Croatia Airlines is hit again by a strike of its three unions
Croatia Airlines (Zagreb) today (May 15) was hit again by a strike of its employees protesting wage and job cuts as part of the state airlines’ restructuring. The airline cancelled 22 flights today per Global Post. The company issued this statement:
Current Travel Information: Strike actions announced for Wednesday, May 15, 2013
All information about flight status for Wednesday, May 15, 2013 you may find under the link below:
www.croatiaairlines.com/Industrial-action-of-Croatia-Airlines-employees
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding and patience.
The three unions representing the pilots and flight attendants started their strike against the company yesterday after negotiations failed to reach a new contract.
Read the full report from the Global Post: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: Bernhard Ross/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-212 9A-CTM (msn 671) in the Star Alliance motif rests between flights at Frankfurt.
Croatia Airlines: 
Lufthansa faces additional strikes by Verdi
Lufthansa (Frankfurt) is facing additional strikes by its Verdi union.
According to this report by Reuters, Verdi is demanding a 5.2 percent pay raise over 12 months and job security for about 33,000 cabin crew and ground staff.
Read the full report: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: TMK Photography. Airbus A340-311 D-AIGC (msn 027) in the Star Alliance livery climbs away from the runway at Toronto (Pearson).
Lufthansa:
AviancaTaca Holding S.A. reports a net profit of $195.63 million for 2012
TAP Portugal posts a $20.6 million profit in 2012
TAP Portugal (Lisbon) posted a $20.6 million profit in 2012.
The airline issued the following financial statement:
With a profit of 15.9 million euros in 2012, this was well above the 3.1 million in 2011, TAP SA achieved positive results for the fourth consecutive year.
In 2012, total debt was reduced from 1042 TAP million to 862 million, which represents an improvement of 21%. Note also that the total debt, which in 2011 represented 46% of total income and gains, fell to 35% in 2012.
Obtaining a positive net income for the fourth year was made possible by the company’s growth, which reached 4.4% with over 10,186 million passengers, surpassing for the first time in its history the barrier of 10 million.
Total revenues in financial year 2012 amounted to 2,429 million euros, showing an increase of 6.9% compared to 2273 million in the previous year, highlighting the Maintenance Assistance (Third Party) with an improvement of 23% and ticket revenues with a growth of 6.7%.
Operating costs, excluding fuel, stood at 1,422 million euros, 4.8% more than the 1,357 recorded in 2011. The fuel bill, whose cost has not stopped growing since 2008, had in 2012 an additional 93 million euros, up 13% compared to 2011.
The positive results of TAP reflect the continuing effort to improve efficiency, achieved through productivity gains and decreased consumption.
Operating results were also positive at 43.4 million euros, 5.6% better than the 41.1 recorded in 2011.
While increasing the supply (PKO) 4.1%, the national airline increased demand (PKU) of 4.8%, which allowed also improve the load factor of 76.3% in 2011 to the 76.8 percent in 2012.
Copyright Photo: Dave Glendinning. Airbus A320-214 CS-TNP (msn 2178) in the Star Alliance livery taxies to the runway at London (Heathrow).
TAP Portugal: 
United Airlines to operate summer seasonal service from Newark to both Anchorage and Traverse City
United Airlines (Chicago) will launch summer-season service from its Newark Liberty International Airport hub to Anchorage, Alaska, and Traverse City, Michigan. The new flights will offer the only nonstop service between the New York area and Anchorage, and the only nonstop service between Newark Liberty and Traverse City.
United will operate the Anchorage service on Saturdays from July 6, 2013 through August 31, 2013, using Boeing 757 aircraft. United Express service to Traverse City will operate on weekends from July 5, 2013 through Aug. 25, 2013, with 50-seat regional jet aircraft flown by ExpressJet Airlines (Atlanta).
Copyright Photo: Boeing 757-224 N14120 (msn 27562) in the Star Alliance motif taxies to the gate at Los Angeles.
United Airlines:
Will this be the week of an American-US Airways merger announcement?
American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) and US Airways (Phoenix) are working towards a February 15 deadline to finalize their merger details. According to this report by Reuters, under the draft proposal, Chief Executive Doug Parker of US Airways would become CEO of the new American Airlines, while AMR Corporation’s Tom Horton would serve as a non-executive chairman of the AA board until the spring of 2014, when the combined new company holds its first annual meeting and votes on its management.
The boards of both airlines are expected to vote this week on the merger proposal. AMR’s creditors are due to vote today on the proposal. Depending on these votes a merger could be announced on Thursday or Friday.
US Airways would leave the Star Alliance with any merger. This merger would create the world’s largest airline and would be subject to regulatory government approvals. American Airlines would exit Chapter 11 with any merger.
Even though the merger will be stock merger, in reality, it will be US Airways management taking over American Airlines and retaining the name like America West did with the original US Airways. Since US Airways is still being operated as two airlines (East and West) the new American Airlines will have to get all of its labor agreements together finally with single contracts. A lot of work remains.
Read the full story: CLICK HERE
Top Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum. With a merger, the Star Alliance logojets would probably be one of the first US Airways aircraft to be repainted. Airbus A319-112 N703UW (msn 904) arrives at the Charlotte hub of US Airways.
American Airlines: 
US Airways:
Air Canada reports record load factors for December and the full year of 2012
Air Canada (Montreal) for the month of December 2012, reported a record system load factor of 82.1 per cent, versus 81.0 per cent in December 2011, an increase of 1.1 percentage points. System traffic increased 3.2 per cent on a system-wide capacity increase of 1.8 per cent. For the full year 2012, load factor was a record 82.7 per cent, versus 81.6 per cent, an increase of 1.1 percentage points. Air Canada reports traffic results on a system-wide basis, including regional airlines from which Air Canada purchases capacity.
“For both the month of December and full year 2012, Air Canada achieved record load factors of 82.1 and 82.7 per cent, respectively,” said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Led by increases in traffic in the U.S. transborder market of 6.6 per cent and in the Atlantic market of 5.1 per cent, Air Canada generated greater traffic for the month of December in all markets the airline serves with system wide growth of 3.2 per cent on a capacity increase of 1.8 per cent through higher utilization of our existing fleet. These strong results, for both the month and full year, underscore the effectiveness of Air Canada’s disciplined capacity management and our award winning product. I want to thank our employees for taking care of the more than 33 million customers Air Canada served in 2012 and, above all, transporting them safely to their destination. Their professionalism and efforts in earning our customers’ loyalty have been recognized by many industry awards, including the selection of Air Canada by frequent world travelers as the Best International Airline in North America.”
| DECEMBER | Q4 | YEAR-TO-DATE | ||||||||
| 2012 | 2011 | Change | 2012 | 2011 | Change | 2012 | 2011 | Change | ||
| Traffic (RPMs mln) | 4,394 | 4,256 | +3.2% | 12,574 | 12,064 | +4.2% | 55,646 | 54,223 | +2.6% | |
| Capacity (ASMs mln) | 5,349 | 5,253 | +1.8% | 15,485 | 15,290 | +1.3% | 67,271 | 66,460 | +1.2% | |
| Load Factor | 82.1% | 81.0% | +1.1 pts | 81.2% | 78.9% | +2.3 pts | 82.7% | 81.6% | +1.1 pts | |
| Canada | RPMs | 1,272 | 1,259 | +1.0% | 3,831 | 3,708 | +3.3% | 16,403 | 15,971 | +2.7% |
| ASMs | 1,520 | 1,550 | -1.9% | 4,591 | 4,588 | +0.1% | 19,858 | 19,666 | +1.0% | |
| LF | 83.7% | 81.2% | +2.5 pts | 83.4% | 80.8% | +2.6 pts | 82.6% | 81.2% | +1.4 pts | |
| US Transborder |
RPMs | 771 | 723 | +6.6% | 2,063 | 1,979 | +4.2% | 8,921 | 8,649 | +3.1% |
| ASMs | 1,020 | 958 | +6.5% | 2,696 | 2,625 | +2.7% | 11,409 | 11,094 | +2.8% | |
| LF | 75.6% | 75.5% | +0.1 pts | 76.5% | 75.4% | +1.1 pts | 78.2% | 78.0% | +0.2 pts | |
| Atlantic | RPMs | 933 | 888 | +5.1% | 2,837 | 2,687 | +5.6% | 13,951 | 13,675 | +2.0% |
| ASMs | 1,109 | 1,100 | +0.8% | 3,583 | 3,580 | +0.1% | 16,845 | 16,839 | 0% | |
| LF | 84.1% | 80.7% | +3.4 pts | 79.2% | 75.1% | +4.1 pts | 82.8% | 81.2% | +1.6 pts | |
| Pacific | RPMs | 806 | 792 | +1.8% | 2,403 | 2,287 | +5.1% | 10,013 | 9,706 | +3.2% |
| ASMs | 944 | 909 | +3.9% | 2,779 | 2,716 | +2.3% | 11,383 | 11,192 | +1.7% | |
| LF | 85.4% | 87.1% | -1.7 pts | 86.5% | 84.2% | +2.3 pts | 88.0% | 86.7% | +1.3 pts | |
| Other* | RPMs | 612 | 594 | +3.0% | 1,440 | 1,403 | +2.6% | 6,358 | 6,222 | +2.2% |
| ASMs | 756 | 736 | +2.7% | 1,836 | 1,781 | +3.1% | 7,776 | 7,669 | +1.4% | |
| LF | 81.0% | 80.7% | +0.3 pts | 78.4% | 78.8% | -0.4 pts | 81.8% | 81.1% | +0.7 pts | |
* Includes Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America
Copyright Photo: Keith Burton. Boeing 767-333 ER C-FMWY (msn 25587) arrives at London (Heathrow). The airliner wears special “15 Years 1997 – 2012″ markings on the Star Alliance color scheme.
Air Canada: 
American Airlines and US Airways move one step closer to a merger with this announcement
American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) will soon make a decision on whether it will proceed with the proposed merger with US Airways (Phoenix). The two airlines have issued this joint statement which brings a probable merger one step closer with a new agreement between its pilots:
American Airlines and US Airways, with participation of committee counsel for the Unsecured Creditors Committee, are pleased that they have completed discussions with the Allied Pilots Association and US Airline Pilots Association intended to develop a framework for the terms of employment for pilots, as well as a process for pilot integration, in the event of a merger between AA and US during restructuring. This memorandum of understanding was approved by the Allied Pilots Association’s Board of Directors and by USAPA’s Board of Pilot Representatives. This memorandum of understanding will assist all of the stakeholders, including the Boards of AMR and US Airways, in making an informed decision as to whether a merger should ultimately be pursued. The MOU is one of several elements to be considered before a decision on a merger can be made. Details regarding the MOU are still covered by the terms of a non-disclosure agreement so they cannot be further disclosed at this time.
American Airlines’ board of directors meets next week to consider its course of action. Read the analysis by Reuters: CLICK HERE
Top Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing. The Boeing 767-200s of both airlines are likely to be retired fairly soon if a merger is accomplished. American’s Boeing 767-223 ER N324AA (msn 22325) is mainly assigned to the transcontinental routes and is pictured departing from Los Angeles International Airport.
American Airlines:
US Airways:
Bottom Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum. A decision will have to made about US Airways’ membership in the Star Alliance if a merger is pursued. Boeing 757-2B7 N935UW 9msn 27201) arrives at Las Vegas.
United to offer nonstop service from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood starting on March 2
United Airlines (Chicago) has announced plans to launch nonstop service between its San Francisco hub and Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood, with once-weekly flights beginning on March 2, 2013, and daily service beginning April 9, 2013. The new flights will operate with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
“South Florida is the largest region in the country not currently served by United from San Francisco,” said Jim Ferea, United’s managing director of domestic planning. “We’re pleased to link these two areas that are important to both business and leisure travelers.”
The daily flights will depart from San Francisco at 8:30 a.m. and arrive in Fort Lauderdale at 5:05 p.m. The return flights will depart Fort Lauderdale at 5:55 p.m. and arrive in San Francisco at 9:15 p.m.
Between March 2, 2013, and April 7, 2013, the airline will offer weekly Saturday-only flights on the route. The schedule varies slightly for the weekly service.
Since February 2011, United has added nonstop service between Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood and Chicago-O’Hare, Denver and Washington-Dulles. The airline also offers nonstop flights between Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood and hubs in Cleveland, Houston and New York.
United will compete against JetBlue Airways and Virgin America on the route. United previously had a hub at Miami (the former Pan Am hub) and previously offered Miami-San Francisco service.
Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough. Boeing 737-824 N26210 (msn 28770) in the Star Alliance scheme arrives at the Washington (Dulles) hub.
United Airlines: 
United Continental Holdings reports third quarter net income of $520 million excluding special charges, only $6 million with the charges
United Continental Holdings, Inc. (United Airlines) (Chicago) reported third-quarter 2012 net income of $520 million, or $1.35 per diluted share, excluding $514 million of net special charges. Including special charges, UAL reported third-quarter 2012 net income of $6 million, or $0.02 per diluted share.
- UAL third-quarter consolidated passenger revenue decreased 2.6 percent year-over-year. Third-quarter consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) decreased 1.3 percent compared to the same period in 2011.
- Consolidated unit costs (CASM) holding fuel rate and profit sharing constant and excluding special charges and third-party business expense increased 2.5 percent year-over-year on a consolidated capacity reduction of 1.4 percent. Third-quarter consolidated CASM increased 6.6 percent year-over-year.
- UAL ended the third quarter with $7.2 billion in unrestricted liquidity.
Third-Quarter Revenue and Capacity
For the third quarter of 2012, total revenue was $9.9 billion, a decrease of 2.6 percent year-over-year. Third-quarter consolidated passenger revenue decreased 2.6 percent to $8.8 billion, compared to the same period in 2011.
Consolidated revenue passenger miles (RPMs) decreased 1.5 percent on a consolidated capacity (available seat miles) decrease of 1.4 percent year-over-year for the third quarter, resulting in a third-quarter consolidated load factor of 85.2 percent.
Consolidated yield for the third quarter of 2012 decreased 1.2 percent year-over-year. Third-quarter 2012 consolidated PRASM decreased 1.3 percent compared to the same period in 2011.
Mainline RPMs in the third quarter of 2012 decreased 1.9 percent on a mainline capacity decrease of 1.4 percent year-over-year, resulting in a third-quarter mainline load factor of 85.7 percent. Mainline yield for the third quarter of 2012 decreased 1.5 percent compared to the same period in 2011. Third-quarter 2012 mainline PRASM decreased 2.0 percent year-over-year.
Passenger revenue for the third quarter of 2012 and period-to-period comparisons of related statistics for UAL’s mainline and regional operations are as follows:
| 3Q 2012 Passenger Revenue (millions) |
Passenger Revenue vs. 3Q 2011 |
PRASM vs. 3Q 2011 |
Yield vs. 3Q 2011 |
Available Seat Miles vs. 3Q 2011 |
||||||||||
| Domestic | $3,325 | (5.8%) | (4.2%) | (2.6%) | (1.7%) | |||||||||
| Atlantic | 1,591 | (8.0%) | (4.5%) | (3.7%) | (3.7%) | |||||||||
| Pacific | 1,450 | 11.0% | 9.9% | 7.2% | 1.0% | |||||||||
| Latin America | 627 | (6.8%) | (8.3%) | (9.4%) | 1.6% | |||||||||
| International | 3,668 | (1.1%) | 0.0% | (0.7%) | (1.1%) | |||||||||
| Mainline | 6,993 | (3.4%) | (2.0%) | (1.5%) | (1.4%) | |||||||||
| Regional | 1,781 | 0.5% | 1.6% | (0.9%) | (1.1%) | |||||||||
| Consolidated | $8,774 | (2.6%) | (1.3%) | (1.2%) | (1.4%) | |||||||||
Year-over-year cargo and other revenue in the third quarter of 2012 decreased 2.3 percent, or $27 million, to $1.1 billion.
Third-Quarter Costs
Total operating expenses, including special charges, increased $473 million, or 5.1 percent, in the third quarter compared to the same period of 2011. Third-quarter 2012 operating expenses, excluding fuel, profit sharing, special charges and third-party business expense, increased $92 million, or 1.7 percent, year-over-year. Third-party business expense was $55 million in the third quarter.
Both consolidated and mainline CASM, excluding special charges and third-party business expense, increased 2.3 percent in the third quarter of 2012 compared to the same period of 2011. Third-quarter consolidated and mainline CASM, including special charges, increased 6.6 and 7.5 percent year-over-year, respectively.
In the third quarter, consolidated and mainline CASM, excluding special charges and third-party business expense and holding fuel rate and profit sharing constant, increased 2.5 percent and 2.0 percent, respectively, compared to the results for the same period of 2011.
Third-Quarter Liquidity and Return on Invested Capital
UAL ended the third quarter with $7.2 billion in unrestricted liquidity, including $500 million of undrawn commitments under a revolving credit facility. During the third quarter, the company had gross capital expenditures of $412 million. The company made debt and principal payments under capital lease of $487 million including $104 million of prepayments in the third quarter. The company’s return on invested capital for the 12 months ended Sept. 30, 2012, was 9.3 percent, below the company’s goal of a 10 percent return over the business cycle.
Third-Quarter 2012 Events
- United recorded a U.S. Department of Transportation domestic on-time arrival rate of 72.4 percent and a system completion factor of 98.6 percent for the quarter. For international flights, United recorded an on-time arrival rate of 71.0 percent. The on-time arrival rates are based on flights arriving within 14 minutes of scheduled arrival time.
- On Aug. 2, the company reached an agreement in principle for a joint collective bargaining agreement with the Air Line Pilots Association representing pilots from the company’s United and Continental subsidiaries. Flight attendants from the company’s Continental and Continental Micronesia subsidiaries ratified new labor agreements, and the company began the joint collective bargaining process with the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents all flight attendants. The company and the International Association of Machinists announced that they would engage in expedited joint collective bargaining agreement negotiations for fleet service employees, passenger service employees and certain other work groups. The company is also in the process of commencing joint negotiations with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents maintenance technicians.
- United employees earned cash incentive payments totaling $5 million for exceeding 80 percent domestic on-time arrival performance for the month of September.
- United took delivery of its first Boeing 787. United is the first North American carrier to take delivery of the 787, and the aircraft is the first of five new Dreamliners the airline expects to receive this year from its total order for 50 of the aircraft.
- United announced routes for its Boeing 787 aircraft, in addition to the previously announced service from its Denver hub to Tokyo Narita, including service between its Houston hub and Lagos, Nigeria, and from its Los Angeles hub to Tokyo Narita and Shanghai. The airline will also operate Dreamliner service from its Houston hub to Amsterdam and London Heathrow on a temporary basis.
- The company announced an order to purchase 150 narrowbody Boeing 737 aircraft, including 100 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft and 50 Boeing 737-900ER aircraft for delivery between 2013 and 2022. These new aircraft will allow United to replace older, less-efficient aircraft to reduce fuel and operating costs, enhance the customer experience and maximize network opportunities.
- During the quarter, United launched service from Newark to Istanbul. In addition, the carrier launched service from San Francisco to Raleigh-Durham, N.C., from Denver to Shreveport, La., and from Newark to Columbia, S.C. United also announced 12 new routes during the quarter, including flights from its San Francisco hub to Taipei, Taiwan, and Paris, as well as from Washington, D.C. to San Salvador, from Cleveland to Nashville and from Chicago to Monterrey, Mexico, Thunder Bay, Canada, and Nassau, Bahamas.
- Emphasizing the importance of service and reliability, United awarded new Ford vehicles to 11 employees for their perfect attendance. Thousands of employees were eligible, and United selected the winners during a random drawing.
- United now has 180 airplanes featuring DIRECTV®, offering customers more live television access than any other airline in the world.
- United Economy Plus seating is now on 90 percent of United’s entire mainline fleet, and the company continues to install flat-bed seats in premium cabins on its international fleet. United now has 159 aircraft featuring flat-bed seats, more than any other U.S. carrier.
- United launched its MileagePlus Digital Media Store, a first-of-its-kind in the airline industry, giving MileagePlus members the opportunity to use miles for music tracks, albums and movies.
Copyright Photo: Andi Hiltl. Boeing 767-322 ER N653UA (msn 25391) lands at Zurich.
United Airlines: 
Air New Zealand celebrates 15 years of the Star Alliance with a special logo
Air New Zealand (Auckland) has added an additional “15 Years” logo to its Airbus A320 Star Alliance logojet.
On May 14, 1997, five airlines, namely United Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Thai Airways International and Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) launched the Star Alliance.
The five airlines adopted the traditional five-pointed star logo to represent the five founding airlines.
Air New Zealand joined the alliance in March of 1999.
Copyright Photo: Colin Hunter. Airbus A320-232 ZK-OJH (msn 2257) completes its final approach into Auckland with the additional markings.
Hot New Photos: 
United announces new international and domestic routes from hub cities
United Airlines (Chicago) today announced plans to launch year-round and seasonal service on several new international and domestic routes, including:
- New daily trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic flights from San Francisco, United’s largest Pacific gateway;
- New flights from Chicago to points in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean;
- New “Capital to Capital” service between Washington and San Salvador; and
- Additional flights from Denver and Los Angeles.
United and its regional partners will operate these new routes with a mix of mainline and regional aircraft.
The newly announced and previously launched services are consistent with United’s previously announced 2012 capacity guidance.
United will begin daily year-round service between its hub at San Francisco International Airport and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei on April 9, 2013, subject to government approval. The flights will operate using Boeing 777-200 ER aircraft with 269 seats – eight in United Global First, 40 in United BusinessFirst, 104 in United Economy Plus, and 117 in United Economy.
The new San Francisco-Taipei flights will be available for booking once United receives government approval.
The airline will also begin daily year-round service between San Francisco and Charles de Gaulle International Airport in Paris on April 11, 2013, subject to government approval. The Paris flights will operate with Boeing 767-300 aircraft with 214 seats – 30 in BusinessFirst, 49 in Economy Plus and 135 in economy.
The new Paris and Taipei services will augment United’s ongoing investment in air service at San Francisco International Airport. This year, the airline will operate more than 300 flights daily from San Francisco, more than any other airline and more than 8 percent more departures from San Francisco compared to 2011. United offers nonstop service to more than 60 airports across the United States, including those in top business travel markets in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, and to nearly 20 international destinations, including markets in Asia, Australia, Europe and Latin America
Daily service between United’s hub at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Monterrey, Mexico will begin on December 19, 2012, subject to government approval. The United Express flights will operate using Canadair CRJ700 regional jet aircraft with 66 seats – six in first class, 28 in Economy Plus and 32 in economy.
The new Chicago-Monterrey flights will be available for booking once United receives government approval.
United will also offer daily United Express service between Chicago O’Hare and Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, using Canadair CRJ200 regional jets with 50 economy seats. The Thunder Bay flights will begin on February 14, 2013.
Weekly, peak-season service between Chicago and Nassau, Bahamas will begin on February 9, 2013, subject to government approval. The flights will operate on Saturdays through July 27, 2013, using Canadair CRJ700 regional jet aircraft.
United Express service between the Chicago hub and Jackson, Mississippi will begin on November 4, 2012. The flights will operate using Embraer ERJ 145 regional jets with 50 economy seats.
In addition, the airline will begin service between Chicago and Anchorage for the winter peak-travel period of December 19, 2012 to January 2, 2013. The flights will operate using Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 154 seats – 16 in first class, 48 in Economy Plus and 90 in economy. This service is in addition to United’s summer-season flights between Chicago and Anchorage.
United offers nearly 600 nonstop flights each day from Chicago to more than 150 destinations worldwide – dozens more flight and destination options than any other airline.
The airline will also add new domestic and international routes from other domestic hubs:
- Denver – Three-times-daily service between Denver International Airport and Sloulin Field International Airport in Williston, North Dakota, will begin on November 4, 2012. The United Express service will operate with Embraer ERJ 145 regional jet aircraft.
- Los Angeles – United Express service between Los Angeles International Airport and Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, will begin on December 19, 2012, using Canadair CRJ700 regional jet aircraft.
- Washington/Dulles – United will add daily service between Washington/Dulles International Airport and San Salvador International Airport in El Salvador, beginning December 19, 2012, subject to government approval. The flights will operate with Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 154 seats – 16 in first class, 48 in Economy Plus and 90 in economy.
In the past 18 months, United has added new routes from its U.S. hubs to international destinations such as Guadalajara, Mexico; Montreal, Canada; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Shanghai, China, and Stuttgart, Germany, along with new intra-Asia routes between the Tokyo hub and Hong Kong and between the Guam hub and Okinawa, Japan.
In addition, the airline recently launched new service between Houston and Lagos, Nigeria; between Newark and Buenos Aires and Istanbul; between Washington/Dulles and Manchester, U.K. and Dublin, Ireland; and announced new service between Denver and Tokyo.
United also added a number of new domestic routes by using a mix of mainline and regional aircraft.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing.
United Airlines: 
SAS is coming to San Francisco
Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) is coming to San Francisco. The airline will launch nonstop Copenhagen-San Francisco service on April 8, 2013. The new route will be operated six days a week. The SFO route will feed Star Alliance partner United Airlines which has a hub there.
The carrier is also launching an evening departure from Copenhagen to Newark (three days a week) starting on April 1, 2013.
Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough.
SAS: 
United to launch nonstop Newark-Istanbul flights tomorrow
United Airlines (Chicago) introduces its first-ever service to Turkey this weekend with the launch of daily nonstop service between Newark Liberty International Airport and Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport, beginning tomorrow (July 1).
Flight UA 904 is scheduled to depart Newark Liberty daily at 7:27 p.m. (1927) and arrive in Istanbul at 12:20 p.m. (1220) the next day. The return flight, UA 905, is scheduled to depart Istanbul daily at 1:55 p.m. (1355) and arrive in Newark at 6:02 p.m. (1802) the same day (all times local). Flying times are nine hours, 53 minutes eastbound and 11 hours, seven minutes westbound.
Initially, the service will operate with a three-cabin Boeing 767-300 aircraft, featuring a total of 183 seats – six in United Global First, 26 in United BusinessFirst and 151 in United Economy, including 67 Economy Plus seats. Later this summer, United plans to fly this route with its newly-configured Boeing 767-300, which features 30 seats in United BusinessFirst, 49 in Economy Plus and 135 in Economy. Customers traveling in BusinessFirst in this enhanced aircraft will enjoy flat-bed seats, a 15.4″ touchscreen monitor delivering on-demand inflight audio/video content, electrical and USB outlets, an iPod jack and a five-course meal with fine wines. Customers in Economy Plus will benefit from more legroom and more recline than Economy seats. Each Economy Plus and Economy seat in this upgraded aircraft features a 9″ touchscreen on-demand inflight entertainment system, and all Economy rows have access to electrical outlets.
Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough.
United Airlines: 
US Airways announces a new code share agreement with Croatia Airlines
US Airways (Phoenix) and Croatia Airlines (Zagreb) today (June 27) announced a new bilateral codeshare agreement after receiving approval from the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). US Airways’ customers will enjoy expanded service to destinations in Croatia and the convenience of a single-ticket purchase for a seamless travel experience. Customers traveling on Croatia Airlines will also receive expanded access to the United States.
US Airways customers will be able to connect to Zagreb on Croatia Airlines flights from Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, London-Heathrow, Munich and Zurich. Equally, Croatia Airlines’ customers traveling from Zagreb will have access to US Airways’ East Coast hubs of Charlotte and Philadelphia when traveling from these European destinations. Croatia Airlines will also add its code on US Airways flights from Philadelphia to Cleveland, Detroit and St. Louis. In the future, US Airways and Croatia Airlines intend to expand their relationship to include flights to and from Dubrovnik and Split.
Top Copyright Photo: Jay Selman.
US Airways: 
Croatia Airlines: 
Bottom Copyright Photo: Keith Burton.
Avianca and TACA Airlines join the Star Alliance
Avianca (Colombia) (Bogota) and TACA Airlines (San Salvador) yesterday (June 21) announced their official entry into the Star Alliance. The airline network is the world´s largest in terms of daily flights, route network, service excellence and number of airline members.
After two years of work in the approval process and with the adoption of the highest standards of operation and service, Avianca and TACA Airlines now offer passengers the opportunity to access this global network, which brings together 28 internationally renowned airlines. It operates more than 4,200 latest generation aircraft, servicing 21,500 daily flights to 1,356 airports in 193 countries.
Star Alliance, with 15 years of experience (since 1997) is recognized as the first truly global airline alliance. Consistent with its goal of offering customers worldwide the largest number of destinations and a great travel experience, it now offers exclusive services and assistance to frequent flyers in 990 airport lounges on all five continents. It has the support of nearly half a million employees in America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.
The Alliance transports an average of 650 million passengers per year and has sales revenues of USD 160bn.
The combined Star Alliance network will provide Avianca and TACA Airlines an opportunity to strengthen their presence in Latin America and the Caribbean in general. Passengers of the global network can quickly and seamlessly fly to over 50 destinations in the region through Avianca and TACA Airlines Hubs in Bogota (Colombia), San Salvador (El Salvador), Lima (Peru) and San Jose (Costa Rica).
Top Copyright Photo: Jay Selman.
Avianca (Colombia): 
TACA: 
Bottom Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough.
US Airways to file for antitrust immunity next month for a merger with American Airlines
US Airways (Phoenix) is planning to file the necessary paperwork with the antitrust regulators for a proposed merger with AMR Corporation (Dallas/Fort Worth), the bankrupt parent of American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth), according to this report by Reuters. US Airways believes such a filing would ease antitrust concerns about a possible merger. Meanwhile American’s management is proceeding with their own Chapter 11 reorganization as a stand-alone carrier despite undying pressure from the unsecured creditors and the unions to consider a merger with US Airways.
Read the full report: CLICK HERE
Top Copyright Photo: Jay Selman.
US Airways: 
American: 
Bottom Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum.
EVA Air is accepted to join the Star Alliance
EVA Air (Taipei) and the Star Alliance have announced the Chief Executive Board (CEB) of the Star Alliance have unanimously accepted the membership application of EVA Air. According to the alliance, “this decision underscores the Alliance’s long term strategy of seeking network growth and providing access to new markets which show strong economic potential and development.”
The integration process will now begin, with the respective teams at EVA Air and Star Alliance commencing the work which needs to be completed before a new airline can join the Star Alliance network. Air China will be assisting in this process as the mentor airline.
EVA Air’s network of 62 destinations will add Kaohsiung in Taiwan and Surabaya in Indonesia as unique airports to the Star alliance network. In addition, Taiwan’s geographic location adds to the quality of the Star Alliance hubs in Asia, it has the shortest average distance to all major cities in the Asia-Pacific region. In total, the network of 30 airlines (the current 26 and four future members) will offer more than 22,000 daily flights to 1,345 destinations in 191 countries.
In other news, the company is planning to place an order for seven additional Boeing 777-300 ERs according to a report by Flightglobal.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing.
EVA Air Slide Show: CLICK HERE
Air India’s bid to join the Star Alliance is put on hold
Air India 777-337 ER VT-ALK (msn 36309) CDG (Yannick Delamarre), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.
Air India (Mumbai) has failed to meet the requirements to join the Star Alliance. The 27 members have now put the the bid on hold to join the alliance.
The Star Alliance issued the following statement:
“The member airlines of the Star Alliance network and Air India have jointly concluded that the integration of Air India into the global airline alliance will be suspended. This is due to the fact that Air India has not met the minimum joining conditions that were contractually agreed in December 2007.
Following a recent review of the status of Air India’s application at a meeting held between the Indian Ministry for Civil Aviation, Star Alliance CEO, Jaan Albrecht and the Air India CMD, Arvind Jadhav, the decision to suspend has received subsequent confirmation by the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board.
Existing bilateral relationships with Star Alliance member airlines are not affected by this decision, which also leaves room to discuss a potential Alliance membership at a future stage, if deemed appropriate by both parties.”
Air India Slide Show: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: Yannick Delamarre.
US Airways reports a $240 million third quarter profit
US Airways Boeing 757-2B7 WL N936UW (msn 27244) (Star Alliance) SEA (Nick Dean), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.
US Airways Group, Inc. (Phoenix) today reported its third quarter financial results. On a GAAP basis, the Company reported a net profit of $240 million for its third quarter 2010, or $1.22 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of ($80) million, or ($0.60) per share, for the same period in 2009. The $240 million net profit is the highest third quarter net profit in the Company’s history.
Excluding special items of $3 million, net profit for the third quarter 2010 was $243 million, or $1.23 per diluted share. Net loss excluding special items for the third quarter 2009 was ($110) million, or ($0.83) per share.
Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. Please click on photo for additional details.
Jazz Air reports 2Q net income of C$15.6 million
Air Canada Jazz (Jazz Air) Bombardier CRJ705 (CL-600-2C10) C-FUJZ (msn 15048) (Star Alliance) YUL (Gilbert Hechema), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.
Jazz Air (Air Canada Jazz( (Halifax) reported second quarter net income of C$15.6 million.
Copyright Photo: Gilbert Hechema. Painted in the Star Alliance motif, Jazz Air’s Bombardier CRJ705 (CL-600-2C10) C-FUJZ (msn 15048) climbs rapidly at Montreal (Trudeau).
TAM Airlines firms up order for 20 Airbus A320 Family aircraft and five A350-900s
TAM Airlines (TAM Brasil) (TAM Linhas Aereas) Airbus A320-232 PR-MBO (msn 3156) (Star Alliance) GRU (Marcelo F. De Biasi), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.
TAM Airlines (TAM Linhas Aereas) (Sao Paulo) has signed a firm order for 25 Airbus aircraft, bringing the Brazilian airline’s total Airbus order book to 176. This order for 20 A320 Family aircraft and five A350-900s follows the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) announced at ILA Berlin Air Show in June.
TAM’s new A320 Family aircraft will replace existing A320 Family aircraft as part of the airline’s commitment to keep an average fleet age of six years.
As of today, TAM’s total Airbus orders have increased to 134 A320 Family aircraft, 15 A330-200s and 27 A350 XWB. 65 Airbus A320 Family aircraft, two A330-200s and 27 A350 XWB are still in the backlog.
Copyright Photo: Marcelo F. De Biasi. TAM’s sleek Airbus A320-232 PR-MBO (msn 3156) painted in the Star Alliance motif climbs away from Sao Paulo (Guarulhos).
Continental Airlines reaches 25 aircraft with new flat-bed Business seats
Continental Airlines Boeing 777-224 ER N77022 (msn 39777) (Star Alliance) PAE (Nick Dean) (planned missed approach, third CO 777 in Star Alliance), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.
Continental Airlines’ (Houston) 25th aircraft with new flat-bed BusinessFirst seats and additional upgraded amenities took to the skies this week.
The carrier’s flat-bed seats made their operational debut in November 2009 and are being installed on aircraft used on long-haul international routes. Currently the seats are being installed on Continental’s Boeing 777 and 757-200 fleets, with 11 777s and 14 757-200s completed. In addition, Continental will take delivery of two new Boeing 777 aircraft outfitted with the flat-bed seats by the end of July. The seats will also be installed on many of Continental’s Boeing 767-400 aircraft starting in 2011 and on the Boeing 787 fleet as the new aircraft are delivered to the company.
The BusinessFirst flat-bed seat reclines 180 degrees and provides 6 feet 6 inches of sleeping space in the fully extended position on the Boeing 777 (6 feet 4 inches on the Boeing 757-200). It is one of the widest business-class seats in the air, measuring up to 27 inches (25 inches on the 757-200). Laptop power, headset and USB plugs are conveniently tucked above the customer’s shoulder. iPod connectivity allows each customer to view their personal videos and enjoy their music while their iPod is charging. The new seats feature 15.4-inch video monitors for customers to enjoy on-demand movies, music and games.
Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. One of the two new Boeing 777-224 ERs is N77022 (msn 39777). This spectacular picture shows N77022 making a planned missed approach at Everett (Paine Field) on July 14. Both of the two new Triple Sevens will be in the Star Alliance color scheme.
United and Continental are considering a stock-for-stock merger
United Airlines Boeing 767-322 ER N653UA (msn 25391) (Star Alliance) IAD (Brian McDonough), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.
United Airlines (UAL Corporation) (Chicago) and Continental Airlines (Houston) are considering a stock-for-stock merger with no premium, creating a company valued at roughly $6.6 billion, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday April 22 according to this Reuters report.
UAL Chief Executive Glenn Tilton would become chairman of the combined company, while Continental Chief Executive Jeff Smisek would become chief executive, according to the person, who declined to be named because the talks are private.
Read the full report:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/UAL-Continental-in-nopremium-rb-4108786161.html?x=0&.v=1
Copyright Photo: A beautiful capture of United Airlines’ Boeing 767-322 ER N653UA (msn 25391) climbing away from the Washington (Dulles) hub. Both carriers are members of the Star Alliance.
Continental and United are discussing a possible merger
Continental Airlines Boeing 757-224 WL N14120 (msn 27562) (Star Alliance) AMS (Ton Jochems), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.
Continental Airlines (Houston) has restarted merger talks with United Airlines (Chicago), two years after walking away from almost sealing a deal, a source briefed (probably from United) on the matter said yesterday according to this Reuters report.
Reuters reports the talks are in very early stages, though much of the groundwork was laid in 2008, the source said. United and Continental came very close to merging at the time, but the talks fell apart as Continental chose to pursue an alliance instead. Both Continental and United are in the Star Alliance.
The talks come as United is in similar discussions with US Airways (Phoenix), but those talks are much farther along, the source said. US Airways and United are in talks that could create the second-largest U.S. carrier. Those discussions, aimed at cutting costs and competing with the now combined Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) and Northwest Airlines, have been going on for months, the sources said.
How much of these media “leaks” are being stirred up by United which has been itching for a merger for a long time?
Read the full report from Reuters:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/UAL-Continental-in-merger-rb-3324139989.html?x=0&.v=4
Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems. Continental’s first aircraft to wear the Star Alliance livery is this Boeing 757-224 registered N14120 (msn 27562) pictured at Amsterdam.
Continental Airlines’ new CEO Jeff Smisek tries to make the company profitable
Continental Airlines Boeing 737-724 WL N13720 (msn 28939) (Star Alliance) IAH (Jeffrey S. DeVore) (first CO -700 in Star Alliance colors), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.
Continental Airlines’ (Houston) new CEO (since January) Jeff Smisek is trying to make his company profitable again. He is making some significant changes.
Read this interesting profile:
www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6932510.html
Copyright Photo: Jeffrey S. DeVore. CO put the first Boeing 737-700 painted in the Star Alliance livery into revenue service yesterday. 737-724 N13720 (msn 28939) prepares to taxi to the runway bound for New Orleans.
Continental paints its first Boeing 737-800 Star Alliance logojet
Copyright Photo: Brian Rowland.
Continental Airlines (Houston) has painted its first Boeing 737-800 in the Star Alliance color scheme. The first revenue service should be on flight CO 1723 (Houston) IAH-ONT today (January 20). Boeing 737-824 N26210 (msn 28770) was ferried yesterday (January 19) from Amarillo (AMA) to IAH as COA 9971 after it was repainted into the Star Alliance livery.
Photos are welcome.
Continental introduces its first Boeing 777 Star Alliance logojet
Copyright Photo: GSR. N78017 approaches HKG for landing after being repainted.
Continental Airlines (Houston) has painted its first Boeing 777 in the Star Alliance color scheme. Boeing 777-224 ER N78017 (msn 31679) was painted at Hong Kong and went into revenue service between HKG and Newark as flight CO 98 yesterday (December 1).
Continental Airlines’ first Star Alliance logojet is now flying
Continental Airlines Boeing 757-224 WL N14120 (msn 27562) (Star Alliance) MAD, originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.
Copyright Photo: Diego Ruiz de Vargas.
Boeing 757-224 N14120 (msn 27562) arrives at Madrid.
Continental to introduce Star Alliance logojet
Continental Airlines (Houston) will officially join the Star Alliance today in a special ceremony. At the ceremony Boeing 757-224 N14120 (msn 27562) will be unveiled as the first Star Alliance logojet.
Press releases:
finance.yahoo.com/news/Continental-Airlines-to-prnews-539285973.html?x=0&.v=1
With a photo and webcast:
www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/company/alliance/star.aspx
AG Photo Link:
http://airlinersgallery.com/2/7bf4e/#/gallery/continental-airlines/
Lufthansa/Austrian deal conditionally approved
Please click on photo for full view, information and other Austrian photos.
News link:
www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=comm&id=news/TENT073109.xml&headline=
ANA Group reports its fiscal 1Q financial results
Please click on photo for full view, information and other ANA photos.
News link:
finance.yahoo.com/news/ANA-Financial-Results-for-the-iw-1368307904.html?x=0&.v=1
Continental wins DOT antitrust immunity
Please click on photo for full view, information and other photos.
Continental Airlines (Houston) has received an approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for antitrust immunity for its growing relationship with United Airlines and the Star Alliance.
Press Release:
finance.yahoo.com/news/Continental-Airlines-Receives-prnews-4282669965.html?x=0&.v=1
Aegean Airlines to join the Star Alliance
Aegean Airlines (Athens) will join the Star Alliance. The company will soon start the integration process which is expected to take around 12 months. Aegean is expected to become the 26th member.
