Yearly Archives: 2019

Lufthansa Group invests in artificial intelligence partnership with Hopper

The Lufthansa Group and the Lufthansa Innovation Hub have entered into a research alliance with Hopper focused on the subject of artificial intelligence. They have thus finalized their third technology-related investment within a year, following investments in the startups Fleet Logistics and cargo.one.

Founded in Montreal, Canada in 2007, Hopper operates one of the world’s most innovative travel booking apps. By leveraging powerful machine learning and AI, Hopper’s proprietary technology accurately predicts flight and hotel prices and offers its users personalized recommendations at the optimal booking time, as well as alternative travel offers. With this research project – in which the Lufthansa Group is making a multi-million-dollar investment – the two companies are estab¬lishing a long-term collaboration regarding predictive analytics models and flight-demand forecasting. In addition, the project will utilize AI to learn customers’ preferences on a much deeper level in order to provide personalized recommen¬dations about additional services or upgrades.

“Hopper operates one of the world’s most successful flight booking apps and has developed a unique AI-based technology. With this research alliance, the Lufthansa Group is further expanding its expertise in this area. This will enable us to provide our customers with even better data-driven, tailor-made offers in the future. This is one of the central goals of our digital strategy for this year,” explains Christian Langer, Vice President Digital Strategy, Lufthansa Group.

Supported by the partnership with the Lufthansa Group, Hopper continues with the technological development of its services. Following the company’s recent US $100 million financing round, Hopper will also continue to grow its global market presence as part of its international expansion efforts.

“We are thrilled to have Lufthansa Group and Lufthansa Innovation Hub as part-ners in research as we further our expansion into Europe,” said Frederic Lalonde, CEO of Hopper. “The combination of local market knowledge and dedication to exploring the upper bounds of AI makes this an ideal partnership for Hopper as we double down on our efforts to bring the best in travel booking to a global audience.”

The Lufthansa Innovation Hub facilitates Hopper’s European Rollout

The strategic partnership with the Lufthansa Group was initiated and negotiated by the Lufthansa Innovation Hub, the Group’s innovation and digitization unit. In addition to furthering the development of AI, Hopper will work closely with the Lufthansa Innovation Hub to expand into the European market. The Innovation Hub will provide strategic input on market-specific customer needs as well as access to its network of stakeholders in the European travel and technology space.

“We are delighted to have established a meaningful partnership between the Lufthansa Group and one of the world’s most innovative travel tech startups,” explains Gleb Tritus, Managing Director of the Lufthansa Innovation Hub. “In the coming months, we will support the collaboration with the Lufthansa Group’s revenue management and distribution experts. We are also confident that our Berlin team will be able to make a vital contribution to Hopper’s European expansion.”

Hopper’s European rollout is scheduled to start in mid-2019.

Photo: Lufthansa Group.

British Airways to paint a Boeing 747-400 in the BOAC livery, the first of legacy liveries

British Airways has made this announcement:

As part of its 100-year birthday, British Airways has announced it will be painting a Boeing 747-400 in the much-admired design of its predecessor British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).

The livery from the 1964 – 1974 BOAC era will adorn a Boeing 747-400, registration G-BYGC (below).

Above Copyright Photo: British Airways Boeing 747-436 G-BYGC (msn 25823) LHR (SPA). Image: 945336.

The aircraft will leave the paint shop in Dublin and arrive in to Heathrow on February 18, before entering service the following day. This coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first Boeing 747 flight only a few days earlier.

A Boeing 747 long-range wide-body four engined commercial jet airliner for the BOAC – British Overseas Airways Corporation flying above the United Kingdom on 7 April 1971. (Photo by Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images).

The BOAC 747 will be the first aircraft to receive a popular design from British Airways’ past with more details of further designs to be revealed in due course. Aircraft which receive the retro liveries will fly British Airways’ routes, proudly showcasing some of the popular designs as part of the airline’s centenary celebrations.

All new aircraft entering the fleet, including the Airbus A350, will continue to receive today’s popular Chatham Dockyard design.

Alex Cruz, British Airways’ Chairman and CEO, said: “So many British Airways customers and colleagues have fond memories of our previous liveries, regularly sharing their photos from across the globe, so it’s incredibly exciting to be re-introducing this classic BOAC design.

“Our history has shaped who we are today, so our centenary is the perfect moment to revisit our heritage and the UK’s aviation landscape through this iconic livery.”

The 747 has been deliberately chosen for the BOAC livery as it is a later variant of the same aircraft type that adorned the design when it was initially in operation.

The BOAC livery will remain on the Boeing 747-400 until it retires in 2023. By this time, British Airways will have retired the majority of its 747 fleet, replacing them with new state-of-the-art long-haul aircraft. This includes taking delivery of 18 A350s and 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in the next four years – which feature new cabins and are more environmentally efficient – as well as another 26 short-haul aircraft, all part of the airline’s £6.5bn investment for customers.

A potted history of BA:

On August 25, 1919, British Airways’ forerunner company, Aircraft Transport and Travel Limited (AT&T), launched the world’s first daily international scheduled air service between London and Paris.
In 1924, Britain’s four main fledgling airlines, which had by then evolved into Instone, Handley Page, Daimler Airways (a successor to AT&T), and British Air Marine Navigation Company Limited, merged to form Imperial Airways Limited.
By 1925, Imperial Airways was providing services to Paris, Brussels, Basle, Cologne and Zurich. Meanwhile, a number of smaller UK air transport companies had started flights and in 1935, they merged to form the original privately-owned British Airways Limited, which became Imperial Airways’ principal UK competitor on European routes.
Following a Government review, Imperial Airways and British Airways were nationalised in 1939 to form British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). Continental European and domestic flights were flown by a new airline, British European Airways (BEA) from 1946. BOAC introduced services to New York in 1946, Japan in 1948, Chicago in 1954 and the west coast of the United States in 1957. BEA developed a domestic network to various points in the United Kingdom, including Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester.
From 1946 until 1960, BOAC and BEA were the principal British operators of scheduled international passenger and cargo services – and they preserved Britain’s pioneering role in the industry. The 1950s saw the world enter the passenger jet era – led by BOAC, with the Comet flying to Johannesburg in 1952, halving the previous flight time.
Additional airlines began to pass into BEA’s ownership and in 1967, the Government recommended a holding board be responsible for BOAC and BEA, with the establishment of a second force airline, resulting in British Caledonian being born in 1970.
Two years later, the businesses of BOAC and BEA were combined under the newly formed British Airways Board, with the separate airlines coming together as British Airways in 1974.
In July 1979, the Government announced its intention to sell shares in British Airways and in February 1987 British Airways was privatised.

Top Copyright Photo: BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) Boeing 747-136 G-AWNC (msn 19763) JFK (Bruce Drum). Image: 102915.

BOAC aircraft slide show:

Virgin Atlantic relaunches its “Golden Ticket”

Virgin Atlantic Airways has made this announcement:

It’s bigger, it’s better, it’s golden-er. We’ve hidden 10 more Premium Golden Ticket fares in our ordinary flight search for the splendiferous price of £1 (plus the normal taxes, fees, charges and carrier imposed surcharges). So you could be off on your next adventure for even less than you imagined.

Just go ahead and carry out a flight search in the normal way. You’ll need to choose both the correct outbound and inbound dates to be a lucky winner.

Many wonderful surprises await in Premium, including a glass of fizz-whizzing bubbly as you board, an extra comfy leather seat and delicious eatables served on china crockery with proper cutlery.

Stay tuned, we’ll be releasing more Golden Tickets throughout the day.

Good luck to you all, and happy hunting!

SMBC Aviation Capital orders 65 Airbus A320neo Family aircraft

SMBC Aviation Capital has boosted its total order book for the Airbus A320neo Family to 181 aircraft after signing a firm order for an additional 65 A320neo Family aircraft (15 A321neo and 50 A320neo). The order was finalized in 2018 and included in the year-end order figures.

In addition the agreement includes an upsizing of 15 A320neo from a pre-existing order to 15 of the largest member of the single aisle, the A321neos, taking SMBC Aviation Capital’s total for the type to 30.

The order for 65 is in addition to an earlier agreement for six A320neo made in March, bringing the total number of A320neo Family ordered in 2018 to 71.

Image: Airbus.

Cebu Pacific Air ends 2018 with 71 aircraft in its fleet

Cebu Pacific Air, in December 2018, received delivery of a brand-new Airbus A321CEO (Current Engine Option) aircraft. The latest delivery completed the carrier’s order with Airbus for an additional seven A321CEO aircraft, which were delivered beginning in March 2018.

The airline has an existing order for 32 Airbus A321NEO (New Engine Option) aircraft.

To support expansion plans, Cebu Pacific has also ordered five Airbus A320NEO (new engine option) aircraft through an Operating Lease Agreement signed with Avolon Aerospace Leasing Limited, one of the largest aircraft leasing companies in the world. Deliveries of these aircraft will commence in the first half of 2019 and will be completed within the same year. The carrier is also expecting delivery of four (4) ATR 72-600 aircraft from 2019 to 2022 for use in inter-island domestic routes where jet operations are not possible.

To date, the Cebu Pacific fleet is comprised of 36 Airbus A320, seven (7) Airbus A321CEO, eight (8) Airbus A330, eight (8) ATR 72-500, and 12 ATR 72-600 aircraft. The ATR aircraft are used by its subsidiary Cebgo. Between 2019 and 2022, CEB expects delivery of five (5) Airbus A320NEO (New Engine Option) and 32 Airbus A321NEO aircraft; as well as four (4) ATR 72-600 aircraft.

Cebu Pacific has one of the youngest fleets in the world, with an average fleet age of about 5.1 years.

All images by Cebu Pacific Air.

Cebu Pacific takes delivery of its first Airbus A321neo

Cebu Pacific, the largest low-cost carrier in the Philippines has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo.

The new addition complements the Manila-based airline’s Airbus fleet, which currently includes 43 A320 Family aircraft and eight A330-300 widebodies.

Cebu Pacific has ordered 32 A321neo aircraft directly from Airbus, and will receive another five A320neo leased from Dublin-based Avolon. These will support the carrier’s expansion and fleet renewal program.

The A321neo aircraft for Cebu Pacific features 236 seats in a single class configuration. The aircraft is powered by Pratt and Whitney PurePower GTF engines.

The A320neo and its derivative aircraft family members are the world’s best-selling single aisle aircraft with over 6,100 orders from over 100 customers since its launch in 2010. It has pioneered and incorporated the latest technologies, including its new generation engines and the industry’s reference cabin design, delivering 20 percent fuel cost savings alone. The A320neo also offers significant environmental benefits with nearly 50 percent reduction in noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft.

Photo: Airbus.

Hainan Airlines to launch nonstop Vancouver-Shenzhen service on January 28

Hainan Airlines plans to formally launch nonstop service between Shenzhen and Vancouver on January 28, with two flights weekly, on Mondays and Fridays. The service will be the first nonstop international route connecting Shenzhen and a city in Canada.

A luxury Boeing 787-9 wide-body aircraft with a spacious and comfortable cabin layout will service the new routes. Business class will be equipped with reverse herringbone seating, while every seat on the aircraft comes wired with an exclusive on-demand entertainment system and every passenger will be served sumptuous offerings from both Western and Oriental cuisines. Passengers can also use their portable electronic devices on board.

Hainan Airlines now operates non-stop services between Shenzhen and Auckland, Brisbane, Brussels, Cairns, Madrid, Paris, Vienna and Zurich. The airline now operates 19 routes with destinations in North America including Boston, Calgary, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, San Jose, Seattle, Tijuana, Toronto and Vancouver, creating a rapid transit network complemented by easy transfer to intermodal forms of transportation.

Flight Schedule (All times are local):

Top Copyright Photo: Hainan Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner B-208S (msn 62726) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 945303.

Hainan Airlines aircraft slide show:

Silver Airways starts Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood – Daytona Beach service, unveils “Tortuga One”

Silver Airways on January 16 and 17 started new daily nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB).

Earlier this week, Silver unveiled its first themed aircraft – “Tortuga One” – as the official airline of the MiLB baseball team Daytona Tortugas. During the reveal, Tortuga mascots Shelldon and Shelly joined forces with Silver team members as they showed their strength while pulling the SAAB 340B (N317XJ) from Silver’s Orlando maintenance hangar. The new livery of the SAAB 340B aircraft features colorful joint branding, including a fierce tortuga at bat, the iconic Silver Airlines turbine and the Atlantic Coast airport.

Silver Airways’ Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – Daytona Beach (DAB) service effective January 16, 2019; (DAB – FLL service effective January 17, 2019):

	Departure	Arrival	Flight #	Stops	Frequency
Fort Lauderdale – Daytona Beach	6:30 pm	8:00 pm	60	0	Daily except Sat
Fort Lauderdale – Daytona Beach	6:25 pm	7:55 pm	60	0	Sat
Daytona Beach – Fort Lauderdale	8:20 am	9:45 am	59	0	Daily except Sun
Daytona Beach – Fort Lauderdale	9:15 am	10:40 am	59	0	Sun

For complete details, reservations and to receive email updates on Silver’s special offers, visit silverairways.com.

Silver Airways offers guests the ease and convenience of seamless booking, ticketing and baggage handling with connections to dozens of destinations that are available via the airline’s codeshare partnerships with United, JetBlue, and Avianca, as well as interline ticketing partnerships with American, Delta, Air Canada, Alaska, ANA, Bahamasair, Hahn Air and Azul.

Members of United’s MileagePlus® and JetBlue’s TrueBlue loyalty programs can also earn frequent flyer awards for travel throughout Silver’s network.

Photo: Silver Airways.

Video:

Swoop completes its Mexico route launches

Swoop on January 20, 2019 celebrated its final of four inaugural flights to Mexico this January. Flight WO604 departed from Abbotsford International Airport (YXX) at 11:00 a.m. PST and arrived at Mazatlán International Airport (MZT) at 4:19 p.m. PST.

Earlier this month, Swoop celebrated initial service to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta from Hamilton and to Puerto Vallarta from Abbotsford. This flight to Mazatlán was met on arrival with a water arch, spirited mariachi band and travelers were greeted by the Ministry of Tourism of the province of Sinaloa.

Flights are now available for booking through April 27, 2019.

Details of Swoop’s service to Mexico:

Service Between	Service Offered	Weekly Frequency	Total One-Way Price From*
Hamilton and Puerto Vallarta	Tuesday, Saturday	2 x per week	$139 CAD
Hamilton and Cancun	Monday, Friday, Saturday	3 x per week	$139 CAD
Abbotsford and Puerto Vallarta	Monday, Saturday	2 x per week	$159 CAD
Abbotsford and Mazatlán	Thursday, Sunday	2 x per week	$159 CAD