SWISS carries more passengers in July

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS)1 transported 1,905,826 passengers in July, 6.4% more than it carried in the same month last year. The 14,173 flights operated in the month were also a 6.6% increase on the prior-year period. 

Systemwide July capacity was raised 2.9% over its 2018 level in available seat-kilometre (ASK) terms. Total traffic volume for the month, measured in revenue passenger-kilometres (RPK), was up 2.6%. Systemwide seat load factor for July amounted to 89.2%, a 0.3-percentage-point decline. 

Massive route expansion for Allegiant

The US budget carrier has confirmed it will launch 24 new routes this November marking a major expansion of its growing network.  The airline says the new routes will be a mix of year-round services and seasonal operations. 

Included in this avalanche of new routes include services to Pittsburg, Knoxville, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Ashville and  Charlotte from West Palm Beach.

Emiliano Sala had fatal levels of carbon monoxide in his body before plane crash.

The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has released an interim report into the crash that killed footballer Emiliano Sala on 21st January while travelling from Nantes in France to Cardiff.

The accident occurred on 21 January 2019 at 2016 hrs. The wreckage was located on 3 February 2019 on the seabed approximately 22 nm north-north-west of Guernsey, within 100 m of the last radar point recorded by the radar at Guernsey and at a depth of 68 m.

Toxicology tests on carried out on the body of the 28-year-old soccer star showed carbon monoxide levels in his blood there were high enough to cause a seizure, unconsciousness or even a heart attack. According to the report "A COHb level of more than 50% in an otherwise healthy person is generally considered to be potentially fatal." the level found in Sala's blood was 58%.

Air Canada to put new A220-300 on Toronto - San Jose, California new route.

It's been confirmed by Air Canda that it will start two new routes with its Airbus A220-300 aircraft,  one from Montreal to Seattle and Toronto to San Jose.

Toronto-San Jose

The only year-round, daily service to San Jose from Toronto starts May 4, 2020, complementing existing services from Vancouver to San Jose.

Flights are timed so customers can connect through Toronto on Air Canada's wide-ranging domestic network, allowing easy connections to another Silicon Valley city.

Flight	Departs	Arrives	Days of Week
AC 765	Toronto 08:55	San Jose 11:28	Daily
AC 766	San Jose 12:15	Toronto 20:10	Daily

Minute Suites to open at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 4

Minute Suites has announced that it will open its ninth location in the U.S. at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s Terminal 4, one of the world’s most modern and efficient air terminals. Now T4 customers with layovers before or after international flights have access to a private retreat inside security to sleep, relax or work. Minute Suites, a wellness-based solution to the stress and fatigue caused by air travel, will open seven suites and one shower in T4, making it easier for the more than 21 million customers that travel through the terminal each year to not only cross time zones but also combat the exhaustion of traveling for hours without privacy.

“We are fortunate and humbled to be finally landing in the New York metro area at the busiest international terminal in North America,” says Daniel Solomon, Minute Suites Co-founder and Director. “Our team looks forward to working with JFKIAT to enhance the airport experience with our Traveler’s Retreat.”

Alaska Airlines announces new service between Paine Field and Spokane

The US carrier Alaska Airlines announced it will launch daily nonstop service between Spokane International Airport and Paine Field-Snohomish County Airport in Everett on Nov. 4. Tickets are now on sale, just in time for holiday travel. Spokane becomes the 10th destination served by Alaska at the new terminal in Everett.

The nonstop route will connect Eastern Washington and Everett

with a daily roundtrip flight

"When it comes to flights at Paine Field, our guests have been eager for one city to be added above all others right now – they said make it Spokane," said David Besse, our manager of network planning. "We believe this route will be very popular, easily connecting family and friends, workers and businesses, between two dynamic regions of the state."

British Airways to start Virtual Reality Entertainment trial.

British Airways customers will be transported to their own 3D cinema in the skies as the airline exclusively trials a new virtual reality headset in a UK first.

From now until the end of 2019, customers travelling on select flights in First from London Heathrow to New York JFK will be able to enjoy a selection of award-winning films, documentaries and travel programmes in 2D, 3D or 360° formats.

The headsets from VR eyewear specialists, SkyLights, allow customers to fully immerse themselves in 3D view regardless of the position they are sat in. The experience even works when they are lying fully flat.

WestJet and Onex get the backing of The Canadian Competition Bureau

WestJet and Onex are celebrating today after the Canadian Competition Bureau has granted unconditional approval for the take over of WestJet by the Onex Corporation.

Ed Sims, WestJet's President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "Receiving unconditional approval from the Canadian Competition Bureau is another important step on our path to closing the transaction. We continue to engage with the relevant authorities on the remaining approvals."

The Arrangement is still subject to other conditions, including receipt of the remaining regulatory approvals, however, should they pass, the transaction is expected to complete during the fourth quarter of 2019.

Alaska Air reports its latest figures for July

Alaska Air Group Inc. has reported its July operational results on a consolidated basis, for its mainline operations operated by subsidiary Alaska Airlines Inc. and for its regional flying operated by subsidiary Horizon Air Industries Inc. and third-party regional carriers SkyWest Airlines and Peninsula Airlines, a subsidiary of Ravn Air.

Photo Alaska Air

As a whole the performed reasonably well and whilst it was an increase in traffic, its average load factor remained pretty much the same and revenue was fairly stagnant over July 2018.  Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 46 million guests a year to more than 115 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study for 12 consecutive years from 2008 to 2019.

New Maui-Las Vegas service for Hawaiian Airlines this December

Hawaiian Airlines has confirmed it will start a new direct service between Maui and the ever-popular  Nevada gambling hot-spot Las Vegas on 15th December this year.  The carrier inaugurates its newest narrow-body Airbus A321neo aircraft on the route which will operate four times a week flying between Maui’s Kahului Airport (OGG) and Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport (LAS).

Hawaiian is also increasing Honolulu-Seattle 

 starting in January

The airline also announced the start of sales for two other new A321neo routes -- thrice-weekly nonstop service between Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) starting Jan. 7; and seasonal winter service between OGG and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from Dec. 14 through Jan. 5. The new flights complement existing daily nonstop service offered on each route with wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft.

Swiss International Air Lines launches flights to Washington Dulles International in spring 2020

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) will become another destination for Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) the airline and airport confirmed this week. 

The airline has said it will start daily round-trip flights between Zurich (ZRH) and the popular US gateway beginning on March 29th, 2020. With the addition of this new service, the National Capital Region will now be served by 14 weekly flights from Dulles International to Zurich on SWISS and its Star Alliance Partner, United Airlines.

“With the addition of SWISS, Dulles International welcomes its 17th Star Alliance carrier, more than any other airport in the United States outside New York, reaffirming our commitment to offering passengers in the National Capital Region unparalleled connectivity to Europe and the world,” said Jerome L. Davis, executive vice president and chief revenue officer for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

Passengers on this new route will travel nonstop aboard the airline’s A330-300 aircraft. Flights are now available for booking. The schedule is as follows:

Cabo Verde Airlines to start new service between Sal and Washington Dulles International

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Cabo Verde Airlines confirmed on Tuesday that the carrier will begin a new nonstop service between Sal, Cabo Verde’s Amílcar Cabral International Airport (SID) and Washington Dulles International from this December.

The service will start on Sunday 8th December and will operate three times a week and is scheduled to e flown with a Boeing 757 aircraft. This new route is seen as a major development in the carrier's ambition to build up its Sal hub with even more opportunities for travel between the United States and West Africa. 

“As the only airline offering nonstop service between the National Capital Region and Cabo Verde, Cabo Verde Airlines will provide travellers with unprecedented accessibility to the country’s popular leisure destinations, as well as convenient connections to West Africa, South America and beyond,” said Yil Surehan, vice president of Airline Business Development for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. The new Washington, D.C. service will become Cabo Verde Airlines’ second US gateway.

Flight No.	From	To	Departure/Arrival	Days of Operation
VR692	SID	IAD	0800 / 1245	Sunday, Wednesday, Friday
VR693	IAD	SID	0745 / 1840	Monday, Thursday, Saturday

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Hawaiian Airlines awarded new Tokyo Haneda-Honolulu route

Hawaiian Airlines confirmed this week plans to increase service between Tokyo and Honolulu in the summer of 2020, after receiving final U.S. Department of Transportation approval to operate one additional daily nonstop flight between Haneda Airport (HND) and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL).

“As the U.S. airline offering the most flights to the most markets between Japan and Hawai‘i, we look forward to building on the popularity of our authentic Hawaiian hospitality by adding another convenient option for guests travelling between Haneda and Honolulu,” said Peter Ingram, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines. “Our new service will allow more travellers from Tokyo and beyond to enjoy our unparalleled network of flights connecting Japan and the Hawaiian Islands.”

Cathay Pacific release its latest figures.

Hong Kong's premier airline Cathay Pacific recently released its latest figures which shows some good performance over the first part of this year. However,  the outlook may not be as bright as the anti-government protests continue to have an effect on operations and the Chinese paramilitary police look likely to intervene should the protests not abate soon. The airlines share price has tumbled in recent hours as the news of the build-up of police on the border.

The carrier is currently moving through a programme of stem the losses that have built up over recent years and during 2018 the airline went back into the black. The first part of 2019 has seen the airline make $1347 million Hong Kong dollar profit.

Irish pilots agree to talks with Ryanair

Ryanair’s Irish pilots have agreed to attend talks on Wednesday in a last ditched effort to avert strike action that has been called for next week by the unions if the airline will not seriously address the ongoing pay dispute.

The Irish pilots that are members of the Forsa/IALPA union have voted in favour of industrial action on Friday after the low-fares-high-fees airline stalled the negotiations since pay demands were submitted in March. “A substantive and meaningful counter-proposal from Ryanair management, which properly addresses all areas of the union’s claims, would need to be tabled tomorrow to prevent strike action next week,” read a statement from Forsa/IALPA on Tuesday.

Some of the budget carriers British pilots are also taking industrial action in a pay dispute with the airline, they will strike for 24 hours from 22nd August, which is just a day after the firm's cabin crew in Portugal are walking out. It is also understood that flight deck crews in Spain are considering industrial action.  

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