Pictured here, from left: Piper Beatty Welsh with sisters Sam Pelican Monson and Libby Pelican Seamans have been coming to American Airlines Celebrity Ski for nearly 30 years. They have directly benefited from the funds raised and the research made possible because of this event.

"When this event began 34 years ago, we could have only imagined the promising treatments and science that has since been realized to assist patients with cystic fibrosis,” said Elise Eberwein, Executive Vice President – People & Engagement for American. “The critical work of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is changing lives and giving individuals living with CF more tomorrows. Together with the more than 30 team member and retiree volunteers who bring this event to life every year, we are committed to continuing to bring attention and research dollars to orphan diseases like CF."

Spirit is getting in the Hollywood feeling.....

The US budget airline Spirit has confirmed this week that it will soon serve Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR).  

Starting this summer, towards the end of June, the low-cost airline will begin nonstop flights three times daily between Burbank and McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas.  The three daily flights will not only offer convenient service between two entertainment hubs, but Las Vegas will act as a gateway to more than two dozen other Spirit destinations across the United States, including Austin, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Baltimore, New Orleans, and Philadelphia.  The service will complement Spirit’s existing service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Las Vegas. 

Photo Spirit Airlines

“We are excited to be expanding in the Golden State, bringing our low fares and signature service to the Hollywood Burbank Airport,” said John Kirby, Spirit Airlines’ Vice President of Network Planning.  “Burbank becomes our second airport destination in the Los Angeles Basin, and enhances our service options for Tinsel Town Guests travelling to America’s Playground.”

Magellan Jets is celebrating another year of growth

Magellan Jets is celebrating another year of growth, averaging 30% growth over the last 11 years. 2018 saw the most renewals in history, with a renewal rate of 27%. Their membership program is the most popular, with a 92% retention rate; and the majority of members upgrading. It was also a record-breaking year for charter customers, which increased by 15% in 2018. Over a decade of success has also helped Magellan Jets attract top-level talent, hiring 21 new employees in 2018.