Avianca’s (Bogota) owner, German Efromovich, is considering making a deal to acquire a share of struggling Alitalia (2nd) (Rome) or state-owned LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw). Any acquisition would be completed as an individual, not through Avianca which has expressed it does not have any interest in either airline.
Read the full story from Reuters: CLICK HERE
Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian Long Haul) (Norwegian.com) (Oslo) has entered into a lease agreement for two new Boeing 787 Dreamliners for delivery in the first quarter of 2016. The aircraft are the new model 787-9 Dreamliner, which is slightly larger than the 787-8s Norwegian currently uses on its long-haul routes.
Norwegian continues to build up its long-haul fleet for further international growth and has signed an agreement with MG Aviation Ltd. to lease two long-haul Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Norwegian plans to put the aircraft into service during the first quarter of 2016. Norwegian has three Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners currently in the fleet and five more on order. Through this, the company in the future will have a fleet of 10 long-haul aircraft, including four delivered in 2014, one in 2015 and two in 2016.
Despite the early problems, “the Dreamliner is a wonderful aircraft, with high passenger comfort, long range and low fuel consumption”, says CEO Bjorn Kjos.
This larger Dreamliner model accommodates more passengers and is more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly than the 787-8 model. Boeing has already made a series of test flights and this type is scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2014.
The company MG Aviation, based in New York and is a leasing company owned by Jordache Enterprises.
In addition,ย Norwegian will fly one flight per week between New York (JFK) to Bergen (BGO). The first flight from BGO will start on May 3, 2014. The first flight from JFK departs on May 9, 2014 and the route will be operated until September 27, 2014.
Finally, ALPA has issued this statement opposing Norwegian attempt to establish a subsidiary called Norwegian Air International in Ireland:
The Air Line Pilots Association, Intโl (ALPA) yesterday called for the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to immediately reject Norwegian Air Internationalโs (NAI) foreign air carrier permit application because the company appears to be attempting to evade its national laws and regulations to compete unfairly against U.S. airlines and their employees. The call came in an answer that ALPA filed in response to NAIโs application.
โNorwegian Air International was clearly designed to attempt to dodge laws and regulations, starting a race to the bottom on labor and working conditions,โ said Capt. Lee Moak, ALPAโs president. โIf successful, the company would gain a serious and unfair economic advantage over U.S. airlines in the competition for the business of international passengers flying to and from the United States. This exploitation of the laws intended to prevent labor law shopping cannot be allowed to stand.โ
While Norwegian citizens control NAI, which is a subsidiary of Norwegian Air Shuttle (NAS), the company uses aircraft registered in Ireland and has applied for an air operator certificate from that country. It appears that its flight crews will work under individual employment contracts that are governed by Singapore law and that have wages and working conditions substantially inferior to those of NASโs Norway-based pilots.
โIf NAS is permitted to pick and choose the countries in which it establishes its subsidiaries and employs its flight crews, U.S. carriers will be put at a severe competitive disadvantage because the United States has one set of laws and regulations for all of its airlines,โ said Capt. Moak. โThe U.S.-EU air services agreement was never intended to allow this type of scheme, which games the system for competitive economic advantages.โ
ALPA maintains that the NAI scheme raises the specter of the โflag of convenienceโ business practice that undermined the U.S. maritime industry by allowing a vessel to be registered in a country different from its ownership and apply the country of registryโs laws to its operations. The practice precipitated the decline of the industry and the loss of tens of thousands of U.S. maritime jobs as companies flew the flag of countries with the weakest labor and tax laws and regulations.
Moak noted a quote by the AFL-CIOโs Transportation Trades Department in an opinion piece published today byย Aviation Daily: โWe must reject business models premised on scouring the globe for cheap labor no matter the consequences, and not pretend this is somehow acceptable competitive behavior.โ
โThe NAI scheme must be immediately and unequivocally rejected,โ said Moak. โThe DOT must not permit U.S. airlines and their employees to face an unfair competitive disadvantage from this runaway shop and swiftly dismiss NAIโs air carrier permit application.โ
Moak also called on the Irish government to reject NAIโs attempt to register the aircraft in Ireland. โIreland should not allow itself to be complicit in NAIโs avoidance scheme,โ he concluded.
Copyright Photo: The Norwegian Long Haul Boeeing 787-8s are registered in Ireland. 787-8 EI-LNA (msn 35304) is pictured at Paine Field before the hand over.
Norwegian:ย 
Air Transat (Montreal) (website), world’s first certified green airline in 2011, has reached another milestone. The airline is the first in the world to have achieved the second level Minimization award in the Fly-360-Green Certification Program, a benchmark for high performing airlines / aircraft operators.
“We are especially proud to have obtained this certification because it recognizes the efforts that we have made to improve our environmental performance in every area of our airline through initiatives such as greenhouse gas reduction, energy and water conservation, recycling and social responsibility” said Jean-Francois Lemay , General Manager of Air Transat. “It was the hard work and dedication of our employees that enabled us to attain this high standard and we will continue to improve so that we maintain our role as an industry leader.”
Developed by the World Green Aviation Council (WorldGAC), Fly-360-Greenย is a point based performance rating system where points are earned for business attributes considered environmentally beneficial in 8 key areas: Engineering, Ground Operations, Flight Planning/Dispatch, Flight Operations, Greening on Board, Corporate Environmental Practices, Corporate Policies, Strategic Planning.ย Airlines and aircraft operators can qualify for one of the four certification levels: Participation, Minimization, Efficiency, and Neutrality.
Fly-360-Greenย differs from other rating systems in that it has quantified most of the “green credits”. This ensures airlines are environmentally compatible, retain high quality standards, and are financially sound. The World Green Aviation Council, apart from fostering the international standard for sustainable aviation by addressing aviation’s absolute emissions, is the third-party administrator of theย Fly-360-Greenย certification program.
WorldGAC performs technical reviews and verification ofย Fly-360-Greenย registered projects to determine if they meet the standards set forth in theย Fly-360-Greenย rating system. Dedicated technical experts ensureย Fly-360-Greenย certification meets the highest levels of quality and integrity.
Copyright Photo: Jacques Guillem/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Air Transat’s Airbus A330-342 C-GCTS (msn 177) taxies at Paris (CDG).
Air Transat:ย
JetBlue Airways (New York) tomorrow (December 19) willย begin revenue operations of their new Airbus A321s. ย The first all-coach (JetBlue calls it “core”) A321s, outfitted with 190 seats, will debut on routes from New York JFK to Barbados, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood and San Juan. By the launch of service, JetBlue have four A321s in service, the first ofย an order for 83.
Copyright Photo: Gerd Beilfuss/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured Airbus A321-231 with the temporary marks of D-AVZA was the first A321 and became N903JB on delivery on October 24. It was followed by N905JB on November 13 and N907JB on November 16. The new A321s are also introducing the new Prism tail design.
JetBlue Airways:ย
Video:
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will add new daily nonstop flights to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport from San Jose International Airport and Juneau International Airport as well as an additional flight from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, all beginning on May 29, 2014. The new service will provide customers with convenient connections to the airline’s growing international network from Seattle/Tacoma.
Delta’s new and expanded Seattle/Tacoma service includes:
“The Pacific Northwest economy is one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., and a big part of why we’re adding domestic flights in support of our growing global gateway in Seattle,” said Mike Medeiros, Delta’s vice president โ Seattle. “By next summer, we’ll offer more than 2,500 daily international seats as part of our 79 peakday departures to 25 destinations.”
Delta’s new service from San Jose will be operated by Delta Connection carrier SkyWest Airlines using 76-seat, two-class CRJ900s. The airline’s new Juneau service as well as the additional Anchorage summer seasonal flight will be operated with a Boeing 737-800. Each aircraft is equipped with First Class and Economy Comfort seating as well as onboard Wi-Fi.
The airline recently announced expanded Seattle/Tacoma service to Anchorage, Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon, San Diego, San Francisco and Vancouver to support its increasing international network that currently operates nonstop flights to Amsterdam, Beijing, Paris, Shanghai-Pudong and Tokyo. The airline will also operate new nonstop international service in 2014 to London-Heathrow in March as well as Hong Kong and Seoul in June, pending government approval.
Delta currently operates 35 peak-day departures to 15 destinations from Seattle/Tacoma.
Besides adding QB Russell Wilson, what will be the competitive response from “partner” Alaska Airlines?
Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Delta’s Boeing 737-832 N3757D (msn 30813) taxies to the gate at SeaTac.
Delta Air Lines:ย
Alaska Airlines (Seattle/Tacoma) has a new quarterback onboard โ Seattle Seahawks star Russell Wilson. Seattle’s hometown airline and Wilson are teaming up in a partnership to engage with our customers and support youths in the community.
As part of the exclusive multi-year partnership, Wilson will appear at events, take part in marketing activities for Alaska Airlines, and work with the carrier to support youth and education programs. Among them is the Russell Wilson Passing Academy, which provides inner-city and underprivileged youths an opportunity to attend football camp for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Another activity is Seattle Children’s Hospital, where Wilson regularly visits young fans receiving care. In honor of Wilson’s commitment to connecting with these children in such a meaningful way, Alaska Airlines will donate 100,000 miles to Children’s Hospital for each touchdown pass Wilson throws or touchdown he scores through the rest of this season.
Wilson and Alaska Airlines enjoy a relationship that began last spring after his rookie year in the National Football League, when heย surprised customers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airportย by welcoming them at the carrier’s lobby check-in and gate areas. Wilson and Alaska then teamed up to inspire youths to finish school and accomplish their goals. An event on a sunny day in July โ dubbed “Pledge It. Prove It. Take Flight.” โ attracted more than 600 students from 21 high schools in Western Washington, who heard from Wilson and employees of Alaska Airlines and its regional carrier, Horizon Air, about careers in aviation.
Top Copyright Photo: Alaska Airlines.
Alaska Airlines:ย
Danube Wings (VIP Wings dab) (Bratislava) was forced to suspended all flight operations from both Bratislava and Kosice on November 20. Since then the airline has now ceased all business operations and laid off all of its employees.
Operations commenced in August 2008.
Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Danube Wings ATR 727-202 OM-VRA (msn 373) is pictured in operation at Palma de Mallorca.
Danube Wings:ย
Southwest Airlines (Dallas) has announced its schedule through June 2014. ย In the wake of theย recent slot reallocationย concerning New York’s LaGuardia Airport, Southwest is increasing service between LaGuardia and Nashville, Houston Hobby, Chicago Midway and Akron-Canton, Ohio. The new service begins on May 11, 2014.
Southwest Airlines also announced new nonstop service between San Diego and Orlando; New Orleans; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle/Tacoma. The new flights come as Southwest gets ready to celebrate its 32ndย anniversary of serving San Diego’s Lindbergh Field.
The airline also is making waves in Portland, Oregon, by offering new nonstop destinations to Customers in the northwest. That includes the two daily nonstop flights to San Diego, as well as daily service to Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway, and Houston Hobby.
As Southwest moves toward its final phase of integrating AirTran Airways, new nonstop service at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport includes service to Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Milwaukee, and Pittsburgh.
Copyright Photo: Eddie Maloney/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Boeing 737-8H4 WL N8319F (msn 36994) lands at Las Vegas.
Southwest Airlines:ย
AirTran Airways:ย
JetBlue Airways (New York) and South African Airways (SAA) (Johannesburg) have launched their bilateral code-share agreement.
SAA flies each day between both New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Washington’s Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport
Via its Johannesburg hub, SAA links the world to most cities and destinations across southern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, including South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Beginning in 2014, JetBlue will debut Mint, the carrier’s new premium offering, featuring the longest lie-flat bed in domestic business class and the only private suites on the New York-Los Angeles and New York-San Francisco routes.
At JFK Airport, JetBlue operates from its Terminal 5, while SAA operates from the adjacent Terminal 4, allowing for fast and easy connections between flights.
At Washington Dulles, both JetBlue and SAA are co-located in Concourse B.
Top Copyright Photo: James Helbock/AirlinersGallery.com. Standing out in the red FDNY special livery, Airbus A320-232 N615JB (msn 2461) arrives at Los Angeles International Airport.
JetBlue Airways:ย
South African Airways:ย
Bottom Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com.ย South African Airways’ Airbus A340-313X ZS-SXE (msn 646) leaves the runway at Washington Dulles International Airport.
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) flight DL 385 from the Minneapolis/St. Paul hub to Madison, Wisconsin with a Boeing 737-800 (N372DA) slipped off the taxiway after missing a turn after exiting the runway. The aircraft’s nose gear went into the snow covered ground at Madison yesterday afternoon (December 16). There were no injuries to the 60 passengers and six crew members on board. There was a snowstorm at the airport during the incident.
Read the full story from the Wisconsin State Journal: CLICK HERE
Delta Air Lines:ย
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