British Airways to start Nashville service on May 4

British Airways will launch the only nonstop service between London (Heathrow) and Nashville starting on May 4.

British Airways commented on the new route:

To celebrate the new five-a-week service the airline welcomed country music star, Stella Parton, to Heathrow with the Nashville native strutting her stuff and sharing her top tips.

Stella, who has lived in Nashville for 50 years and whose birthday is on May 4, was photographed on board a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner as the airline’s newest fleet will serve the capital of Tennessee.

Stella Parton, who hails from one of America’s most legendary music families, said: “On behalf of all of the Nashville natives we are so excited to welcome a British invasion! Nashville is so much more than just a music town, it’s growing, it’s happening and we want people to come and see what fantastic things we have going on. I’ve been lucky enough to tour the UK many times so I can’t wait to be able to fly direct to London with no stop-over!”

For a taste of the deep south the airline will be serving traditional hot chicken on flights from Nashville to Heathrow Terminal 5 in all cabins until June 4.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by British Airways): British Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner G-ZBJI (msn 60626) LHR (SPA). Image: 940955.

British Airways aircraft slide show (Boeing):

Vietjet further expands with new routes to Taiwan and South Korea

Vietjet continues its Asian expansion program with the launch of two new international routes: Hanoi – Taichung (Taiwan) and Danang – Daegu (South Korea).

The Hanoi – Taichung route will be operated with 5 return flights per week on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from June 22, 2018 with around two and a half hours flight time per leg. The flight departs from Hanoi at 13:00 and arrive in Taichung at 16:30 (local time). The return flight takes off at 17:30 (local time) in Taichung and lands in Hanoi at 19:20.

The Danang – Daegu route will be operated on a daily basis from July 19, 2018 with around four and a quarter hour flight time per leg. The flight will depart from Danang at 00:15 and arrive in Daegu at 06:30 (local time). The return flight will take off at Daegu at 07:30 (local time) and lands in Danang at 10:00every day.

With 6 routes serving Taiwan including HCMC – Taipei; Hanoi – Taipei; HCMC – Kaohsiung; Hanoi – Kaohsiung; HCMC – Tainan; HCMC – Taichung, Vietjet is the airline flying the most Taiwanese destinations from Vietnam.

Daegu is the fourth largest city of South Korea, after Seoul, Busan and Incheon.

Copyright Photo: Vietjet Air (VietJetAir.com) Airbus A320-214 WL D-AXAA (VN-A678) (msn 6025) XFW (Gerd Beilfuss). Image: 922328.

Vietjet aircraft slide show:

Air Canada launches daily nonstop flights linking Edmonton and San Francisco

Air Canada on May 1 inaugurated nonstop daily flights between Edmonton and San Francisco, operated by Jazz Aviation.

Air Canada’s Edmonton–San Francisco daily non-stop, year-round flights are operated onboard Bombardier CRJ900 jets offering a choice of 12 Business Class seats and 64 Economy Class seats, wi-fi, and features Air Canada’s in-flight entertainment on personal touch-screens at every seat.

Flights have been timed to connect conveniently with Air Canada’s regional flight network in Edmonton and with Star Alliance partner United Airlines in San Francisco, as well as providing for Aeroplan accumulation and redemption, Star Alliance reciprocal benefits, and for eligible customers, priority check-in, Maple Leaf Lounge access at Edmonton, priority boarding and other benefits.


Flight #	Routing	Departs	Arrives
AC8743	Edmonton-San Francisco	4:20 p.m.	6:20 p.m.
AC8744	San Francisco-Edmonton	12:00 p m.	3:45 p.m.

Copyright Photo: Air Canada Express-Jazz Aviation Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) C-GJZV (msn 15424) YYC (Chris Sands). Image: 940859.

Air Canada Express-Jazz aircraft slide show:

United Airlines announces collaboration with American Humane for safe animal travel

United Airlines has announced it will be working with American Humane, the country’s first national humane animal organization, to improve the well-being of all pets that travel on United. American Humane has been working to improve the safety, welfare and well-being of the world’s animals for more than 140 years.

United also announced that it will resume operations for PetSafe®, the carrier’s program for cats and dogs that travel in the cargo compartment, later this summer. The airline continues to review all pet handling processes and policies, including in-cabin pet travel. United is identifying new policies, updating training and customer requirements, and implementing these changes to improve the safety of the pet travel experience.

“American Humane has long been known and respected for setting the gold standard of animal welfare,” said Jan Krems, United’s vice president of cargo. “We look forward to a long-term collaboration and appreciate their expertise in helping us further improve our service on an ongoing and continual basis. As we continue our review process to ensure that we are always doing what’s right, we are committed to making significant improvements in our program and adhering to the best practices of animal comfort, well-being and travel on behalf of our customers and their pets.”

“Transporting pets introduces a variety of risks and when United approached us, we knew we had to take on the challenge of helping improve and ensure the health, safety and comfort of so many animals,” said Dr. Robin Ganzert, American Humane’s president and chief executive officer. “United serves thousands of customers and their pets each day, and we saw it as our duty to come in as an independent, third party to help evaluate and further improve their PetSafe program and the in-cabin experience to ensure it offers one of the best in the industry.”

Photos: United Airlines and PetSafe.

Air Canada launches into Summer 2018 with the first of 25 new nonstop routes

Air Canada today, May 1, inaugurated nonstop service between Toronto (Pearson) and Omaha, the first of 25 new year-round and seasonal routes the carrier is launching this summer.

The new nonstop routes are consistent with company growth plans and will extend Air Canada’s network with new destinations and city pairings in Canada, the U.S. and internationally to give customers greater choice and convenience when they travel.

The 25 new routes will launch between May 1 and July 2, 2018 and include international services such as Vancouver to Paris and Zurich, Toronto to Buenos Aries and Shannon, and Montreal to Tokyo–Narita and Bucharest. The routes include a combination of Air Canada mainline, Air Canada Rouge and Air Canada Express services.

Departure City	Destination	Start Date*	Service
Toronto	Omaha	01MAY18	Express
Toronto	Buenos Aires	02MAY18	Mainline
Toronto	Providence	17MAY18*	Express
Toronto	Shannon	01JUN18*	Mainline
Toronto	Zagreb	02JUN18*	Rouge
Toronto	Porto	08JUN18*	Rouge
Toronto	Bucharest	09JUN18*	Rouge
Toronto	Kamloops	21JUN18*	Rouge
Toronto	Nanaimo	22JUN18*	Rouge
Montréal	Baltimore	17MAY18	Express
Montréal	Pittsburgh	17MAY18	Express
Montréal	Tokyo Narita	01JUN18	Mainline
Montréal	Dublin	02JUN18*	Mainline
Montréal	Bucharest	07JUN18*	Rouge
Montréal	Lisbon	15JUN18*	Rouge
Montréal	Victoria	22JUN18*	Rouge
Montréal	Windsor	02JUL18	Express
Montréal	London, ON	02JUL18	Express
Vancouver	Sacramento	17MAY18	Express
Vancouver	Zurich	07JUN18*	Mainline
Vancouver	Paris	08JUN18*	Mainline
Edmonton	San Francisco	01MAY18	Express
Edmonton	Kelowna	02JUL18	Express
Edmonton	Victoria	02JUL18*	Express
Calgary	Comox	02JUL18*	Express

*Indicates summer seasonal route

Air Canada aircraft slide show (current livery):

OneJet enters into an agreement to acquire Ultimate JetCharters

OneJet, the air transportation network providing nonstop connectivity within medium-size markets, today, May 1, announced the completion of an acquisition agreement with Ultimate JetCharters. As one of the country’s premier charter operators, Ultimate JetCharters operates 30-seat Dornier (below) and Embraer regional jet aircraft for private charter clients, as well as per-seat scheduled services on select routes under the Ultimate Air Shuttle brand.

The combined operation will have a collective fleet of nearly 25 aircraft by the end of 2018, including aircraft operated by Ultimate and existing operating partner, Contour Airlines. Ultimate will be integrated into OneJet’s network during the course of the next month, with flights beginning on June 4.

Concurrently, OneJet will continue to accelerate the addition of Embraer ERJ aircraft to its network throughout the course of 2018; the company introduced the aircraft with the launch of service between Buffalo and Albany earlier this year.

The Ultimate Air Shuttle brand will remain independent and continue to operate per-seat scheduled services to and from Cincinnati, as well as private charters for corporate, casino and collegiate clients.

Together, the companies’ networks will serve over 17 cities, including Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Albany, Buffalo, Hartford, West Palm Beach, Kansas City, New York (via Morristown, New Jersey), Chicago, Charlotte, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Louisville, Atlanta, Columbus and Raleigh-Durham.

OneJet will make various schedule and routing adjustments during May, including the announcement of several new routes, as the Ultimate operations are integrated into its network.

All photos by OneJet and Ultimate AirShuttle.

Below Copyright Photo: Ultimate Air Shuttle (Ultimate Jetcharters) Fairchild Dornier 328-310 (328JET) N359SK (msn 3202) CLT (Jay Selman). Image: 403146.

United States Postal Service celebrates 100th Anniversary of air mail service

The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the 100th anniversary of the beginning of regular airmail service with a Forever stamp. This stamp celebrates the courage of the pioneering airmail carriers and the foresight of those who fostered the new service and made it a success.

The first-day-of-issue ceremony for the blue United States Air Mail Forever stamp, pictured above, took place today, May 1, at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

A second stamp, red and pictured left, will be issued in College Park, MD on Aug.11, 2018. The stamp will commemorate United States Air Mail as an official function of the Post Office Department.

Both stamps, printed in the intaglio print method — a design transferred to paper from an engraved plate — depict the type of plane typically used in the early days of airmail, a Curtiss JN-4H biplane. The biplane was also featured on the 24-cent stamps originally issued in 1918 to commemorate the beginning of regularly scheduled airmail service.

The stamp design evokes that earlier period. The stamp designer and typographer was Dan Gretta; Greg Breeding was the art director.

Background
On May 15, 1918, in the midst of World War I, a small group of Army pilots delivered mail along a route that linked Washington, Philadelphia, and New York City — initiating the world’s first regularly scheduled airmail service. The blue stamp, released May 1, 2018, commemorated the pioneering spirit of the brave pilots who first flew the mail in the early years of aviation.

The United States Post Office Department, the predecessor to the U.S. Postal Service, took charge of U.S. Air Mail service later that summer, operating it from Aug. 12, 1918, through Sept. 1, 1927. Airmail delivery, daily except Sundays, became part of the fabric of the American economy and spurred the growth of the nation’s aviation industry. The red stamp commemorated this milestone.

Both stamps, printed in the intaglio print method — a design transferred to paper from an engraved plate — depict the type of plane typically used in the early days of airmail, a Curtiss JN-4H biplane. The biplane was also featured on the stamps originally issued in 1918 to commemorate the beginning of regularly scheduled airmail service. The stamp design evokes that earlier period.

For airmail service to succeed in the early days of flight, the Post Office had to develop profitable routes, such as between New York and Chicago, and establish the infrastructure for safely making night flights. It set up lighted airfields and erected hundreds of airmail guide beacons between New York and San Francisco so that by 1924 regularly scheduled, transcontinental flying was possible, day and night.

Airmail delivery, daily except Sundays, became part of the fabric of the American economy and spurred the growth of the nation’s aviation industry.

The United States Air Mail stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp that will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one ounce price.

Air Transat unveils its 2018-2019 winter line-up

Air Transat made this announcement:

Air Transat today unveiled its flight program for winter 2018–2019, offering travellers a choice of 34 sun destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America as well as Florida, along with an even more diversified selection of European cities, which are increasingly appreciated by Canadians during the winter season. Air Transat, the leading leisure carrier in Canada, is also pleased to announce the return of flights from Toronto and Montrealto Saint-Martin/St-Maarten and San Juan, Puerto Rico, both of which are embarkation ports for Transat’s all-in-one cruise packages.

Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Florida remain Canadians’ top picks

More than ever, Air Transat is there for Canadian vacationers looking to escape to their favorite trio of destinations, with an increase in the number of its direct flights and new travel opportunities via Toronto. Extra flights to Cancún, Mexico, will be added, departing from Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Hamilton, Montrealand Quebec City. Vancouver residents will enjoy daily connections to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and more flights to the Pacific resort destination will be available to holidayers in and around Edmonton. The Dominican Republic is also prominent in the program, with flights added out of Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax to Punta Cana, whose magnificent white sand beaches need no introduction. With the beaches of Florida enjoying a resurgence in popularity, Air Transat is boosting its direct flights to Fort Lauderdale from Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Halifax, as well as to Tampa out of Toronto.

From major Canadian cities, a total of 29 weekly flights will be offered to Florida. Note also that Transat offers several all-in-one cruise package itineraries sailing from Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Miami.

In recent years, Costa Rica has emerged as an increasingly popular tourism destination, with its unbeatable blend of off-the-beaten-path natural wonders and relaxing beaches. Air Transat has responded to demand by adding more direct flights from Toronto to San José and Liberia.

The carrier is also pleased to announce that it is boosting its number of direct flights from Montreal to Cartageña, Colombia, and Fort-de-France, Martinique.

Europe year-round with Air Transat

For growing numbers of Canadians, a winter escape is now synonymous with Portugal or Spain. Accordingly, Air Transat is increasing capacity on its Lisbon and Porto routes out of both Toronto and Montreal, as well as to Málaga, Spain out of Montreal—and, thanks to Faro connection, also puts the Algarve region of Portugalwithin easy reach.

Air Transat also remains dedicated to offering Canadians year-round travel to Europe, with its popular daily direct flights from Montreal to Paris, France, and from Toronto to London in the UK, as well as frequent flights to Manchester and Glasgow.

Even more domestic and connecting flights

This winter, Air Transat is enriching its program of domestic flights, connecting many of Canada’s largest cities and opening up a wider choice of Sun and transatlantic destinations to travellers in those markets. The carrier is strongly developing its offer in Western Canada’s largest cities (Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton) to Torontoand Montreal, which significantly increases the number of South and Europedestinations available as well as the number of flights departing Western Canada. There will also be more flights between Montreal and Toronto, providing more flexibility to passengers looking to travel to a larger number of European destinations.

Air Transit aircraft slide show:

Alaska Airlines successfully migrates Virgin America into their Sabre passenger services system

Sabre Corporation and Alaska Airlines have successfully migrated Virgin America to Alaska’s passenger services system (PSS), hosted by Sabre. The recently completed migration will allow Alaska and Virgin America to move forward using Sabre systems as one unified airline while offering a seamless, end-to-end guest experience.

Sabre and Alaska have been engaged for the last year building the foundation for Alaska’s growth and superior customer experience. The successful migration is an example of the companies’ deeply collaborative relationship. Now that the integration is complete, Alaska will expand its use of Sabre’s customer management technology across the enterprise to fulfill its brand promise, enhance retailing capabilities and offer guests the best options in an ultra-competitive environment.

In December 2017, Alaska Airlines renewed its longstanding partnership with Sabre, including access to full content through the global distribution system (GDS) and an expansion of Alaska’s passenger services system. Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 44 million guests a year to more than 115 destinations, with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States, Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica.

Saratov Airlines becomes Ivolga Airlines

Saratov Airlines announced on April 28, 2018 it operated its first flight (Saratov-Dalaman) as Ivolga Airlines.

The airline stated (translated from Russian):

“On April 28, 2018, the pictured Embraer 190 VQ-BRY aircraft, under the Ivolga Airlines brand, returned to the Saratov Central Airport after performing basic maintenance in Rzeszow, Poland.

The Еmbraer190, VQ-BRY, on the same day operated the first charter flight on the route Saratov-Dalaman (Turkey).”

This change came after Russian authorities has extended its AOC for one month through May 30.

For now, the livery remains the same with new titles.

The airline suffered an image crisis when flight 6W 703, a domestic passenger flight from Moscow Domodedovo Airport to Orsk Airport in Russia, crashed. On February 11, 2018, the Antonov An-148-100B, crashed shortly after take-off, killing all 71 people on board — 65 passengers and 6 crew members.

Photo: Saratov Airlines.