In the presence of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airlines and Group and chairman of Dubai Airports; FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and the world’s largest express transportation company, signed an agreement with Dubai South to build its new regional hub for the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa (MEISA) region at the Logistics District.
Located in proximity to Dubai World Central Airport (DWC), the new FedEx Express regional hub at Dubai South will incorporate state-of-the-art technologies to support the company’s regional and global networks and increase operational efficiencies to meet growing trade demands within the MEISA region.
The agreement was inked by HE Khalifa Alzaffin, executive chairman of Dubai Aviation City Corporation and Dubai South and Jack Muhs, regional president of FedEx Express Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa region. The signing ceremony was held at ‘Hypermotion Dubai’ at the World Expo’s Dubai Exhibition Center, an event focused on next-generation mobility and logistics.
According to International Air Transport Association, the Middle East experienced a 15.4% rise in international cargo volumes in August 2021 as compared to August 2019[1].
Australian travellers will have direct flights between Wagga Wagga and Brisbane early next year when QantasLink starts operating direct flights.
The national carrier will operate three weekly return services with its 74 seat, Q400 turboprop aircraft from 28 March 2022, saving at least 90 minutes on current flying times via Sydney.
It will be the first regular passenger service to connect Wagga Wagga to Brisbane in almost four years and will give Riverina residents more one-stop connections to destinations across the airline’s expansive Queensland network.
QantasLink CEO John Gissing said the new route would open up more options for Wagga Wagga residents and Queenslanders looking to book their next holiday as interstate travel picks up early next year.
“As Australia’s largest regional airline, we know we have an important role to play keeping regions connected and driving tourism,” Mr Gissing said.
“This service will make it easier for Queenslanders to catch up with family and friends and explore the beautiful Riverina region.
“It will also give Wagga residents easy access to some of Queensland’s amazing holiday destinations.”
Over 130 weekly flights to top European destinations
Ryanair will operate over 130 weekly flights from East Midlands Airport to 31 European destinations from April 2022, the airline and airport have confirmed. The massive route network will boost connectivity from the airport as well as creating more jobs in the local area.
The summer holiday destinations include hotspots such as Alicante, Barcelona, Lanzarote, Malaga, Mallorca, Rhodes and Tenerife to name a few.
Ryanair’s Director of Commercial, Jason McGuinness, said: "As Europe’s No.1 airline, we are pleased to extend our partnership with East Midlands Airport and announce our Summer 2022 schedule, connecting UK families to a host of European hotspots for their much-deserved Summer 2022 holiday. Ryanair remains committed to re-building Europe’s aviation and tourism industries by restoring connectivity and growing our network of passengers to over 225 million per annum by 2026. We are delighted to have extended our long-term partnership with East Midlands Airport. Our customers can now book a summer getaway to the likes of Alicante, Chania, Lanzarote, Malaga, Mallorca, Rome, Tenerife and many more on amazing low fares."
Allegiant announced a five-year collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Inc., selecting AWS as its Preferred Cloud Provider. With its unique-to-industry focus on leisure travel, providing affordable, nonstop flights to premier vacation destinations, Allegiant has evolved as an integrated travel company, increasingly offering lodging, rental cars and access to special experiences to customers. Known for a nimble air service model which can add or reduce capacity according to seasonal demand, the Las Vegas-based carrier is in a unique position of growth emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. Working with AWS enables Allegiant to strengthen customer engagement through increased personalization across its digital channels while affording a more elastic, reliable IT infrastructure with significant development advantages for business units across the company.
"In addition to providing unprecedented access to nonstop flights across our unique network, Allegiant aims to be the leading leisure travel marketplace, bringing our customers' destination entertainment experiences like live music and sports events, as well as lodging and rental cars," said Scott DeAngelo, Allegiant's executive vice president and chief marketing officer. "Amazon is known for world-class personalization, bringing intelligence and utilizing smart information to create seamless experiences for customers. In collaboration with AWS, Allegiant is bringing richer data and insights to all our customer offerings – to ensure we are taking the right actions to make our customers' lives better. The platform gives us incredible tools for automation and continuous learning that will improve and optimize the customer experience across our platforms – from website and mobile app to all levels of communication."
Alaska Airlines and Hawaii-based social and environmental impact organization, travel2change, are helping to connect guests with fun and enriching activities aimed at creating a positive benefit for communities across the Hawaiian Islands. The new partnership, launched today at travel2change.org/alaskaair, will make it easier for travellers to find and participate in authentic educational and cultural experiences during their Hawaii visit.
"We deeply appreciate the Hawaiian cultural value of malama, which means to nurture and care for," said Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska's vice president, public affairs and sustainability. "Care is at the core of who we are at Alaska, and that means care for our guests, employees, communities and the planet. We're honoured to be part of the Hawaii community, and as Hawaii welcomes visitors back to the Islands, we're excited to work with travel2change to inspire our guests to be mindful travellers and to help keep Hawaii strong and beautiful for future generations."
Since 2011, travel2change has curated activities to connect mindful travellers with communities. They offer opportunities to join the stewards of special places across Hawaii and work side-by-side to care for native ecosystems, working fishponds and farms, and to engage each destination on a deeper level. While the experiences on travel2change.org are currently based in Hawaii, activities in other destinations served by Alaska will be offered starting in 2022.
"travel2change is all about an environmentally sustainable give-back model centred on fun and impact—cultivating mutually-beneficial, reciprocal relationships between the local community and guests," said Mondy Jamshidi Kent of travel2change. "Alaska shares our vision to innovate for a more sustainable world. Support for more regenerative connections through community-centred values and honouring place-based initiatives is part of how we get there. We are thrilled that this partnership will both introduce travel2change experiences to Alaska's guests and provide a direct way for much-needed support to be received by many community groups throughout Hawaii. Together we look forward to boosting support for community-driven sustainable choices that produce a net-positive impact for each destination."
Northrop Grumman Corporation and Airbus Defence and Space, together with seven industrial players, have established ASPAARO, the Atlantic Strategic Partnership for Advanced All-domain Resilient Operations. ASPAARO will bid to undertake the Risk Reduction and Feasibility Studies (RRFS) for the NATO Support and Procurement Agency as part of the Alliance Future Surveillance and Control (AFSC) programme.
The feasibility studies are a key milestone in the AFSC programme which aims to support NATO and NATO nations as they consider the Alliance’s future tactical surveillance, command and control capabilities after the current Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) fleet reaches the end of its service life in 2035.
Following the delivery of a High-level Technical Concept in 2020 by three of the team members (Airbus, Lockheed Martin and MDA Ltd.), Airbus continues to support NATO in the concept stage of the AFSC programme together with Northrop Grumman and a strong transatlantic team including Lockheed Martin (US), BAE Systems (UK), KONGSBERG (Norway), MDA (Canada), GMV (Spain), Exence (Poland) and IBM (US).
London, America is open again says United Airlines
Start spreading the news… the day is finally here: America is open again! To celebrate this moment, United Airlines is covering parts of London in its iconic blue and letting Brits know that they can travel to the land of the Big Apple again.
United Airlines operatesdaily flightsfrom the U.K. to key cities in the U.S. and it’s splashing that news all across town. Created with 72andSunny Amsterdam, the campaign goes deep into the heart of London, with key placements in Piccadilly Circus, London Bridge and Waterloo, with a copy-led campaign bursting with breathless excitement about getting back to all the things Brits have missed about America. From pie-that-is-actually-pizza, to free refills, to the endless juice options that only Los Angeles can offer, and of course, the thing that matters the most: looking friends and family in the eye after all this time, and letting it sink in how good it feels to be together again. Over the course of the week, more ads are coming out across London, encouraging Brits to get their sexy accents back across the pond, and enjoy The Land Of The Free Refills.
Mike Farr, Creative Director, 72andSunny Amsterdam said: “We wanted to celebrate this moment like two best mates getting back together at last. With a bit of a cheeky reminder of that stuff we love about our friends across the pond.”
Daniel Cuellar, United Director for Global Advertising said: “We are excited that travel to the U.S. is returning.London Heathrow is a vital part of our international network. The focus of this campaign is to reunite our British customers with the U.S. and inspire them to rediscover everything America has to offer.”
This campaign follows on United’s recent announcement to add five new flights from London Heathrow Airport, including two more flights to New York/Newark, additional services to both Denver and San Francisco, as well as an all-new direct flight to Boston.
The new flights begin March 2022 and with these additions, United will be the only U.S. carrier to offer nonstop service between London and the top seven U.S. business centres. United will offer 22 flights per day from London Heathrow to the U.S. and more flights between London and New York City than any other U.S. carrier. London was the most booked international destination for United’s business customers in October 2021, and the airline expects this trend to continue into 2022.
Used cooking oil helped to power a British Airways Airbus A350 to New York today, the first of the carriers US-bound flights to operate after the US lifted restrictions imposed on British travellers for more than 18 months.
The airline used the flight number BA001, previously adorning the New York club world service from London City Airport and prior to the carriers prestigious service for Concorde. It was flown by one of a fuel-efficient Airbus A350 aircraft that was directly powered by a 35% blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) provided by bp and made from used cooking oil. BA thinks this is the first commercial transatlantic flight ever to be operated with such a significant level of the fuel blended with traditional jet fuel*. The blend of SAF used on the flight today means the overall CO2 emissions are more than 50 per cent less than those emitted by the now-retired 747 aircraft which previously operated on this route.
In addition, British Airways also offset all emissions associated with the flight, to demonstrate the various ways in which the airline is decarbonising its operations **.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is produced from sustainable feedstocks and is similar in chemistry to traditional fossil jet fuel. Using SAF results in a reduction in carbon emissions compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces over the lifecycle of the fuel and can drop straight into existing fuel supply infrastructure and aircraft. It has the potential to provide a lifecycle carbon reduction of more than 80% compared to the traditional jet fuel it replaces
British Airways’ Chairman and CEO Sean Doyle said: “Today is about celebrating the UK-US reopening of the transatlantic corridor after more than 600 days of separation, and it was fantastic to be able to mark this by synchronising the take-off of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic flights for the first time ever.
While flying is vital to connect the world and support the UK’s economic recovery from the pandemic, it’s important for us to use this moment to demonstrate how we’re driving our decarbonisation plans forward, and what the future will look like for aviation. That’s why we’ve directly powered our first flight to the US today with sustainable aviation fuel and offset emissions on behalf of our customers. We’re looking forward to the Government’s continued support to ensure the development and mass production of sustainable aviation fuel continues at pace.”
In a special coordinated arrangement, the British Airways flight took off from London Heathrow at exactly the same time as a Virgin Atlantic flight, VS3, also to New York's JFK airport.
UK Ambassador to the United States, Dame Karen Pierce DCMG, said: “Today is an incredibly exciting and meaningful day for the UK-US relationship. We can all once again travel to each other’s countries to visit families, take holidays, and conduct transatlantic business. I am absolutely thrilled that safe and sustainable travel can fully resume between the UK and the United States.”
The lifting of the restrictions means that British and European airlines can restart operations across the Atlantic in a meaningful way. BA for example is re-starting direct services to 17 US destinations with the airline set to extend its services to 23 US airports this winter, with up to 246 flights a week. The airline is increasing New York-bound flights from five to eight per day in December. Plus there will also be double-daily services to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Dallas, Miami and Toronto, as well as daily services to Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, Atlanta, Denver, Houston and Vancouver.
Four aviation decarbonisation projects supported by British Airways recently received Government funding as part of the Department of Transport's Green Fuels, Green Skies (GFGS) competition. All of these projects have a clear potential to produce SAF capable of reducing emissions by more than 70% on a lifecycle basis when used in place of conventional fossil jet fuel***.
*Current regulations stipulate that the maximum sustainable aviation fuel blend passenger aircraft can use is 50%. Today’s flight is operating using 35% sustainable aviation fuel and 65% traditional jet fuel
**Carbon projects supported through voluntary carbon offsetting include the protection of the rainforests, improved cookstove distribution and the replacement of fossil fuel with wind and solar power
***British Airways is partnering with technology company Velocys on the Altalto project to build a commercial waste-to-SAF plant in Immingham, Lincolnshire. Project Speedbird is a collaboration between British Airways, LanzaJet and Nova Pangaea, using waste wood, with a goal of producing 100 million litres of sustainable fuel a year from 2025, sufficient to decarbonise 1,400 flights from London to New York operated by an A350 aircraft. The airline is also working on two further decarbonization projects with LanzaTech and LanzaJet that, if successful, could each produce more than 100 million litres a year of SAF. The first would involve capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and converting it into SAF. The second would support the development of a SAF plant in Port Talbot, South Wales that would produce SAF from waste and industrial gases, with the potential to support significant jobs in the area
IAG Cargo has announced an increased schedule into the United States, as the country reopens to fully vaccinated passengers from destinations across the world. The new schedule will service 21 destinations across the country including additional capacity into key routes and the restart of the service into Newark.
From 8 November, IAG Cargo customers will be able to access additional capacity on many destinations across the USA with the volumes of flights into New York, Austin, Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, to name a few, increasing. As well as restarting its direct service into Newark, IAG Cargo also plans to restart services to Baltimore, Orlando, Tampa and Las Vegas from 15th November 2021.
The increased capacity and planned re-starts coincide with peak season for cargo – as Black Friday, Thanksgiving and Christmas ecommerce shipments, in particular, take hold. The business is also focused on providing additional capacity on priority routes - adding wide-body aircraft to short-haul European routes that feed into its main hubs; London-Heathrow, Madrid-Barajas and Dublin Airport, offering faster delivery for customers receiving freight on both sides of the Atlantic.
In October, Finnair carried 433,300 passengers, which was 330.0% more than in October 2020. The number of passengers in October 2021 was 45.3% more than in September 2021 (month-on-month figures are not fully comparable as there is one fewer day in September).
The COVID-19 impact, including the strict travel restrictions imposed by several countries, still affected all passenger traffic figures. It was particularly visible in the North Atlantic and Asian figures.
The overall capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometres (ASK), increased in October by 252.8% year-on-year and by 31.6% month-on-month. Finnair operated, on average, 173 daily flights (cargo-only included), which was 130.7% more than in October 2020 and 20.1% more than in September 2021. The differences between capacity figures compared to October 2020 are explained by the longer average stage length of flights operated and by the larger gauge of aircraft operated. Finnair's traffic, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs), increased by 419.3% year-on-year and by 51.3% month-on-month. The Passenger Load Factor (PLF) increased by 14.9% points to 46.6% year-on-year and by 6.1% points month-on-month.
Wright Electric, Inc., a leader in net-zero propulsion and aircraft design, announced the launch of a new addition to their family of zero-emissions aircraft for the commercial market. The announcement is being made today in conjunction with COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. The Wright Spirit will incorporate Wright’s megawatt-class electric propulsion system and serve the 100-passenger market for one-hour flights.
The Wright Spirit aircraft design builds on the BAe 146 platform - a 100 passenger, 4-engine aircraft known for its operation out of noise-sensitive airports. “Aviation has committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but Wright is committed to a 100% reduction in all emissions starting in 2026,” said Jeff Engler, CEO of Wright. “Because we built the world's largest aerospace propulsive powertrain, we can build the world's largest zero-emissions retrofit directly serving the world's busiest routes."
The path was set in early 2020 with Wright’s announcement and development of their megawatt propulsion system for an all-electric commercial aircraft. Throughout the last two years, the company has been proving key components of the system including a high-efficiency, high-power-density inverter and a 2 MW (2,700 HP) motor. The existing hydrocarbon-based propulsion system will be replaced with Wright’s all-electric, emissions-free propulsion system.
Air Transport Services Group, Inc., the leading provider of medium wide-body aircraft leasing, contracted air transportation, and related services, today reported consolidated financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2021.
ATSG's third-quarter 2021 results, as compared with the third quarter of 2020 include:
Record customer revenues $466.0 million, up $61.8 million, or 15 percent
GAAP EPS (basic) from Continuing Operations $0.85, vs. loss of $0.10, on pretax earnings of $81.2 million
Adjusted EPS* $0.60, up $0.19 or 46 percent
Record Adjusted EBITDA* $153.0 million, up $27.5 million or 22 percent
2021 Adjusted EBITDA Outlook increased to at least $535 million
Rich Corrado, president and chief executive officer of ATSG, said, "The revenue growth we achieved in the third quarter added to the accelerating pace we saw in the second, as our aircraft leasing and airline businesses delivered sharply improved results versus a year ago. We continue to book and complete orders for freighter leases, and purchase more feedstock aircraft to meet strong lease demand over the next several years. While the pandemic continues to affect our commercial passenger and combi operations, we are proud that our passenger airline Omni Air was able to play a significant role in transporting Afghanistan evacuees during the quarter.”
Virgin Orbit, the responsive launch and space solutions company, along with NextGen Acquisition Corp. signed a memorandum of understanding ANA HOLDINGS to procure twenty flights of the LauncherOne rocket and to lead the effort to provide funds and support for those orbital missions to launch from Japan’s Oita Prefecture.
ANA HOLDINGS and several of its partners will fund the manufacturing of a new set of the mobile ground support equipment used to prepare Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne system for flights from a pre-existing runway, with a target of making Oita a LauncherOne-ready spaceport by as soon as the end of 2022, pending appropriate regulatory approvals in the United States and Japan.
Japan’s impressive aerospace industry has long been at the forefront of satellite technological innovation. However, the available launch services in Japan – and throughout all of Asia – have always been launched from fixed sites on the ground. Supported by ANA’s premier logistics and transport services, Virgin Orbit is set to change that by bringing air-launch to the Eastern Hemisphere for the first time in history.
By using a customized 747 as its flying launch pad, mobile mission control, and fully reusable first stage, LauncherOne gains a substantial performance boost over a similarly sized ground-launched system. Additionally, the aeroplane’s ability to cover large distances between taking off and releasing the rocket provides both weather resiliency and direct-inject orbital flexibility that until now, has never been available on the Asian market.
Virgin Orbit’s flight-proven air-launch service provides a unique capability for ANA’s customer base in the booming commercial ecosystem for space in Asia. The number of space start-ups in Japan has more than doubled since 2015, driven by increasing level of investment and government activities to energize and accelerate the private sector. The increasing amount of funding and investment in the space industry has encouraged start-ups to venture into space businesses, and legacy companies to expand their offerings – and launch is a critical enabler for those businesses and their future growth.
Koji Shibata, ANA Group Representative Director and Executive Vice President, noted, “ANA is excited to work with Virgin Orbit to offer responsive launch and space solutions services to customers in Japan. Demand for satellite launches in Japan and Asia is rapidly increasing, and it is hoped that the number of launches will be desired by the customers. Virgin Orbit offers something no other launch company can, and that capability will be extremely valuable to the growing space industry in Japan and throughout the region.”
“ANA is a world-class company with an incredible legacy of aerospace innovation, commercial success, and customer satisfaction that makes them an absolutely ideal partner to bring air-launch to Asia,” said Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart. “We are elated to be partnering with such a talented and honoured firm to move space launch forward and serve the rapidly growing need for launch. We look forward to collaborating with ANA to foster the ongoing transformation of the space economy.”
As the U.S. reopens to fully vaccinated international travellers, Delta Air Lines is reuniting families and friends who have been kept apart for the past 20 months. In the six weeks since the U.S reopening was announced, Delta has seen a 450% increase in international point-of-sale bookings versus the six weeks prior to the announcement. Many international flights are expected to operate 100% full on Monday, Nov. 8, with high passenger volume throughout the following weeks.
The reopening positively impacts customers in 33 countries around the world, with Delta serving 10 of these nonstop and more via its global hubs in connection with its partners, including Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic. The strong demand is reflected across both leisure and business travellers to popular destinations such as New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Boston and Orlando. In total, the airline will operate 139 flights from 55 international destinations in 38 countries landing in the U.S. on Nov. 8, offering more than 25,000 seats.
“This is the start of a new era for travel and for many people around the world who have not been able to see loved ones for almost two years,” said Ed Bastian, Delta’s CEO. “While we have seen many countries reopen their borders to American visitors over the summer, our international customers have not been able to fly with us or visit the U.S. All of that changes now. We’re grateful to the U.S. government for lifting travel restrictions and are looking forward to reuniting families, friends and colleagues over the coming days and weeks.”
Flight DL106 from Sao Paulo to Atlanta will be Delta’s first international flight to touch down in the U.S. under the new rules on Monday at 09:35 with dozens more closely behind.
As consumer confidence in travel returns, Delta is increasing flights this winter from key European cities including London-Boston, Detroit and New York-JFK, Amsterdam-Boston, Dublin-New York-JFK, Frankfurt-New York-JFK and Munich-Atlanta.
Atlanta, Delta’s hometown airport, remains its busiest international hub with 56 daily departures to 39 international destinations. It is followed by the most-visited U.S. city, New York-JFK, which has 28 daily departures to 21 international cities.
The milestone reopening provides a boost to global economies while simultaneously marking the start of the recovery of Delta’s international business. The airline reported this summer that its U.S. domestic leisure business has already rebounded to 2019 levels, but ongoing border restrictions have prevented a meaningful recovery across the globe. International inbound travel to the U.S. contributed $234 billion in export income to the U.S. economy, generated a trade surplus of $51 billion and directly supported 1.2 million American jobs in 2019*.
The global aircraft leasing firm Air Lease Corporation has released details of its latest results for the third quarter of this year.
Key highlights included:
Placed a record number of 64 aircraft with lessees, the highest number of aircraft placements in a quarter in ALC history.
Recorded $520 million of rental revenue during the third quarter, the highest quarterly rental revenue since ALC’s inception.
Took delivery of 16 aircraft from our orderbook, representing $808 million in aircraft investments.
As of September 30, 2021, ALC owned 370 aircraft in operating lease portfolio with a net book value of $22.1 billion.
Placed 96% of its contracted orderbook positions on long-term leases for aircraft delivering through the end of 2023 and have placed 67% of entire orderbook.
Ended the quarter with $29.1 billion in committed minimum future rental payments consisting of $14.6 billion in contracted minimum
John L. Plueger, Chief Executive Officer and President said: “Benefiting from an improving airline industry, we had a good quarter, including record-high rental revenues, total assets, and lease
placements, the lowest composite funding rate in our history, and improved payments from our customers. We clearly see growing demand
for new aircraft, especially for single-aisle aircraft, and we are back to 2019 levels in terms of proposals being requested by airlines. With our
conservative and disciplined business model, we have now profitably placed 67% of our orderbook, despite pandemic challenges, and we
remain optimistic in the future of our business and global airline travel,”
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced a moderate rebound in air travel in September 2021 compared to August’s performance. This was driven by recovery in domestic markets, in particular China, where some travel curbs were lifted following the COVID-19 outbreaks in August. International demand, meanwhile, slipped slightly compared to the previous month.
Because comparisons between 2021 and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of COVID-19, unless otherwise noted all comparisons are to September 2019, which followed a normal demand pattern.
Total demand for air travel in September 2021 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was down 53.4% compared to September 2019. This marked an uptick from August, when demand was 56.0% below August 2019 levels.
Domestic markets were down 24.3% compared to September 2019, a significant improvement from August 2021, when traffic was down 32.6% versus two years ago. All markets showed improvement with the exception of Japan and Russia, although the latter remained in solid growth territory compared to 2019.
International passenger demand in September was 69.2% below September 2019, fractionally worse than the 68.7% decline recorded in August.
"We’re honoured to celebrate each and every one of our winners"
All photos American Airlines
American Airlines celebrated the best of the best at a gala held at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas on 2nd November. Dedicated team members from across the airline were honoured at a recognition dinner and reception for their longstanding commitment to customers, the airline and their colleagues.
Earning the airline’s highest award, the Annual Chairman’s Award winners were recognized for their servant leadership and continued care they show our customers and each other.
“Annual Chairman’s Award winners are customer- and team member-minded, strategic thinkers, results-driven and true leaders among their peers,” American’s Chairman and CEO Doug Parker said. “The 2021 class is no exception, and we’re honored to celebrate each and every one of our winners for their great work.”
Team members and their guests shared in the special event, which included notes of congratulations from friends and family, a special award trophy and pin, and $10,000. This year’s honorees and the important work they do span every aspect of operating a successful airline.
“When my manager told me I was a winner I was surprised and excited but mostly honored that I was able to represent the work my team is doing,” said Ellen Bultman, a Reservations Representative based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“The moment my manager announced that I had won the Annual Chairman’s Award was the most emotional and rewarding moment in my 16 years at American Airlines,” MIA Customer Service Manager Jesus Cruz said. “I enjoyed meeting all the other winners that take part in helping one another achieve greatness for our customers, our people and the success of this great airline.”
This year’s honorees came to Dallas from across the United States and around the world, including:
Alaska Airlines will launch its 100th direct nonstop flight from its home base of Seattle in June next year when its flies to Miami.
This key sunny Floridian destination will be served on a daily basis with Boeing 737-900 aircraft with early morning departures from Seattle and a late evening return.
"We've landed on a perfect location for our 100th nonstop from our home airport in Seattle. Miami is a cultural hub for travellers around the world with its incredible nightlife, art, music, architecture and food," said Brett Catlin, vice president of network and alliances at Alaska Airlines. "With our new daily nonstop launching in June, we'll be connecting two cruise capitals just in time for summer while teeing up easy fall getaways to South Florida, the Caribbean and beyond."
"Congratulations to Alaska Airlines and their team for reaching this century milestone for nonstops out of SEA," said Lance Lyttle, Managing Director of SEA Airport. "This is a great example of how SEA continues to serve the travelling public as one of the best-connected airports in the country, both domestically and internationally. Alaska has been a major partner in that vision."
"We greatly look forward to welcoming Alaska Airlines back to Miami-Dade County for the first time in 10 years," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. "Their daily flights will give our residents another attractive travel option to Seattle, the Pacific Northwest and connections to the beautiful state of Alaska."
"It will be an honor to once again have America's fifth-busiest airline providing Seattle service at MIA," said Ralph Cutié, MIA Director and CEO. "We appreciate Alaska Airlines' decision to add Miami to its Florida network and make us their 100th nonstop destination from Seattle."
Today, IAG Cargo reported strong Q3 revenues of €405 million for the period from July 1 to September 30 2021, as activity accelerates back to 2019 levels, with the business aided by growing capacity and the breadth of its network.
The Q3 2021 revenues represent an increase of 34.4 percent at constant currency versus the same period last year. Overall yield for Q3 was down 2.0 per cent at constant currency versus 2020. Sold tonnes were up 42.6 per cent. The results come on top of IAG Cargo’s half-year revenue of €769m, delivering total revenue to date of €1,174 million in 2021; up 28.0 percent on the same time last year.
The quarter’s success has been achieved through a sustained resurgence in the volume of flights offered by IAG Cargo. Overall, IAG Cargo has seen a 24 per cent increase in capacity on the previous quarter and a 62.2 per cent increase compared to Q3 last year. The increased activity reflects growing levels of global trade, as many economies experience recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. New routes during the quarter included Nairobi, Istanbul, Male, Chennai, Vienna, Denver and Phoenix whilst many other lanes saw increased frequencies.
IAG Cargo reports Q3 2021 revenues of €405 million for the period from July 1 to September 30 2021
Results represent an increase of 34.4 per cent on the same time in 2020 at constant currency
A surge in capacity across IAG Cargo’s global network boosts activity, with IAG Cargo’s LHR-MAD airbridge playing a key role in facilitating global trade.
During the quarter, IAG Cargo’s ability to provide a fast, efficient and global service, connecting East to West, has been in high demand. IAG Cargo’s hubs in Heathrow, Madrid and Dublin have been pivotal, with a significant increase in interline activity. IAG Cargo also increasingly saw conversions from sea freight as shippers turned to air freight to minimise the impact of the well-publicised supply chain disruption.
Finnair will resume flights to two of its domestic destinations, Turku and Tampere, where flight connections have been on hold since spring 2020 due to the pandemic. Finnair will complement the flight connections to Turku and Tampere with a new type of bus connection, to reduce the CO2 footprint of these routes. The routes are among the shortest in Finnair network, although they have been operated with energy-efficient ATR aircraft, their emissions load per passenger is clearly heavier than on other routes.
“Turku and Tampere are an important part of our network. Travelling on these routes focuses on international exchange travel, and we want to continue to offer the best range of connections to customers in the regions.” says Perttu Jolma, VP, Traffic Planning at Finnair.
"Combining different modes of transport is an important tool in reducing carbon emissions from transport, and it is also in line with Finland's national emission reduction targets."
The scheduled time for flights to Turku and Tampere is 35 minutes, but the actual flight time is even shorter about 25 minutes. Such short flights are usually operated only in areas where the terrain is difficult and the flights cross-sea areas or mountains, for example. Intermodality is a growing trend, and there is already a wider debate in Europe on how to limit the number of short-haul flights.
Air Canada and presenting partner OpenTable, the world's leading provider of online restaurant reservations and part of Booking Holdings, are proud to reveal Canada's Best New Restaurants 2021, with culinary talent as inclusive and diverse as the Canadian community. This year marks a milestone, as Air Canada celebrates the 20th anniversary of launching the pre-eminent list of top restaurants across the country.
Through incredible commitment and quality, Canada's culinary talent has preserved a healthy and thriving restaurant scene across the country. This year's list features the best in fine dining, bar dining, takeout, farm-to-table and other categories, while also highlighting producers of the year and changemakers in the Canadian culinary landscape.
The list of Canada's Best New Restaurants is created with the help of industry experts from across the country. This expert food panel is inclusive, reflecting the diversity and geography of the Canadian food scene. In celebration of the program's 20th anniversary and reflecting upon the industry-wide impact of the past two years, the panel embraced an unranked, category-based list this year, focused on resilience, entrepreneurial spirit, and culinary excellence.
OpenTable joins for the first time as presenting sponsor, and will be showcasing bookable bespoke Chef's Menus at a selection of the restaurants featured on the 2021 Canada's Best New Restaurants list. Gold sponsor Destination Canada is on board to help travellers experience more of the food and places within Canada.
