Author Archives: Bruce Drum

About Bruce Drum

I have started the ultimate digital photo library of the fascinating world of airliners and airlines. The goal is to have the complete history of all airlines and the various aircraft operated. I have been photographing airplanes since 1965. Join us in this adventure.

United expects traffic volume to be up almost 10% for Memorial Day holiday, adds features to its app

United Airlines is ready for its busiest Memorial Day holiday ever – with a record-setting three million travelers expected to fly between May 23-28, up nearly 10% compared to last year.

To help fliers navigate the crowds and jumpstart their summer vacations, United has dozens of features in its mobile app to help travelers skip lines, breeze through security, navigate to their gates, quickly check their bags and more – saving travelers up to 30 minutes on average* at the airport.

United Expects Record Setting Start to Summer Travel Season

United continues to release new innovations in its mobile app to help travelers prepare for their trips – offering more transparency, saving time and reducing stress.

Here are the top ways the United mobile app can help fliers travel on easy mode:

Find live, personalized flight notifications for details such as countdown to boarding, gate number, seat, bag tracking and more right on your phone screen. United is the first and only U.S. airline to support Live Activities for iPhone, and the live updates have helped millions of travelers since last year especially during peak travel times.
Request your desired seat with the new seat preferences feature in the mobile app if your preferred seat type isn’t available at the time of booking your flight. Travelers who use this tool are moved automatically into their preferred seat, on average, 35% of the time. United is the first and only U.S. airline offering this option.
Receive automatic rebooking assistance during flight disruptions directly in the app. When travel doesn’t go as planned, customers will get alternate travel options automatically served to them in the app. Saving travelers about 15 minutes in line on average, the tools help them get back on their way more quickly after a flight disruption or cancellation. Plus, only United offers Agent on Demand – allowing customers to scan a QR code or use the United app to video chat, text or call a customer service representative instead of waiting in line at the airport. In 2023, Agent on Demand helped more than 1.6 million travelers avoid lines at the airport and get fast help in the app.
Take advantage of TSA PreCheck® Touchless ID at O’Hare International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport^†to seamlessly drop off bags or make it through security in seconds by leveraging facial scanning technology.
Use Terminal Guide in the app to know in advance which door at the airport to pull up to, drop off a checked bag or head straight to security. These instructions will be personalized by factors such as if a traveler is parking at the airport, getting dropped off by a rideshare, checking a bag, traveling with TSA PreCheck® and more.
Get where you need to go at the airport with confidence and ease using animated terminal maps right in the app. The maps are customized for each leg of a trip to offer turn-by-turn directions from airport lobby to gate to baggage claim.
Check-in on the mobile app before arriving at the airport, removing the step of waiting in line to print a boarding pass in the airport lobby.
Skip the check-in line and drop off bags in under a minute at the designated bag drop shortcut location in the lobby by checking bags in the app before arriving at the airport.
Track your bag by checking the app’s bag tracker for time stamps every step of the way.

Top Copyright Photo: United Airlines Airbus A320-232 N413UA (msn 470) SEA (Bruce Drum). Image: 106088.

United Airlines aircarft photo gallery:

Mechanical malfunction sparks fire on Delta Airbus A321 jet arriving at the gate at Sea-Tac Airport

Delta Air Lines flight DL 604 arrived at the gate at SEA on Monday night and a fire broke out on the parked Airbus A321 (N504DZ).

Watch the video from KOMO News 4 and the Port of Seattle SEA:

https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-tacoma-international-airport-delta-604-a10-cancun-electric-power-port-of-seattle-fire-department-loading-bridge-chutes-safety-posfd

Fokker Next Gen and airBaltic sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

Fokker Next Gen is developing a clean sheet 120–150 seat narrowbody aircraft, powered by liquid hydrogen combustion, with a range of up to 2.500 km. Entry into service is planned for 2035.
airBaltic is committed to contributing to innovation developments in the aviation industry and the economic strength of the Baltic region.
airBaltic is interested in evaluating the potential of hydrogen powered aircraft opportunities with Fokker Next Gen.
Through this MoU, the collaboration between airBaltic and Fokker Next Gen will include the incorporation of end user feedback into the design and development of the Fokker Next Gen liquid hydrogen combustion powered aircraft.

Fokker Next Gen N.V. (Fokker Next Gen), a pioneering liquid hydrogen powered commercial aircraft manufacturer that plans to produce aircraft both in the Netherlands and in Latvia, and Air Baltic Corporation AS (airBaltic), Latvia’s national airline, are pleased to announce this Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that sets the stage for a collaborative future in aviation.

This memorandum will leverage the insights of airBaltic to contribute to the development of the Fokker Next Gen liquid hydrogen combustion powered commercial aircraft.

From airBaltic’s perspective, this is an opportunity to investigate hydrogen aircraft fit for the airline’s routes.

Fokker Next Gen, with its expertise in aircraft design, certification, and assembly, is developing a liquid hydrogen fueled aircraft that aims to revolutionize the industry. The aircraft will be designed with a dual fuel system so that it can also fly on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) or kerosene when liquid hydrogen is not available.

airBaltic is committed to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, in line with the aviation industry and EU commitments. To reach that in the long run, airBaltic is dedicated to continuing advancing operational excellence, exploring innovative solutions – for example, through cooperation’s such as this – and implementing industry-wide practices.

This collaboration is poised to leverage the strengths of both companies and explore the vast potential of liquid hydrogen powered commercial aircraft for the aviation sector.

Porto Alegre Airport is flooded in Brazil

Porto Alegre Airport – Aeroporto Internacional Salgado Filho has been flooded due to torential rains in South Brazil.

The airport issued this statement:

Fraport Brasil informs that operations at Porto Alegre Airport remain suspended for undetermined time.

Porto Alegre Airport, as well as various locations in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, was severely hit by the heavy rains of the past few days. Our teams are acting to implement measures to mitigate the impacts suffered. These actions include alignments with the Federal Government, reinforcement of security at our facilities and for our employees.

While it is still early to estimate a return to regular operations, we want to make sure we are committed and ready to act once we can scale the impacts.

We thank all the institutions, airlines, authorities, and individuals who are helping our state get through this time.

Photo: Porto Alegre Airport. The terminal in normal times.

Fraport Brasil, administrator of Porto Alegre Airport since 2018, together with the Ministry of Ports and Airports, is developing a plan for the operation of commercial flights to transport passengers from Canoas Air Base.

The plan will include actions to adapt the Base to receive passengers, in addition to cargo and humanitarian aid – which is already in progress. In order to guarantee compliance with international aeronautical legislation and Brazilian aviation rules, Fraport Brasil has authorization to operate up to five daily flights leaving this new point. In the coming days, information regarding destinations, times and other related procedures necessary for passenger boarding will be released.

Video:

Brussels Airlines’ new ‘Amare” promotional livery for Tomorrowland Belgium in July

Brussels Airlines and Tomorrowland previously on April 25 presented ‘Amare’, the newest Belgian Icon, which represents unity for people all over the world. The brand-new and specially painted Airbus A320neo’s livery also features augmented reality.

Both partners also ramp up efforts to make the Tomorrowland flights more sustainable. Amare will not only bring the festivalgoers to Tomorrowland but will be operating commercial flights as from April 26, 2024. The airliner is pictured departing from Palma de Mallorca.

United since 2012

Brussels Airlines has announced its extension of partnership with Tomorrowland until 2028. Since 2012, the Belgian airline has proudly collaborated with Tomorrowland, bringing tens of thousands of festivalgoers to Belgium every summer. This partnership is built on shared values, including a passion for exploring the world, connecting cultures, and a commitment to environmental sustainability. This summer almost 47.000 festivalgoers will travel to Tomorrowland Belgium via the unique Global Journey travel packages, offering an all-inclusive experience with transportation (flight, bus, train), accommodation (DreamVille, B&B, hotel) and festival tickets. Roughly 14.500 festivalgoers booked a Global Journey package with flight. Approximately 165 different flights from around the world will take place over the two weekends.

Amare travels the world

Amare embodies some of Tomorrowland’s core values, including love, friendship, and unity. Amare comes to life during ‘Adscendo’, both in the book and on the stages, but also plays a significant role in Tomorrowland’s future fiction novels. In the Tomorrowland Universe, Amare is the only one able to travel through different Tomorrowland worlds via Paperworld, the magical parallel spectrum that connects the different worlds.

From this line of thought, Amare was visualized as if the mythical bird was traveling through the ‘spectrum of space’ by having him fade out towards the back. This also conveys a stronger sense of motion and makes the aircraft even more dynamic. The new design also exudes a tremendous power in magic through energy lines and particles that are in the direction of motion, this to further emphasize that Amare is a magical being that is constantly in motion with the purpose of bringing people together.

Augmented Reality

Amare is the first aircraft to feature augmented reality in its livery as the creature comes to life when scanned through specific social media channels such as Instagram and TikTok. This feature provides the People of Tomorrow a first augmented storytelling behind the world-famous and mythical bird Amare, which symbolizes unity and transcending time and space.

The whole design process of the livery took about 15 months and great attention has been given to details, from the feathers of the bird to the sparkles of the fireworks transitioning into the Brussels Airlines’ logo.

The Tomorrowland experience will of course continue inside the aircraft where passengers will enjoy the impressive sound system and special mood lighting in the cabin.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Green Fares

Both Brussels Airlines and Tomorrowland are dedicated to reducing their environmental footprint and taking necessary steps to minimize their impact. Both partners are aware of their environmental impact and have been working to reduce it over the past few years.

The new Amare is the second brand-new A320neo having joined Brussels Airlines’ fleet in December 2023. The neo emits up to 20% less CO2 and up to 50% less noise than its predecessors. The new Amare is thus a tangible example of how Brussels Airlines and Tomorrowland are aiming to reduce their ecological impact.

Furthermore, all Global Journey Packages Brussels Airlines and Tomorrowland sell together will from now on be Green Fares, which compensate the flight emissions with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (20%) and thanks to the investment into qualitative CO2-reducing programmes (80%).

Tomorrowland is a global platform for electronic music lovers, offering festivals, events, podcasts, and more.

Tomorrowland Belgium will be held on July 19-21 and July 26-28, 2024.

Copyright Photo: Brussels Airlines Airbus A320-251N WL OO-SBB (msn 11790) (Tomorrowland) PMI (Javier Rodriguez). Image: 963194.

Brussels Airlines aircraft slide show:

WestJet Group boosts Calgary’s global connectivity through enhanced Winter 787 Schedule

The WestJet Group today announced significant enhancements to its transoceanic and leisure travel offering with its winter 787 schedule, revealing expanded year-round service between Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT) and an increase to daily connectivity between Calgary and Paris Charles-de-Gaulle International (CDG) and London Heathrow International (LHR) Airports. As The WestJet Group continues to fortify its position as Canada’s leisure travel champion, the airline is also enhancing its 787 presence on popular leisure routes with service between Canada, Mexico and Hawaii.

Year-round service to Tokyo, Unlocked

Building on the existing summer seasonal service, WestJet is investing in year-round service between Calgary and Tokyo. The service enhancement is a strategic milestone for the airline, bringing more visitors to Alberta and strengthening global tourism opportunities, while preserving Calgary’s position as the most connected mid-sized city in North America. Through WestJet’s longstanding codeshare agreement with Japan Airlines guests will also have access to seven destinations beyond Tokyo.

Route	Frequency	Start Date
Calgary-Tokyo	3x weekly	October 27, 2024

Strengthened year-round service to Europe

This winter, WestJet is bolstering its European winter service offering with daily connectivity to both London and Paris from the airline’s global hub in Calgary. While these routes were previously served throughout the winter, frequency to Paris has been increased to daily to match London, and to meet the unprecedented demand for business and leisure travel between Western Canada and Europe. Guests will also benefit from WestJet’s codeshare agreement with Air France, which unlocks 53 additional European destinations beyond Paris.

Route	Frequency	Start Date
Calgary-London	7x weekly	October 27, 2024
Calgary-Paris	7x weekly	October 27, 2024

Leading the nation in leisure, adding more access to Mexico

In line with The WestJet Group’s strategy, the airline is committed to providing Canadians with more affordable leisure travel options than any other carrier in the country. This winter, the airline is deploying its 787 aircraft on some of its most in-demand leisure routes, including doubling its capacity between Calgaryand Cancun to twice daily and increasing to daily service between Calgary and Puerto Vallarta. Additionally, the airline will continue to offer daily 787 service between Toronto and Cancun and three times weekly service between Calgary and Honolulu.

Route	Frequency	Start Date
Calgary-Cancun	13x weekly	October 28, 2024
Calgary-Puerto Vallarta	7x weekly	November 11, 2024
Calgary-Honolulu	3x weekly	November 16, 2024
Toronto-Cancun	7x weekly	October 28, 2024

About the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

As the largest aircraft in WestJet’s fleet, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner can fly intercontinental journeys, carrying up to 320 guests per flight, making it ideal for European, Asian and high-demand routes. It features a three-cabin configuration to serve a variety of guest needs, and spacious seats with entertainment systems at every seat for added comfort.

Top Copyright Photo: WestJet Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner C-GKKN (msn 64977) LGW (Robbie Shaw). Image: 956004.

WestJet aircraft slide show:

Lufthansa to partner with Meta on Quest 3 headsets

Lufthansa has announced a new cooperation of Lufthansa and Meta.

For the first time an airline will offer access to Quest 3 headsets in an in-flight setting.

Together, Lufthansa will equip selected flights for an exclusive test case for customers of the new Allegris Business Class!

Avianca Cargo transported more than 400 million flower stems to the United States for the Mother’s Day celebration

Avianca Cargo announced the close of its Mother’s Day season with the transportation of more than 400 million flower stems, representing close to 18,000 tons of cargo, on some 300 flights from Colombia and Ecuador to the United States.

More than 14,000 tons were transported from Colombia, once again positioning the cargo airline as the national leader in the transportation of this product to the United States. The company is also expanding its fleet with new A330 freighters, enabling it to continue to position itself as an important strategic partner for the flower industry in the region.

For this Mother’s Day season, and for the second time this year, Avianca Cargo doubled its regular capacity for the transportation of flowers, highlighting the export of roses and carnations from Bogota, pompons, hydrangeas and chrysanthemums from Medellin, and roses, carnations, and gypsophila from Quito.

“It is a constant in our mothers’ seasons to transport flowers with the utmost care to keep them fresh to their destination and meet the needs of our customers. In this way we also support the dynamization of the Colombian and Ecuadorian economy, moving one of the most significant products in the region, and helping to boost this industry,” said Diogo Elias, Senior VP of Avianca Cargo.

The company responded in a timely manner to the requirements of its customers, thanks to the preparation of each team months before the launch of the season, increasing its operating personnel by 30% and increasing the extended 24/7 reception hours at origin stations such as Colombia and Ecuador and arrival stations such as Miami and Los Angeles.

Top Copyright Photo: Avianca Cargo (Tampa Cargo) Airbus A330-243F N332QT (msn 1428) MIA (Jay Selman). Image: 404307.

Avianca Cargo aircraft photo gallery:

Lufthansa Group flies the flag for Europe and presents four ‘Yes to Europe’ aircraft in Brussels

The Lufthansa Group sent a clear and loud message for a strong Europe at Brussels Airport today (Monday), when four specially liveried Airbus A320s from Lufthansa Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings simultaneously met.

All four aircraft carry the eye-catching ‘Yes to Europe’ slogan and the European circle-of-stars emblem on their fuselage sides. The message from this joint initiative ahead of the next European elections: Take a stand – strengthen democracy.

About 100 invitees had gathered at Brussels Airport for the occasion. The guests included the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola and Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who both spoke out in favor of a strong and free Europe.

Carsten Spohr, CEO of the Lufthansa Group, said: “Soon millions of citizens will have the opportunity to shape the future of the European Union. Now more than ever, it is up to all of us to use our votes in the European elections to stand up for democracy and a united and free continent. This is the prerequisite for a strong location and a strong economy.”

The four specially liveried Lufthansa Group Airbus A320s with their ‘Yes to Europe’ slogan have been operating throughout their European home continent for several weeks now, serving as flying ambassadors of the European idea in the run-up to the European elections. As a European airline group, the Lufthansa Group is looking to encourage people to vote in these elections, and also to make its own clear statement in support of a strong Europe.

The election to the European Parliament will take place between June 6 and 9, 2024.

Top Copyright Photo: Eurowings – Yes to Europe Airbus A320-251N WL D-AENE (msn 10932) PM I (Javier Rodriguez). Image: 963111.

Below Copyright Photo: Brussels Airlines – Yes to Europe Airbus A320-214 OO-TCV (msn 1968) PMI (Javier Rodriguez). Image: 963138.

Alaska Airlines salutes members of the U.S. military and their families

Alaska Airlines outlined the ways it respects military personnel and their families:

At Alaska, we are so very grateful for the service of active duty military and veterans and appreciate the personal sacrifices they and their families make for us all. We take seriously our responsibility to care for our military guests, and we prioritize it with every flight.

Here are some of the ways we show our care—from booking to landing and everything in between.

Special military fares

We offer special military fares to active duty military and their dependents in some markets. These fares apply to service members traveling on an official excused absence, and those discharged from active duty military service in any one of the US military agencies.

Learn more

Priority boarding

When it’s time to fly, listen closely to the announcements at the gate. Our gate agent will offer active members of the military the opportunity to board the flight early. Stow your bags before most guests and settle into your seat to relax.

Our Boarding Process

Check 5 bags for free

For active duty US military personnel, and military dependents with travel orders, we’ll check your first 5 bags for free.

Learn more

Save on inflight purchases

Members of the military and their families get a 15% discount on food purchased during a flight with us. Just show your military ID to our flight attendant, and then prepare to snack.

Browse our inflight food menu

Lounge access

Alaska Lounge Day Passes are complimentary for U.S. military personnel traveling on official government-sponsored travel booked through SATO and ticketed to fly on an Alaska flight departing within 3 hours. All other active duty military personnel with a valid Military ID, traveling on a paid or award ticket, may purchase a day pass at the discounted rate of $30 when traveling on Alaska. Available in all Alaska Lounge locations, subject to space availability. A valid Military ID must be presented.

Learn about day passes

Receive a WeSalute discount

We offer a discount on our flights for members of WeSalute. If you’re already a member, sign into your VetRewards to redeem your discount. If you’re not yet a member, enroll today to start saving on Alaska Airlines flights.

Learn more

Fly with four-legged friends

Trained service animals travel for free with proper documentation. Plus, we offer active military members and their dependents a pet shipping discount on Alaska Air Cargo.

Learn more.

We’ve got your back.

No matter what direction life takes you after your service, we’ll continue looking for ways to support you and your families, and to show you that we’re grateful for all you’ve done.

Thank you, heroes.

We are fortunate to work with the Honor Flight Network to provide complimentary travel and reduced fares for veterans on specially planned tours of Washington D.C., to honor them for their military service. Since 2012, we have flown nearly 5,000 veterans to the D.C. Area on over 100 Honor Flights.