Monthly Archives: March 2013

Augsburg Airways is likely to be liquidated in late October

Augsburg Airways (Munich) is due to lose its Lufthansa Regional flying contract on October 26, 2013 as we previously reported. According to this report by Augsburger Allgemeine, the chances the airline can survive the contract flying closure are becoming bleaker all of the time. The company is now likely to be shut down and liquidated in late October unless it can champion a new future with a new partner.

The company started scheduled airline service in September 1986 as Interot Airways. It became the current Augsburg Airways on November 6, 1995.

Read the full report (in German): CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Paul Denton. “We have white planes, we are willing to paint”. Augsburg is searching for a new mission or partner since Lufthansa dropped the carrier. Embraer ERJ 190-100LR D-AEMF (msn 19000310) taxies at Geneva.

Augsburg Airways:

Delta to transport nine Major League Baseball teams for the 2013 season

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) begins the 2013 baseball season enjoying relationships with nearly half of the league’s 30 teams.

Delta serves as the official airline of the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals and is a proud partner of the San Diego Padres. Delta also operates team charters for the Braves, Reds, Twins, Yankees, Mets, Pirates, Padres and Cardinals as well as the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays.

Delta has been partnering with Major League Baseball teams for more than 40 years, beginning with its longstanding partnership with the Atlanta Braves.

Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum. Delta has had a long history of flying sports charters. The division was expanded with the Northwest merger and has dedicated aircraft. Other aircraft are taken out of normal rotation when needed especially for major events and games. Airbus A319-114 N330NB (msn 1549) stops at Charlotte while on a sports charter.

Delta Air Lines:

Boeing’s CEO Jim McNerney urges the FAA to return the 787 to airline service

Boeing’s (Chicago) CEO Jim McNerney has urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) (Washington) to allow the grounded 787 to return to airline revenue service following the changes that have been made to the battery system according to this report by Reuters.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Doug Parker: The new American Airlines’ livery is “an integration issue”

American Airlines‘ (Dallas/Fort Worth) new 2013 livery was approved by the current AA management team headed by CEO Tom Horton who is leaving soon. This new look was apparently not approved by the current US Airways CEO (and the upcoming new American CEO) Doug Parker. Parker has called the new American livery a merger “integration issue” according to this article and interview by Skift Travel IQ. In other words, this new livery (above) could be short-term as it will soon be associated with the old (outgoing) AA management team. What changes (if any) to this new design created by Futurebrands will be now determined by the new American-US Airways integration team.

Read the full article: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Tony Storck. Boeing 737-823 WL N803NN (msn 29566) touches down at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in the new (temporary?) look.

American Airlines:

Allegiant announces Little Rock-Sanford flights starting on June 6

Allegiant Air (Las Vegas) has announced new, twice-weekly nonstop jet service between Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas (LIT) and Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) beginning on June 6, 2013.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems. McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 (MD-83) N422NV (msn 49381) completes its final approach into Los Angeles International Airport.

Allegiant Air:

PSA Airlines’ pilots ratify the new contract

PSA Airlines’ (2nd) (US Airways Express) (Dayton), a wholly-owned subsidiary of US Airways (Phoenix), represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), have voted to ratify a new five-year collective bargaining agreement that was reached on February 14. The new contract was ratified by the airline’s 515 ALPA-represented pilots who are based in in Dayton, Ohio; Knoxville, Tennessee and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum. PSA Airlines’ (2nd) Bombardier CRJ200 (CL-600-2B19) N261PS (msn 7959) climbs away from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport hub.

US Airways Express-PSA Airlines:

JetBlue announces new Boston-Houston Hobby flights

JetBlue Airways (New York) today announced it will be adding two daily flights between Boston’s Logan International Airport and Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport starting July 25, 2013.

JetBlue’s schedule between Boston and Houston:

Boston (BOS) to Houston (HOU):	Houston (HOU) to Boston (BOS):
Depart – Arrive	Depart – Arrive
7:00 a.m. – 9:57 a.m.	10:35 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
1:40 p.m. – 4:39 p.m.	5:20 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
– Flights operate daily effective July 25, 2013 – – All times local –

HOU becomes 49th destination from Logan and Houston Hobby becomes Logan’s 74th nonstop domestic destination.

Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum. Airbus A320-232 N563JB (msn 2006) in the Blueberries tail design climbs away from runway 27R at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

JetBlue Airways:

Step One: The bankruptcy judge approves the American Airlines-US Airways merger proposal

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) has received bankruptcy court approval to merge with US Airways (Phoenix). Details of the merger, including the final restructuring plan, still need to be finalized. The merger still needs to obtain government approvals.

Read the full report from Reuters: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Luimer Cordero. American Airlines’ Boeing 737-823 WL N980AN (msn 33203) arrives at the Miami International Airport hub.

American Airlines:

US Airways:

The High Court in Singapore approves the Virgin Australia acquisition of Skywest Airlines

Virgin Australia Airlines (Brisbane) has received the approval of the High Court in Singapore to acquire Skywest Airlines (Perth). Previously the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board cleared the merger and Virgin Australia on March 13 received approval from Skywest Airlines Ltd shareholders of the proposed acquisition of 100% of the issued share capital of Skywest, pursuant to a scheme of arrangement under the laws of Singapore. The acquisition process is now complete.

Copyright Photo: Peter Gates. Skywest Airlines already operates a fleet of ATR 72-500s on regional routes for Virgin Australia. ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-500) VH-FVI (msn 955) is pictured on the ramp at Brisbane.

Virgin Australia:

Virgin Australia-Skywest:

Skywest Airlines:

Skywest Airlines operates an extensive route network under its own brand in Western Australia.

Video:

Solaseed Air leases two Boeing 737-800s from GECAS

Solaseed Air (Miyazaki) (formerly SNA-Skynet Asia Airways) has leased two new Boeing 737-800s from GE Capital Aviation Services Limited (GECAS), the commercial aircraft leasing and financing arm of GE.

Solaseed Air operates a fleet of 14 aircraft to seven destinations in Japan.