Norwegian is about to take off in Argentina

The popular European low-cost carrier, Norwegian is poised on the launch of its domestic operations in Argentina, which will give passengers the option to fly from Buenos Aires to destinations across the country. 

Initially commencing on the 16th October 2018, the Norwegian Argentina schedule starts with two routes to Cordoba and Mendoza, with services to Iguazu and Neuquen starting on 19th November and Bariloche and Salta beginning on 3rd December.

Flights will be operated by a modern and efficient fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft

Transcontinental schedules for United's new Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners

United to debut Boeing 787-10 aircraft on premium transcontinental flights and boosts its coast-to-coast schedules offering customers more flights and more premium seats on the hour

On Monday, the US megacarrier, United Airlines announced the enhancement to its transcontinental service will offer passengers more flights and more seats between New York/Newark and Los Angeles and San Francisco.

United will operate more flights than any other airline and starting 7th January 2019, the carrier will be the first North American airline to operate the Boeing 787-10, the newest aircraft in the Dreamliner family, on select transcontinental flights between New York/Newark and Los Angeles and New York/Newark and San Francisco.

United's newly enhanced transcontinental schedule combined with the new aircraft will mean the carrier will offer over 7,200 seats, with more than 1,000 premium seats per day, more than any other airline. In total, the airline will offer 27 daily flights between New York and Los Angeles and San Francisco.  "We have created the best schedule for our business and leisure customers by offering more choice and more convenience when planning travel between coasts. Combined with the addition of our newest aircraft, the Boeing 787-10, the schedule enhancements build on United's industry-leading onboard experience," said Ankit Gupta, United's vice president of Domestic Network Planning and Scheduling.  

The 787-10 is configured with 44 of United's exclusive United Polaris seats; 21 United Premium Plus seats which will initially be sold as Economy Plus; 54 Economy Plus seats; and 199 United Economy seats.

United Airlines launch Monterey - Denver route

McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park  Photo SeeMonterey.com

Beginning on 4th October the people of Monterey, California will be welcoming a new direct United Airlines flight service from Denver. 

Known for its scenic beauty and picturesque coastline, Monterey County, California draws millions of visitors each year and is now planning on welcoming a greater number of visitors from the Rocky Mountain region and beyond. The new route will offer visitors nearly 100 connection opportunities to key domestic and international destinations throughout the country. With two daily flights, passengers will be able to travel seamlessly between California's golden coast and the "Mile High City."

"The launch of United's non-stop flight from Denver is a tremendous opportunity to grow tourism and welcome new visitors to the Monterey region," says Tammy Blount-Canavan, President & CEO, Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Now more than ever, Monterey County is positioned as an easily accessible destination for both business and leisure travellers from across the country and all over the world."

Air Canada Announces Top 10 for Canada's Best New Bars 2018

Air Canada Announces Top 10 for Canada's Best New Bars 2018

The ranked list will be found in the October issue of Air Canada enRoute magazine

In the spirit of its wildly popular Canada's Best New Restaurants, Air Canada is thrilled to launch Canada's Best New Bars, presented by American Express. With its first-ever Top 10 list, the airline shines a spotlight on the country's best places to grab a pint, sip a pinot and toast a martini.

From a Havana-conjuring tropical hangout on Vancouver's Main Street to a sleek, mid-century drinking den near the Dartmouth waterfront, the best new bars from coast to coast are as varied as the country itself. Based on recommendations from a panel of bartenders, chefs, sommeliers, mixologists and industry experts, Air Canada sent one writer on an anonymous, month-long, cross-country crawl to track down the nation's greatest new places to drink.

JetBlue's New York - Palm Springs service to get longer season, larger aircraft & more mint!

Longer Season, Larger Aircraft & More Mint

JetBlue has announced this week that it was enhancing its operations to the fantastically vibrant and fun in the sun destination of Palm Springs, California. Not only has the carrier announced it will start a service from Boston's Logan Airport, but it will also extend the seasonal service from New York and it on large aircraft to the route.

JetBlue confirms it will extend the Palm Springs flying season from New York JFK through Memorial Day 2019, a month later than typically offered in previous years. This comes as the airline prepares to launch JetBlue’s fourth season of service more than a month earlier than in previous seasons on 10th October 2018.

AerCap's first 737 Max 8 arrives......leased to China Souther Airlines

One of the leading commercial leasing companies, AerCap Holdings proudly took delivery of its first 737 MAX 8 at the end of last week. The aircraft will be leased to China Southern Airlines and is the first of 5 aircraft to go on lease to the airline from AerCap.

AerCap and China Southern Airlines have recorded several firsts in recent years. In March 2018, AerCap made history when it delivered China Southern Airlines’ first A321neo, making the airline the first operator of the aircraft type in China. In 2016, AerCap delivered the first Pratt & Whitney powered A320neo into China, to China Southern Airlines.

Wizz Air Celebrates 6 Million Passengers in Vilnius

Wizz Air has reached a major milestone in its operations from Vilnius, the airline has carried six million people to and from its Vilnius base.  The lucky six 6 millionth passenger travelled from Luton to Vilnius and was greeted upon arrival with a Wizz voucher for €200. 

The European low-cost airline started operations at Vilnius in 2011 and since then has become the leading airline at Vilnius International Airport. In 2012, Vilnius became the 14th operating base in the network for the carrier and first in the Baltic. 

Underlining its commitment to Lithuanian customers, WIZZ this fall is launching two new routes. These newest routes are from Vilnius to Lviv and from Kaunas to Turku, commencing respectively on 29th October and 9th November.  Wizz Air now offers 32 routes to 18 countries from three Lithuanian airports and will have 1.8 million seats on sale in 2018, 21% more than last year. Offering flights also from Kaunas and Palanga, WIZZ has in the first 8 months of 2018 carried over 1 million passengers on its low-fare routes to and from Lithuania, 29% more than in the same period of the previous year.

First Air and Canadian North to merge

It was confirmed last week that First Air and Canadian North are to merge, subject to government regulatory approvals. If all goes well, the two will complete the merger before the end of this year in a move that has been touted as a way to provide the best possible air services across the Arctic. 

Should regulators give the go-ahead, the proposed Pan-Arctic airline will ditch the iconic and immediately internationally recognisable brand of 'First Air' and simply be known as "Canadian North". Confusingly, the aircraft will feature the new First Air livery, including its Inukshuk logo as shown above and the company plans to be based and headquartered in Ottawa. 

There will be changes to routes and schedules, although these have not been released yet and should the merger go ahead, the airlines have committed to keeping customers up-to-date on all developments related to schedules and commercial flights on an ongoing basis.

The plan for the new wholly Inuit-owned airline is to offer more flights to more destinations and boost Arctic tourism in the communities it serves by increasing demand for tourist-related businesses and services. Although the news of the proposed merger has caused one international inbound travel firm to suspend sales of 2019 tour programme involving First Air flights until a clearer picture is known.

Delta and Habitat for Humanity build 10th and 11th homes funded by onboard recycling programme

If you've ever flown on Delta, you'll have heard this comment announcement, "If you have any items you wish to discard, please do so now as flight attendants begin to make one last round around the cabin," as the plane begins to make its descent. But there is far more to this PA message from the crew than just clearing away your rubbish towards the end of your Delta flight.

Recyclable goods like empty soda/drinks cans and plastic bottles are gathered from tray tables, handed off to a flight attendant, then, at Delta, they are likely transformed into a home. It is true, trash can make a home, last Friday in Atlanta, Delta employees worked alongside two Atlanta families to put the finishing touches on the 10th and 11th Habitat for Humanity homes funded by the airline's Inflight Recycling Programme.

The programme has raised $1 million in proceeds for Habitat since 2007 when flight attendant Susan Powell first started the innovative programme. To reduce waste on Delta flights, paper, plastic and aluminium from food and beverage products are collected and transported to recycling centres in 36 cities worldwide. So far on this programme, they have recycled over 230 tons of aluminium, which is enough to make five A350 aircraft.

As summer ends, the sun still shines in The Bahamas......

  As summer comes to an end, The Bahamas continues to experience solid growth across tourism sectors. Airlines, hotels and tour operators are consistently contributing to the national momentum through many exciting travel deals, expansion of nonstop flights and development of unique on-island experiences. 

Perhaps, with smaller crowds and amazing discounts, now is the perfect time to book a getaway and take advantage of all of the exciting offerings in The Bahamas...

Read on for more on The Bahamas....

Lufthansa Group optimizes hub management of network airlines

On Thursday Germany's Lufthansa Group released more details of how is continuing to update and optimise its operations at the groups mega-hubs of Munich, Frankfurt, Zürich and Vienna. 

The Lufthansa Group says its main focus is to further enhance and develop its multi-hub system, improve the group's punctuality performance and network growth.  

Goal: increase in quality and improved on-time ratings

Multi-hub planning approach to be consistently continued in 2019

Munich: Strengthening commitment to Asia

Etihad Guest programme welcomes Air Europa as new airline partner

Etihad Airways has announced a new partnership with Air Europa earlier this week which enhances benefits for its members of the frequent flyer programmes. The partnership allows members to also accumulate miles on codeshare flights operated and marketed by Etihad Airways in partnership with Air Europa. In addition, Etihad Guest members can redeem miles for tickets across the Air Europa network.

Air Transat to start a service to Split......

The Canadian holiday airline, Air Transat has confirmed it will be starting a new route to Split, Croatia, to its transatlantic flying programme.

The airline, recently named the 2018 World's Best Leisure Airline will be starting the service during the summer of 2019, flying direct on a weekly basis.  "Tourism has seen incredible growth in the Balkan Peninsula, which many now rank among the top European destinations," explains Annick Guérard, Chief Operating Officer at Transat. "We've seen great interest in Croatia since we started flying there in 2016. That's why Air Transat is proud to be meeting this demand even better by upping its offer to three direct flights from Toronto, including two to Zagreb," she adds. "And thanks to our connecting flights from Montreal and Vancouver, more travellers can now discover Croatia's second-largest city."

Gari Cappelli, Minister of Tourism of Croatia said, "Split will amaze Canadian travellers eager for something new, not only does it boast a rich heritage, with a UNESCO‑declared historic centre that dates back to the Roman Empire, but its location makes it the perfect gateway to the islands of the Adriatic Sea and Eastern Europe."

(Photo Air Transat)

More JetBlue flights getting food snack boxes

The super low-cost carrier JetBlue announced recently that more of its longer flights would be getting new fresh food snack boxes available to purchase.  

The US airline says it will now offer fresh food on select Latin America and Caribbean routes for the very first time. The airline is introducing EatUp Café menu on the flights which are already popular on domestic long-haul flights. These items will now be available for purchase on international flights longer than four hours departing from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). Additionally this month, the airline introduced three all-new EatUp snack boxes featuring refreshed, curated treats for all tastes.

JetBlue to launch Boston - palm Springs route

JetBlue on Thursday announced it will expand its services to Palm Springs, California with the introduction of a new nonstop flight from Boston and an extended flying season in New York.

Together the new route and new flights will link Palm Springs with the northeast with more nonstop service than ever before. JetBlue is the only airline to offer full-seasonal service between Palm Springs and New York City and will be the only airline to fly nonstop between Palm Springs and New England.

“When the snow is falling in the northeast, the sun is shining in Palm Springs, so we want more of our customers to trade their scarves for swimsuits this season,” said Andrea Lusso, director route planning, JetBlue. “New Boston service, combined with this season’s expanded New York schedule, means a winter warmup is easier than ever, and also makes JetBlue the leading airline flying nonstop between Palm Springs and the northeast.”

The desert oasis has become a top destination by blending its nostalgic past as a playground for Hollywood, with hip new development attracting a new generation of trendy travellers. Today, Palm Springs is a gathering spot for architecture aficionados, musicians, artists, and trendy weekenders seeking a warm, retro-chic getaway.

Qantas A380 business class companion offers

The leading Australian airline, Qantas has launched special companion business class fares on its Airbus A380 from London Heathrow for a limited time. 

The airline says that people can make saving on Qantas A380 Business flights when you book two or more seats, prices starting at just £3,399, per person, business return.

The deal includes the usual Qantas Chauffeur Drive service to get people to the airport before relaxing in Qantas London Lounge at Heathrow, before boarding the iconic Qantas A380. Of course, en route you’ll enjoy the classic food and wine and good old Aussie hospitality on the flight. A fully-flat Skybed offers supreme comfort for the journey, but hurry, this special offer ends 23:59 BST 9th October 2018.  

Melbourne is a wonderful destination, a city of amazing charms, with a multitude of eateries offering a wonderful smorgasbord of cuisines. A vibrant city of great cultural and entertainment venues plus plenty of bars and progressive galleries and the gateway to the whole of Victoria.

Companion fares are per adult, based on two or more passengers booking and travelling together on the same itinerary, on the same dates in the same cabin. Offers for Sydney and Melbourne are based on departures between 1 November and 6 December 2018, and 1 January and 15 June 2019. Selected travel dates, days and other conditions apply.

Air101.co.uk has not been paid or will receive payment for this post. 

JetSuiteX celebrates more routes, awards and being on GDS!

JetSuiteX is in a celebratory mood after the semi-private air carrier that launched in 2016, was awarded five-star status in the Regional Airline category of the APEX Official Airline Ratings. A major achievement for a small airline less than three years old. 

The airline is also enhancing its service out of Orange County (SNA) and brings a welcome return of ski-season flights to Mammoth Lakes (MMH). But, that's not all, through enhancements to its codeshare partnership with JetBlue, JetSuiteX flights are now available to travel agents to book via global distribution services (GDS) including Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport under JetBlue's B6 code as the marketing carrier. Consumers can book JetSuiteX flights directly via online travel agency (OTA) channels, such as Expedia and Priceline, and through metasearch engines, including Kayak and Google Flights.

"Our continued growth and expansion, as well as the honour of being recognised as a Five-Star Airline by APEX, is a testament to our customer focus and to the passionate dedication of our world-class team," said Alex Wilcox, Co-founder and CEO, JetSuiteX.

Big jumps in passengers and cargo at Ontario International Airport

One of our favourite little airports in the USA, saw its passenger numbers rise in August by more than 18% its been revealed today.  

Yes, Ontario International Airport (ONT) saw passenger volumes rise by over  18% in August, reflecting the steadily increasing satisfaction among air travellers service at Southern California's fastest growing aviation gateway.

Ontario International Airport passenger volume up 18% in August while cargo shipments rose 17%

The number of arriving and departing passengers totalled 458,029 last month, an increase of 18.2% over August 2017 when ONT welcomed 387,351 travellers. The August figure included 435,690 domestic passengers, up 16.2% from 375,109 a year ago, and 22,339 international travellers, 82.5% more than the 12,242 in August 2017. That's an amazing jump for the friendly airport in Southern California. 

More Ryanair strike woes as more than 250 flights are cancelled.

Ryanair has cancelled around 250 flights today as cabin crews in Germany, Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, as well as pilots in Germany, began a 24-hour walkout early this morning.

The Irish low-fare-high-fee carrier had initially cancelled 150 flights because of what it calls 'an unnecessary strike' by a 'tiny minority of cabin crew', then was forced to cancel around another 100 flights during Thursday after German pilots confirmed they would join the protests.

Between 35,000 and 40,000 people have been affected by the strike according to different sources, while the carrier says that more than 90% of its flights are running normally.

Aeroflot to fly to more European and Asian destinations in Winter 2018-2019

The leading Russian airline Aeroflot's winter schedule comes into force on 28th October and features a number of new European and Asian destinations.  One of those new destinations is Colombo, the Aeroflot subsidiary carrier Rossiya Airlines will fly the route five-times-per-week to the commercial and cultural capital of Sri Lanka. The carrier will also serve Bali three times a week. 

In Europe, Aeroflot is also launching new daily flights to Ljubljana, Gothenburg and Dublin. 

Under the new winter flight schedule, Aeroflot will increase frequencies to popular leisure destinations Dubai, Bangkok and Phuket. Flights to Dubai will operate four times per day, with one flight per day flying from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport to the modern Al Maktoum International Airport, which is easily accessible from the most popular resorts and busiest commercial centres of the city. On the Moscow-Bangkok route, Aeroflot will now offer three daily flights, while the number of weekly flights on the Moscow-Phuket route will increase from seven to ten. 

Air Niugini Boeing 737 crash lands in the sea

Dramatic scenes have emerged in the lagoon near the runway at Chuuk International Airport, on the tiny Micronesian island of Weno, as a Boeing 737 belonging to local carrier Air Niugini landed on the sea some 500 metres short of the runway. 

Locals came to the aid of the passengers in small fishing boats after the plane continued into the water of the lagoon and started to slowly sink.  The aircraft was carrying just 35 passengers and 12 crew at the time of the incident, all were rescued and taken ashore. It is believed that 8 passengers have been injured and a hospital official told Reuters news agency that four passengers were in a serious condition after the crash, one is believed to have a hip fracture. 

The runway at Chuuk International Airport is 6,006 feet in length and a spokesperson for Papua New Guinea's Accident Investigation Commission has confirmed that investigators were on the way to piece together exactly what happened and find out why the Boeing 737-800 came to rest in the sea.

KLM reaches agreement with unions

On Thursday, the Royal Dutch airline, KLM and the unions for ground staff (CNV, De Unie, FNV, NVLT and VKP) achieved a negotiating result for a new collective labour agreement (CLA) for ground staff. KLM is delighted that the negotiating parties have achieved this result.

The negotiators agreed on various topics that are important to KLM staff, including salary increases, work-pressure reduction, training and development opportunities, and replacement of salary systems. In addition, important agreements were negotiated surrounding key themes such as “sustainable deployability” and issues relating to shift schedules. The unions will present the negotiated result to their members in the coming period.

(Photo KLM/Patrick Kop)

New boss of Air France - KLM will be based at Air France at first with a mission to cut the costs and the government isn't selling its stake.

Benjamin Smith, the new CEO of the Air France-KLM group will go straight to troubled Air France for a transitional period the group confirmed this week.

According to the statement, Smith will stay at Air France until at least 31st December where he will cut the airline in half in an effort to reduce the costs that have had a negative effect on the bottom line of the company. 

Smith is already turning out to be a controversial choice as leader of the group, already he's attacked the French unions representing some of the staff at Air France, warning them that the French Government was willing to sell off its 14% stake in the airline and would not bale out the carrier. 

However, the French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire says France has no plans at this time to sell the holding in the airline, further, he warned Smith should focus on increasing competitiveness of the airline. “Today the priority is to turn around Air France,” Mr Le Maire told French media, “Selling off the state’s stake in Air France is not part of Benjamin Smith’s action plan. It is not an option on the table today.” 

WestJet working to make breast cancer beatable

The Canadian airline WestJet along with more than 13,000 WestJetters are rallying together in the effort to support breast cancer awareness initiatives during the month of October through uniform updates, the CIBC Run for the Cure and fundraising campaigns.

For the third consecutive year, WestJetters' uniforms will look a little pinker in October with custom-designed pink neckwear and hats that have been made available to employees with 100 per cent of the purchase price going to the Canadian Cancer Society. Additionally, for 2018 new pink 'personality' pins were created and are available by donation for WestJetters to show their support year-round.

WestJet goes pink again for breast cancer!

Ryanair to open two new bases in France..........while strikes on Friday are set to go ahead

The strike hit European low-cost-high-fee airline Ryanair has confirmed today that it will splash a vast amount of cash to set up two new bases in France.

The carrier says it will invest $400 million in France establishing the two hubs, one at Bordeaux and the other at Marseille. Ryanair will base two aircraft at each of the bases and introduce 27 new routes (connecting 12 countries), which will cater for around 3.5milion customers each year. 

From Ryanair’s Bordeaux new base:

16 new routes: Bari (2 wk), Cologne Bonn (3), Copenhagen (3), Dublin (2), Fez (2), Krakow (2), Manchester (2), Marrakesh (2), Marseille (daily), Mykonos (1), Nantes (4), Naples (2), Ouarzazate (2), Tangier (2),Valencia (2) & Venice Treviso (3)

24 routes for summer 2019

70 weekly flights

60 new Ryanair jobs

From Ryanair’s new Marseille base:

11 new routes: Agadir (2 wk), Alicante (2), Bologna (3), Bordeaux (daily), Bucharest (2), Budapest (2), Manchester (2), Naples (2), Ouarzazate (2) Prague (2) & Warsaw (2)

40 routes for summer 2019

150 weekly flights

60 new Ryanair jobs

Aloha Detroit.........New Detroit - Honolulu route from Delta Air lines starts next year

Delta Air Lines has confirmed that from June next year they will deploy Boeing 767-300ER aircraft equipped with 25 fully flat-bed seats in Delta One, 29 seats Delta Comfort+ and 171 seats in the main economy cabin on a new route between Detroit and Honolulu.

"We're pleased to add a nonstop link to Hawaii from our Detroit hub as we know it's a destination our customers in our hub city and beyond have asked for," said Ed Bastian, Delta's Chief Executive Officer. "It will also bring convenient, one-stop connections to Honolulu for many customers in dozens of other cities we serve in the Upper Midwest and Northeast U.S."

"Nonstop service to Honolulu is wonderful news for Detroit Metropolitan Airport," said Wayne County Airport Authority Interim CEO Chad Newton. "Until now, Honolulu was our third largest market without nonstop service from Detroit. It is a destination that our customers repeatedly ask for on social media, so we are excited to offer direct access to such a beautiful place."

Qantas name Toowoomba as home to its first pilot academy

There is a global shortage of pilots at the present time, various estimates suggest that at least 790,000 more pilots will be required globally over the next 20 years with around one-third of them in the Asia Pacific region. Today,  the Qantas Group has announced the first of two regional locations for its new Pilot Academy's will be Toowoomba in southern Queensland.

Due to open its doors by mid-2019, the Toowoomba is the first of two locations chosen from a shortlist of nine regional cities, with Alice Springs, Bendigo, Busselton, Dubbo, Launceston, Mackay, Tamworth and Wagga Wagga still under consideration for the second academy site.

The first long-haul aircraft of Air France fitted with Gogo 2Ku take off

Gogo and Air France have confirmed the first two aircraft that have been fitted with Gogo's 2Ku high-speed satellite connectivity system have gone operational. One is an Airbus A330 and the other a Boeing 777 are the first of the entire 83 long-haul aircraft fleet that are due to be fitted out with the latest Gogo Technology.  

"Air France has reached an exciting milestone as it brings its first Airbus and Boeing aircraft online, giving its passengers access to high-speed Wi-Fi on long-haul flights," says John Wade, President of Commercial Aviation at Gogo. "As we continue to install aircraft with 2Ku, we remain highly focused on performance in order to provide a great experience on every aircraft, every flight."

Air France has advised they will offer three different passes for Wi-Fi access. 

El Paso, Texas to get new direct routes from Seattle and San Diego from Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines has confirmed today that it will start a new daily nonstop service between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and El Paso International Airport, along with daily nonstop service between El Paso and San Diego International Airport. 

El Paso is a new destination for the carrier, the new service is scheduled to begin 19th Feb 2019, offering the only nonstop flights from Seattle and San Diego to El Paso. The nonstop flights that will connect Seattle and El Paso will help improve the travel time for employees who commute between Western Washington and West Texas – two regions with significant industry and business ties.

Alaska has considered El Paso as a new destination for some time. It's currently the largest underserved market from Seattle within the range of our Embraer 175 jets. That aircraft – with three cabin classes – is a perfect fit for this route, which will be flown by Horizon Air.

Aeroflot is a five star airline.....

The leading Russian airline, Aeroflot is celebrating once again being recognised as a Five Star Global Airline at the APEX Awards, held on September 24 in Boston. 

The airline was first awarded five stars in 2019, "The confirmation of our Five Star Global Airline status by one of the world's leading aviation associations is recognition of our superior service quality and strong position in the global airline industry," Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Saveliev said. 

"This accolade from APEX is particularly important to us as it reflects the opinions of the millions of passengers around the world who choose to fly with Aeroflot and enjoy our consistently excellent standards of service. We continue to seek to meet and exceed our passengers' expectations, and to uphold our status as a top-tier global airline."

Earlier this year APEX named Aeroflot Best Global Airline in Europe and awarded it for Best Seat Comfort in Europe. The airline is a member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance and operates flights to 146 destinations in 52 countries on a fleet of some 248 aircraft. During 2017, Aeroflot carried 32.8 million passengers, although with all its subsidiary airlines,  in total more than 50 million people flew with the Aeroflot Group last year.  

(Photo Aeroflot)

Juneyao Airlines announces stylish theme for its 787 Dreamliner fleet

Juneyao Airlines recently announced the planned suite of services for its first 787 Dreamliner, including the promotional video "Dream a Journey; Share a Trip", the fine design of the seats and cabin interiors, and the special liveries of the 787 fleet. The array of unique service offerings is meant to demonstrate the superior features of the premium aircraft and how the airline stands unique and apart from its rivals with the mission of delivering Juneyao Air's brand initiative "Warm Journey Beyond Imagination".

Mexico City International Airport Leads Latin America Region

Mexico City International Airport Leads Latin America Region in International Connectivity for Second Straight Year, According to OAG’s 2018 Megahubs Index

According to the latest data from OAG, the leading provider of digital flight information, Mexico City International Airport is the most internationally connected airport in Latin America. This is the second year in a row the airport finished number one in International Connectivity for the region.

Mexico City International Airport (MEX) is the most connected airport in Latin America, ranking 20th in International Connectivity and 12th in low-cost carrier connectivity.

Brazil’s Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) increased its Connectivity Index (CI) by 11 points this year and came in 37th overall. The airport secured the 21st spot in the Low-Cost International Megahubs category.

Colombia’s El Dorado International Airport (BOG) ranked 39th on the list of Top 50 International Megahubs. Panama’s Tocumen International Airport (PTY) ranked 47th overall.

London Heathrow (LHR) is the most connected international airport in the world, followed closely behind by Chicago O’Hare (ORD).

OAG’s Megahubs International Index 2018 reveals the world’s top 50 most-connected airports for international services, as measured by the highest ratio of scheduled connections to the number of destinations served. Mexico City International Airport (MEX; CI: 181) finished 20th for International Connectivity, 50 points ahead of Latin America’s second most connected hub, Brazil’s Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU; CI: 131), which came in 37th place and increased its Connectivity Index by 11 points over last year.

Ozwald Boateng to design next British Airways uniforms

The UK's British Airways has named top fashion icon Ozwald Boateng OBE as the designer for the carriers new uniformed being developed for the airlines 100th birthday.

Ozwald Boateng is known for bringing a modern contemporary twist to the classic British institution of tailoring, will be designing a collection for the airline’s 32,000 employees who wear a uniform as part of their jobs. The new uniform will form an important part of the airline’s celebrations for its Centenary next year.

Special JetBlue livery celebrating Puerto Rico

JetBlue has unveiled its latest special livery on an  Airbus A320 aircraft, registration N779JB which has been called “Bluericua,”  which blends JetBlue’s brand with the affectionate name for people of Puerto Rican descent.

This custom-designed livery is inspired by JetBlue’s admiration for Puerto Rico’s dynamic culture, stunning beauty and the passionate spirit of its community.

Bluericua is a very public display reaffirming JetBlue’s commitment to Puerto Rico and takes the airline’s celebration of Puerto Rican culture to new heights. This special livery reminds those who see it of the reasons they should choose Puerto Rico for their next vacation and will inspire Puerto Ricans outside of the island to take a trip home to visit family and friends.

Bluericua was designed with help from a group of JetBlue crewmembers based in San Juan, Aguadilla and Ponce, Puerto Rico. Together, they identified the quintessential cultural symbols that will promote Puerto Rico as Bluericua travels throughout the JetBlue system.

Gogo TV Now Live on 3 Airlines

Gogo Inc, the leading global provider of broadband connectivity products and services for aviation, announced this week that its IPTV product, Gogo TV, is now active on three global airlines, delivering live TV to more than 550 aircraft.

Gogo TV delivers live television programming to aircraft for passenger consumption, including sports and news. Content can be delivered to passengers' Wi-Fi enabled personal electronic devices or integrated into an airline's seatback entertainment system. Channel options are customized by the airline that allow passengers to watch popular networks in their country or region. The service is available to airlines that select Gogo's 2Ku high-speed satellite connectivity system and is delivered through the existing in cabin network.

Japan Airlines to start direct Tokyo - Seattle service and increased codeshare deal with Alaska Airlines

Japan Airlines announced this week that it will start a new nonstop daily flight between Tokyo-Narita and Seattle, Washington from 31st March next year.

This new route will be JAL’s sixth West Coast route operating between Japan and North America and marks a major milestone for the carrier. "We are pleased to announce the introduction of the Seattle-Narita route, which will go into service in March 2019. Along with our joint business partner, American Airlines, we look forward to welcoming more visitors to Asia for business or pleasure who will experience Japanese hospitality from the moment they step onboard the aircraft," said Tadashi Fujita, Executive Vice President of Japan Airlines.

As part of this announcement, JAL and Alaska Airlines agreed on an expansion of their codeshare partnership for flights via Seattle-Tacoma International airport (SEA).  "I am honoured to be able to announce the expansion of our codeshare agreement with Alaska Airlines, a valuable partner for us in the U.S. market," Tadashi Fujita explained. 

Another award for Norwegian........................Named four-star low-cost airline by APEX

One of the top European airlines has been given another award, this time, Norwegian has been named a Four-Star Low-Cost Airline by The Airline Passenger Experience (APEX), the highest honour for low-cost airlines. Their Official Airline Ratings™ was the first airline rating programme based solely on certified passenger feedback and Norwegian was one of ten low-cost airlines worldwide to receive the honour.

"We are honoured to receive a Four-Star rating, especially as it is our own passengers that have voted based on their experience with us. In 2018, we have won numerous awards and I would like to thank our hard-working and professional colleagues for everything they do, as they are the reason our customers have such a great experience with us," said Bjørn Kjos, Norwegian’s CEO and Founder.

US-Bangla Airlines Boeing 737-800 nose gear up landing captured on video

A Boeing 737-800 of US-Bangla Airlines operating flight BS141, from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazaar has had to make an emergency landing at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong.

The dramatic landing this morning following technical problems notified to the airport by the captain who requested an emergency landing. The aircraft came in as normal but landed with the nose gear apparently retracted.



The airports emergency responders were fast on the scene as passengers on the aircraft used the emergency slides to vacate the aircraft. 

The Boeing 737-800 registration S2-AJA took off as normal from Hazrat Shahjahal International airport in Dhaka at around 1130am, landed with nose gear retracted. There are no reports of any injuries to passengers or crew at this stage. US Bangla has not yet responded to our request for comment.

Helvectic sign deal for 12 new Embraer E190-E2 aircraft.

Helvetic Airways has signed a contract with Embraer for 12 E190-E2 jets it was confirmed on Wednesday, although was previously disclosed during the Farnborough Air Show, in July.

Back at the air show, the two parties signed a letter of intent (LoI) but the deal has now been confirmed, which is said to be worth USD 730 million at list prices. The contract also includes purchase rights for a further 12 E190-E2, with conversion rights to the E195-E2, bringing the total potential order up to 24 E-Jets E2s. If all the purchase rights are exercised, the deal would have a list price of USD 1.5 billion.

The announcement was made by the two companies during the Zurich debut of the E190-E2, the world’s most efficient and quietest single-aisle aircraft, as part of its tour of Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

The first 12 E190-E2 aircraft will begin replacing Helvetic’s five Fokker 100s and seven E190s, starting in late 2019 and completing in autumn 2021. The purchase options for a further 12 aircraft (E190-E2 or E195-E2) will enable Helvetic Airways to grow according to market opportunities.

(Image rendering Embraer)

Eventful week for airBaltic - New Arrival, Papal Passenger, Bumping Birds and more

The Latvian carrier airBaltic has had a very eventful week, the rapidly growing and well-respected carrier received its 12th Airbus A220, carried the Pope, suffered a bird strike and signed a deal with Jazz for maintenance. 

Looking resplendent in the bright standard airBaltic livery the airlines 12th Airbus A220 arrived on 22nd September. AirBaltic plans to have a fleet of 14 of the A220-300 aircraft, formally known as the Bombardier CSeries CS300. The fuel-efficient and passenger popular jets have room for 145 people, offering wider seats, larger windows, more hand luggage space in the cabin, improved lavatories and other passenger-friendly benefits.

The new aircraft is also much quieter – with a four times smaller noise footprint. Moreover, at the moment, it is the greenest commercial aircraft in the world, as it is the first aircraft to have a transparent declaration of the life-cycle environmental impact, helping to reduce CO2 and NOX emissions by 20% and 50% respectively.

Virgin Atlantic to serve Aviation Gin

Earlier this week, Virgin Atlantic announced a new partnership with Aviation American Gin, owned by actor and producer, Ryan Reynolds. As the exclusive UK airline partner, Virgin Atlantic will take the pioneering spirit of Aviation Gin to new heights, by serving it in Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses and offering its customers the opportunity to sip the award-winning gin on board at 35,000 feet.

Speaking on the partnership, Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Group Founder, said: "I'm delighted Virgin Atlantic is working with Ryan and his team on this partnership. Aviation Gin was born out of a spirit of innovation, so serving it on board Virgin Atlantic flights seemed like the perfect combination."

"I've been a huge fan of Sir Richard Branson and Virgin for years. For Aviation to be chosen as the gin of choice for such an iconic and quintessentially British brand is a complete honour. We look forward to serving Virgin Atlantic guests for years to come and, on a personal note, Sir Richard has promised to teach me the difference between revenue and profit, so I am beyond excited." Ryan Reynolds said.

In a massive blow for Virgin Atlantic's staff based at London Gatwick, the airline announced that from 31st March 2019, the daily flight from to Las Vegas would move from the airport to London Heathrow.

Finnair receives Five-Star Global Airline rating

from APEX based on customer reviews

One of the most respected European full-service airlines, Finnair is celebrating the news it has been awarded a 2019 Five Star Global Airline rating by the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX). These airline ratings are based entirely on verified feedback given by passengers and therefore take on a more significant importance within the industry. 

Relatively few global airlines received the top accolade, only 9% of airlines worldwide received sufficient votes for the prestigious five-star status in 2019. Finnair was one of 470 passenger rated airlines through 31 July of this year. Airline travellers were validated against confirmed itineraries and geo-location on mobile devices. This is the first time Finnair receives a five-star rating from the APEX organization.

Aer Lingus plans revamp for 2019

Irish airline passengers are set to get a boost next year when hometown airline Aer Lingus is due to embark on an ambitious brand revamp, its boss Stephen Kavanagh announced on Monday.

As part of the refurbishment, the airline will repaint its aircraft, issue a new uniform, introduce in-flight Wi-fi and upgrade meal service in the economy cabin with free alcoholic beverages!  "Our current livery and uniform have been in service for close to 25 years. Our business has changed and we have to take the opportunity to modernise our brand," Mr Stephen Kavanagh is reported to have said at the Airline Passenger Experience Association expo in Boston, USA.