Hyatt Announces Plans for New Hyatt Place Hotel in Costa Rica
Construction of new Hyatt Place San Jose Cariari to increase Hyatt’s brand presence in Central America
Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced today that Hyatt has entered into a management agreement with Cariari Premium Outlets S.A. and affiliates for a new Hyatt Place hotel in the province of Heredia in Costa Rica. The 120-room Hyatt Place San Jose Cariari will be located less than one mile away from the recently opened Costa Rica Convention Center, in the heart of the country’s most important economic centre.
With construction expected to begin in early 2020, Hyatt Place San Jose Cariari is projected to open in the second quarter of 2021, and will join the already open Hyatt Place San Jose Pinares and Andaz Costa Rica Resort at Peninsula Papagayo in Costa Rica. Known for its approachable service and uncomplicated experience, the Hyatt Place brand continues to increase its presence in Central America with hotels currently operating in Panama, Nicaragua and Honduras.
Flexjet LLC, a global leader in fractional private jet travel, today announced that it has placed a $1.4 billion order with Embraer Executive Jets, a division of Embraer S.A. (NYSE: ERJ; BM&FBOVESPA: EMBR3), for the Praetor mid- and super midsized aircraft and Phenom 300 light jets.
Embraer Executive Jets President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Amalfitano and Flexjet Chief Executive Officer Michael Silvestro made the announcement at the 2019 National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas.
“The spirit of innovation at Embraer keeps us coming back time and again because it dovetails perfectly with our commitment to provide the youngest, most modern fleet to our Owners,” said Flexjet Chief Executive Officer Michael Silvestro. “These aircraft are sure to be crowd-pleasers with their extraordinarily long-range and impressive speed for aircraft of their size.”
In 2016, Flexjet introduced the midsized Embraer Legacy 450 to the fractional ownership market. Since that time, the Legacy 450 has proven exceptionally popular as a key component of the premium Red Label by Flexjet offering. In competing head-to-head with the Citation Latitude, the Legacy 450 stands out with 10 percent more cabin volume, a speed advantage of more than 40 MPH and an additional 40 cubic feet of baggage space, to name just a few of the superior features. And nearly 35,000 hours of flight data from Flexjet Owners fueled Embraer’s development of the Praetor.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the world's oldest international airline still operating under its original name, marked its 100th anniversary on 7th October 2019. KLM is celebrating its centenary with a new brand movie and three inspirational travel videos.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines celebrated its 100th anniversary on Monday, 7th October 2019. Founded in 1919, KLM is the first commercial airline that is still flying under its original name to reach this milestone in the world. A true pioneer in aviation, KLM is celebrating its centenary with a film that looks back at some of its remarkable history, while showing progress throughout the last ten decades.
Throughout the years, KLM has brought the wonder of air travel to generations. The new film tells the story of three generations of the same family who worked with KLM from the early days to the present, serving and caring for passengers. The first two featured women are inspired to fly and become flight attendants. However, the film closes with the granddaughter of the original woman, who ends up in the cockpit, taking off, as captain of KLM's newest airplane, the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner.
To celebrate KLM's 100th birthday with Indonesia, KLM launched 3 short videos where KLM travellers travelling on KLM flight KL810 from Jakarta to Amsterdam share their personal travel stories.
KLM Indonesia
KLM offers daily direct flights between Jakarta and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport with a stop in Kuala Lumpur and daily flights between Denpasar and Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport with a stop in Singapore. The flights are operated by Boeing B777-200 and B777-300ER aircraft with 34 seats in World Business Class and 286 and 374 seats in Economy Class.
SkyFive announced this week that it successfully acquired a substantial part of Nokia's Air-to-Ground (A2G) assets and capabilities.
SkyFive combines the aviation and telecommunications worlds in a unique way to enable a breakthrough in aviation digitization and address the airlines' increasing needs for connectivity with a high-performance, future-proof, and cost-effective solution based on 4G and 5G standards.
Nokia and SkyFive, world's first specialist for Air-to-Ground (A2G) communications, have closed a transaction on the sale and transfer of Nokia's A2G assets.A substantial part of Nokia's A2G patents, portfolio, and employees are transferring to SkyFive, an independent A2G communications specialist previously created by former Nokia Senior Executives.With the transferred assets, SkyFive is in a unique position to address the needs of the aviation industry for true broadband connectivity in the sky, based on a comprehensive end-to-end solution and the proven capabilities of the enlarged team.Following the successful deployment and launch of the European Aviation Network, SkyFive and Nokia are planning to expand A2G into other regions, with SkyFive taking responsibility for the end-to-end solution, and Nokia continues to be the provider of the ground network technology.
To commemorate British Airways 100 years of flying, the airline created a flight to remember for its colleagues. Flying from London Heathrow of Kuala Lumpur, two flights were operated solely by cabin crew who are family members or have a long family history with the company.
Onboard the 12 hours 50-minute flight, there were three teams of mother and daughter along with second the third generation British Airways colleagues. All of them carries a unique story about working for the airline during its 100 year history.
Angela Williams, British Airways’ Director of People said: “Our colleagues have been such an integral part in making us the airline we are today. You only have to listen to the stories from our colleagues on board these flights to realise what a wonderful history British Airways carries through the people that work here.”
From one flight alone, our cabin crew colleagues had nearly 285 years’ experience of working for British Airways. Their family had worked in roles including engineering and flight operations.
Leading the team on board, Keith Payne, a British Airways Inflight Business Manager said: “This was a once in a lifetime experience for our colleagues and customers on board. Not only did our colleagues relish the rare opportunity to work as a family, our customers were in high spirits throughout the flight.”
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and Saudia, the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, have marked the first anniversary of their commercial partnership by announcing 12 new codeshare routes to key destinations in Asia and Europe.
Since signing their agreement in October, 2018, the two airlines have placed their flight codes on each other’s services between Abu Dhabi and the Saudi Arabian cities of Jeddah, Riyadh and Medina. Saudia has also added its ‘SV’ code to Etihad flights between Abu Dhabi and 10 more destinations – Ahmedabad, Belgrade, Brisbane, Chicago, Dusseldorf, Lagos, Melbourne, Rabat, Seychelles and Sydney – while Etihad has placed its ‘EY’ code on Saudia flights to Peshawar, Multan, Port Sudan and Vienna.
Under the deal announced today, Saudia will progressively add its code to Etihad flights between Abu Dhabi and 12 more destinations in 10 countries – Amsterdam, Baku, Brussels, Dublin, Moscow-Domodedovo, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, Bangkok, Phuket, Nagoya, Tokyo and Seoul, significantly extending Saudia’s reach.
Etihad Airways (Etihad), the national airline of the UAE, has celebrated the deployment of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its daily scheduled services to Milan by hosting an exclusive reception at the Palazzo Clerici, the spectacular Baroque former residence of the influential Clerici family, located in the heart of the Italian city. The occasion was attended by leading figures from the UAE and local government officials, diplomats, corporate partners, members of the travel industry and social influencers.
Etihad introduced its Abu Dhabi to Milan Malpensa service in September 2007, its first destination in Italy. To meet demand for a more comfortable and personalised travel experience, state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner services were launched in September this year, demonstrating the airline’s commitment to the Italian market.
Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “Since the launch of flights between Milan and Abu Dhabi in 2007, Etihad has carried over 1.4 million guests to and from the city, and the route continues to enjoy strong demand from both business and leisure travellers alike. The tremendous support and recognition Etihad has received in recent years from Italian guests, partners and stakeholders, has been instrumental in strengthening our position as a leader in this important market.”
Having taken delivery of 13 Boeing 787-9s between October 2015 and August 2018, it was time for KLM to move on to the next best thing: the Boeing 787-10. The first touched down at Schiphol on 30 June – a sustainable and energy-efficient Dreamliner called ‘Orange Blossom’, decorated with the KLM100 logo specially designed in celebration of KLM’s 100th anniversary. The second one (the Busy Lizzie) has been part of our fleet since 17 October. In this blog, Edwin Koslov from KLM gives an account of the assembly of the aircraft.
Bigger
The Boeing 787-10 aircraft is an extended version of the 787-9. The extra six meters were gained by adding three meters to the rear and three meters to the front of the main fuselage, allowing the number of seats to be increased from 294 to 344. Fun fact: KLM is the first European airline to operate this new Boeing type.
Although the 787-9 and 787-10 are built in much the same way, the increased size means the fuselage cannot be shipped by air aboard the Boeing 747 DreamLifter, a wide-body freighter developed exclusively for transporting Boeing 787 parts. Consequently, the new 787-10 can only be assembled at the location where the fuselage is built, which is the Boeing plant in Charleston, South Carolina.
Etihad and Air Arabia join hands to launch Abu Dhabi’s first low-cost carrier
Etihad Aviation Group and Air Arabia today announced the signing of an agreement to launch ‘Air Arabia Abu Dhabi’, the capital’s first low-cost carrier.
Etihad and Air Arabia will establish an independent joint venture company that will operate as a low-cost passenger airline with its hub in Abu Dhabi International Airport. The new carrier will complement Etihad Airways’ services from Abu Dhabi and will cater to the growing low-cost travel market segment in the region.
Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “Abu Dhabi is a thriving cultural hub with a clear economic vision built on sustainability and diversification. With the emirate’s diverse attractions and hospitality offerings, travel and tourism play a vital role in the economic growth of the capital and the UAE. By partnering with Air Arabia and launching Abu Dhabi’s first low-cost carrier, we are serving this long-term vision”.
One of the UK's leading charter airlines, Titan Airways is to get a five-year-old Airbus A330 in its fleet from the first part of next year the airline has confirmed this week.
Titan says the introduction of its first Airbus A330 airliner, will take place during the first quarter of 2020 and is expected to enter revenue service in April. The jet is being taking on a 5.5 year lease and will replace the carriers Boeing 767-300ER, as it moves to an all-Airbus airline.
"We have selected this aircraft due to the very high standard of the cabin and the crew rest compartment, which will enable us to operate the aircraft to its maximum range. This should open up a wealth of new opportunities in the charter market." Titan Airways said.
The airline will configure the spacious cabin with 32 fully lie-flat beds in business and 206 standard economy seats, offering a generous 32inch seat pitch. All seats are equipped with touch screen in-flight entertainment and in-seat power, allowing passengers to power their own devices. The jet also has a crew rest area, which helps to extend the range of the aircraft to approximately 14 ½ hours.
"We anticipate strong demand for the new A330 aircraft from other airlines for wet/damp lease, ad-hoc charter and tour operator charter roles." the airline said.
Four-times-weekly service via Penang operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, expanding to five-times-weekly from 27 October 2019
The first Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Langkawi, Malaysia touched down at Langkawi International Airport on Tuesday 15 October 2019.
The first special flight was greeted by a VIP celebratory ceremony at Langkawi International Airport which was attended by the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Malaysia, His Excellency Mr. Fahad Mohammed Kafoud; Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Malaysia in Qatar, Mr. Mohamad Shahir Sabarudin; Chief Operating Officer of Malaysia Airport Holding Berhad, Mr. Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh; Chief Executive Officer, Langkawi Development Authority Dr. Hezri Adnan; and Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Asia Pacific, Mr. Marwan Koleilat, as well as senior airport officials.
Last Thursday, 17th KLM's second Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner arrived at its home base of Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, directly from the Boeing factory in Charleston, South Carolina. The sustainable and energy-efficient aircraft has the registration PH-BKC and also bears the name "Busy Lizzie".
All KLM Dreamliners are named after flowers or flowering plants. With the arrival of Busy Lizzie, KLM has fifteen Boeing 787s in its fleet: thirteen 787-9s and two 787-10s. Two more Boeing 787-10s will be added this year, the first of which will arrive in November. Four more will be added in 2020.
The US National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team of nine investigators to Unalaska-Tom Madsen Airport, following a runway overrun of a PenAir Saab 2000 which left one passenger dead.
The twenty-four and a half-year-old aircraft departed Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, at 1515 on Thursday 17th October, bound for Unalaska Airport. According to local reports, the flight crew made two approaches to the airport, the first was aborted and the second resulted in an overrun.
The turboprop touched down at around 1740 local time on runway 13, but it didn't stop when it came to the end of the runway, crossed a road and slightly tumbled down a rocky sea defence on the edge of Dutch Harbour some 500 feet from the airport.
The first non-stop commercial airline flight from New York to Sydney has landed after 19 hours 16 minutes in the air.
A total of 49 passengers and crew were on the flight, which was used to run a series of experiments to assess health and well-being onboard. Data from these experiments will be used help shape the crew rostering and customer service of Qantas’ ultra long haul flights in future – including Project Sunrise (opens in new window).
Tests ranged from monitoring pilot brain waves, melatonin levels and alertness, through to exercise classes for passengers.
Cabin lighting and in-flight meals were also adjusted in ways that are expected to help reduce jetlag, according to the medical researchers and scientists (opens in new window) who have partnered with Qantas.
Marriott International has confirmed that it has purchased the 270-room W New York – Union Square in the heart of Manhattan’s dynamic Union Square neighbourhood.
The company paid a whopping $206 million for W New York – Union Square, with plans for a significant renovation. Marriott International will transform the existing hotel into a cutting-edge W Hotels showcase, advancing the company’s strategy to redefine and reinvigorate the brand in North America.
“There’s no better place than New York City to reveal to the world the future of our W Hotels brand, so we’re tremendously excited about this acquisition and the unique opportunity that it presents for our reinvention strategy,” said Arne Sorenson, President and CEO, Marriott International. “When W has launched as a single hotel in New York 21 years ago with ground-breaking design and a bold approach to nightlife, it pushed the boundaries of how people thought about a hotel. Given how much travellers crave these types of experiences today and the brand’s global reach, we see limitless potential for the W brand with hotel owners and developers, travellers and locals.”
Construction of new Hyatt Place San Jose Cariari to increase Hyatt’s brand presence in Central America
