Singapore Airlines makes improvements to food and beverage services

As part of Singapore Airlines’ efforts to deliver a more personalised experience for customers, the Airline will be embarking on several enhancements to its in-flight offerings. 

At its World Gourmet Forum last week, SIA announced that it will be the first airline to enable Premium Economy Class customers to pre-order main courses from its in-flight menu, from anywhere in the Airline's global network from 1 May 2019. This follows the initial launch to Suites, First Class and Business Class customers on all flights across its network last year, in what was an industry first. 

With this new initiative, customers may pre-select their meal choices via the Airline’s website or mobile app anytime from three weeks before travel up to 24 hours before flight departure.

As such, customers not only enjoy a more personalised dining experience but are also ensured of their preferred meal choice from either the in-flight menu or the ‘Book the Cook’ service.

Development given the green light at London Stansted

Image London Stansted

Welcome news came from the UK government for London Stansted Airport last week when the government advised that the local council was the right body to determine future growth at the airport.

In February 2018, Stansted submitted a planning application to Uttlesford District Council that sought permission for the airport to increase the number of passengers it serves from 35 to 43 million per year. The District Council subsequently resolved to grant this planning permission in November 2018.

This decision was then subject to a review by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

In a letter published last week, by the Communities Secretary, James Brokenshire MP, confirmed that Uttlesford District Council are the right body to approve the airport’s planning application.

Drones, Delivery Services, and Their Potential Partnership

image: https://www.pexels.com

Supply chain efficiency has come a long way in recent years, and a variety of emerging technologies are continuing to push the field forward. Companies now have more tools than ever before to further optimize their delivery services, which suggests that the international supply chain has a promising future.

That said, last-mile delivery costs still represent more than half of all shipping costs and happens to be one of the areas in which innovation is needed. Drones are emerging as not only a cutting-edge shipping solution that can cut down on shipping costs but also as an alternative that can have a positive impact on our environmental footprint.

What Makes Drones Valuable?

American Airlines extend Boeing 737 Max cancellations till at least 24th April as Southwest sends its planes to long-term desert storage

One of the leading US airlines operating the Boeing 737 Max  aircraft, American Airlines has confirmed it will extend its 737 Max flight cancellation through to 24th April. The airline also recently started moving those grounded aircraft to warmer places such as Miami and Tulsa for longer term storage. 

American Airlines confirmed on Sunday that it had been forced to cancel around 90 flights each day because of the grounding of the 737 Max aircraft following two crashes of the type. The airline has a fleet of 24 jets and said it was making the announcement “to provide more certainty to our customers and team members and better protect our customers on other flights to their final destination.”.

Embraer's EJet's are 15!

Fifteen years ago, on March 17, 2004, a LOT Polish Airlines E170 took off from Warsaw Airport, and into the aviation history books. The short 85-minute, 521-kilometre flight to Vienna was the first revenue flight of an Embraer E-Jet. It marked the beginning of the extraordinary success of Embraer’s new aeroplane family.

LOT Polish Airlines first E-Jet E170 – March 2004

Since Embraer launched its E-Jets program at the 1991 Paris Air Show, the company has delivered more than 1,500 E-Jets to over 100 airlines and leasing companies around the globe.

E-Jets family

LOT still flies E-Jets between Warsaw and Vienna. It has grown its fleet from that first E170 to 34 E-Jets. In fact, it flies all four E-Jet models – E170, E175, E190, E175. Its recently-delivered E190s are even flying to/from London City Airport.

The future of the Icelandic airline WOW air is in doubt after Icelandair pulls out of rescue talks

Image WOW Air

The Icelandair Group has decided that its possible involvement in WOW air’s operations, which it announced on 20th March 2019, will not materialize. 

Therefore, the airline group says, 'all discussions between the parties have ended.'

The future of WOW air as a going concern is incredibly limited, Indigo Partners, the investment force behind Wizz Air in Europe and Frontier in the USA also recently pulled out of in-depth rescue investment plans.  

Some Icelandic commentators are expecting WOW to call a halt to flying operations over the next 24 hours.   WOW air has put out the following statement:

"A majority of WOW air Bond Holders and other creditors of WOW air are in advance discussions with the aim of reaching an agreement on a voluntary restructuring including an agreement of converting current debt into equity and fund the company towards long term sustainability. Further information will be given tomorrow."

However, as all previous discussions and plans have failed to achieve an acceptable result, the future of these last ditched talks to avoid the collapse of the carrier do not look very promising. 

More growth for Hyatt Hotels.....including Centric properties in Memphis, Nashville and Austin

Hyatt Hotels announced recently strong US growth for portfolio, including development plans to build Hyatt Centric hotels in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, downtown Nashville, Tennessee, and downtown Austin, Texas. Designed for a growing segment of savvy explorers seeking shareable moments to inspire others, the Hyatt Centric brand currently has 26 properties across 11 countries, including Chile, France, India, Japan, Spain and more.

Garuda set to cancel Boeing 737 Max order....could more follow?

Garuda Indonesia plans is all set to cancel a major order it placed with the US plane manufacturer of the 737 Max jets.

According to various media reports the airline is on the cusp of cancelling an order worth $6 billion - £4.5 billion at list prices for 49 of the troubled 737 Max aircraft. The airline has already received one out of an order of 50 planes placed in 2014.

If the reports are confirmed it would be the first formal cancellation Boeing has received since the two crashes of its latest 737 variety in recent months. of an order for the aircraft.  According to AFP, a Garuda spokesperson said, "We have sent a letter to Boeing requesting that the order be cancelled." 

The spokesperson, Ikhsan Rosan also said,  "The reason is that Garuda passengers in Indonesia have lost trust and no longer have the confidence" in the 737 Max aircraft and it was awaiting a response from the company. Garuda CEO Ari Askhara told news agency Reuters on Friday: "Many passengers told us they were afraid to get on a MAX 8."

Wizz Air wins two top awards and expands Krakow base

Photo Wizz Air

The team at one of Europe’s fastest growing airlines are celebrating after snagging two top accolades at the CESAAR awards.

Wizz Air was named 2018 The Best Low-Cost Airline of the Year in CEE region and was given the Best Cabin Crew award by the Central and Eastern European passengers. The CESAAR awards were handed over at the ceremonial gala in Poznan.

The awards, which are among the most important and prestigious prizes of the aviation industry in the CEE region, is a recognition of Wizz Air's excellent performance, superior service and strong network expansion.

The airline’s outstanding year was also recognized on an individual level: József Váradi, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air was named the „Manager of the Year in CEE” by a jury comprised of industry experts and media representatives.

The BelugaXL delivers an “extra-large” role for its team of loadmasters

Airbus’ BelugaXL next-generation oversize airlifter – which will enter service transporting complete aircraft sections across the company’s European production network later this year – marked an important achievement last month with its first flight carrying a set of A350 XWB wings (left and right).

This milestone voyage originated at the company’s industrial facility in Bremen, Germany and underscored the increased capacity over its in-service Beluga ST predecessor (which carries one A350 XWB wing at a time). Concluding at Airbus’ Toulouse, France headquarters, the successful voyage also put a spotlight on the enhanced role Beluga loadmasters have been given ahead of the BelugaXL’s upcoming introduction.

250th aircraft for Qatar Airways

Photo Qatar Airways

Earlier this week the Doha based Qatar Airways celebrated the arrival of its 250th aircraft!  The latest aeronautical addition to the airlines fleet was a brand new Airbus A350-900 aircraft from Toulouse, France. 

This impressive fleet number comes after just 22  since the carrier began its operations, and is a testament to the incredible growth of an airline that has become world-leading in that time, winning a host of awards, including the Skytrax World Airline of the Year accolade on no less than four occasions.

The new A350-900 joins the airline’s state-of-the-art fleet, where the average age of aircraft is less than five years old. As of 20 March 2019, Qatar Airways’ fleet is made up of 203 passenger aircraft, 25 Cargo and 22 Qatar Executive jets.

Commenting on the achievement, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker, said: “I am extremely proud that we have reached this historic landmark of having a fleet that now numbers 250 aircraft. The delivery of our newest Airbus A350-900 is a mark of the outstanding growth we have seen over the last two decades, and to our commitment to flying only the newest and most technologically advanced aircraft in the world.

airBaltic Carries 14% more passengers in February

Photo airBaltic

The Latvian government-backed airBaltic carried  245 349 passengers in February 2019, that's up 14% from last year across its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, CIS and the Middle East.

Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer of airBaltic: “Our airline has been growing at a steady pace for over three years now, and we are now the number one airline not only in Latvia but also in Estonia. We are looking forward to continue our growth also in the busier summer season that already begins in two weeks from now.”

“In February, we also reached a historic milestone. Since the company’s establishment in 1995, we have now carried over 40 million passengers. It is a serious track record that everyone at the company can be proud of,” Martin Gauss added.

During February 2019, airBaltic has operated 3 878 flights or 11% more than in February 2018. The 15-minute flight punctuality indicator for airBaltic during February 2019 reached a level of 92%. This means that more than 92 out of every 100 airBaltic flights departed at the planned time or with a delay of no more than 15 minutes.

Aeroflots latest results shows double digit growth

Photo Aeroflot

The Russian airline and the world's most recognised brand, Aeroflot announced its February operating results and first two months statistics for Aeroflot Group this week. 

2019 Operating Highlights

In the first two months of 2019, the Aeroflot Group carried 8.2 million passengers, up 15.8% year-on-year. Aeroflot airline carried 5.4 million passengers, a year-on-year increase of 14.6%.

Group and Company RPKs increased by 15.8% and 10.5% year-on-year, respectively. ASKs rose by 17.3% year-on-year for the Group and by 12.4% year-on-year for the Company.

The passenger load factor decreased by 1.0 p.p. year-on-year to 76.7% for Aeroflot Group and decreased by 1.3 p.p. to 74.2% for Aeroflot airline.

February 2019 Operating Highlights

In February 2019, Aeroflot Group carried 3.9 million passengers, a year-on-year increase of 17.2%. Aeroflot airline carried 2.6 million passengers, a year-on-year increase of 15.9%.

Group and Company RPKs were up 17.5% and 11.5% year-on-year, respectively. ASKs rose by 18.4% for Aeroflot Group and by 12.5% for Aeroflot airline.

Aeroflot Group’s passenger load factor was 77.5%, representing a 0.6 percentage point decrease versus the same period a year earlier. The passenger load factor at Aeroflot – Russian Airlines decreased by 0.7 percentage points year-on-year to 75.3%.

Fleet update

In February 2019, Aeroflot Group added one Airbus A320. One Airbus A319 was phased-out. As of 28 February 2019, the Group fleet had 367 aircraft. 

There were no changes in Aeroflot airline fleet in February 2019. As of 28 February 2019, the Company fleet had 253 aircraft.

Qantas add more flights and discount fares for football season

To mark the start of the 2019 footy season, Qantas has added more flights and larger aircraft along with a special ‘Back Your Team’ sale for footy fans to get to Melbourne over AFL Grand Final weekend in September.

The national carrier has today added six flights (three return services) between Perth and Melbourne and will use larger aircraft (A330 instead of 737) on another three flights – adding more than 800 seats in each direction – due to demand for travel on the route that weekend.

Royal Brunei Airlines extend deal with British Airways and deferrs Changsha service start date again

The relationship between the UK British Airways and Royal Brunei Airways is being expanded and the new agreement sees the Brunei national carrier extend its network from 11 to 23 airports in the UK.

The new arrangement expands the two carriers relationship, which dates back to 2014 and sees British Airways offer even more domestic connections via Heathrow to UK regions, including Manchester and Glasgow, it will also offer connections from select European cities as well.  Passengers will be able to check bags through to their final destination and get boarding passes at the first check-in desk. Business class passengers will be able to access executive lounges of wither airline. 

Dallas Marriott Las Colinas’ completes multi-million dollar renovation

Photo Marriott

Columbia Sussex, one of the largest Marriott franchisees in the US, continues its aggressive renovation program to at least nine of its Marriott owned and operated properties, and has completed a multi-million dollar renovation of its popular Dallas Marriott Las Colinas. Noted for its proximity to the area’s convention center, but also its location across the street from the new Live Nation Toyota Music Factory and dining and shopping in the Metroplex, the hotel has hosted entertainers such as Chris Isaak and Steely Dan, acclaimed actresses such as Geena Davis and Carrie Fisher, and more than 20 NFL teams have all chosen the hotel for its prime location and trusted Marriott hospitality.

Seven new destinations for Lufthansa

The German airline, Lufthansa has revealed seven new destinations in Germany and Europe will be included in its new Summer 2019 timetable. 

There are several weekly flights to Strasbourg and Rostock for the first time, and the offer is being extended to Spain, France, Italy and Croatia. “The summer timetable offers business travellers important connections via Munich to the rest of the world. Holidaymakers can also look forward to attractive new holiday destinations, especially around the Mediterranean,” says Wilken Bormann, Lufthansa CEO Hub Munich. Lufthansa is flying from Munich to 140 destinations in 46 countries this summer. These include 113 destinations in Germany and Europe that can be reached non-stop from the southern Lufthansa hub.

Fairmont Copley Plaza named the 2019 Historic Hotels of America Historic Hotel of the Year

Photo Fairmont Hotels

Historic Hotels of America is proud to announce that the Fairmont Copley Plaza (1912) in Boston, Massachusetts has been selected as the 2019 Historic Hotel of the Year. This prestigious award is given annually to a historic hotel that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.

To honour the 2019 Historic Hotel of the Year, the Fairmont Copley Plaza has been given the coveted placement as the featured hotel in the inside front cover of the 2019 Historic Hotels of America Annual Directory. The Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel was one of the original charter members of Historic Hotels of America when it was founded in 1989 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Japan’s largest airline introduces fresh podcast “Aoki ‘N Air” that celebrates the spirit of Japan and explores Japanese culture with host Steve Aoki

Steve Aoki                         Photo Business Wire

All Nippon Airways (ANA) unveils a vibrant, engaging and informative podcast “Aoki ‘N Air” featuring longtime partner, two-time Grammy-nominated DJ and producer Steve Aoki. The five-episode podcast explores Japanese culture in an original and authentic way, discussing the topics of travel, art, food, music and fashion. In each episode, Aoki sits down with his long-time manager Dougie Bohay to dive deep into Aoki’s personal perspective on what makes Japanese culture so enticing and unlike any other place. The episodes launch weekly beginning March 21, 2019, and will be available to listen via Spotify.

100% Avios bonus offer from BA

In its centenary year, British Airways is running a promotion giving its Executive Club Members the chance to collect 100 per cent more (double) Avios when they fly.

To be eligible to collect double Avios on flights, customers must register and book by April 19, and then fly by December 31, 2019. The promotion is running on flights across all routes and cabins and can be collected on up to six flights, giving Members a great opportunity to build their Avios balances as the airline celebrates its 100th birthday. Also included in the promotion are flights booked using Avios part payment.