Commercial Aircraft Production to Hit Record High in 2019 with Renewed Competition between Airbus and Boeing

                                   The revival of competition between Boeing and Airbus is expected to result in record delivery of the highly popular narrow-body platforms and a 9.4% year-on-year growth in production. Boeing and Airbus will produce more than 1,750 aircraft in 2019, up from 1,606 units in 2018, and propel the market towards $258.95 billion. Boeing will receive a boost once it finalises its deal for Embraer's airliner business in 2019 to counter Airbus's acquisition of Bombardier's C Series program; it will continue to develop its new mid-market aircraft (NMA) platform and position itself for growth in next-generation markets.

Boeing to Build MH-47G Block II Chinooks for Special Op

Photo Boeing

Boeing scheduled to deliver additional next-generation Chinooks to U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command in 2021

Boeing will build next-generation MH-47G Chinooks for the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command. The Block II configuration will enhance the Army’s ability to safely carry out the most challenging missions around the world.

The $194 million contract is for a second lot of MH-47G Block II aircraft, to be delivered starting in 2021. Block II Chinooks feature technological advancements to extend the fleet’s service life and enhance performance.

Travel start-ups land the chance to pitch to experts

London and San Francisco – A British Airways flight has touched down at London Heathrow from San Francisco this morning, having been on quite a unique journey – it hosted the Pitch on a Plane competition using onboard WiFi.  The airline joined up with Founders Forum to give five start-ups the chance to pitch their ideas to a host of judges on board the flight including Alex Cruz, British Airways Chairman and CEO and leading tech entrepreneurs, investors and CEOs. 

Using British Airways’ onboard high-speed WiFi, the start-ups were on the ground in the UK while a team of judges cruised at 30,000 feet on flight BA284.  

Following the pitches and a Q&A session, the judges chose three finalists who will pitch their idea face-to-face at the Founders Forum in London on June 13, 2019.  Experts taking seats on the judging panel included the President of WeTransfer and GM of Robotics at Google X.

Aviator and Carlsberg will democratize the lounge concept with a new lounge at Copenhagen Airport based on the concept, “beer, love and hoppiness.”

The new Carlsberg Aviator Lounge opens in the Copenhagen Airport. Instead of just servicing business-class travellers, the new Carlsberg Aviator Lounge is open to everyone and developed in line with Carlsberg’s mindset to provide the best beer-experience possible.

“Today, it is no longer enough to service business-class travellers. Many other travellers want to sit comfortably and enjoy good food and drinks before travelling. Therefore, everyone must be welcome in the new Carlsberg Aviator Lounge. At the same time we wanted a lounge created in line with Carlsberg’s mindset to constantly do better and be more sustainable”, says Lars Wrist-Elkjær, Managing Director of Aviator Denmark.

The goal of the new Carlsberg Aviator Lounge is to create a breathing space for travellers - regardless of ticket type - combined with Carlsberg’s mindset to constantly do better and create interesting and sustainable beer-experiences.

Melbourne, Australia joins Dallas and Los Angeles as a first trial city for Uber Air

 Photo: Business Wire

The Government of Victoria, Australia, this week welcomed the announcement that its capital city, Melbourne, will join Dallas and Los Angeles as a first trial city for Uber Air, a transformational aerial ridesharing service using small, environmentally friendly electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft within major metropolitan areas. 

The announcement was made at the Uber Elevate Summit 2019 in Washington, DC. The summit convenes a global community of builders, investors, policymakers and government officials working toward making the vision of urban aerial ridesharing a reality.

Uber Air is being designed to be a fast and convenient way for people to take longer trips to and across cities. Riders will open the Uber app and select the Uber Air option alongside existing UberX and Uber Pool options to request a flight. Uber Air flights will be multimodal, operating between fixed Skyports that will be located based on rider demand, with transportation to and from Skyports being coordinated by the Uber app. Uber Air is expected to enter field trials in late 2020 or early 2021 and potentially launch commercial service in 2023.

New Planes, New Routes, New Partners and Now New Uniforms

Silver Airways Team Members Sport New Uniforms Welcoming Era of World-Class Customer Service Excellence for Newly-Transformed Leading Regional Airline

From new state-of-the-art planes and new routes to a renewed focus on airline and community partnerships, and a strong commitment to providing the highest level of safe, reliable and customer-focused service, the past year has been transformational for a new era of world-class service excellence at Silver Airways. Now Silver Airways’ frontline team members, including airport customer service representatives, ramp agents, supervisors and mechanics are sporting new uniform that the airline claims are stylish.  However, many say the polo style shirt tops look so casual it is hard to tell the staff from passengers.  Other's have warned that such a casual uniform could breed a philosophy of causality with regards to service and safety. 

Pam Ann, Air Italy Global brand Ambassador, will lead Toronto Pride activities on June 22-23

Air Italy is extremely pleased to announce that its brand Ambassador Pam Ann, the hugely popular and well-known irreverent comedy airline persona of comedienne, Caroline Reid, will lead the Company activities during the Toronto Pride 2019, for which Air Italy is a Gold Sponsor.

During the key weekend of the festival - June 21-23 –, as well as participating in the Parade with a large contingent, Air Italy, as Official European Carrier, will also be presenting sponsor for Pride Toronto 2019’s Street fair, one of the key event locations and activation zones for this year on Church Street, Wood Street, and Wellesley Streets.

Delta named best U.S. airline by travel expert Fodor’s

Delta was recognized for its global network reach and on-time performance as the best U.S. airline by Fodor's Travel​, an 80-year publication and America's oldest guidebook company dedicated to offering expert travel advice.

According to the editorial team at Fodor's Travel, finalists were ranked as "a list of companies and individuals that we—a passionate group of well-travelled individuals—believe in. And we think these winners will make your own travels a little bit better."

Lufthansa Group Airlines welcome more than 13 million passengers on board in May 2019

Number of passengers rises by 2.8 percent year-on-year 

Capacity utilization increases by 1.7 percentage points to 81.1 percent 

Strongest passenger growth and offer increase in Munich 

In May 2019, the Lufthansa Group airlines welcomed around 13.2 million passengers. This shows an increase of 2.8 percent compared to the previous year’s month. The available seat kilometres were up 3.5 percent over the previous year, at the same time, sales increased by 5.7 percent. In addition as compared to May 2018, the seat load factor increased by 1.7 percentage points to 81.1 percent.

Cargo capacity increased by 7.3 percent year-on-year, while cargo sales increased by 2.5 percent in revenue tonne-kilometre terms. As a result, the Cargo load factor showed a corresponding reduction, decreasing by 2.9 percentage points to 61.3 percent.

Network Airlines with around 9.7 million passengers

JetBlue Expands Its ‘JetBlue Scholars’ Employer-Sponsored College Degree Program with New Master’s Degree Pathways

JetBlue today announced plans to expand its JetBlue Scholars program to include pathways for crewmembers to earn master’s degrees at discounted and affordable rates. The current program provides access to online courses and personalized coaching for crewmembers pursuing undergraduate degrees from Thomas Edison State University, with JetBlue covering most of the costs. 

The addition of the Master’s Pathways and new partnerships will allow crewmembers to pursue master’s degrees through five regionally accredited institutions including City University of New York School of Professional Studies, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Thomas Edison State University, University of Maryland University College and Western Governors University.

Chase and Marriott International Launch No-Annual Fee Marriott Bonvoy BoldTM Credit Card, with Rich Earn and 50,000-Point Limited Time Offer

Chase Card Services and Marriott International have launched a new no-annual-fee credit card for the first time ever – the Marriott Bonvoy Bold Credit Card. The card is designed to give cardmembers the opportunity to create new memories and deeper connections with family and friends, all with no-annual-fee. Marriott Bonvoy is the new brand name for the company’s travel program offering members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, travel and destination experiences, and rich benefits.

Airport Lounge Development doubles the size of Pittsburgh International Airport lounge

Airport Lounge Development (ALD), an award-winning global provider of premium shared-use lounges, today announced the completion of The Club Pittsburgh International. The increased space and seating address the growing demand from travellers for The Club experience.

“From 2017 to 2018, the original lounge space experienced a 50 percent increase in guests. Each month we welcomed over 7,000 guests, a number that exceeded our expectations,” said Nancy Knipp, Senior Vice President of ALD. “As we continue to see the demand for The Club lounge experience rise, we are excited to provide a larger, more enhanced location for Pittsburgh International Airport visitors looking to work or relax.”

Visitors to The Club can expect to find all-inclusive amenities, sweeping views of the airfield, a bountiful buffet and speciality cocktails. Pittsburgh favourite Chef Kate Romane continues to deliver hand-selected hot and cold entrees with a local flair.

Embraer Takes to the Paris Air Show the Multi-mission Airlift KC-390 Which Will Be Delivered to the Brazilian Air Force Soon

Embraer will take to the 53rd edition of Paris Air Show International, in France, the first KC-390 multi-mission airlift configured to operate with the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The aircraft, number 004, will be in the static area from June 17 to 23 at the Le Bourget airport. Also the KC-390 will perform flight demonstrations on the first two days of the show. In agreement with the FAB, the aeroplane will return to Brazil right after the air show when it begins the acceptance and delivery process.

WestJet - Buy Business, get Gold

WestJet today introduced a new WestJet Rewards offer, "Buy Business, get Gold" giving guests the opportunity to become a WestJet Rewards Gold member before they fly until February 29, 2020 with the booking of a round-trip Business cabin fare between Calgary and London (Gatwick), Dublin or Paris.

"WestJet Rewards Gold status is designed to recognize and reward WestJet's frequent flyers with a wide-range of travel privileges," said d'Arcy Monaghan, WestJet Vice-President of Loyalty Programs. "Guests booking a Business or Business Flex fare on our Dreamliner will get the upgrade to Gold in time for flight. Our new Dreamliner is already a rewarding flight experience and with buy Business, get Gold, it becomes even more so."

RAF Typhoons scramble again to intercept Russian aircraft

Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets based at Ämari Air Base in Estonia launched on Monday 10th June to intercept two Russian transport aircraft that were flying close to Estonian airspace.

Working in partnership with the Estonian authorities, this was a routine NATO airspace policing mission for the Typhoon detachment providing continued reassurance in the region. “Both intercepts were routine and carried out in a safe and professional manner.” Pilot - XI (F) Squadron.

JetSuiteX To Launch Its Acclaimed Air Service From Phoenix With Hassle-Free Daily Flights To Burbank, Las Vegas, And Oakland

 

Photo PRNewsfoto/JetSuiteX

                                         JetSuiteX, the acclaimed air carrier that offers daily flights from private terminals for the cost of a commercial ticket, has announced that it will soon launch service from Phoenix to Burbank, Las Vegas, and Oakland. Customers travelling between these cities will be able to enjoy the seamlessness of flying on 30-seat jets from private terminals with fares starting at just $79 one-way.

Azul Reports May 2019 Traffic

Azul the largest airline in Brazil by the number of cities served and flight departures, announced its preliminary traffic results for May 2019 last week.

Consolidated passenger traffic (RPKs) increased 26.7% compared to May 2018 on a capacity increase (ASKs) of 20.4%, resulting in a load factor of 84.3%, an increase of 4.2 percentage points compared to the same period in 2018.

Domestic passenger traffic increased 32.8% on a 23.0% increase in capacity resulting in a load factor of 83.3%, 6.2 percentage points higher than May 2018. International load factor was 87.8%.

"May was another outstanding month for Azul - our load factor went up 4.2 percentage points while capacity grew 20.4%.  We ended the month with 27 A320neos in our fleet and are excited with the fleet transformation opportunities that lie ahead of us, says John Rodgerson, Azul's CEO."

Major service expansion continues at Southern California's Ontario International Airport

Ontario International Airport

The rapid expansion of commercial air service at Ontario International Airport (ONT) continues today with the inauguration of United Airlines nonstop flights serving Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). ONT now reaches 21 domestic and international destinations with nonstop service.

SkyWest Reports May 2019 Traffic

Photo SkyWest

SkyWest, Inc., reported its operating statistics for the month of May 2019 recently, 

SkyWest Airlines reported 124,404 block hours in May 2019, an increase of 8.3% from May 2018. SkyWest Airlines' higher production was primarily due to the incremental E175 aircraft, CRJ900 aircraft and CRJ700 aircraft added to SkyWest Airlines' fleet since May 2018.