Lufthansa Group airlines welcomed around 12.2 million passengers on board in April 2018

In April 2018, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group welcomed around 12.2 million passengers. This shows an increase of 9.1% compared to the previous year’s month, although last year’s German Easter holidays fell in April. The available seat kilometers were up 7.4% over the previous year, at the same time, sales increased by six percent. The seat load factor decreased by 1.1 percentage points compared to April 2017 to 81.2%. In the first four months of 2018, the Group continues to record levels of capacity, capacity utilization and passenger numbers.

The currency-adjusted sales environment developed positively in April compared to the previous year.

Cargo capacity increased 6.9% year-on-year, while cargo sales were up 3.4% in revenue tonne-kilometer terms. As a result, the Cargo load factor showed a corresponding reduction, decreasing 2.3 percentage points in the month to 67.2%.

Above Copyright Photo: Lufthansa tweets the shade of blue for the new livery. Lufthansa Boeing 747-430 D-ABVM (msn 29101) DUB (Greenwing). Image: 941854.

Network Airlines
The Network Airlines Lufthansa German Airlines, Swiss and Austrian Airlines carried 8.9 million passengers in April, 6.1% more than in the prior-year period. Compared to the previous year, the available seat kilometers increased by 5.4% in April. The sales volume was up 3.8% over the same period, decreasing seat load factor by 1.2 percentage points to 81.2%.

Lufthansa German Airlines transported 5.9 million passengers in April, a 4.7% increase compared to the same month last year. A 3.8% increase in seat kilometers in April corresponds to a 1.7% increase in sales. Furthermore, the seat load factor was 80.7%, therefore 1.7 percentage points below the prior-year’s level.

Above Copyright Photo: Eurowings Airbus A320-214 WL D-AIZR (msn 5525) (BVB 09 – Mannschaftsairbus) LHR (SPA). Image: 941520.

Eurowings Group
The Eurowings Group with the airlines Eurowings (including Germanwings) and Brussels Airlines carried around 3.3 million passengers in April. Among this total, three million passengers were on short-haul flights and 250,000 flew long-haul. This amounts to an increase of 18.3% in comparison to the previous year. April capacity was 17.9% above its prior-year level, while its sales volume was up 17.0%, resulting in a decreased seat load factor by 0.7 percentage points of 81.2%.

On short-haul services the Airlines raised capacity 20.9% and increased sales volume by 20.3%, resulting in a 0.4 percentage points decrease in seat load factor of 80.3%, compared to April 2017. The seat load factor for the long-haul services decreased by 0.9 percentage points to 83.2% during the same period, following a 12.0% increase in capacity and a 10.8% rise in sales volume, compared to the previous year.

American Airlines celebrates the opening of five new gates at Chicago O’Hare

American Airlines celebrated the opening of five new gates at its hub at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) on May 11, the first new gates to be constructed at the airport in 25 years. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined CEO Doug Parker; Franco Tedeschi, vice president — ORD Hub Operations; Ginger Evans, commissioner — Chicago Department of Aviation; and ORD team members for a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the opening of what is known as the L-Stinger.

The $78 million construction project was completed on time over the span of 20 months. With the additional gate capacity, American is flying more seats out of Chicago this summer than at any point in the last 10 years. Just last week American inaugurated new service from Chicago to Venice, Italy (VCE), and Vancouver, British Columbia (YVR).

“Today marks a historic moment for O’Hare as we open the airport’s first new gates in 25 years,” said Mayor Emanuel. “I want to thank American Airlines for recognizing the value of this investment and look forward to working with all of our airline partners as we begin moving forward on our transformational plan that represents a watershed moment for O’Hare and Chicago’s economic future.”

The new gates are the latest in American’s investment in ORD, including a new Flagship Lounge and renovated Admirals Club lounges, and later this year, a new hangar and ground equipment maintenance facility.

All images by American Airlines.

Spirit Airlines to become first ultra-low cost carrier in the Americas to offer Wi-Fi

Spirit Airlines has made this announcement:

Guests on Spirit Airlines will soon be able to watch, stream, surf and text from 30,000 feet. Spirit Airlines is signing an agreement today to install Wi-Fi on all of its planes by summer 2019, giving even more options to Guests to enhance their inflight experience. Spirit operates the newest aircraft fleet in the country, our Fit Fleet^®, and will also become the first ultra-low cost carrier in the Americas to offer Wi-Fi.

“We’re thrilled to enhance the inflight Guest experience with the addition of new-generation Wi-Fi,” said Ted Christie, Spirit Airline’s President. “By next summer, every plane in our fleet should be fully equipped to keep our Guests connected in the skies. It’s just one of the many investments we’ve made and will continue to make for our Guests.”

Spirit Airlines Wi-Fi technology partner, Thales Group, a global technology leader for decisive moments in aerospace, defense and security, and transportation markets, is bringing the high-end Ka-band HTS (High Throughput Satellite) system onboard the aircraft. The technology will bring Spirit Guests high-speed web browsing and streaming experiences similar to what they would find at home. In 2021, the state-of-the-art technology will get even better, with the launch of SES-17, a new satellite operated by SES and built by Thales Alenia Space, which will increase speeds and coverage to an unprecedented level in the industry. Spirit Wi-Fi is projected to provide service coverage immediately for 97% of Spirit’s routes upon entry into service.

“Thales is proud to be partnering with Spirit to mark a new era of Guest experience in connectivity and bring solutions that make tomorrow possible today,” said Dominique Giannoni, CEO of Thales InFlyt Experience. “We are focused on supporting Spirit’s mission and helping to shape new opportunities as we work together to provide an exceptional passenger experience.”

Spirit will offer high-speed web browsing and streaming options starting with an average price of $6.50, with a cost range expected to be lower or higher based on the route and demand.

Spirit’s Commitment to Invest in the Guest
Spirit Wi-Fi is one of many improvements coming up for the airline, as part of its pledge to keep improving and Invest in the Guest.

“We understand that flying for as little money as possible is only part of our promise,” said Christie. “We promise to go further. We’ll continue to listen to our Guests, and they’ll continue to see our dedication to improving service for them. We’ll keep adding exciting new destinations, improving our check-in process, frequent flier program and inflight experience, as well as continuing to dedicate ourselves to give back to the communities where we live and work.”

Christie introduced Spirit’s Invest in the Guest pledge with the announcement of Wi-Fi installation.

“Our promise is to keep going, to keep improving, and to invest in our Guests,” said Christie as part of the pledge. “We intend to improve our Guests’ experience every chance we get.”

A video message by Spirit Airlines President Ted Christie delivering the Guest pledge, information on improvements made by Spirit, commitments to Guests, and future initiatives can be found at InvestInTheGuest.com.

Spirit wants to hear directly from Guests about new ways to keep improving. Guests who share their thoughts or requests at InvestInTheGuest.com will be entered to win free round-trip tickets.

Spirit Airlines’ Guest Commitments
Spirit Airlines is committed to improving the Guest experience and unveiled the following Guest commitments:

• Performance Promise – The commitment to get Guests to their destinations on time.

Spirit is one of the top airlines for on-time performance, according to DOT statistics over the past several months.
With the youngest planes in the U.S., Spirit has added 12 brand-new planes in the last six months to their Fit Fleet^® to get Guests where they are going safely and reliably. Spirit consistently ranks as one of the most fuel-efficient airlines in the U.S.

• Improving the Experience – The commitment to improve every aspect of Guests’ journey based on feedback.

All Flight Attendants now attend a robust inflight Guest Service Training Program developed in partnership with a world-class hospitality leader. This program will roll out to all of Spirit’s airport teams this summer, in a continued effort to better serve our 23 million Guests annually.

• À La Smarte – The commitment to give Guests more choices when it comes to how they fly and how they save.

Spirit’s latest technology initiatives allow Guests to have more control over their booking, check-in and travel experience, including a mobile-friendly website, Spirit Check-In App, new airport kiosks and self bag tagging.
This year, Spirit expanded its network to include Columbus, Ohio, Richmond, Va., Guayaquil, Ecuador, Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, in addition to adding even more routes to some of the best vacation destinations in the world.

• Giving Spirit – The commitment to give back to the communities where Spirit lives and works.

This year, Spirit has supported more than 100 charities and community organizations with countless flights and volunteer hours.

About Thales Group:
The people we all rely on to make the world go round – they rely on Thales. Our customers come to us with big ambitions: to make life better, to keep us safer. Combining a unique diversity of expertise, talents and cultures, our architects design and deliver extraordinary high technology solutions. Solutions that make tomorrow possible, today. From the bottom of the oceans to the depth of space and cyberspace, we help our customers think smarter and act faster – mastering ever greater complexity and every decisive moment along the way. With 65,000 employees in 56 countries, Thales reported sales of $18 billion in 2017.

For more than 100 years, Thales has conducted significant research and development, manufacturing, and service capabilities in the U.S. Today, Thales is present in 13 states operating 23 different facilities. Working closely with US customers and local partners, Thales is able to meet the most complex requirements for every operating environment.

Spirit Airlines aircraft slide show:

JetBlue introduces its “jetBlue Vacations” logo jet

JetBlue Airways has introduced a “jetBlue Vacations” special livery on Airbus A320-232 N603JB (msn 2352) to promote taking vacations.

Top Photo: JetBlue Airways.

Bottom: Orlando International Airport.

Air Italy takes delivery of its first Boeing 737-8 MAX 8

Air Italy (3rd) has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 (EI-GFY). The first copy was handed over by Boeing at a ceremony on Friday, May 11, 2018.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Air Italy): Air Italy (3rd) Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 EI-GFY (msn 64605) BFI (Joe G. Walker). Image: 941730.

JetBlue reaches a tentative agreement with its pilots

JetBlue Airways has announced it has reached an agreement in principle with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) regarding JetBlue’s pilots. The agreement is subject to a ratification process which includes final documentation, review, and consideration by the ALPA Master Executive Council before being distributed to JetBlue pilots for final ratification.

Copyright Photo: JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-232 N531JL (msn 1650) (Blue Finest – Honored to Support New York’s Finest) FLL (Bruce Drum). Image: 104665.

JetBlue aircraft slide show:

WestJet lays out its plans for Swoop

WestJet management commented on its plans for Swoop during its first quarter earnings call:

WestJet has fully crewed the launch aircraft.
Swoop will start operations on June 20, 2018
The first aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, is being painted and will have 189 seats.
Swoop will take delivery of two aircraft in June, a third in July. The fleet will grow to six aircraft by the fourth quarter 2018 and the full fleet of 10 aircraft by the the third quarter of 2019.
Swoop aircraft are being transferred from WestJet as “excess capacity” that would otherwise be returned to their respective lessors.

Information via Seeking Alpha.

Jetlines to lease two Airbus A320s in order to start operations

Jetlines (Vancouver) has issued this update:

Canada Jetlines Ltd. provides an update on recent corporate developments related to aircraft acquisition.

Jetlines concluded a term sheet on April 23, 2018 to lease two Airbus A320 aircraft and made a deposit payment of US$876,000. The term sheet is subject to executing a definitive lease agreement and other conditions customary to a transaction of this nature.

Once a definitive lease agreement is concluded for these aircraft, the Company will be able to provide new guidance to the market on its projected start-up date and aircraft delivery schedule.

The Company is targeting the conclusion of a definitive lease agreement before the end of Q2, 2018.

In the interim, Jetlines continues to advance its efforts with personnel recruitment, airport agreements, the licensing process and the financing plan.

The upstart had been previously planning to start operations with Boeing 737s.

New start-up in Taiwan: StarLux Airlines

StarLux Airlines is a new airline start-up based in Taipei, Taiwan. The airline stated its goals and plans:

StarLux Airlines was issued its official business registration certificate by the Ministry of Economic Affairs on May 2, 2018.

K.W. Chang, founder and chairman of StarLux Airlines, launched Starlux Investments Limited in 2017 to lay the groundwork for the new airline, including applying for all relevant permits and certificates. The official registration of Starlux Airlines will see a staff of over 150 people directly transferred to the new company. Starlux now needs to pass a five-stage evaluation conducted by Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration to acquire its Air Operator Certificate in order to begin operations in 2020 as scheduled.

In the meantime, the company is continuing its aggressive program of new staff recruitment, systems implementation, aircraft leasing and other relevant operations. In the second half of this year, more aviation professionals will join the team and begin a robust pilot training program. Mass recruitment for airport ground staff and cabin crew is planned to begin in 2019.

True to its slogan, “Born to be luxury. Shining like stars,” Starlux is dedicated to making each journey a once in a lifetime experience of exquisite enjoyment for each and every passenger. Chang says, “Being high-end and luxurious is not about the price tag, but rather an attitude, a standard embedded in our brand. We will always be at the forefront of safety and quality service to achieve operational excellence and to perform beyond each passenger’s expectations in every detail.”

Fulfilling the goal of providing quality and excellence of travel experience, Starlux is initially going to operate 10 advanced and fuel-efficient Airbus A321neos on lease with the first aircraft to be delivered in October 2019. In addition, the airline is currently at the final stage of evaluation and selection for additional 14 wide-body aircraft and will take delivery of the first aircraft by the end of 2021 according to plan.

With three A321neos flying the initial routes from Taipei to southeast and northeast Asian destinations, StarLux’s fleet will include up to 24 aircraft by the end of 2024 to serve over 20 destinations in Asia and North America.

StarLux anticipates gradually expanding its network as its fleet grows, providing best-in-class luxury travel for passengers worldwide.

All images by StarLux.