Yearly Archives: 2019

Bamboo Airways to launch operations on January 16

Bamboo Airways will launch scheduled passenger operations on January 16, 2019 from Hanoi to the Vietnamese cities of Ho Chi Minh City, Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Dong Hoi, Phu Quoc, Quy Nhon and Buon Ma Thuot also between Ho Chi Minh City and Quy Nhon.

Bamboo Airways will be based at Quy Nhon’s Phu Cat Airport in Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam.

On January 8, 2019, Vietnam Aviation Administration officially granted the Aircraft Operator Certificate (AOC) to Bamboo Airways, officially permitting the airline to operate in Vietnam’s aviation market.

Bamboo Airways is a startup airline owned by Vietnamese construction company, FLC Group.

All images by the airline.

Emirates will reduce its schedule at Dubai for runway work, A380 coming to Boston and Glasgow, will begin retiring its older Boeing 777s

Emirates has announced adjustments to its operational schedules in 2019 to minimize the impact of the closure of Dubai International Airport’s Southern Runway in April and May 2019, and to respond to global travel demand trends. The airline also outlined its fleet plans for the year.

Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, said: “At Emirates, we pride ourselves on being a customer-focused airline with a commercially-driven business model. We invest in a modern and efficient aircraft fleet so we can offer industry-leading comforts to our customers, and we are agile in deploying our aircraft to destinations where it best serves customer demand.

“The changes we are implementing to our network schedules in 2019 are in line with this approach, taking into consideration global market dynamics and operational limitations including the maintenance work on Dubai Airport’s Southern Runway. Through the year, we will continue to keep a close watch on global markets and will maintain our flexibility to optimise the usage of our aircraft assets.”

A significant number of scheduled Emirates flights will be impacted by the closure of Dubai International Airport’s Southern Runway for maintenance work between April 16 and May 30, 2019.

Given the limitations around operating flights using a single runway at its hub, many Emirates flights will be cancelled, re-timed or have the operating aircraft changed in order to reduce impact on customers. This will result in up to 48 Emirates aircraft not being utilised, with a 25% reduction in the overall number of flights operated by the airline during the 45-day period.

2019 network adjustments

Emirates will deploy additional flights to several markets in Africa starting in June 2019. The additional services will satisfy the increased demand that the airline has witnessed in these markets, and will offer customers even more seamless connections between these destinations and Emirates’ global network through Dubai. Cities in Africa that will be served by additional Emirates flights include:

Casablanca, Morocco: Emirates will operate a second daily flight starting June 1, 2019 to Casablanca. The service will be operated by Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft which will complement the airline’s existing daily Airbus A380 flight.
Abuja, Nigeria: Three additional flights will be operated every week on Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to Abuja starting June 1, 2019 increasing the frequency to the Nigerian city to a daily service.
Accra, Ghana: Emirates will also augment its current flight frequency to the Ghanaian capital with four additional Boeing 777-300ER flights a week bringing Emirates’ total service to 11 weekly flights to Accra effective June 2, 2019.
Conakry, Guinea and Dakar, Senegal: The capitals of Guinea and Senegal will be serviced by one additional linked flight every week starting June 1, 2019 on Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Multiple destinations across Europe will also be served by additional Emirates flights during peak travel season leading up to and lasting through the summer of 2019. These destinations include:

Athens, Greece: Emirates will deploy a second daily flight to Athens between March 31 and October 26, 2019. The service will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft between March 31 and April 15, 2019 and between October 1 and October 26, 2019. During the busy summer months from May 31 to September 31, Emirates will deploy its Airbus A380 aircraft to meet additional demand. Emirates will not operate the second daily flight during the period of closure of Dubai Airport’s Southern Runway (April 16 – May 30, 2019).
Rome, Italy: The Italian capital will be served by three daily Emirates flights between March 31 and October 26, 2019. The third additional flight, operated with a Boeing 777-300ER, will be suspended during the Dubai Airport Southern Runway closure.
Stockholm, Sweden: Emirates will provide additional capacity to Sweden during July and August 2019 with a double daily service on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. This will allow additional passengers to travel to and from the Swedish capital during the peak summer season.
Zagreb, Croatia: As part of the strategic partnership between Emirates and flydubai, Emirates will once again begin operating its Boeing 777-300ER daily to Zagreb from March 31 until October 26, 2019. The daily service will be reduced to four times a week during the Dubai Airport Southern Runway closure.

In order to meet increased seasonal passenger demand Emirates will be introducing its Airbus A380 aircraft to destinations including:

Boston, USA: Emirates’ customers travelling to Boston will be able to experience the world’s largest commercial aircraft famed for its Onboard Lounge accessible to First and Business Class passengers as well as the Onboard Shower Spas for First Class customers. Emirates’ A380 will operate to Boston between June 1 and September 30, 2019 and between December 1, 2019 and January 31, 2020 to accommodate the increased seasonal demand in travel to the US East Coast.
Glasgow, UK: Emirates will fly its flagship A380 double-decker aircraft to Scotland for the first time between April 16 and May 31, 2019. The Emirates A380 daily service, with a total capacity of 489 seats, will replace the double daily Boeing 777-300ER service during the Dubai Airport Runway closure. From June 1, 2019 until September 30, 2019, Emirates will resume operating a double-daily service to Glasgow with one daily Boeing 777-300ER and one Airbus A380, offering additional capacity to meet increased travel demand during the summer season.

Emirates will also adjust its services into South America to optimise fleet utilization. From June 1, 2019, the airline will deploy its newly refurbished two-class Boeing 777-200LR on its daily service from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro. Offering wider Business Class seats laid out in 2-2-2 format and refreshed seats in Economy Class, this service will continue from Rio de Janeiro to the Argentinian capital city of Buenos Aires four times a week, and on the remaining three days it will operate onwards to Santiago, Chile.

With this change, Emirates will suspend its linked flight from Dubai to Santiago via Sao Paulo. Sao Paulo will continue to be served with a daily non-stop Airbus A380 service to and from Dubai.

With a view to providing more efficient and direct connection options for customers travelling to and from Australia, Emirates will suspend flights EK 418/419 between Bangkok and Sydney from June 1, 2019. Emirates will continue to serve Sydney with three flights a day nonstop to Dubai, and Emirates’ customers wishing to travel between Bangkok and Sydney will have flight choices provided by Emirates’ partner Qantas.

Effective March 31, 2019, Emirates will suspend EK 424/425 and serve Perth with a once daily Airbus A380 service nonstop from Dubai. Emirates customers travelling from Perth will continue to enjoy rapid two-way connections through Dubai to over 38 destinations in Europe, and a further 16 cities in Europe via Emirates’ codeshare partner flydubai. Customers will also be able to enjoy a seamless Emirates A380 experience between Perth and close to 20 destinations in Europe.

Operating a modern aircraft fleet

Emirates is committed to operating one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the international aviation industry offering unparalleled customer experience and a superior level of safety combined with better fuel efficiency.

During the financial year 2019/20, Emirates will take delivery of six new Airbus A380 aircraft. At the same time, the airline will be renewing its fleet by retiring seven older Boeing 777 aircraft. Emirates took delivery of its last Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in November 2018 and will commence taking deliveries of the next generation Boeing 777Xs in 2020.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): Emirates Airline Airbus A380-861 A6-EDG (msn 023) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 945264.

Emirates aircraft slide show:

First Look: Alaska Airlines paints its first Airbus A319

Photo of the Day: Alaska Airlines has painted the first ex-Virgin America Airbus A319 (N530VA).

N522VA will be the second A319 to be repainted at Victorville.

Swoop arrives in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico today from Abbotsford

Swoop has named their first aircraft #Hamilton as a nod to their first airport base at John C. Munro International Airport in Hamilton, Ontario. (CNW Group/Swoop)

Swoop celebrates its inaugural flight from Abbotsford International Airport (YXX) to Puerto Vallarta’s Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR) today. Swoop flight WO600 departs from Abbotsford at 12:20 p.m. PST and arrives in Puerto Vallarta at 7:02 p.m. CST.

This marks Swoop’s second inaugural flight to Puerto Vallarta this week, the first from Hamilton, Ontario on January 8, 2019. Travellers can also enjoy flights from Hamilton to Cancun beginning January 14, 2019 and Abbotsford to Mazatlán beginning January 20, 2019.

Flights are now available for booking through to 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

*Every day low fares. Lower promotional fares may be available during select travel periods.

Frontier Airlines’ pilots ratify five-year collective bargaining agreement

Frontier Airlines and its pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), announced the ratification of a new five-year working agreement. Of the 99 percent of pilots who voted, 77 percent cast ballots in favor of the agreement.

Frontier Airlines’ agreement with ALPA includes an average 53 percent across-the-board pay increase on date of signing, double-digit direct contributions to pilots’ retirement plans, and $75 million in ratification compensation.

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with our pilots and believe it gives them best-in-class salary and benefits while also ensuring Frontier’s continued growth,” said Barry Biffle, President and CEO of Frontier Airlines. “Frontier would like to thank the ALPA leadership, and recognize the dedicated work of the National Mediation Board, in achieving this deal that will ensure security for everyone’s future.”

The ratification of this agreement represents nearly three years of contract negotiations, including over two years at the bargaining table with the assistance of the NMB.

This is the sixth collective bargaining agreement reached between Frontier and its represented employees in just over two years.

Images: Frontier Airlines.

Verdi strike at Frankfurt Airport will lead to significant disruption on Tuesday

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Lufthansa has made this announcement:

The trade union Verdi has called for a comprehensive strike by security personnel at Frankfurt Airport between 2 a.m. and 20 p.m. on Tuesday, 15 January 2019. As a result, a considerable amount of disruptions are to be expected regarding flight operations to and from Frankfurt Airport. More detailed information for Lufthansa passengers is available at www.lufthansa.com. Passengers with a Lufthansa flight departing from Frankfurt can immediately change their flights free of charge to a date between 11 and 20 January, 2019. Lufthansa will publish flight cancellations on its website on Sunday afternoon. From this date on, online rebooking will be also possible. Passengers who have entered their contact data online will be actively informed about their flight status.

Passengers who are planning to start their journey from Frankfurt Airport on this coming Tuesday should take particular note of the situation. According to the airport operator, the security checks outside the transit area will not be staffed. Therefore, passengers who are supposed to begin their journey in Frankfurt will not be able to reach their flight during the entire strike period as they will not be able to go through a security check. Lufthansa is therefore asking these guests not to go to the airport during that time, but instead to use rebooking options online at www.lufthansa.com or the Lufthansa App to rebook their flights accordingly. This explicitly does not apply to transit passengers changing flights at Frankfurt Airport, but only those who are starting their journey there.

“Although all aviation partners agreed that we want to improve the situation for our passengers in 2019, the Verdi union is escalating this collective bargaining dispute disproportionately and to an unacceptable extent. This series of strikes can certainly no longer be described as warning strikes. It is also clear that Verdi has no interest in making its contribution to improving Germany as an aviation location. We already have the lowest quality security checks at the highest costs, compared to Europe and other countries around the world,” says Dr. Detlef Kayser, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG for Airline Resources & Operations Standards.

Photo: Lufthansa.

Kuwait Airways starts nonstop service to New York, will add three seasonal routes

Kuwait Airways (Kuwait City) on January 11, 2019 started flying nonstop to New York (JFK). The flight previously stopped at Shannon Airport in Ireland.

Kuwait Airways is also adding new summer seasonal flights.

The airline will serve Malaga, Spain with two flights per week from June 3 until September 12, 2019.

The company will also fly to Trabzon, Turkey with three flights a week from June 1 until September 12, 2019.

The airline will also fly to Vienna, Austria with three flights a week from June 2 until September 8, 2019.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by the airline): Kuwait Airways Boeing 777-300ER 9K-AOC (msn 62561) JFK (Fred Freketic). Image: 937401.

Kuwait Airways aircraft slide show:

Cobalt goes into liquidation

Cobalt Aero (Cobalt Air) has decided to call it quits and will not reorganize. The short-term airline has gone into liquidation.

Previously the airline suspended operations on October 17, 2018.

The airline operated its first revenue flight on June 1, 2016 from Larnaca to Athens.

The company issued this short statement:

Cobaltair Ltd entered into voluntary liquidation on December 19, 2018.

Stephen Michaelides of Grant Thornton Specialist Services Limited was appointed Liquidator.

Top Copyright Photo: Cobalt Air (cobalt-aero) Airbus A319-132 5B-DCV (msn 2032) ZRH (Andi Hiltl). Image: 937702.

Cobalt aircraft slide show:

United opens a new Polaris Lounge at Los Angeles

Beginning January 12, United customers traveling in United Polaris® business class, the airline’s international premium cabin travel experience, will now be able to relax and dine before their travels in the new United Polaris lounge at Los Angeles International Airport.

The award-winning Polaris lounge experience builds on the airline’s concept to be uniquely United while embracing the energy and distinct culture of Southern California and the exciting destinations United serves from here.

This Polaris lounge features Southern California-style throughout, including works by local, Los Angeles-based artists, Rema Ghuloum, Chris Trueman and Ruth Pastine, and a food and beverage program inspired by the City of Angels. It is conveniently located in Terminal 7 between Gates 73 and 75A and faces west to capture the city’s vibrant sunset skies.

The United Polaris lounge is the most recent investment United has made at LAX, where the airline recently completed a $573 million renovation of Terminal 7. Customers also can now take advantage of the recently completed cut-through, a new road that provides a shortcut to avoid the LAX “horseshoe” road around the terminals to help ease their travels. In addition to the Polaris lounge, United recently opened a new United Club in Terminal 7, and offers customers who want a more upscale experience access to The Private Terminal. These latest improvements and amenities help give United customers the best possible airport experience at LAX.

“Los Angeles is one of United’s most important gateways, particularly to Asia and Australia, and this lounge provides our customers with a best-in-class experience before they board their flights, especially for those customers with late-night departures and early-morning arrivals,” said Janet Lamkin, United’s California President. “We continue to expand our presence in Los Angeles, connecting customers from all over California and the U.S. to our global network. The addition of the United Polaris lounge is yet another way we provide customers with the best possible travel experience at LAX.”

United Polaris Lounge at LAX Facts & Highlights

More than 12,000 square feet
140 seats, with a variety of seating areas for productivity, privacy and dining
272 power outlets and 120 USB ports
Luxurious shower suites, featuring rainfall showerheads and Soho House & Co’s Cowshed Spa products
Private daybeds outfitted with Saks Fifth Avenue bedding
Customers are invited to enjoy a full restaurant-quality experience in The Dining Room before their flights. With a menu that blends international comfort foods developed by Los Angeles native Chef Tritia Gestuvo, highlights include: almond-crusted fish and chips, chilaquiles, Korean bulgogi arancini, fresh crafted sandwiches on La Brea Bakery® bread, flavorful street tacos and house-made cinnamon churros.
In a nod to the innovative cocktail culture of Los Angeles, the lounge features signature cocktails inspired by the City of Stars, including the Let’s Rumble, made from Cruso Spiced Rum, fresh lemon, prickly pear puree and house-made simple syrup and the On Sunset, a playful take on the tequila sunrise, made from Casa Noble Tequila, Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal and agave nectar.

The United Polaris lounge at Los Angeles International Airport is the fifth Polaris lounge to open. Other United Polaris lounge locations include: Chicago O’Hare International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental in Houston, Newark Liberty International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.

The focus behind the United Polaris experience has always been to provide long-haul travelers with what they’ve asked for: the best sleep in the sky. On average, United continues to add one aircraft with the new United Polaris business class seat every 10 days from now through 2020.

All photos by United Airlines.

American reopens Hangar 2 at Tulsa

American Airlines made this announcement:

It’s a new era for a World War II-era hangar here. On January 9, 2019 American’s Tech Ops – Tulsa team officially reopened Hangar 2’s Dock 2D for business after a tail slot modification that allows it to house larger aircraft. Tulsa city leaders, the Airport Authority, Chamber leaders, TWU Local 514 leadership and several hundred team members attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Hangar 2 is one of four hangars that were part of the original base when American relocated its Maintenance operation to Tulsa from LGA in 1946. The hangars were built to accommodate smaller aircraft than we commonly fly today. Most recently, Dock 2D was used for maintenance on the McDonnell Douglas MD-80.

The modification — nicknamed the doghouse because of how it looks from the front — allows larger aircraft to fit completely into the dock, including the tail. The hangar ceiling had to be raised to accommodate the tail section and the new slot, and various structural beams, utilities and wiring had to be reworked to create the slot opening. The hangar’s two smaller doors became one larger door, and another door was added for the tail slot itself. Three other docks in the Hangar 1/2 complex in Tulsa have received similar modifications over the last several years.

Dock 2D before the tail slot modification (left) and after, with the first Airbus A319 to visit Tech Ops – Tulsa parked inside

The $2.7 million Dock 2D project was supported with funding from Vision Tulsa, an $884 million sales tax renewal package approved by voters in 2016. Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum led the local delegation at the grand opening to highlight both the commitment the city and American have to each other and why they chose to invest in us.

“With the Vision Tulsa sales tax, Tulsans are investing in their city for continued economic development through projects such as this tail slot at the Tulsa Maintenance Base,” Mayor Bynum said. “We are proud to continue our many decades of partnership between the City of Tulsa and American Airlines.”

The modification is already paying off. The first aircraft to use Dock 2D after its reopening is the Airbus A319, which, until now, had never visited Tech Ops – Tulsa.

“I’ve worked at the Tulsa base for 23 years, and I’ve always thought it was good place to be,” said Crew Chief Jimmy Downing. “As a mechanic, I want to see all our space used, so it’s exciting to see this hangar space get modified. We’ve been hoping to see Airbus or other work here, and it’s nice to see it finally happening.”

The team will run a dedicated special visit line (additional work to prepare aircraft for the summer) this month, and scheduled A-checks with the Airbus will soon begin in Hangar 80.

“It is fantastic to have the A319 here at the Tulsa base, to jump on a near-term opportunity to accelerate summer readiness work and to capitalize on the Tulsa team’s training and readiness for the Airbus aircraft,” said Craig Barton, Vice President of Technical Services.

Erik Olund, Managing Director of Base Maintenance, added, “We are incredibly grateful for the support from the City of Tulsa for the tail modification. With this functional space, our team can stand ready to provide additional support for the operation as we stay focused on providing a world-class experience for our customers. I know our team will knock it out of the park.”