Azores Airlines takes delivery of its first A321neo

Azores Airlines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo aircraft. The airline, fully owned by SATA (Sociedade Açoreana de Transportes Aéreos) becomes the first Portuguese operator to receive a member of the best-selling A320neo Family.  The aircraft, on lease from Air Lease Corporation (ALC), was delivered during a ceremony held at the Airbus Hamburg site.

This aircraft is the first of six A321neos to be leased by Azores Airlines from ALC. The carrier will deploy the aircraft on transatlantic routes.

Azores Airlines currently operates a fleet of seven A310, A320 and A330 Airbus aircraft across Europe, Canada and North America. 

The A321neo is the largest member of the A320neo Family and can seat up to 240 passengers. With the widest single-aisle cabin on the market, all members of the A320neo Family offer unmatched comfort in all classes. The A321neo integrates many innovations such as latest generation engines, Sharklet wingtip devices and cabin improvements, which together will deliver up to 20 percent fuel savings by 2020.

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Air China will become international passengers' first choice for border crossings

At a recent press conference, the Beijing Municipal Government announced that, as of December 28, 2017, six points of arrival in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, including the Beijing Capital International Airport, Tianjin Binhai International Airport and Shijiazhuang International Airport will permit foreign persons from 53 countries including Austria to enjoy visa-free transit treatment for a period of 144 hours when they have a valid connecting flight ticket for a third country (or region).

Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region 144-hour transit visa-free policy

This policy will be a strong driver for the tourism and aviation industry throughout the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region. Air China Limited ("Air China") will actively facilitate the new visa-free transit policy. Putting the needs of connecting flight passengers first, Air China will improve its products and services to further enhance the quality of its operations and provide passengers with maximum convenience when they enter Beijing.

Air China has a strong network of routes and is the ideal for passengers who cross the border into Beijing.

Currently, Air China has over 420 routes of which 101 are international, with 16 regional routes, and connections to 185 cities in 40 countries and regions, covering six continents. We provide passengers over 1.66 million seats on 8,500 routes each week. Additionally, Air China's route network extends to 1,330 destinations in 192 countries through the Star Alliance. Our impressive route network meets the needs of most foreign passengers. The 144-hour visa-free policy through the Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang airports will meet the needs of third-country tourism.

Air China will also improve the transit hub capacity at Beijing and optimize a seamless transition for visa-tree passengers.

Introducing a 144-hour visa-free transit policy will also increase the number of inbound passengers in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region. Air China will also use this opportunity to make real-time capacity adjustments based on transit demand and provide passengers with smooth transit support through Beijing so that passengers from all over the world can make a seamless visa-free entry to Beijing. Moreover, Air China will also launch special tourism products to meet the needs of passengers in partnership with local Beijing travel agencies, and launch a series of related products to invite travelers to embark on a journey to discover the beauty of China, all while bringing a peerless service experience to passengers.

Secret buyer for six CRJ900's

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft announced today that a customer, who has requested to remain unidentified at this time, has signed an order to acquire six CRJ900 aircraft on firm order and options on six additional CRJ900 regional jets.

Based on list price, the firm orders would be valued at approximately $290 million US. Should the customer exercise the six options for CRJ900 aircraft, the contract value would increase to approximately $580 million US.

EgyptAir Converts Letter of Intent to Firm Order for Bombardier C Series aircraft

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft and EgyptAir Holding Company announced today that the parties have executed a firm agreement for the sale and purchase of 12 CS300 aircraft along with purchase rights for an additional 12 CS300 aircraft.

EgyptAir’s Letter of Intent (LOI) was previously announced on November 14 during the 2017 Dubai Air Show.

“As we look back at the C Series successful entry in service, we are thrilled that its many achievements are paving the way to further success. Welcoming EgyptAir to the family of C Series operators is another landmark moment for Bombardier,” said Fred Cromer, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “The aircraft is performing exceptionally well, the industry recognizes the C Series as best in class, and this order from another well-established airline is testament to its tremendous value.”

This order will enable EgyptAir to better serve domestic and regional destinations as well as several European and African destinations.

“The CS300’s unique profitability profile will allow us to open up new opportunities and fits perfectly into our growth strategy,” said Safwat Musallam, Chairman and CEO, EgyptAir.” Our passengers will experience modern and best in class comfort, and we look forward to integrating this innovative and efficient aircraft to our fleet.”

Based on the list price of the CS300 airliner, the firm-order contract would be valued at approximately US $1.1 billion. Should EgyptAir exercise the 12 purchase rights for CS300 aircraft, the contract value would increase to nearly US $2.2 billion.‎

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An amazing year for Qatar Airways - 2017 in review

What an amazingly successful year it has been for Doha based Qatar Airways.   The highly recommended airline has seen tremendous growth, rapid network expansion and a record-breaking number of award wins during 2017 - which is just its 20th year of operation.

National Carrier of the State of Qatar exceeded expectations yet again in 2017, 

expediting new routes, increasing frequencies and introducing 

its award-winning new Business Class seat, Qsuite

Despite a challenging regional environment, the airline continued to deliver beyond expectations throughout 2017, accelerating new routes, doubling frequencies and capacity to numerous destinations and launching its award-winning new Business Class seat, Qsuite. At a time when many airlines are scaling back, Qatar Airways continued to thrive, showcasing to the world its award-winning, best-in-class cabins, catering, in-flight entertainment, on-board magazine, lounges and more.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker, said: “This year, our twentieth anniversary as an airline, is particularly special for us. As we reflect on our achievements, we reaffirm our commitment to providing excellence in the skies, ensuring that our passenger’s holiday or leisure trip starts the moment they step onto one of our aircraft. We remain committed to expanding our global network, and to taking our passengers anywhere in the world they wish to go.”

“After twenty years of service, we vow to never rest on our achievements, but rather to focus on how we can continue to innovate and to deliver an exceptional five-star experience to every one of our passengers, no matter what class they travel. Against the backdrop of the illegal blockade against the State of Qatar, we are more committed than ever to welcoming everyone onboard and taking them wherever they need to go.”

Route Expansion

One of the world’s fastest-growing airlines, Qatar Airways launched 11 exciting new destinations in 2017, including Auckland, New Zealand – the world’s longest commercial flight - Nice; France; Dublin, Republic of Ireland; Skopje; Sohar, Oman; Kyiv, Ukraine; Prague, Czech Republic, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Adana, Turkey; Chiang Mai, Thailand and St. Petersburg, Russia.

In addition to launching flights to beautiful Chiang Mai, its fourth destination in Thailand, the airline also introduced a fifth daily non-stop service to Bangkok as well as a daily service to Krabi, offering both business and leisure travellers, even more, convenience and flexibility when travelling to and from the Land of Smiles. In January 2018, it will commence service to Pattaya, the airline’s fifth Thai destination.

Qatar Airways will also add a new direct daily service to Hanoi, with Ho Chi Minh City’s daily service increasing by three flights a week to 10 starting 1 January 2018.

The airline introduced its superjumbo A380 aircraft to Melbourne and will soon introduce it on its Perth route, enhancing capacity to Australia ahead of the airline’s launch of service to Canberra in 2018. Qatar Airways also proudly became the first airline ever to fly the state-of-the-art Airbus A350 to the Maldives twice daily.

Qatar Airways also doubled its frequencies to a number of destinations in Eastern Europe, the Nordics and Russia, following a significant increase in passenger demand to the popular destinations of Warsaw, Helsinki, and Moscow, with increases to Prague and Kyiv following just shortly after the launch of the routes themselves.

There is a lot more to this story - 

Asiana Airlines Welcomes Another Airbus A350

Asiana Airlines welcomed its latest Airbus A350 aircraft to its fleet today.   The Asiana Airlines’ A350-900 is an eco-friendly Medium-Large size aircraft with 300 seats launched by Airbus in 2014.

A350-900 features the newest Rolls-Royce trend XWB engine and streamlined wings, surpassing B777 with 25% higher fuel efficiency and 25% less carbon dioxide emission.

Also, it will bring a more enjoyable in-flight experience with less in-flight noise, full-LED lights and air circulation system operating every 2~3 minutes.

And here's a view a passenger would never normally get to see - the crew rest area or 'bunk' that flight and cabin crew use during those long flights.

Viva Air finalizes order for 50 A320 Family aircraft

    

Viva Air, the Latin America low-cost carrier group owned by Irelandia Aviation, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus for 50 A320 Family aircraft, comprising 35 A320neo and 15 A320ceo.

Viva Air group modernizes fleet, accelerates network growth with Airbus’ leading single-aisle family

Following an MOU signed at Le Bourget Paris Airshow in June, Viva Air, the Latin America low-cost carrier group owned by Irelandia Aviation, has signed a purchase agreement with Airbus for 50 A320 Family aircraft. The 35 A320neo and 15 A320ceo will be operated by the group’s airlines VivaColombia and Viva Air Peru and will allow the two all-Airbus operators to modernize their fleets and capture growth opportunities across Latin America.

William Shaw, CEO and Founder of VivaColombia, part of Viva Air, said: “This order reflects our long-term commitment to our customers lowering fares further due to the benefits of this new fleet. We are excited to continue expanding our successful low-cost model and accelerate our growth throughout Latin America making air transportation more accessible and affordable to our customers.”

John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers, said: “Airbus is pleased to play a major role in supporting Viva Air in its exciting journey to develop the low-cost model throughout Latin America. With its exceptionally comfortable cabin, low operating costs and excellent fuel efficiency, the A320 and A320neo Families are the best product lines to complement Viva Air’s expansion goals.”

Yes, there is more to this story  -  

bmi to launch a new route from Bristol to Gothenburg.

bmi has announced plans to launch a new route from Bristol to Gothenburg,  which will be starting in just under a months time on 22nd January 2018.

This brings the number of destinations served by bmi from Bristol to nine. The bmi network out of Bristol includes Paris, Milan, Munich, Brussels, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Aberdeen. bmi will fly to Gothenburg twice a week from Bristol, which is bmi’s biggest UK hub and with onward connections via the likes of Munich, Brussels and Frankfurt, customers from the South West can travel further into Europe and other global destinations.

Gothenburg is the airline’s first Swedish route from Bristol. It is the location of Scandinavia’s largest port and is a hub for global trade, currently enjoying unprecedented economic growth. It is a popular mini-break destination thanks to its fabulous food, eclectic culture and vibrant nightlife, as well as being the gateway to the stunning coast of West Sweden.

Commenting on the launch, bmi’s Chief Commercial Officer, Jochen Schnadt said: “As part of our on-going strategy to connect key business regions, it was a natural choice to increase our service offering to/from Gothenburg by adding a further Gothenburg Route to our network connecting Sweden’s 2nd largest city to our largest UK Base in Bristol.  Given our experiences on the Birmingham to Gothenburg market so far, we believe this new route will prove attractive to business as well as leisure customers alike enjoying bmi’s service of fast and convenient air-services.”

Welcome to Britain

 Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, recently collaborated with Jumeirah Group, a luxury hotel company, and Visit Britain, the British Tourist Authority, to fly a number of Saudi Arabian media representatives to London on a tailored familiarization trip.

Guests experienced Gulf Air’s latest products, both in-flight and on-the-ground including the airline’s dedicated Falcon Gold Lounge in Bahrain International Airport, and in London Heathrow airport, and visited various local attractions including the London Eye and the ArcelorMittal Orbit while enjoying stays at the Grosvenor House Suites by Jumeirah Living and Jumeirah Carlton Tower.

Gulf Air operates a double daily service to London Heathrow Airport offering passengers a choice of morning and evening flights. Serving 42 cities in 25 countries and with multiple daily flights to ten cities across the Middle East, Gulf Air is well-positioned to facilitate two-way movement between Europe, Asia and several key destinations in the Middle East and North Africa, from its hub at Bahrain International Airport. Gulf Air tickets can be purchased via the airline’s official website gulfair.com, its 24-hour Worldwide Contact Centre on (+973) 17373737 in Bahrain, or any Gulf Air sales offices and approved travel agencies. A wide range of holiday packages to Gulf Air destinations are available online via holidays.gulfair.com and Gulf Air’s Bahrain Tourist Visa Service is available exclusively for the airline’s passengers flying across its global network to Bahrain - available online via visa.gulfair.com. 

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Pegasus Airlines places order for 25 new Airbus A321neo's

The leading low-cost airline in Turkey, Pegasus Airlines placed an order for  25 Airbus A321neo aircraft it was announced on 21st December.

This new order comes on top of an order the carrier already had for 18 A321neo and 57 A320neos from Airbus, bringing a total of 100 firm orders from the airline.

Pegasus has decided to move to a pure all-Airbus fleet will further enhance positive strategy to grow both its domestic and international network with one of the best middle-of-the-market aircraft currently available.  Pegasus Airlines General Manager Mehmet T. Nane: “Turkey keeps strengthening its position in the world aviation market every day and we as Pegasus are an important part of this transformation. The order we placed in 2012 for 100 Airbus aircraft was the biggest order in Turkey’s aviation history at the time. We received the first aircraft of this order in Q3 2016 and now we have an agreement to convert 25 options into firm orders. We will continue to grow our fleet one step at a time and with our new aircraft we will continue to offer more comfortable flights for our passengers.”

“The latest Pegasus Airlines’ order for the A321neo ACF variant underlines that Airbus offers the best, most efficient and most comfortable solution in the Middle of the Market segment,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer – Customers, Airbus Commercial Aircraft. “Combining latest innovations in cabin design with unprecedented capacity and range capabilities, the A321 ACF will further boost the airline’s passenger experience and competitiveness in the highly contested growth market while reducing its environmental footprint.”

The ANA Flight to nowhere - 'unauthorised person' caused flight to turn around - after four hours!

An “unauthorised person” on an ANA flight heading for Tokyo caused the flight to turn around and go back to Los Angeles - after four hours, even though the airline knew there was nothing untoward going on other than a 'simple' mistake.

There was no security or safety threat involved, there was no danger, yet somehow, even in these days of heightened airport security that a passenger, whose identity has not yet been revealed was able after check-in to get into the departure gate area and then to actually board the flight, even past the final boarding checks and on the aircraft. The flight departed as normal and it was only after the passenger told crew four hours into the 11-hour flight that there was an issue that the airline, ANA became aware of the problem.

Why the aircraft had to turn around after four hours, even after ANA and Los Angeles Airport had worked out it was an 'innocent' mistake has not been advised to the 150 passengers onboard the flight some of which took to Twitter to comment on the situation.  American model, Chrissy Teigen, who was on the flight tweeted  “A flying first for me: 4 hours into an 11 hour flight and we are turning around because we have a passenger who isn’t supposed to be on this plane. Why...why do we all gotta go back, I do not know.”  and   “Why did we all get punished for this one person’s mistake?” she asked. “Why not just land in Tokyo and send the other person back? How is this the better idea, you ask? We all have the same questions.”

Local police confirmed it was a simple mix up, yet an investigation is underway to establish how such a mistake could take place that allows an international passenger with a ticket and boarding pass for a different airline to board the wrong flight and for it to depart. 

ANA refused to comment when we asked for a response. 

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Black Basketball Players Booted Off American Airlines Flight Over Blanket Theft

(Photo Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Ever stolen a blanket from a flight?  Ever been tempted to sneak one of those rather thin and slightly too small fabric offering in your cabin bag before you disembark after a flight?  

 But what happens if you haven't been tempted to pinch one of those useless blankets, you're given one by a fellow passenger, you are black and on an American Airlines flight?  You'll probably get kicked off the flight!

American Airlines has been forced to apologize to two black professional American basketball players who were, indeed kicked off one of their passenger aircraft in Dallas after a member of cabin crew accused them of stealing blankets.

An airline spokesperson, Joshua Freed said on Tuesday that Memphis Hustle guard Marquis Teague, in the picture above)  and forward Trahson Burrell boarded the flight bound for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Sunday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.  Two first-class passengers gave the players their blankets as they headed to their seats in coach. But a black flight attendant accused them of theft and forced them off the plane.

Joshua Freed says the airline apologized to the players at the airport and also flew them to Sioux Falls later that day - first class. 

Norwegian launches New Year sale

22 direct routes from the UK and Ireland on sale from £99/€99 one-way

Today, (26th December) Norwegian has launched the start of its New Year sale offering traveller’s savvy savings on selected flights from the UK and Ireland.

Based on departures from 1st February to 31st May 2018*, holidaymakers can now book a long-haul flight from London Gatwick from £130 one-way or a transatlantic flight from Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland from £135/€99/£99 one-way.

London Gatwick to 13 direct routes from £130 one-way

Holidaymakers looking to beat the winter blues can now book a bargain flight from £130 one-way on long-haul routes from London Gatwick, including Norwegian’s first low-cost route to South America launching 14th February and two new routes to the US cities of Chicago and Austin launching March 2018. All 13 long-haul routes direct from Gatwick are included in the sale and include:

New York JFK from £139.90

Boston from £129.90

Orlando from £179.90

Fort Lauderdale/Miami from £159.90

Denver from £149.90

Las Vegas from £199.90

Los Angeles from £169.90

Oakland/San Francisco from £159.90

Seattle from £149.90

Singapore from £159.90

Chicago from £144.90

Austin from £164.90

Buenos Aires from £274.90

To book visit www.norwegian.com/uk/flight-deals-new-year

Northern Ireland and Scotland to the USA from £99/£135 one-way

For passengers looking to head across the pond from Scotland and Northern Ireland next year, they will be able to bag a bargain flight to the U.S. east coast with Norwegian. The airlines' new routes from Edinburgh and Belfast direct to Stewart International Airport (in New York state), as well as flights from Edinburgh direct to Providence Airport (offering connections to Boston and New England) and Bradley International Airport (New England), are included in the sale. Fares are available from £99 one-way from Belfast or £135 one-way from Edinburgh.

Passengers can book now at www.norwegian.com/uk/new-year-flight-deals.

Emirates Banned From Tunisia

Emirates has been banned from landing in Tunisia or using its airspace it has emerged today following widespread anger in Tunisia after some Tunisian women were prevented from boarding Emirates flights.

The Tunisian transport ministry advised the measure would stay in force until Emirates was able to "operate flights in accordance with law and international agreements".

However, officials in the UAE said "security information" regarding visa's had caused the delays. "We contacted our Tunisian brothers about security information that necessitated taking specific procedures," Emirati Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash said via social media today, adding "We highly value Tunisian women and respect them," .

Tunisian government officials said the UAE had banned Tunisian women from flying to or transiting through its territory.  On Friday the Tunisian government said it had asked the UAE ambassador to clarify what was happening and had been told that the measures had been temporary and had already been lifted.

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Sun Country Airlines Announces Two New Destinations −Honolulu, Hawaii, And Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

 Sun Country Airlines announced on Wednesday seasonal service to new destinations Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL), and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (MYR). The new flight segments offer Sun Country customers access to these popular beach destinations, expanding Minnesota's Hometown Airline™ network to 43 domestic and international destinations.

Seasonal flights to Honolulu will be offered May 19 through August 19, 2018, via Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, Terminal 2, and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Passengers departing from Minneapolis will have a short stop in Los Angeles before continuing to Honolulu. The new service will fly four times a week, Friday through Monday.

Honolulu provides Midwest- and Los Angeles-based travellers a getaway to a tropical paradise, complete with stunning beaches such as Waikiki, historic landmarks and fine dining.

Emirates to start London Stansted - Dubai service next year

 Emirates announced on Wednesday that it is to launch a new daily route from Dubai (DXB) to London Stansted (STN) on 8 June, 2018. With its strategic position close to the tech and pharma hubs of Cambridge and Peterborough, Emirates will be the first Middle Eastern airline to operate out of the popular North East London airport.

The daily route will be operated by the airline’s new three-class Boeing 777-300ER offering customers 6 seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 306 in Economy Class. The aircraft is fitted with its game changing, fully enclosed private suites in First Class, as well as refreshed Business and Economy Class cabins.

Outbound, flight EK33 will depart Dubai at 09:30hrs, and will arrive in London Stansted at 14:10hrs. On its return, flight EK34 will depart London Stansted at 21:10hrs and arrive in Dubai at 07:05 the following day.

Opening the London Stansted gateway was a strategic decision by Emirates to serve the thriving business community in London’s north east and the wider 7.5 million population that fall within its catchment area. Hong Kong, Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore and Mumbai are the most popular business destinations from the East of England, which Emirates serves daily through its Dubai hub. Leisure travellers can enjoy direct, daily services to Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Bali and the Indian Ocean islands.

More than 25 of the world’s largest corporations have established operations in the wider Cambridge and Peterborough area, with Airbus, Astra Zeneca and GSK amongst the multi-national companies based there. Such businesses have helped establish the London Stansted Cambridge Corridor as one of the top five global knowledge regions, alongside world-leading San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Boston.

With the introduction of the London Stansted daily service, there will be 10 Emirates flights daily, connecting Dubai and London. Passengers can also fly to London Heathrow and Gatwick. London Stansted Airport is one of the capital’s major airport serving London, as well as the wider regions of England’s South East and the Midlands. The airport is connected to London via the Stansted Express which operates a regular daily service to London Liverpool Street Station. The train takes only 47 minutes and passengers arrive in the heart of the City of London, from where they can then connect to regional trains and the London Underground.

Read on to find out what Emirates President Sir Tim Clark says...

CheapOair Announces Predictions for 2018 Travel Trends

CheapOair, the leading flight-focused hybrid travel agency, has today announced its travel trend predictions for 2018.  By analyzing year-over-year data, and taking factors into consideration such as the economy, demographics of travellers, airline trends, and more, CheapOair is anticipating some interesting travel developments for the New Year.

According to recent reports by the FAA1, industry revenue in 2017 is expected to finish out with about a 4% increase. CheapOair predicts that in 2018, the travel industry can expect to see even more growth that could approach 6%. With this growth and with travellers constantly looking for new ways to save money on airfare, fare unbundling will become more popular among both legacy and low-cost carriers alike, giving travellers complete control over what benefits they are willing to pay for and omit, in order to find the cheapest prices for their flights. 

 

Special Negaraku livery for Malaysia Airlines second Airbus A350

Malaysia Airlines today received its second A350-900 aircraft with the special Negaraku livery. MH5025 departed Toulouse, France at 2.02pm on 22 December 2017 and arrived KL International Airport at 9.45am today.

The A350 XWB bearing the registration number, 9M-MAC carries the Jalur Gemilang, representing all Malaysians whose flag the airline carries worldwide.

Malaysia Airlines’ Group Chief Executive Officer, Izham Ismail was present to greet the aircraft.

The A350 XWB has 286 seats, with a three-class configuration: four seats in First Class, 35 in Business and 247 in Economy Class.

Delta promotes Rahul Samant to executive vice president

Delta Air Lines has promoted Rahul Samant, Chief Information Officer, to Executive Vice President reporting directly to Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian effective 1st January. 

Rahul Samant 

“As we look to our future and transforming the customer experience, we know that technology is a critical enabler for us, second only to Delta people,” Bastian said. “Rahul has proven that he’s the right leader to guide us on our digital transformation making IT a competitive advantage for Delta.”

Since joining Delta in February 2016, Rahul and his team have simultaneously focused on fortifying Delta’s information technology infrastructure while driving programs and innovative processes to make technology a competitive advantage for Delta.

Under his leadership, the team has developed and implemented tools and technology to enhance the customer experience; built a new disaster recovery data centre in record time; and embarked on a multi-year effort to digitally transform the company.

Prior to joining Delta, Samant served as AIG’s Chief Digital Officer, responsible for internal- and external-facing web, mobile and social assets, and harmonizing efforts across contact centres, social media, the Internet and the company’s intranet. Rahul also led AIG’s captive IT unit in Manila and managed the company’s use of vendor resources overseas.

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EasyJet asked to be a German feeder airline at Berlin

 EasyJet's Europe boss says the airline has been approached to be a provider of feeder flights from Berlin’s Tegel airport to the long-haul routes for other airlines.

“We have already had very many enquiries from other airlines that want to use our flights as feeders,” Thomas Haagensen told German newspaper daily Berliner Morgenpost on Saturday. The comments come after EasyJet began the process of taking over some of the failed German airline Air Berlin’s operations at Berlin's Tegel Airport.  The orange budget brand will be taking over the leases for around twenty-five Airbus A320 aircraft as well as a large number of slots at the airport.  Apparently, according to the newspaper, easyJet had already taken on, subject to contract, some 500 former Air Berlin staff in the region. 

The prospect of being or becoming a feeder airline within Europe is not wholly unexpected, indeed a number of airlines have looked into this prospect. Ryanair, Wizz, easyJet and others have all investigated various feeder operations within Europe within the last couple of years.  

Indeed, easyJet is already trying to turn itself into a 'feeder' type airline at London Gatwick this year, with the introduction of a new booking website specifically aimed at making it 'easier' for passengers to connect from easyJet services to those offered by its long-haul partners like WestJet and Norweigan. Although, using the new platform passengers end up paying more for their tickets, plus a connecting fee and it takes a great deal longer than the published minimum connecting times at Gatwick for other airlines.  

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Getting a Visa to Enter Brazil Just Got Easier

Thanks to a new electronic visa system, Brazil is becoming much easier to visit for North Americans. Southern Explorations, an adventure tour company with tours all over South America, is expecting a rush of bookings for Brazil starting in the new year. Beginning in January 2018, tourists from the United States and Canada will no longer have to wade through the complicated bureaucracy and paperwork to visit South America's largest country.

Brazil has already started to roll out an electronic visa program that eliminates the need for visitors to physically visit a visa centre in their own country to apply for and receive a tourist visa to travel to Brazil. Tourists and business visitors alike can apply for the new visas once they're available in their country of residence.

The new visas will be electronically issued within 72 hours of receipt of a correctly completed application. Marx Beltrão, Brazil's tourism minister, predicts the new visa program will increase tourism to Brazil by up to 25 percent.

First Korean Air Bombardier CSeries Jet Handed Over.

Yesterday, Pratt & Whitney and Korean Air Lines celebrated delivery of the airline's first Bombardier CS300 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney's Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine. Bombardier hosted a delivery ceremony in Mirabel, Canada where both C Series and GTF final assembly take place.

"Today we celebrate delivery of our first GTF-powered C Series aircraft. We are excited for the dramatic improvements in efficiency, emissions, and noise that will enhance our operations and passenger experience," said Soo-Keun Lee, Chief Technology Officer at Korean Air.

Transport Canada suspends West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate

Transport Canada suspended West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate today, which prohibits the company from providing commercial air services. The department took this serious action in the interest of public safety because the department identified deficiencies in the company's Operational Control System. An Operational Control System ensures that a company's day-to-day actions are compliant with safety requirements for things such as the dispatching of personnel and aircraft.

On December 13, 2017, a West Wind Aviation aircraft, with 25 people onboard, crashed in Fond-du-Lac, Saskatchewan. Transport Canada identified deficiencies during a post-accident inspection of West Wind Aviation from December 18 to 20, 2017. As a result, in the interest of public safety, Transport Canada suspended West Wind Aviation's Air Operator Certificate and will not allow the company to resume its commercial air service until it demonstrates compliance with aviation safety regulations.

Transport Canada takes its aviation safety oversight role very seriously and expects every air operator to fully comply with aviation safety regulations.

British Airways Aim to Transform Boarding Experience

British Airways has become the first airline to trial self-service biometric boarding gates on international flights out of the USA, working in partnership with Los Angeles Airport.

As part of the airline's commitment to invest in innovation and new technology, British Airways has begun an exclusive trial that will transform customers' airport experience by improving the boarding process and significantly reducing the amount of time it takes to board an aircraft.  

The new technology, created by Vision-Box, will create a smoother journey for customers, as they will no longer need to present their passport or boarding pass at the gate – only at check-in and security. Instead, travellers can simply look into a camera prior to boarding, wait for their biometric data to be verified, and then walk onto the aircraft.