Monthly Archives: April 2018

Turkish Airlines introduces its “The Year of Troy” logo jet

Turkish Airlines has painted its Airbus A321-231 TC-JTP (msn 7516) in a special “The Year of Troy” scheme to promote the destination of Troy, Turkey.

Turkish Airlines made this announcement:

The Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced 2018 as “The Year of Troia”, that coincides with the 20th anniversary of the admission of the archaeological site of Troia to UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage List, various introductory activities continue to be conducted on a global scale to promote the region during the whole year.

Turkish Airlines, flies to 302 destinations in 121 countries as the only airline reaches to more international flight points in the world, supports to the promotion activities of “The Year of Troia” with its “Troia” themed aircraft. This aircraft, that introduced to the press with a special event in the Hangar of Turkish Technic Inc., will contribute to the promotion of the “The Year of Troia” through its worldwide flights.

“As the flag carrier airline of Turkey, we place great importance on promoting our country and our values. The Trojan, which dates back to 3000 BC, is one of the unique civilizations of Anatolia with its history that was the subject of many epics. We’re honoured to contribute to the introduction of “Troia” with our Troia themed aircraft at many worldwide destinations that we serve. We’re inviting the global community to see “Troia”, and to our fascinating country which hosts many more epics such as “Troia” in its rich history.” said M. İlker Aycı, Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, in his speech at the launch ceremony.

Located near the village of Tevfikiye in the province of Çanakkale, Troy is one of the most famous ancient cities in the world. Anatolia has always played a very important role in terms of commercial and cultural connections with other regions due to its unique location on the geography of the Aegean and Balkans. Troy, which had been destroyed and rebuilt 9 times for various reasons, is regarded as a reference for other archaeological sites both in Europe and Aegean with its 3,000 year history and excavations are still being carried out in this magnificent archaeological city.

Photos: Turkish Airlines.

Video:

Austrian Airlines again updates its livery

Austrian Airlines has made this announcement:

• Adaptations to the branding to fulfil demands of the digital world
• Logo more easily and clearly recognizable on mobile devices and smart watches thanks to small adjustments
• Adjustments in the digital domain will be gradually transferred to the entire brand environment, also on aircraft.
• First visible sign: the new Boeing 777 OE-LPF at its first appearance in Vienna in May 2018

Austrian Airlines is making itself fit for the digital world and is further developing its branding. Small-scale adjustments are being carried out against the backdrop of the planned relaunch of the Website and the app at the turn of the year 2018/19 as well as the stronger Internet presence being planned. The aim is to meet the demands of the digital world and thus be more modern. “Digitalization is changing our lives. Our products, our brand and our company are also making themselves fit for the digital future. The realignment of our branding is another important step in this direction”, explains Andreas Otto, Member of the Management Board and CCO of Austrian Airlines.

Adjustments to the logo

The focus is on a slight adaptation of the logo. Both core elements of the brand image, namely the chevron and the wordmark “Austrian” are being modernized to enhance their effect. This will particularly increase the long-distance effect on aircraft and billboards. In the meantime, 80 percent of Internet use takes place on a mobile basis. For this reason, particular attention is being attached to ensure that the logo is more easily and clearly recognizable on mobile devices and smart watches.

The brand values of individuality, competence and Austrianess will remain untouched. The typical “Austrian Airlines red”, which comprises the characteristic element of the airline’s branding, should be used in a more targeted manner as a distinguishing feature to set it apart from other airlines. At the same time, the logo should be deployed in a controlled and charming manner.

The visual appearance of the fleet

Adjustments made in the digital domain will be gradually transferred to the entire brand environment of Austrian Airlines. Accordingly, all customer touchpoints and the entire signage on the airports will be adapted. The livery of the fleet will also be gradually adjusted as soon as a new painting is anyway needed for the respective aircraft.

Showdown for the new Boeing 777 OE-LPF

The first aircraft to feature the new livery will be the new Boeing 777 OE-LPF, which can initially be viewed in Vienna at it´s arrival in May 2018. The long-haul aircraft is currently in Hong Kong, where it is being modified and adapted to fulfil the standards of Austrian Airlines.

On balance, it will take about seven years until all Austrian Airlines aircraft will have the new livery. 18 out of a total of 82 aircraft in the airline’s fleet should feature the new livery when the summer flight schedule for 2019 takes effect.

The primary new features of the aircraft’s exterior design: the empennage will be optically enlarged by expanding the red area from the empennage downwards across the fuselage. In this way, the logo is more dynamically highlighted and shown to be bigger. The wordmark “Austrian” in the front area of the fuselage is also displayed over a larger surface area and thus be clearly readable from far away. In the future the jet engines will be painted in a resplendent white. As a result, the chevron and wordmark “Austrian” will be visually highlighted in a more charming manner. The typical Austrian salutation “Servus” will remain on the aircraft belly.

Austrian Airlines will include two new long-haul destinations in its portfolio starting in 2018. As of May 15, 2018, it will offer up to five weekly flights to Tokyo, and also fly to Cape Town twice each week effective October 27, 2018. The airline will operate a Boeing 777 for both flights. The new destinations are made possible by the addition of a “Triple Seven”, as this wide-bodied aircraft is called in the aviation business. Austrian Airlines will integrate the new jet in its long-haul fleet in 2018.

The Boeing 777 aircraft has a seating capacity of about 300 seats. At present, Austrian Airlines operates six Boeing 767 and five Boeing 777 jets in its long-haul fleet. The additional Boeing 777 increases its long-haul fleet to a total of twelve aircraft.

In addition to Economy and Business Class, passengers will also already be able to fly in Premium Economy to the new destinations (but first bookable as of September 2017). Starting this autumn, all long-haul aircraft will be gradually remodeled to enable the installation of Premium Economy seats. Passengers flying in “Premium Eco” have their own seats featuring a larger reclining angle, more seat spacing and a broader seating surface. Moreover, the screen for on-line entertainment is bigger than in the Economy Class, and catering is upgraded.

Flights from Vienna to Tokyo will only be offered in the summer flight schedule on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The flight duration to Tokyo at a distance of more than 9,100 kilometers is about 11 hours.

Flight service from Vienna to Cape Town will only be offered in the winter flight schedule on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The flight time from Vienna to Cape Town is about 11 hours 25 minutes. Tickets can be booked starting on October 27, 2017.

Images: Austrian Airlines.

Cal Jet suspends operations as it reorganizes with new aircraft

Cal Jet (Elite Airways) (Carlsbad/Oceanside) suspended the Carlsbad – Las Vegas route on April 18, 2018 as it reorganizes. The airline is pledging it will be back and will resume operations to Las Vegas and add new aircraft for new service to Oakland and Phoenix by the end of June. It is also planning a new wave of expansion to San Jose, Cabo and Sacramento by late July.

The airline issued this statement:

Copyright Photo: Cal Jet – Elite Airways Bombardier CRJ700 (CL-600-2C10) N78EA (msn 10103) CRQ (James Helbock). Image: 940079.

Surf Air grows customer base with new routes

Surf Air has made this announcement:

Surf Air has announced a significant global expansion with the creation of a national and global subscription platform partnering with select premium operators of private aircraft. This platform expansion opens up approximately 20 new destinations for Surf Air members in Europe and across the Eastern Seaboard of the United States and sets the stage to add many more.

New European routes include Milan, Zurich, Luxembourg, Munich, Brussels, Vienna, Geneva, Basel and Nice. These new flights will be operated in association with Surf Air’s new European partner, JetClass and members are currently able to book seats on the Surf Air app and make the most of the Surf Air subscription programs.

Furthermore, a new partnership with BLADE for the summer of 2018 will allow Surf Air members to access Blade’s network of routes and gain entry to seven Blade Lounges. In the northeast, Blade’s services include helicopter and seaplane flights between New York City and Quogue, Southampton, East Hampton, Montauk and Newport, as well as flights between New York City or Westchester and Nantucket. Blade also services the Jersey Coast from Deal to Long Beach Island and runs daily Blade Bounce airport transfers between Manhattan and all area airports.

Surf Air’s new global membership will start at $3950/month and include all US and European routes – including those routes expanded with the partnership between Blade and JetClass. Surf Air’s current Premium Membership, currently at $2950/month, will now have added value with national access to California, Texasand East Coast routes. Access to partner flights may have usage caps based on the subscription level selected.

In addition to these changes, Surf Air now also offers a membership plan for the leisure and more infrequent traveler, Surf Air Escapes. Escapes members pay a lower subscription and an incremental fee per flight for access to the Surf Air network.

“Surf Air has grown quickly through both innovation and a dedication to give its members the very best experience. This new expansion demonstrates our commitment to building a global membership base on our subscription and technology platform matched with vetted partners who provide the best experience for private travel,” said Sudhin Shahani, chairman and CEO of Surf Air.

To support this new membership plan, Surf Air released a brand-new version of their mobile iOS app with a sleek new interface and new features including the ability for members to book a guest on their flight and easy access to a new charter desk to arrange flights outside of the Surf Air network. All customers booking a Surf Anywhere charter flight will automatically be enrolled as a Surf Air Escapes member and have the annual subscription for that calendar year waived.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Surf Air): Surf Air Pilatus PC-12/47E N824SA (msn 1523) PSP (James Helbock). Image: 932630.

Air Canada to save 160 tons of carbon on Earth Day through innovative biojet fuel project at Toronto Pearson Airport

Air Canada has issued this statement:

Air Canada will save 160 tons of carbon on 22 domestic flights this Earth Day through an innovative biofuel demonstration project at Toronto-Pearson Airport. Under the project, coordinated by Canada’sBiojet Supply Chain Initiative (CBSCI), Air Canada is a leading partner, introducing 230,000 litres of sustainable biofuel blended into the airport’s multi-user fuel supply system to show the feasibility of biofuel use in shared fueling systems Canadian airports.

“Air Canada is proud of its leading role in this biofuel project, the first of its kind in Canada, which will advance the use of low-carbon renewable fuels in Canada by demonstrating they can be used in shared fuel systems at airports. Our participation is one way Air Canada is reducing its footprint and also helping our entire industry improve its environmental performance,” said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive of Air Canada.

“Since 1990, Air Canada has improved its fuel efficiency by 43 per cent. We have also committed to meet ambitious targets set by the International Air Transport Association, including carbon-neutral growth from 2020 and to reduce CO2 emissions by 50 per cent by 2050, relative to 2005 levels. These efforts and our other green initiatives to increase efficiency and reduce waste were recognized when Air Transport World recently named Air Canada the Eco-Airline of the Year for 2018.”

A recognition event with stakeholders of the biojet demonstration, including Air Canada, is being held at Toronto Pearson at 10 a.m. today. In addition to its participation in the Toronto Pearson Airport biojet project, Air Canada is also marking Earth Day by sponsoring through the Air Canada Foundation Earth Day Canada’s crowdfunding Campaign Pledge4PLAY, whose goal for 2018 is to support outdoor play for 20,000 children. As well, there will be employee participation, including a tree planting event May 12 to plant 400 trees and shrubs at a conservation area near the airport, organized by Partners in Project Green.

For more information about Air Canada’s environmental programs and activities, please consult Citizens of the World and Air Canada’s leaveless environmental site, both available at www.aircanada.com.

About the Toronto Pearson biojet project

Although biojet has been consumed in Canada in the past, all previous projects have required dedicated tanker trucks directly fueling aircraft. This project at Toronto Pearson is the first to blend biojet into the existing multi-user, co-mingled airport fuel supply system, thereby highlighting its feasibility and improving process efficiency. Carbon savings from the biofuel blended into the Toronto Pearson system will be accredited to Air Canada domestic flights from Toronto on Earth Day, effectively making those flights less carbon intensive. These unique fuel operations are part of CBSCI, a three-year collaborative project between 14 stakeholder organizations working to enable a biojet supply chain in Canada. Primary funding for the project, apart from the fuel purchase by Air Canada, comes from the Green Aviation Research and Development Network (GARDN), a non-profit organization funded by the Canadian aerospace industry and Canada’s federal Network of Centres of Excellence.

Delta offsets carbon emissions for 170,000+ customers Thursday

Delta Air Lines issued this statement:

Delta is helping customers travel a little cleaner today by offsetting carbon emissions on all domestic travel into and out of seven major airports with high corporate travel demand. The investment comes in honor of Earth Month and the airline’s commitment to carbon-neutral growth.

More than 170,000 corporate and leisure customers travelling through Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Raleigh and all three New York-area airports today will be accounted for through a Delta program that calculates the emissions per customer, then purposefully invests in global offset projects that provide social benefits while reducing emissions.

“Being sustainable in all areas of our business will continue to be key in Delta’s success,” said Christine Boucher, managing director — Global Environment, Sustainability & Compliance. “We know that many of our customers are engaged in their own personal and corporate sustainability efforts and want to extend those efforts to travel. We’re proud to help them do that through this program and projects that expand our global sustainability efforts — that’s what being a good business partner and member of the community is all about.”

Delta estimates it will buy 30,000 carbon offsets for customer travel today as well as 15,000 carbon offsets allotting for Delta employee travel throughout April. A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide in order to offset an emission made elsewhere.

The carbon offsets purchased this month will be invested into three projects selected for their ability to help reduce emissions and their focus on social responsibility. One of these is The International Small Group & Tree Planting Program (TIST), which empowers subsistence farmers in countries such as Kenya and Uganda to reverse the devastating effects of deforestation, drought, and famine through tree planting and sustainable agriculture. Meanwhile, The Kariba Project protects forests in Zimbabwe, while supporting the wellbeing of local communities. The third beneficiary is the Brazilian Bandeira & Capelli Project that brings sustainable practices to the local construction industry. The project also opened a local soccer school to keep children in the community away from street violence.

“I was interested to know that I can plant trees and do something to improve the environment and at the same time get some incentives,” said Pamela Barigye, a TIST farmer in Uganda.
Since 2012, Delta has purchased more than 8 million carbon offsets, which is equivalent to one year of emissions from 1.7 million cars. These offsets have helped Delta invest in environmental sustainability in more than 15 countries, including Chile, China, Mexico, Brazil, Korea, Kenya, Uganda, Guatemala, Peru, US, Zimbabwe and Rwanda.

Serving 180 million customers annually, Delta is committed to the environment 365 days a year, not just during Earth Month, through a number of programs including:

An ongoing carbon offset program for customers to calculate the impact of their travel and purchase offsets with dollars or donate Delta SkyMiles. Delta was the first US carrier to introduce this kind of program in 2007 and since then, more than 18 million Delta SkyMiles have been donated to The Nature Conservancy. Customers can offset their future travel and learn more about our environmental efforts here
The first U.S. airline recycling program for waste from aircraft. Delta has recycled more than 3 million pounds of aluminum from on-board waste — equivalent to 22 Boeing 747s — over the past 10 years. The funds from that program and recycling oil in TechOps have been used to construct nine of the 253 homes Delta has built with Habitat for Humanity.
A fleet modernization program that will replace 20 percent of Delta’s mainline narrowbody fleet over the next five years with quieter, more fuel efficient aircraft.
First-of-their-kind partnerships with Duke and the Seattle Seahawks to offset emissions while benefitting local communities where Delta people and customers live and work.

Delta statement on flight 30 from Atlanta to London

Delta flight 30 from Atlanta to London returned to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Wednesday after an issue with its number 2 engine. The flight landed without incident and airport response vehicles met the aircraft upon arrival. The airplane was towed to the gate, where customers deplaned through the jetway and will be accommodated on a different aircraft. The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we apologize to our customers on this flight.

Alaska Airlines introduces new rules for emotional support animals

Alaska Airlines has issued this statement:

For tickets purchased on or after May 1, guests traveling with emotional support or psychiatric service animals must provide animal health and behavioral documents, as well as a signed document from a medical doctor or mental health professional, at least 48 hours in advance of departure. The change does not apply to Alaska’s policy for traditional service animals.

“Alaska is committed to providing accessible services to guests with disabilities and ensuring a safe environment for all flyers,” said Ray Prentice, Alaska Airlines’ director of customer advocacy. “We are making these changes now based on a number of recent incidents where the inappropriate behavior of emotional support animals has impacted and even injured our employees, other guests and service animals.”

In recent years, the overall number of emotional support and psychiatric service animals traveling on Alaska Airlines has increased dramatically. Every day, approximately 150 emotional support and psychiatric service animals travel on Alaska Airlines.

“Most animals cause no problems,” said Prentice. “However, over the last few years, we have observed a steady increase in incidents from animals who haven’t been adequately trained to behave in a busy airport setting or on a plane, which has prompted us to strengthen our policy.” Alaska Airlines consulted with its disability advisory board and disability advocacy groups to ensure that the expanded policy accommodates guests with disabilities.

New Policy

For new bookings made on or after May 1, 2018, guests traveling with emotional support and psychiatric service animals must email or fax Alaska Airlines three completed documents, which will be available on alaskaair.com starting April 30:

Animal Health Advisory Form – On this form the flyer acknowledges Alaska Airlines’ recommendation that all emotional support and psychiatric service animals travel with a veterinary-issued health certificate.
Mental Health Form – Currently required, this is a letter issued by a mental health professional or medical doctor approving the use of an emotional support and psychiatric service animals.
Animal Behavior Form – A signed affidavit affirming the emotional support or psychiatric service animal is trained to behave in public and that the owner accepts all liability for any injuries or damage to property.

Additionally, just like traditional service animals, emotional support and psychiatric service animals must be well-behaved in a public setting and under the control of their owner or handler at all times.

Guests with tickets purchased after May 1 who do not submit the required documentation 48 hours in advance, will be offered to fly with their pet under existing policies for travel in the cabin or in the temperature-controlled cargo compartment. Existing fleet and breed restrictions, as well as health certificate requirements, will apply.

Alaska Airlines aircraft slide show (Boeing, current livery): CLICK HERE