JetBlue's newest special livery celebrating the Brooklyn Nets

The American low-cost airline, JetBlue, is also known as New York’s Hometown Airline and has demonstrated its ties with and love for the city with its latest special aircraft livery, that celebrates the Brooklyn Nets.

The new look jet, nicknamed "BK Blue” was designed by a team of Brooklynites and New Yorkers. The aircraft honours New York City’s largest borough with special touches unique to Brooklyn such as street art, architecture, and hip hop. 

Additional highlights of the livery:

Straying from the airline’s traditional blue paint scheme, this all black and white aircraft includes the Brooklyn Nets logo on the tail, the silhouette of the Brooklyn Bridge and Barclays Center on the fuselage, and the phrase “Spread Love” on the underbelly.
The design includes the airline's co-branded trademark with New York State's iconic tourism campaign and logo, I LOVE NEW YORK, solidifying JetBlue’s status as the official hometown airline of New York.
Aligned with JetBlue’s mission of inspiring humanity, “BK Blue” will “Spread Love” and award-winning service as it travels throughout JetBlue’s network in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean.

Delta Air Lines operational results for October

News in from the Atlanta headquarters of Delta Air Lines shows that the carrier took 16.5 million customers for a ride across its broad global network last month, a record for the month of October.    

During the month the airline celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Delta-Northwest merger, which has had such a massive impact on the US and global position of the company. October was also the month the brand new Airbus A220 (formerly the Bombardier CSeries) arrived marking a massive step forward in the airlines fleet modernisation programme, the inaugural flights on top domestic business routes set to begin in January.

Delta also announced in October new international routes including Boston-Edinburgh and Boston-Lisbon to begin in Summer 2019 and proposed Minneapolis/St. Paul-Shanghai service to begin in 2020 pending governmental approvals.

Inducting the first engine into the new state-of-the-art engine repair shop, where maintenance will be performed on the most sophisticated and advanced engines was another  key development for the carrier during the month.

Norwegian sells five new A320neos

.Norwegian Air Shuttle has confirmed the sale of five of its new Airbus A320neo aircraft this morning.  The company issued a statement that said its subsidiary company, Arctic Aviation Assets has agreed on the sale of five of the aircraft, which are currently out on lease to other airlines, to an unnamed buyer.

The airline expects to deliver the aircraft during the next two months and the transaction is expected to increase the Company's liquidity by $62 million after repayment of debts. The proceeds will be used to repay debt and to increase the Company´s liquidity.

Speculation has been rife in the aviation industry as to who the buyer would be, most believe it is a Chinese owned aircraft leasing firm that also has European offices. However, no names have yet been confirmed. 

Air China announces its latest results

Air China Limited announced its financial results for the first three quarters of 2018

During the first three quarters of 2018, China's economy maintained stable growth with continuous improvement. Especially benefitting from the strong demand in the summer holiday, the domestic passenger traffic grew steadily and enthusiasm for outbound travel remained high. Despite the reduced net profit as a result of the rising oil prices and depreciation of Renminbi against US dollars, the Air China still maintained a leading an advantage in the industry in terms of total revenue and traffic revenue. During the reporting the period, the Group recorded the revenue from operations of RMB102.880 billion, representing an increase of 12.09%. The total operating costs was RMB96.633 billion, representing an increase of 19.51%. The net profit attributable to shareholders decreased by 16.20% to RMB6.937 billion from RMB8.279 billion in 2017.

Too drunk to fly.........Drunk Japan Airlines pilot admits to being nearly 10 times over the alcohol limit less than an hour before a flight.

A Japan Airlines pilot was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport on Sunday, October 28th for being too drunk to fly, has admitted to being nearly ten times over the legal alcohol limit.

Katsutoshi Jitsukawa, failed a breath test at the airport, after the driver of the crew bus reported they could smell alcohol on the pilot. 

The 42-year-old flyer was found to have 189mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood in his system, the legal limit for a pilot is just 20mg. Appearing at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on Thursday, Jitsukawa a first officer for Japan Airlines, pled guilty to exceeding the alcohol limit. Jitsukawa was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on November 29th.

Police were only alerted to the drunken state of Jitsukawa,  who had been due to be part of the flight deck crew on a Boeing 777 due to depart for Tokyo in less than an hours time.

The flight, JL44 eventually left Heathrow some 69 minutes late and the airline issued a swift apology "The Company does not condone the individual's actions," and assuring passengers that "safety remains our utmost priority" and promising it would "implement immediate actions to prevent any future occurrence".

(image Japan Airlines

Ryanair's Lviv flights launched

The low-fare high-fee European airline Ryanair started its first Lviv, Ukraine flights on Tuesday, October 30th with its new three times weekly service to/from Krakow.  

The airline will start five new winter routes from Lviv this week.
Dusseldorf Weeze 3 times a week
Krakow 3 times a week
London Stansted 3 times a week
Memmingen  2 times a week
Warsaw Modlin  3 times a week

Olga Pawlonka, Ryanair’s Sales & Marketing Manager CEE & Balkans, said: “We’re pleased to officially launch our first Lviv flights with 5 new Lviv winter 2018 routes to Dusseldorf Weeze, Krakow, London Stansted, Memmingen and Warsaw Modlin. Lviv customers and visitors can look forward to the lowest fares in Europe when they make advance bookings for their holidays." 

Tetyana Romanovska, Danylo Halytskyi International Airport Lviv’ CEO, said: “We are witnessing aviation market growth in Ukraine and particularly in Lviv, which is becoming more competitive and affordable. Thus, the dreams of many Ukrainians to fly cheap have come true.

Since the beginning of negotiations with Ryanair, Lviv airport has been developing intensively and crossed the line of 1 million passengers handled last year. This year we have already carried 1.35 million passengers. We are planning to reach 1.65 million passengers by the end of the year, and this time due to Ryanair customers. Together with Ryanair, as the largest low-cost carrier in Europe, our airport is steadily improving the quality, punctuality and reliability of passenger services provided. We are also happy about the fact that Ryanair launches five new routes at once to/from Lviv, which is only the beginning of our fruitful and active cooperation.”

Drunk baggage loader falls asleep in the hold of a 737

The Police in Chicago say a baggage handler told them he was drunk at work when he fell asleep in the cargo hold of a Boeing 737 of American Airlines and then flew from Kansas City to Chicago.

According to American Airlines, the Piedmont Airlines staff member was supposed to be loading American Flight AA363 on Saturday when he fell asleep and the aircraft took off for Chicago from Kansas City International Airport. Luckily the drunken snoozer was in a heated and pressurised cargo hold and escaped without injury except for perhaps a headache. 

The baggage handler was found when the flight landed at Chicago’s O’Hare airport after the hour-long flight.  The police say that no charges have been brought against the man, whose name has not been released and he was sent back to Kansas City. 

American Airlines is said to be investigating the incident.  

Southwest Airlines changes inflight entertainment product - free movies!

The leading US low-cost carrier, Southwest Airlines has announced today that it is ditching paid movie product in favour of a free movie1* product on its aircraft as part of its onboard its Inflight Entertainment Portal.

The free movie1* product is being rolled out across the carriers WiFi-enabled fleet right now  "The onboard experience is one of the most important elements of a Customer's journey with us," said Ryan Green, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Southwest Airlines. "Our research shows that a positive experience onboard the aircraft can greatly influence the decision to come back to Southwest. We listened to our Customers and are enhancing our already award-winning experience."  

The Inflight Entertainment Portal is offered across the Southwest fleet on WiFi-enabled aircraft and passengers can access the onboard entertainment options through their own personal device (mobile, iPad, tablet, or laptop) by turning on WiFi access, connecting to the "SouthwestWiFi" SSID, and navigating to www.Southwestwifi.com. It is not necessary to purchase WiFi in order to use the free in-flight entertainment onboard.

The airlines recently added the facilitiy to send free messages at 35,000 feet via iMessage or Whats as part of its in-flight product.  Plus, Southwest passengers can enjoy access to iHeartMedia's free all-in-one digital music and live streaming radio service, iHeartRadio, available on WiFi-enabled aircraft.

(Images Southwest Airlines)  Customers should download the Southwest® mobile app to take advantage of free movies1*

The first A350-900 for China Eastern Airlines has performed its maiden flight in Toulouse,

Earlier this week the first A350-900 for China Eastern Airlines has performed its maiden flight in Toulouse, France. That aircraft will now enter the final phase of production, ground checks and test flights before being prepared for delivery in the coming weeks.

China Eastern Airlines currently operates an Airbus fleet of 363 aircraft, including 305 A320 Family aircraft and 58 A330 Family aircraft and has 20 A350-900s on order.

The aircraft is bringing new levels of efficiency and comfort in the long-range market, the A350 Family is especially well suited to the needs of Asia-Pacific airlines. To date, A350 Family firm orders from carriers in the region represent over a third of total sales for the type.

Seamless to Seattle............................Singapore Airlines to launch direct flights to Seattle.

Seattle will become the fifth US city in Singapore Airlines’ route network, the fourth to be served non-stop from Singapore - when new flights start on 3rd September 2019.

Tickets for this ultra-long-haul flight go on sale from 7th November which will initially be operated three times per week before increasing to four times per week in October 2019. The aircraft plying the route will be an Airbus A350-900 which will be configured with 42 Business Class seats, 24 in Premium Economy Class and 187 seats in the main economy cabin. 

The Singapore girls (and boys) will be taking flight SQ28 initially departing Singapore at 0925hrs every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and arrive in Seattle at 0905hrs on the same day (all times local). The return sector, operated as SQ27, will depart Seattle at 1040hrs every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and arrive in Singapore the following day at 1730hrs. From October 2019, flight SQ28 and flight SQ27 will operate every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Of course, all times are subject to all the usual regulatory approvals.

Seamless to Seattle............................Singapore Airlines to launch direct flights to Seattle....

Lion Air search teams find flight data recorder

Local media have reported that the Indonesian Navy have found and retrieved a black box from the wreckage of the Lion Air Boeing 737 Max 8 that crashed into the Java Sea on Monday.

Divers advise they retrieved the black box on Thursday morning, during the fourth day of the search following the plane crash that cost the lives of all 189 people onboard. From the initial reports, the divers have found the flight data recorder and are still searching for the cockpit voice recorder. 

Detik.com reported that Indonesian Navy diver Sertu Hendra said his team followed the electronic “pings” from the device to find its exact location, “We followed the tool, reducing the area in the place the machines were picking up sounds, and it turns out we got black box,” 

Hong Kong Airlines and Turkish Airlines launch new collaboration

Hong Kong Airlines and Turkish Airlines have commenced a new codeshare partnership following an agreement signed by both airlines in Istanbul, the hub city of Turkish Airlines on Monday 29th October.  

This new codeshare deal and collaboration will see Hong Kong Airlines add Istanbul and popular destinations in Europe, including Paris, London, Barcelona and more to its international network, while Turkish Airlines will extend its reach to other major destinations beyond Hong Kong.

 Subject to government approval, Hong Kong Airlines will place its “HX” code on Turkish Airlines services between Hong Kong and Istanbul, as well as between Istanbul and major cities in Europe.  Reciprocally, Turkish Airlines will add its “TK” code on Hong Kong Airlines services between Hong Kong and Auckland, Bangkok and Osaka. 

On Monday 29th October Turkish Airlines CEO and Deputy Chairman of the Board, Mr. Bilal Ekşi, Hong Kong Airlines Vice Chairman and President Mr. Wang Liya, signed the agreement into action in front of executives from both airlines at a special signing ceremony that took place at the Turkish Airlines headquarters.   

“Istanbul is one of the world’s most ancient metropolises. Visitor numbers to the city has been growing steadily, thanks to its unique blend of modern and cultural vibes. As one of the important gateways to Europe in the region." Said Hong Kong Airlines Vice Chairman and President Mr Wang Liya, adding, "Hong Kong Airlines customers will benefit and enjoy greater convenience when connecting to popular European cities from Istanbul. We also look forward to introducing our “Truly Hong Kong” products and services to Turkish Airlines customers when they connect to our flights in Hong Kong,” 

New flights from Ethiopian Airlines

The largest aviation group in Africa, Ethiopian Airlines has announced it will introduce a number of flights to new destinations, as the carrier expands its growing global network.

The SKYTRAX certified four-star global airline has confirmed it will launch flights to Moscow from its home base of Addis Ababa from the 1st of December.  The service will run three times a week operating via Istanbul in Turkey.

Moscow (DME) schedule via Istanbul (IST)

Flight Number	Effective Date	Frequency	Departure  Airport	Departure  Time	Arrival Airport	Arrival  Time	Sub fleet
ET  0760	05-DEC-18	MON, WED, FRI	ADD	23:45	IST	04:55	ET  788
		.......	IST	05:55	DME	08:35	ET  788
ET  0761	05-DEC-18	TUE, THU, SAT	DME	21:20	IST	23:55	ET  788
		.......	IST	01:05	ADD	6:25	ET  788

Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr Tewolde GebreMariam, said, “It gives me a great pleasure to announce that we have finalized preparations to launch services to Moscow, Russia, the world's largest country in total area, spanning Eastern Europe and northern Asia. As one of the world’s leading producers of oil and natural gas, Russia offers ample trade and investment potentials for investors. The country’s advanced manufacturing base and light industry also hold further import-export trade potentials with Africa which is endowed with diverse natural resources and raw materials. The air connectivity Ethiopian provides to link Africa and Russia will go a long way towards facilitating and bolstering multifaceted relations between the two regions. Our direct flights will also promote Ethiopian and other African Tourist attractions to the Russian tourists. Russia will be the final BRICS country in our ever-growing global network.”

Dublin via Madrid

From the 15th December, the airline is starting a new route from Addis Ababa to Dublin via Madrid, which is again scheduled to operate three times a week. 

And the new route to Dubin (DUB) via Madrid (MAD) will be operated as per below schedule:

Flight	Eff Date	Frequency	Dept Apt	Dept Time	Arvl Apt	Arrv Time	fleet
ET  0712	15-Dec-18	.2.4.6.	ADD	23:50	MAD	5:20	ET  788
		.......	MAD	6:20	DUB	8:00	ET  788
ET  0713	16-Dec-18	..3.5.7	DUB	16:45	MAD	20:30	ET  788
		.......	MAD	21:30	ADD	7:00	ET  788

EVA and Copa Airlines agree codeshare deal

Two Star Alliance members are coming together for a codeshare deal that commences on 4th November that will benefit the passengers of both carriers.

EVA Air and Copa Airlines have confirmed they will begin a code-sharing agreement on 4 November, 2018, making travel to and from Asia and Panama more convenient and extending services for both airlines’ passengers. Under the codeshare, Copa passengers can take EVA-operated flights to Taipei from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York. Inbound from Asia, EVA passengers can connect through these same cities to fly Copa to Panama City. 

Changes to Ethiopian Airlines flight to Los Angeles

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest Aviation Group in Africa confirmed on Wednesday 31st October that it would make a change to its ultra-long-haul route from home base of Addis Ababa to Los Angeles.

From 17th December the SKYTRAX four-star airline adds a transit stop in Lome, Togo in both directions.

The new route to LAX via LFW will be operated as per below schedule:

Flight	Eff Date	Frequency	Dept Apt	Dept Time	Arvl Apt	Arvl Time	fleet
ET  0504	17-Dec-18	MON,WED,SAT	ADD	8:20	LFW	11:10	ET  788
		.......	LFW	12:25	LAX	19:35	ET  788
ET  0505	17-Dec-18	MON,WED,SAT	LAX	21:35	LFW	19:35	ET  788
		.......	LFW	20:50	ADD	5:40	ET  788

KLM Third-quarter operational results down by 15 million

Air France - KLM released its latest figures this week which showed that KLM welcomed 25.8 million people to its flights during the first nine months of the year.

The Dutch airline also managed to make have an operational result of €573 million, during the third quarter of this year, down from last years €588. According to KLM boss Pieter Elbers, the difference of €15 million is "virtually the same" and due to rising fuel costs.      

KLM ended September with a fleet of 170 aircraft, including 32 Embraer E190s, 16 Boeing 747s, 13 Airbus A330s and 13 Boeing 787s.  

Dubai World Central (DWC) another new destination from Moscow for Aeroflot Russian Airlines

Forming a cornerstone of its new winter schedule, Aeroflot, Russia's leading airline has started a new scheduled flight between its Moscow Sheremetyevo hub and Dubai World Central (DWC), which will be the airline’s second destination in the United Arab Emirates. 

Aeroflot has scheduled the daily flights to be operated by Boeing 737-800 aircraft, leaving Moscow at 2210 with an arrival time of 0330. The return flight leaves DWC at 0500 and arrive at Sheremetyevo at 10:40.

Vitaly Saveliev, CEO of Aeroflot, said: “Today Aeroflot ranks as a leading global carrier and we continue to expand our international route network and offer new convenient connections for our transit passengers. This winter we are pleased to offer travellers new international destinations as well as additional flights on select popular routes, thus expanding travel options with Aeroflot for both business and leisure travellers.”

US airline Delta named a ‘Best Workplace for Women’ for second straight year

The US airline, Delta has been named as one of the USA's Best Workplaces for Women for the second year in a row from Great Place To Work and Fortune. 

The list considered more than 540,000 employee surveys from hundreds of businesses across all sectors of the economy and the ranking gauged women's assessment of their companies culture, leadership, fairness and other elements essential to achieving a great workplace. Delta has earnt 69th place on the list.  "At Delta, we actively look for ways to champion women," said Joanne Smith, Delta's Executive Vice President and Chief HR Officer. "This includes continuing to increase representation and importantly, working to create an inclusive, engaging and welcoming environment. This year we achieved 100 percent pay parity, something few companies have done. We'll need to keep working hard to build a workplace that's equitable in all areas, and this recognition reflects the progress we're making in this area."

Norwegian’s nonstop route to Tampa, Florida takes off

The worlds best long-haul low-cost airline Norwegian, has commenced its new nonstop service to Tampa Bay today, giving passengers a super affordable way to access Florida’s west coast.  

New Tampa route joins increased flights 

to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale

The impressive award-winning airline will operate a new twice-weekly service from London Gatwick to Tampa International Airport (TPA) which offers holidaymakers a convenient nonstop service with direct access to Florida’s Gulf coast. It also provides passengers with more choice and flexibility when travelling to the sunshine state with Norwegian.

Flight schedule: London Gatwick - Tampa - local times:

DI 7165 Departs London 14:55 Arrives Tampa 19:35 - Wednesdays and Saturdays

DI 7166 Departs Tampa 21:00 Arrives London Gatwick 09:55+1 - Wednesdays and Saturdays

In addition to the twice weekly service to Tampa, Norwegian has also increased its winter services to other Florida destinations from its London Gatwick base. The airline now offers a daily service to Fort Lauderdale, increasing from three flights per week and five weekly flights to Orlando up from three per week, giving more choice to travellers seeking a relaxing beach holiday, with 14 flights per week to Florida it is even easier to visit its world-famous family adventure parks.

Daily service to Buenos Aires.

In response to strong demand for the London Gatwick to Buenos Aires route, services have increased from four flights a week to a daily service providing customers with greater flexibility and convenience. The launch of Norwegian’s domestic flights from Buenos Aires will allow passengers to fly affordably across the country. Lowest fares are now available from £265 in economy or passengers can fly in enhanced comfort in the Premium cabin from £640 one way.

Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport welcomes British Airways flights from London Heathrow

On Sunday 28th October, Sheremetyevo International Airport welcomed a British Airways flight from London Heathrow, making a welcome return for the airline to the airport. The UK's leading legacy airline, part of the IAG group previously operated flights to Sheremetyevo but stopped in 2003. 

The service will now give passengers more choice as well as making it more convenient to get into the centre of Moscow as Sheremetyevo International Airport is located around 29 km's that is 18 miles, northwest of central Moscow. It takes just 35 minutes to get to downtown Moscow on the Aeroexpress train service that operates a nonstop link between the airport to Belorussky station.  Buses also operate between the airport and Moscow city centre with journey times comparable to the Aeroexpress. The toll road Leningradskoye highway also makes getting to and from the airport a much quicker and easier experience. 

Fort Lauderdale's Watermakers Air changes its name............

The small private flight charter airline that operates scheduled services to the Bahamian Islands out of Fort Lauderdale's executive airport, Watermakers Air has changed its name.  

The company operates a small fleet of Cessna Grand Caravans will now be known as Makers Air. The name change follows on from something of a relaunch for the company as it adopts a new look that is aimed to reflect a personalised and prestige service. 

"With Watermakers Air we set out to create an island airline that provided top-level service to more remote Bahamian destinations and eliminated the challenges of commercial flying. Now, with Makers Air, we've taken our brand promise to the next level by creating a tailored passenger experience that is focused on customer service and connecting our clients with the Out Islands of The Bahamas," stated David Hocher, Makers Air's Owner and CEO.

Based at Fort Lauderdale Executive airport, the charter operator with scheduled services to the Bahamian Islands is a family-owned business that has been going since 1999. It offers multiple daily flights at competitive prices, connecting passengers to many of the most pristine and hard to reach destinations in the Bahamas.

(Images from Makers Air)

Air Canada report third-quarter performance for 2018

Air Canada

Canada's largest airline, Air Canada has issued its latest figures this week, which demonstrated the airlines third quarter third-quarter (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortisation, impairment and aircraft rent) was $1.265 billion compared to third quarter 2017 of $1.360 billion.  

Air Canada also reported an operating income of $840 million compared to operating income of $976 million in last year's quarter.  The airline reported third quarter adjusted pre-tax income of $793 million compared to adjusted pre-tax income of $922 million in the prior year's quarter. 

Porto, Bologna and Bordeaux become three new destinations for Finnair passengers next summer

Bologna historic centre. Photo Ввласенко

Bologna, Bordeaux and Porto are the latest new destinations named by Finnair as the Nordic carrier expands its global reach.

Finnair will open these three new routes in time for the peak summer season in 2019. In addition, the carrier has also confirmed it will increase capacity to other popular summer destinations in its route network. 

Bologna, Italy, will be served up to three times a week between 10th April and 18th October, utilising Airbus A319 aircraft.  Bologna is a popular and well known top destination for gastronomy, fine wine and rich in history and culture. It is also a city that is less crowded than Rome and Florence and yet offers so much for the happy holiday visitor. Bologna is also an ideal gateway to several other popular Italian cities and regions that are perfect for exploring during the summer months and some of the most picturesque in all of Italy.

Bordeaux in France will enjoy a service between 11th May and 14th September 14, up to twice a week on an A319 jet. There is no doubt that Bordeaux is well known around the world for its wine, less well known is perhaps that the historic centre is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.  

SkyWest publishes its third quarter 2018 results

SkyWest reported its financial and operating results for the third quarter of the year earlier this week which showed the company made a net income of $83 million, compared to net income of $54 million last year. The airlines third quarter 2018 pre-tax income of $110 million increased 27% from the same period in 2017, primarily due to SkyWest's ongoing fleet transition. Over the last few months, SkyWest added 34 new Embraer E175 aircraft and one new CRJ900 jet and removed 65 older aircraft from its fleet.

Commenting on the results, Chip Childs, Chief Executive Officer and President of SkyWest, said, "We are focused on remaining disciplined in delivering a product that meets the evolving needs of our customers. We expect the flying and labour agreements announced this quarter to contribute to our ongoing fleet transition and help position us well for current and future market opportunities. I am proud of the outstanding product our professionals consistently deliver to our customers."  

Cancer can happen to you - American Airlines First Officer Julie Daudelin tells her story

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, American Airlines and its team members and customers are “going pink” throughout October to raise awareness and critical funds for long-time partner Susan G. Komen.

First Officer Julie Daudelin didn’t have a family history of breast cancer, but the Chicago-based pilot proactively did regular self-examinations of her breasts as part of her regular health care. During one of her routine exams seven years ago, she found a lump. Julie went to see her physician and was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. In the weeks and months that followed, Julie underwent a bilateral mastectomy followed by five months of chemotherapy. Today, she is cancer-free. Learn more about Julie’s career path, diagnosis and advice for those currently fighting in the video below.

United Airlines launches inaugural flight between San Francisco and Tahiti

One of the leading US mega-carriers, United Airlines today started the only nonstop service by a U.S. carrier to the Islands of Tahiti. The airline launched its first flight between San Francisco and Pape'ete, the capital of Tahiti. As part of its inaugural celebration, United also announced it is extending its Tahiti schedule to year-round service from San Francisco.

"We are thrilled to extend this exciting flight to a year-round schedule," said Janet Lamkin. "For Californians and our customers connecting through San Francisco, this route offers an escape to a little corner of paradise."

United launches the only nonstop service to the Islands of Tahiti by a U.S. carrier from the mainland United States

San Francisco 1445  Tahiti               2125

Tahiti               2345 San Francisco  0950 next morning

United's newest international flight offers customers a convenient gateway to the islands of French Polynesia including Mo'orea, Bora Bora, the Marquesas and Rangiroa. Starting today, United's service to Tahiti departs San Francisco International Airport on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Beginning March 30, 2019, United will begin year-round service on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. United will operate the route with Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft throughout the year.

United and United Express operate more than 250 daily flights between San Francisco and 90 destinations throughout North America, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. From San Francisco, United will continue to operate nonstop seasonal summer service to Zurich in 2019 and recently announced it will be the only U.S. carrier to offer daily, year-round nonstop service to Amsterdam beginning March 30, 2019. 

(Images United)

WestJet to start new non-stop route to Barcelona from May 2019

One of the fastest growing airlines in Canada, WestJet has announced that from May next year it will operate a new direct international service to the beautiful Catalan city of Barcelona.

From 24th May the airline will expand its growing Europe route network with a  three-times weekly, non-stop service between Toronto and Barcelona.  The summer service runs all the way through until 21st October 2019 operated on its Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft, seating 262 guests and featuring the airline's Premium and Economy cabins. 

"In summer 2019 WestJet will provide even more access between Canada and Europe as we continue to expand our international network," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. "The addition of flights to Barcelona, an important European cruise hub, offers our business and leisure guests convenient flight times and one-stop flight connections from Canada via our Toronto hub."

"Next spring, Toronto Pearson passengers will have another option for non-stop travel to Europe with WestJet's upcoming service to Barcelona," said Kim Stangeby, Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Greater Toronto Airports Authority. "International destinations continue to be in high demand for travellers in the region and we're excited to be able to provide additional connectivity to this vibrant city."

Details of WestJet's service between Toronto and Barcelona:

Route	Frequency	Departing	Arriving	Effective
Toronto –  Barcelona*	Three times weekly	9:00 p.m	10:42 a.m. +1	May 24, 2019
Barcelona – Toronto*	Three times weekly	12:30 p.m	3:25 p.m	May 25, 2019

*Subject to government approval

Russia's leading airline Aeroflot expands its winter wings......

Russia's leading airline Aeroflot expands its wings with its new schedule for the winter period, running from now until 30th March 2019. The airline, along with its sister carriers will operate an amazing 483 routes to a vast 76 countries.

For this winter season Aeroflot together with its subsidiary Rossiya Airlines will offer 14 new destinations, including Dubai World Central (DWC) and the capital of Slovenia Ljubljana. In total, Aeroflot will operate flights to 152 destinations in 55 countries, including 54 routes inside Russia (53 from Moscow, 1 from Sochi), 18 routes to seven CIS countries and 80 other international flights. These include 56 routes to European destinations, 14 routes to Asia, five routes to the Americas, four routes to the Middle East and one route to Africa.

Unsurprisingly, most of the new routes are within Russia andAeroflot’s route network now spans the largest cities in the Northern Caucasus, including Vladikavkaz (7 flights per week), Grozny (7 flights per week), Makhachkala (21 flights per week), Nazran (Magas) (7 flights per week), Nalchik (7 flights per week). Aeroflot now also offers 14 weekly flights each to Izhevsk and Ulyanovsk.

WestJet to start new direct service to Atlanta from Calgary.

Calgary is getting a new direct service to Atlanta, WestJet announced today, marking a major step towards global connectivity with codeshare partner Delta Air Lines.

The new service starts 3rd March 2019 and will operate six times a week initially, before increasing to a daily operation from 7th April. "WestJet is proud to expand on vital trade and tourism linkages between Western Canada and the southeastern United States," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. "Non-stop, year-round flights from Calgary to Atlanta connect two major markets in North America and grow opportunities for trade and tourism."

"Being able to access the world's busiest airport direct from Calgary is a strategic advantage that will allow our guests more access to the U.S. and connect to more places in the world," said Bob Sartor, Calgary Airport Authority's President and CEO. "We thank WestJet for this further investment and for providing another way to travel to and from Canada."

WestJet is the only airline flying non-stop from Calgary to ATL, the world's largest airline hub – home of Delta Airlines, a WestJet codeshare partner since 2011. Together with Delta, via Hartsfield-Jackson airport, WestJet will offer codeshare access to an extensive list of U.S. destinations including the southeastern United States and Gulf Coast and cities such as Memphis, Charleston, New Orleans,  Savannah, Pensacola and Panama City. 

Aeroflot starts Ljubljana service

Russian airline Aeroflot started a daily service from its Moscow hub to the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana,  this week as part of its new winter timetable.

The service is operated by a new Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft on a daily basis until 30th March 2019, the outbound flight departs at 0905 from Sheremetyevo to arrive Ljubljana at 1020. The return flight leaves Ljubljana at 1130 to arrive back in Moscow at 1640. 

Marking the launch of the new service on Sunday 28th October, Vitaly Saveliev, CEO of Aeroflot, said: “Today Aeroflot ranks as a leading global carrier and we continue to expand our international route network. This winter we will open new routes as well as increasing flight frequencies to popular destinations. We are pleased to offer travellers new international destinations as well as additional flights to popular tourist destinations, thus expanding travel options with Aeroflot for both business and leisure travellers.”

Delta Air Lines shows off its new A220..................... Inside the new plane

This week Delta Air Lines shared photos of the modern interior of its brand new Airbus A220-100 aircraft.

Proud to show off the most recent addition to the Delta fleet, the airline released photos of the cabin on the 10th anniversary of its merger with Northwest.

“As we look back at our growth over the past 10 years since the Delta-Northwest merger, we reflect on the complementary strengths the two airlines brought to form a combined company that’s well positioned to continue leading the industry in decades to come,” said Gil West, Delta’s Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “In many ways, the A220 represents our continued work to make flying better for everyone and represents the go-forward objectives of our fleet strategy.”

Designed to be experience-rich for customers, Delta’s A220 will bring elements of the international travel experience that customers have enjoyed on widebody aircraft — like Delta’s flagship A350 — to domestic routes for customers to enjoy at home.

Inaugural A220 flights are set to depart on 31st January, from Delta's hub at New York's LaGuardia airport to its growing operation at Boston Logan International, and from LaGuardia to top business destination Dallas/Ft. Worth.

 

 

 More photos inside the new A220 -