Monthly Archives: September 2017

Alaska Air Cargo introduces the world’s first converted 737-700 freighter

Alaska Air Cargo introduces world’s first converted 737-700 freighter (PRNewsfoto/Alaska Airlines)

Alaska Air Cargo on September 26, 2017 began a new chapter in its business, introducing the first converted Boeing 737-700 cargo aircraft. The aircraft is the first of its kind in the world and was converted from an all-passenger to an all-freight aircraft. The aircraft is entering commercial service on September 26, carrying goods from Seattle/Tacoma to the state of Alaska.

The aircraft was converted over 19 months in Tel Aviv by Israel Aerospace Industries. Alaskapilots flew the converted plane from Tel Aviv to Belfast, Ireland on Sept. 6. From there, the plane touched down on U.S. soil in Bangor, Maine and continued on to Greensboro, North Carolina, for scheduled maintenance. The aircraft was painted in Victorville, California before arriving in Seattle.

Alaska will take delivery of two more converted 737-700 freighters, allowing the new, all-cargo fleet to carry 15 percent more capacity overall. Currently, Alaska operates one 737-400 freighter and four 737-400 combi aircraft, which carry both passengers and cargo. Alaska plans to retire its entire 737-400 combi fleet by October 18, 2017.

State of Alaska

Initially, the new fleet of all-freight aircraft will primarily serve the state of Alaska, and provide regular, scheduled service to 17 communities across the state. Independent of Alaska Airlines’ passenger operation, Alaska Air Cargo will provide more scheduled freight service than any other carrier in the state, and connect customers to 100 destinations across the airline’s route network.

Freighter facts

Nonstop range of 3,200 miles
Maximum net payload of 42,000 pounds
Though smaller in size, the 737-700 freighter can carry 10,000 more pounds of cargo per plane compared to Alaska’s current 737-400 freighter.
The registered tail number for Alaska’s converted freighter is N627AS; aircraft N626AS and N625AS are currently undergoing the conversion process in Tel Aviv.

JetBlue introduces its updated New York Jets logo jet

JetBlue Airways has revealed a refreshed and updated special livery dedicated to the New York Jets. In 2009, JetBlue was named the Official Airline of the New York Jets. A year later, the airline reaffirmed that commitment with an aircraft dedicated to the team. “JetGreen” was originally revealed in 2010 and became the first sports themed aircraft to join JetBlue’s growing fleet.

The updated Airbus A320 livery on N746JB was revealed at a tailgate-themed event at JetBlue’s Hangar at New York’s JFK International Airport. To celebrate the kick-off of the Jets’ football season and this new plane, team executives were joined by Jets Cornerback Buster Skrine and Running Back Bilal Powell and former Jets player Joe Klecko. Jets Flight Crew Cheerleaders were also on-hand to meet Jets season ticket holders, JetBlue crewmembers and customers and players and coaches from a local youth football team.

The original “JetGreen” paint scheme interchanged JetBlue’s traditional blue for green and featured a green belly, wing tips and tail, with a football helmet towards the rear of the aircraft. Designed to represent the passion and dedication of true New York football fans and with the rallying call to Play Like a Jet, the new scheme features a full green aircraft and more prominent Jets branding. It also 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.

Photo: JetBlue Airways.

Delta and Virgin Atlantic update their network between the U.S. and the U.K.

Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic have announced updates to their respective summer 2018 schedules to optimize their joint network between the United States and the United Kingdom. The strong partnership between the two airlines is focused around offering customers more convenient travel options and the best travel experience across the Atlantic.

Effective March 24, 2018, Delta will introduce the Airbus A330 aircraft on its New York-JFK, Atlanta and Detroit routes to London-Heathrow. The A330 aircraft, which are equipped with Wi-Fi and feature 34 fully flat-bed seats in the Delta One cabin will bring Delta’s onboard customer experience to a new level as well as increase the number of seats on these U.S. routes to London-Heathrow. Highlights of Delta’s A330 service on-board service include:

Fully flat-bed seats in the Delta One cabin, arranged in a ‘herringbone’ configuration with individual aisle access.
Chef-curated meal options in Delta One, featuring locally sourced ingredients and regionally-inspired meals in the Main Cabin, served with complimentary beverages.
Customizable TUMI amenity kits in Delta One, plus a sleep kit with travel essentials for passengers in the Main Cabin and Delta Comfort+.
Complimentary in-flight entertainment with Delta Studio at every seat, including Hollywood titles, over 1,000 hours of TV, music and games.
Wi-Fi available for purchase.
RFID checked baggage tracking updates available direct to mobile devices through the Fly Delta App.

In addition, beginning March 25, 2018, Virgin Atlantic and Delta will optimize their schedule between New York-JFK and London-Heathrow to offer eight daily frequencies. Virgin Atlantic will operate six daily services and Delta two, providing customers with conveniently timed flight choices throughout the day.

The airlines’ joint summer 2018 schedule includes a total of 37 peak daily nonstop flights between the U.S. and the U.K. Of these, 26 flights will operate between London-Heathrow and popular U.S. destinations such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and Washington, D.C. and 11 flights will operate between Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast, London-Gatwick and Edinburgh to popular U.S. cities.

The joint venture partnership between Delta and Virgin Atlantic continues to grow, allowing both airlines’ customers to benefit from a high-quality and complementary travel experience with customer service being a key priority. In 2016, the joint venture connected almost five million customers on over 23 routes to over 200 destinations in the U.S.

Top Copyright Photo: Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-302 N823NW (msn 1628) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 931837.

British Airways to welcome the 25th Dreamliner

British Airways is set to mark a milestone aircraft delivery on Friday (September 29), as it welcomes the 25th Dreamliner into its fleet.

The Boeing 787-8 aircraft will be making its maiden voyage to the airline’s Heathrow home with the flight number BA8625. It will depart Boeing’s Seattle factory on Thursday September 28 at 6.05pm local time and will land at Heathrow at 11.15am local time the following day.

The three cabin aircraft, with the registration G-ZBJI, will be the ninth 787-8 to join the airline’s fleet. British Airways also has 16 787-9s. Two further 787-9 aircraft and three 787-8 aircraft will be delivered in 2018, followed by 12 787-10s to arrive between 2020 and 2023.

Captain Stephen Riley, British Airways’ director of flight operations, will be taking delivery of the aircraft, he said: “It is a great privilege to be the Captain flying to Heathrow in our newest aircraft. Some two-and-a-half years of work goes into the delivery of a new aircraft so it’s an exciting moment when we finally fly it home to join the fleet.

“The Dreamliners are fantastic aircraft both to fly as a pilot and to enjoy as a customer. They are incredibly technologically advanced and the most fuel efficient long-haul aircraft. They’ve also been designed with travellers’ comfort in mind, which means customers arrive at their destination feeling great.”

To find out more information about what goes on behind the scenes of a delivery flight, watch an interview with Captain Stephen Riley ahead of his trip to Seattle to collect the 787 aircraft.

Video:

The 787s are the most technologically advanced aircraft in British Airways’ fleet. The aircraft consists of a carbon fibre fuselage, which allows the pressure to be maintained at a lower level in the cabin. The internal cabin altitude is the equivalent of 6,000ft, which is 2,000ft lower than on other aircraft. This leads to greater humidity, reducing the drying effect of the cabin air, so customers arrive feeling more refreshed.

One of the most unique features on the Dreamliner is its wings, with a span of 197 feet (60 meters) the curvature allows the aircraft to climb better and increases fuel efficiency. The Dreamliner can also reach a maximum speed of 954 kilometres per hour with a range of 15,200 kilometres, allowing the airline to fly to destinations further afield such as Santiago in Chile and Mumbai in India.

The windows in the 787 are thirty per cent bigger than any other aircraft. It means customers can maintain eye level with the horizon, which lessens motion sickness. It is also around 40 per cent quieter than other aircraft, giving customers the ideal environment to get some shuteye.

British Airways took delivery of its first Dreamliner, a 787-8, in July 2013.The aircraft is made up of three cabins World Traveller, World Traveller Plus and Club World. Two years later, in 2015, the airline took delivery of the next generation of the Boeings Dreamliner, a 787-9. This aircraft is 20 foot longer than the 787-8, allowing room for the airline to add a First cabin on board with an evolution of its First class seat.

Visit British Airways’ 360 degree interactive tour of its Dreamliner here.

Top Copyright Photo: British Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner G-ZBJF (msn 38613) LHR (SPA). Image: 924483.

Joon to start operations on December 1, 2017

Joon (Air France) has announced it will start operations on December 1, 2017 to six destinations departing from Paris-CDG with Air France Airbus A320 / A321 and Airbus A340 / A350 aircraft.

Starting December 1, 2017 in Europe from €39 including tax:

– Barcelona¹ (Spain): 51 weekly flights

– Berlin¹ (Germany): 37 weekly flights

– Lisbon¹ (Portugal): 28 weekly flights

– Porto¹ (Portugal): 3 weekly flights

Starting in summer 2018 in Brazil and the Seychelles:

– Fortaleza² (Brazil) starting at €249 including tax: 2 weekly flights

– Mahé² (Seychelles) starting at €299 including tax: 3 weekly flights

¹One-way including tax from Paris-CDG, until October 15, 2017 valid for travel from December 1 to 21, 2017 and from January 8 to February 28, 2018, hold baggage not included.

²One-way including tax on sale soon from Paris-CDG, hold baggage not included.

Volaris revises its livery

Volaris (Mexico City) has revised its livery with the pending delivery of the pictured Airbus A320-271N (A320neo) N530VL (msn 7553).

The revised color scheme now includes larger titles and new lavender painted engines (replacing black painted engines).

La Compagnie orders two Airbus A321neos

La Compagnie (Paris) has made this announcement:

Three years after launching as an exclusively business-class boutique airline with trans-Atlantic routes on July 4 2014, and a year since doubling its daily flights between New York and Paris, La Compagnie is accelerating its development with an order of two Airbus A321neo aircrafts. This investment in the new Airbus aircraft marks a major milestone for the still-young boutique airline, revealing stable growth and progressive future development.

Due for delivery in 2019, the thoroughly modern, efficient and eco-friendly A321neos will take La Compagnie’s in-flight business-class experience to new heights with the latest technologies, Wi-Fi service and “full-flat” beds, ensuring passengers are well-connected and well-rested upon arrival in New York or Paris.

The choice of the French aeronautical firm Airbus, which is headquartered in Blagnac and has manufacturing facilities across Europe and around the world, strengthens La Compagnie’s “French-in-spirit” philosophy that has made the carrier so desirable for intercontinental passengers.

The two Airbus A321neos will be introduced to the La Compagnie fleet in 2019 with a full business-class configuration and the most attractive fares on the market.

Image: La Compagnie.

Delta announces its summer 2018 trans-Atlantic schedules

Delta Air Lines has announced it be offering more nonstop options to Europe from its Los Angeles, New York-JFK, Atlanta, and Detroit hubs and more next summer.

Further schedule and service detail is as follows:

Los Angeles

New Boeing 777-200LR service will link Angelenos nonstop to Paris and Amsterdam beginning June 16, 2018. in addition to more than 100 onward destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India via easy connections on Delta’s joint venture partners Air France and KLM:

LAX – Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
Flight Number	Departs	Arrives	Frequency
DL156	LAX at noon	CDG at 7:55 a.m. (next day)	Tue/Thurs/Sat
DL157	CDG at 3:15 p.m.	LAX at 6:25 p.m.	Wed/Fri/Sun

LAX – Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)
Flight Number	Departs	Arrives	Frequency
DL78	LAX at noon	AMS at 7:55 a.m. (next day)	Mon/Wed/Fri/Sun
DL79	AMS at 3:35 p.m.	LAX at 6:25 p.m.	Mon/Tue/Thur/Sat

New York-JFK

Delta’s largest trans-Atlantic gateway will expand next year with new seasonal service to the Ponta Delgada-Azores beginning May 24, 2018 year-round service to Lagos, Nigeria, beginning March 24 and an upgraded offering on New York-JFK to London-LHR with new A330 service.

JFK – Azores (PDL)
Flight Number	Departs	Arrives	Frequency
DL417	JFK at 8:30 p.m.	PDL at 7:30 a.m. (next day)	excluding Mon/Wed
DL217	PDL at 9:15 a.m.	JFK at 10:30 a.m.	excluding Tue/Thurs

JFK – Lagos (LOS)
Flight Number	Departs	Arrives	Frequency
DL415	JFK at 10:55 p.m.	LOS at 2:50 p.m. (next day)	Mon/Wed/Fri
DL215	LOS at 11:30 p.m.	JFK at 5:30 a.m. (next day)	Tue/Thurs/Sun

Atlanta

At Delta’s Atlanta hub, the world’s most travelled, new daily seasonal service to Lisbon on Boeing 767 aircraft will begin May 24, 2018 and run through Sept. 4, 2018. Delta’s Atlanta hub will make it easier for U.S. customers to visit Portugal with convenient one-stop connections from over 150 destinations in the U.S.

ATL – Lisbon, Portugal (LIS)
Flight Number	Departs	Arrives	Frequency
DL122	ATL at 7:30 p.m.	LIS at 8:45 a.m. (next day)	Daily
DL123	LIS at 10:30 a.m.	ATL at 2:45 p.m.	Daily

Detroit

Delta will add a third daily round-trip between Detroit and Paris beginning May 16, 2018 in addition to Delta’s and Air France’s existing service. The new flight will provide customers more choice and offer additional connections in Paris to over 100 destinations in Europe, Middle East, Africa and India.

DTW – Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
Flight Number	Departs	Arrives	Frequency
DL96	DTW at 3:50 p.m.	CDG at 6:00 a.m. (next day)	Daily
DL99	CDG at 1:10 p.m.	DTW at 4:10 p.m.	Daily

Orlando and Indianapolis

Previously announced year-round service will begin March 30, 2018 from Orlando to Amsterdam and on May 24, 2018 from Indianapolis to Paris, bringing easy connections to more than 100 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India to customers in the Sunshine and Hoosier states.

Orlando (MCO) – Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS)
Flight Number	Departs	Arrives	Frequency
DL126	MCO at 9:45 p.m.	AMS at 12:45 p.m.(next day)	Daily to 5x weekly
DL127	AMS at 1:15 p.m.	MCO at 5:40 p.m.	Daily to 5x weekly

IND – Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
Flight Number	Departs	Arrives	Frequency
DL500	IND at 6:20 p.m.	CDG at 8:45 a.m. (next day)	Daily to 5x weekly
DL501	CDG at 1:15 p.m.	IND at 4:35 p.m.	Daily to 5x weekly

Copyright Photo: Delta Air Lines Boeing 777-232 LR N702DN (msn 29741) “The Spirit of Atlanta” LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 932543.

United’s new safety video

United Airlines is lifting the curtain on a new Safety is Global safety video, which will be on board flights starting this month. The video follows United employees representing flight attendants, pilots, ramp operations, customer service representatives and tech ops through dream destinations around the world as they demonstrate the safety features of the aircraft. As part of this debut, United is giving customers an opportunity to win round-trip flights to their dream destinations in the United Dream Destination Sweepstakes.

“A few years back, we made our safety demonstration more interactive, and entertaining to engage customers during the safety briefing, one of the most important parts of the flight,” said Mark Krolick, vice president of marketing at United. “Introducing the new Safety is Global video continues the theme of highlighting some of the amazingly diverse, global cities that we fly to, and giving our customers the chance to visit one of their own dream destinations.”

Customers can get a sneak peak of the Safety is Global video before their next United flight by visiting the United Hub. The video features the following destinations Alaska; China; Denver; India; Munich; New York and Rio de Janeiro.

For contest rules, and to enter the sweepstakes visit uniteddreamdestinationsweeps.com.

United announces the last Boeing 747 revenue flight

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-USA6/United-Airlines-NC-Boeing/i-GsNbX9f/A

United Airlines made this announcement:

In celebration of United Airlines retiring the Boeing 747 from its fleet, United flight 747, on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 from San Francisco to Honolulu will be the airline’s farewell flight to the 747 fleet.

This journey will serve as the ultimate throwback for customers, employees and invited guests as it recreates the first 747 flight operated by United in 1970. From a 1970s-inspired menu to retro uniforms for flight attendants to inflight entertainment befitting of that first flight, passengers will help send the Queen of the Skies off in true style. The original United 747 aircraft that first made this journey from San Francisco to Honolulu was named the “Friend Ship,” the same name bestowed on this farewell flight.

Seats on this special, one-way trip, United flight 747, are available for purchase now at united.com or through the United app. The seats in the upper deck will not be sold, giving all guests the opportunity to spend time in this iconic space.

Customers seated in United Polaris first class and United Polaris business class will be entered into a drawing that will take place at the gate prior to boarding for an opportunity to occupy one of a select number of seats in the upper deck during the flight.

The journey will begin with a gate celebration at 9 a.m. local time at San Francisco International Airport, featuring a Boeing 747 gallery, remarks from United employees and executives, as well as refreshments. The flight will depart San Francisco International Airport at 11 a.m. local time, landing at Honolulu International Airport at 2:45 p.m. local time. Upon landing in Honolulu, local employees will welcome the aircraft with final festivities to close out the historic day. Customers and fans of the Queen of the Skies are encouraged to use the #UA747Farewell hashtag in social media posts.

United and the Boeing 747 through the Years

April 13, 1966: Boeing announces it will build a 490-passenger 747 transport. Construction is set to begin in June on a new plant in Everett, Washington.

January 3, 1967: The first production workers for the 747 program arrive in Everett. The 50,000 who would produce the world’s largest civilian airplane were known as The Incredibles, and they earned the label by bringing the Jumbo Jet dream to reality in only 16 months.

September 30, 1968: The first Boeing 747-100, City of Everett, is rolled out at their Washington plant, painted with the insignias of the 27 airlines that had already ordered the aircraft including United.

February 9, 1969: The Boeing 747-100 makes its first flight.

January 21, 1970: The Boeing 747 makes its first commercial flight from New York to London for Pan American World Airways.

June 26, 1970: Continental Airlines becomes one of the first carriers to put the Boeing 747 into U.S. domestic service, flying from Chicago to Los Angeles and onward to Honolulu.

June 26, 1970: United Airlines receives its first Boeing 747-100 complete with a christening ceremony fit for a luxury liner.

July 23, 1970: United makes its first Boeing 747 commercial flight, with a trip from San Francisco to Honolulu.

Above Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 747-122 N4710U (msn 19755) JFK (Bruce Drum). Image: 101357.

Above Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 747-122 N4728U (msn 19925) “747 Friend Ship” LAX (Bruce Drum). Image: 103100.

January 1977: A modified Boeing 747-100 is delivered to NASA to serve as a carrier vehicle for the Space Shuttle.

April 22, 1985: United announces its plan to acquire Pan Am’s Pacific routes, as well as 11 Boeing 747SP planes. The 747SPs feature a 48-foot-shorter body and fly higher, faster, and farther than standard 747 models.

Above Copyright: United Airlines Boeing 747SP-21 N149UA (msn 21649) MIA (Bruce Drum). Image: 101362.

January 29-30, 1988: Friendship One, a Boeing 747SP owned by United Airlines, sets the around-the-world air speed record of 36 hours, 54 minutes, and 15 seconds. This special flight raises $500,000 for children’s charities through the Friendship Foundation. Tickets cost a minimum of $5,000, and special guest passengers included astronaut Neil Armstrong, famed test pilots Bob Hoover and Lieutenant General Laurence C. Craigie, and Moya Lear, the widow of Lear Jet founder Bill Lear.

June, 1989: United Airlines receives their first Boeing 747-400 which provides increased range.

Above Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 747-422 N117UA (msn 28810) LHR (Antony J. Best). Image: 920997.

August 23, 1990: The first of two modified Boeing 747-200Bs is delivered to the Air Force for presidential transport. Better known as Air Force One, these planes still serve the president today, having replaced the Boeing 707-320Bs that had served as the presidential aircraft for almost 30 years.

September 1996: A 747SP previously flown by United is transformed into NASA’s SOFIA, or Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, which carries a 17-ton, 8-foot-wide infrared telescope mounted behind an enormous sliding door.

Above Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 747-422 N179UA (msn 25158) SFO (Mark Durbin). Image: 901763.

June 28, 2014: Boeing delivers the 1,500th 747 to come off the production line. The 747 aircraft is the world’s first wide-body airplane in history to reach the 1,500 production units milestone.

January 11, 2017: United announces that it will retire the Boeing 747-400 fleet in the last quarter of 2017.

July 28, 2017: United schedules a special domestic flight from Chicago O’Hare to San Francisco to allow more people to say farewell to the Queen of the Skies.

October 29, 2017: United flies its last international 747 flight from Seoul to San Francisco.

November 7, 2017: United celebrates the retirement of the Boeing 747 with a fitting full-circle moment. A special retro event sees the aircraft flying from San Francisco to Honolulu—a nod to its first-ever flight back in 1970.

Top Copyright Photo: United Airlines Boeing 747-422 N128UA (msn 30023) NRT (Michael B. Ing). Image: 923735.

United Airlines (historic liveries):

United Airlines (current livery – Boeing):

Endangered Species List: