Airinmar secures Value Engineering contract with JetBlue, delivering cost savings in the component repair cycle

AAR  subsidiary Airinmar, the top global independent provider of component repair cycle management and aircraft warranty solutions, signed a three-year agreement with JetBlue to provide component Value Engineering cost oversight services for the airline's Airbus and Embraer fleets.

The agreement covers the provision of Airinmar's unique Value Engineering knowledge and expertise, along with in-house support systems across a wide range of JetBlue's aircraft components. Under the scope of the services, Airinmar will assess repair costs to assure compliance with JetBlue's contracted pricing terms, under either component flight-hour or fixed-pricing terms, as well as the cost evaluation of time and material quoted repairs.

Volocopter Air Taxi Flies Over Singapore's Marina Bay

Volocopter, the pioneer in Urban Air Mobility (UAM), successfully completed its first manned flight over Singapore's Marina Bay yesterday. This was the last trial of a demanding test series to verify and validate the ability of Volocopter air taxis to fly over the area. Government authorities including the Ministry of Transport (MOT), the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), and the Economic Development Board (EDB) supported Volocopter in this testing phase and will continue to do so in the future. This flight kicks-off Volocopter's efforts to bring commercial air taxi services to Singapore.  

Westjet to offer more servioces on its 787 Dreamliner fleet

WestJet to offer more 787 Dreamliner services between European
destinations and Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver

The Canadian airline WestJet has announced passengers in Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto will benefit from more domestic and transatlantic services on the new 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft for summer 2020.

"As we welcome new 787 deliveries, we continue to showcase WestJet's award-winning guest experience to the world," said Arved von zur Muehlen, WestJet Chief Commercial Officer. "Our Dreamliner service is unique to WestJet and through increased domestic and transatlantic connections we're able to offer Canadians and visitors a superior experience whether travelling for business or leisure."

Dreamliner schedule highlights:

Earlier Dreamliner service between London, Gatwick and Calgary, operating daily as of April 14, 2020.
Year-round daily service between Toronto and London, Gatwick on the Dreamliner.
Daily seasonal summer Dreamliner service between Vancouver and London, Gatwick commences on April 26, 2010.
Domestic year-round 787 service between Calgary and Toronto beginning in June.
Transatlantic Dreamliner service between Paris and Calgary resumes March 12, 2020.
WestJet will receive three additional Boeing Dreamliners in 2020 bringing the airline's total to six of up to 20.

Two new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft for Delta Air Lines

Aircraft leasing specialists, Air Lease Corporation has announced long-term lease agreements with Delta Air Lines for two new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft. The first aircraft is scheduled to deliver to the airline in Fall 2020 and the second aircraft will deliver in early 2021 from ALC’s order book with Airbus.

“ALC is pleased to announce this significant lease placement with Delta Air Lines for two new A330-900neos and add this world-renowned airline to our current customer list,” said Steven F. Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation. John L. Plueger, Chief Executive Officer and President of Air Lease Corporation, added, “As Delta and ALC are co-launch customers on the A330-900, we are proud to support Delta’s expanding requirement for these aircraft.”

UK Government lifts ban on Sharm El-Sheikh flights

End of suspension is the first step towards services resuming.

Restrictions on flights between Sharm El-Sheikh Airport and the UK have been lifted, the government has announced.

Improvements in security procedures at the airport, and close co-operation between the UK and Egypt on aviation security, mean commercial airlines can now be allowed to operate routes to and from the airport.

New Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner for Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand has a brand new Boeing 787-9 on long term lease from AerCap Holdings this week. This is the first new 787-9 aircraft to deliver to Air New Zealand from AerCap's order book with Boeing.

"The delivery of this new Boeing 787-9 to Air New Zealand marks another milestone between our two companies, building on a 30-year history of successful cooperation," said Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap. "We are delighted to continue to support Air New Zealand's fleet renewal strategy and sustainable growth ambitions with the addition of this new Dreamliner, which will offer excellent operational performance and environmental efficiency, significantly reducing fuel emissions and noise levels. We wish Jeff McDowall and all the team at Air New Zealand continued success."

AerCap is the world's largest lessor of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, with 117 aircraft owned, managed and on order.

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Singing pilot to switch on Oldham's Christmas lights.....

Stuart Beech   Photo British Airways

Stuart Beech, a pilot for the UK's British Airways will return to his home town of Oldham to switch on the town’s Christmas lights on November 24 – a year to the day since he made his debut on Michael McIntyre’s BBC1 ‘Big Show’.

Stuart rose to fame after being surprised on the show while helping with a British Airways Flying with Confidence course. A lifelong musical theatre fan, he had always wanted to perform on a big stage and Michael McIntyre invited him to close his show at London’s Theatre Royal, singing ‘The Impossible Dream’ in front of a national television audience of millions.

Air New Zealand drops London Heathrow to Los Angeles flights.

The London - Los Angeles has been a flagship route for Air New Zealand for a number of years and was a crucial link connecting New Zealand and Europe. Indeed, since its launch in 1982 it has provided UK holidaymakers with the ideal way to connect to New Zealand. I've travelled on the route a few times, each one with a full, or very nearly full load, however, changes in the way the airline manages the yield, as well as increased competition,  have had an effect on the route.

"Today Kiwis have more than twice the number of ways to fly to London than a decade ago and preferences have changed. Less than seven percent of all airline travellers between Auckland and London chose to fly via Los Angeles last year." Air New Zealand Acting Chief Executive Officer Jeff McDowall said. "At the same time, the Atlantic has become one of the most hotly contested routes in the world and Air New Zealand lacks the home market advantages and scale of the North American and European airlines we're up against."

“Alexa, my boarding pass for my Iberia flight, please”

The Spanish airline Iberia has enabled another way for its Iberia Plus cardholders to use Amazon's Alexa. Members of the airline’s loyalty programme can activate this new application on their Amazon Alexa voice-response devices in Spain and link it to their Iberia Plus profiles.

With a simple voice command, the Iberia Plus cardholders can find out the status of their flights and obtain boarding passes for any Iberia flight to a Schengen area destination -except Madrid-Barcelona Puente Aéreo shuttle service- for one or all the passengers in the booking in the same cases as on iberia.com. The boarding pass will be sent automatically to the member’s email address in any of the available formats:  pdf document, QR code, or Wallet and Passbook.

Hyatt Place Dubai Jumeirah Officially Opens

             

                      Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced today the official opening of Hyatt Place Dubai Jumeirah, the fourth Hyatt-branded select-service property in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The new hotel joins Hyatt Place Dubai Al Rigga, Hyatt Place Dubai Baniyas Square and Hyatt Place Dubai Wasl District, all of which are intended to cater to the UAE’s increasing mid-market hotel segment.

The new hotel features the Hyatt Place brand’s intuitive design, casual atmosphere and practical amenities, such as free Wi-Fi and shared computers with high-speed internet, accommodating guests’ needs through purposeful service and an overall uncomplicated stay.

Located on Al Mina Road near the exclusive Jumeirah neighbourhood, the new Hyatt Place hotel provides easy access to the city’s points of interest, such as the Dubai Mall, the Gold and Spice Souk, Burj Khalifa, and popular beach destinations, including as La Mer and Jumeirah Beach. The property is a short distance from the Dubai World Trade Center, Dubai International Financial Center and Dubai International Airport.

Small plane crash leaves three dead in Brazil

Three dead after a small aircraft crash-landed onto a street in Brazil's Belo Horizonte, Brazil on Monday morning.    The single-engine aircraft, which had just taken off from Carlos Prates airport was reported to have been carrying three passengers and the pilot at the time of the crash.

Local media reported that three people had died and a further three had suffered injuries during the incident which took place some 1.5km's from the airport. From initial reports, one of the fatalities was from the aircraft, two others were on the street at the time.  It is understood the pilot survived the crash. 

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Qantas Freight to launch a direct Cairns to Hong Kong service

Qantas Freight has today announced that it will launch a direct Cairns to Hong Kong freighter service in partnership with the Queensland Government, Cairns Airport and the Cairns Regional Council.*

Operated by a Boeing 767 freight aircraft, the direct service will provide same-day delivery to Hong Kong, helping support exporters in Far North Queensland. Commencing in mid-November, the national carrier will operate its existing Sydney-Hong Kong service via Cairns as a six-month trial.

The service will support the export of fresh seafood and agricultural products from the Cairns region to key Asian and international markets. Qantas Freight Chief Customer Officer Nick McGlynn said the airline was proud to be backing Far North Queensland by maintaining this connection and taking Australian goods into Asia.

British Airways seeking the perfect shot from an aircraft window................

British Airways has called in an expert to give advice to all those amateur photographers whose perfect shot from an aircraft window is never quite right – and it could simply be because they are in the wrong seat.

Many air travellers like to capture the unique views from their vantage point thousands of feet in the air, but very often the perfect picture is spoilt by an aircraft wing or glare from the sun.

So British Airways invited top aerial photographer Jason Hawkes to take a flight from London City Airport to Edinburgh to document his journey in photographs and share some tips with his fellow travellers.

WestJet stands out from the herd in its latest advertising campaign

WestJet stands out from the herd in the latest advertising campaign........An airline that treats people like people.

The national campaign focuses on airline's commitment to treating people like people

                  As the airline founded on care, WestJet set out to do things differently and its latest advertising campaign, launched today, highlights what sets it apart through its continued commitment to treating people like people. Watch the video here.

Named TripAdvisor's best airline in Canada by the travelling public for three consecutive years, the campaign focuses on WestJet's award-winning guest service, no overbooking and being Canada's most on-time airline. It reaffirms the airline's continued commitment to making air travel something its guests not only enjoy but look forward to.

Delta adding 2 more efficient A330-900neos to fleet

Delta has reached an agreement with Air Lease Corporation (ALC) to lease two new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft set for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2020 and first quarter of 2021. These aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines.

“These two incremental aircraft represent an opportunistic play to fulfil our near-term widebody aircraft needs for our customers and employees as older generation aircraft are retired and to support measured growth in 2021,” said Greg May, Delta’s Senior Vice President – Fleet and Technical Procurement. “We’re also pleased that the engines on these aircraft will be maintained by Delta TechOps professionals through our partnership with Rolls-Royce.”

Separately, Delta has made an agreement with Airbus to accelerate three planned A330-900neo deliveries, with two arriving in the fourth quarter of 2020 and another in the first quarter of 2021. As a result, Delta expects to take delivery of seven total A330-900neo aircraft in 2020.

In July, Delta was the first U.S. airline to operate the next-generation A330-900neo on Seattle service to Shanghai, which offers the latest in innovative design and technology for customers. Featuring the Delta One suites, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin, the jet is also the first Delta aircraft to feature memory foam cushions throughout the aircraft for hours of comfort. Additionally, it’s the first Delta widebody aircraft to feature its new wireless in-flight entertainment system in every seat.

In September, the aircraft debuted on Seattle service to Seoul-Incheon and on October 27 will begin Seattle flying to Tokyo-Narita. 

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