Southwest Airlines begins more than a dozen new routes this week

Southwest Airlines this week will begin operating more than a dozen new nonstop routes across North America. San Jose, California saw six new nonstop routes take off on Sunday, April 8, adding more nonstop routes from the Bay Area to cities across the United States.

New Nonstop Flights Connect California With More Places

On Sunday, April 8, 2018, Southwest® inaugurated service on 11 new routes between cities throughout California and cities across the United States. The nonstop flights will take Customers between:

San Jose, California and Boise
San Jose, California and Houston
San Jose, California and Spokane
San Jose, California and St. Louis
San Jose, California and New Orleans (Flights operate on Sundays)
San Jose, California and Albuquerque (Flights operate on Sundays)
San Francisco   and Austin
Sacramento       and Austin
Sacramento       and St. Louis
Oakland              and Newark
San Diego           and Newark

Also on Sunday, the carrier also began new intra-Florida service between Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood and Jacksonville. The flights operate three times a day. Additionally, Southwest celebrated new daily nonstop flights between Raleigh/Durham and Kansas City, and Sunday-only nonstop service between Austin and Indianapolis.

New Saturday Service
On Saturday, April 14, the carrier will begin weekly service on Saturdays between Oakland and Orlando, marking the first time Southwest has connected the Bay Area and Orlando with nonstop service. The service will be offered daily beginning July 15, 2018.

New Seasonal Service
Also on April 14, 2018, the carrier will begin seasonal weekly service on Saturdays between Kansas City and Pensacola and between Orlando and Oklahoma City. Southwest will also begin weekly nonstop service on Saturdays between Phoenix and New York (LaGuardia). The service will continue until June 2, 2018.

New International Gateways Open
Southwest is also beginning its international journey from two new gateway cities. On Saturday, April 14, the carrier will begin weekly seasonal service on Saturdays between Columbus and Cancun and between New Orleans and Cancun.

Southwest Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

SAS places an order for an additional 50 Airbus A320neo aircraft, will phase-out the Boeing 737s

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS has decided to order 50 additional Airbus A320neo aircraft with delivery from spring 2019 through 2023. This order means SAS for the first time will have a single-type fleet by 2023 that consists of the market’s most efficient short- and medium-haul aircraft in terms of cost and environment.

The Airbus A320neo has 15–20 percent lower jet-fuel consumption per seat kilometer compared to the aircraft being phased out of traffic. In addition, the climate-impacting emissions can be further reduced through the use of biofuel. Today, SAS already invests in biofuel and has also been working for several years on stimulating increased production of biofuels

The investments in the customer offering and efficiency enhancements over the past few years have contributed to SAS’s improved profitability, which in turn has enabled this aircraft order. SAS is in the process of implementing SEK 3 billion in efficiency gains by 2020. SAS will have to continue to improve efficiency even after 2020. The renewal of the aircraft fleet together with the implementation of the single type fleet means SAS can take efficiency enhancements of its operations to the next level.

A modern and efficient single-type fleet

SAS has already 17 Airbus A320neos in service from a previous order for 30 Airbus A320neos.

This order means that SAS will have at least 80 Airbus A320neos in service during 2023. The order for 50 Airbus A320neos is split into two parts. The first 15 new Airbus A320neos, with deliveries from the spring of 2019 through 2021, have been secured through declarations of intent with lessors. The remaining 35 Airbus A320neos are planned to be delivered directly by Airbus up to 2023.

The aircraft order also includes options for an additional five A320neos. Moreover, SAS has the possibility to increase the number of aircraft that can be leased from lessors. Alongside existing aircraft, this also creates flexibility for growth under the right circumstances.

The aircraft will be financed through a combination of finance leases, sale and leaseback, and cash flow generated by our own operations. All of the aircraft will be equipped with SAS’s high-speed WiFi and have SAS’s appreciated new cabin interiors.

During the 2010s, SAS worked on harmonizing and simplifying its aircraft fleet.

Today, SAS has two aircraft types in service within Europe, compared with six different types in 2012.

In line with the deliveries of the new Airbus A320neos, SAS will begin phasing out its Boeing 737 and the existing Airbus A320 aircraft.

Above Copyright Photo: The Boeing 737-800s are likely to be the last 737 type to be retired in 2023. Scandinavian Airlines-SAS Boeing 737-883 WL LN-RRT (msn 28326) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 936360.

At the same time, SAS will further simplify its aircraft fleet into a single-type fleet consisting of Airbus aircraft on both short-, medium- and long-haul routes. This will lead to increased flexibility, and enable further standardizations and enhancements to efficiency in the production.

As a whole, this aircraft order will provide SAS with an extremely competitive aircraft fleet in terms of environmental impact, customer comfort and cost efficiency.

The list price of the 35 A320neo aircraft, including engines, directly purchased from Airbus amounts to just below $4 billion (US), before discounts agreed between SAS and Airbus. The other 15 A320neo aircraft will be leased from lessor companies. The order to Airbus is made by SAS and its wholly owned subsidiary Gorm Asset Management Ltd.

SAS has not yet selected the engines that will be used on these aircraft.

Top Copyright Photo: Scandinavian Airlines-SAS Airbus A320-251N WL LN-RGL (msn 7290) ARN (Stefan Sjogren). Image: 937988.

SAS aircraft slide show:

Just Us Air is set to take to the skies following the award of its AOC

Just Us Air has made this announcement:

Just Us Air is delighted to announce that it has successfully secured its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority.

The newly-launched carrier will operate a small fleet of Airbus aircraft available for short notice ACMI and wet / damp lease operations, series flights, and ad-hoc charter services.

Based in Bucharest, Just Us Air will commence operations with a 2008-manufactured Airbus A319 in 144Y configuration – registration YR-URS (above) – which is available to customers immediately.

A second aircraft – an Airbus A321 in 220Y configuration – will be added to the AOC at the end of April 2018.

Just Us Air will be working in close partnership with UK-based Chapman Freeborn Airchartering who will provide the airline with commercial and operational support.

Dan Iuhas, CEO of Just Us Air, said:

“We are delighted to have been awarded our AOC and look forward to the next chapter in our journey. With our team’s vast experience in airline operations and the professionalism and global reach of Chapman Freeborn, we feel we are ideally placed to offer a high quality product and service to the market at a time of short supply.”

Photo: Just Us Air.

Boeing, Lion Air Group announce order for 50 737 MAX 10 airplanes

(PRNewsfoto/Boeing)

Boeing and the Lion Air Group have announced the airline purchased 50 of Boeing’s new 737 MAX 10 airplane, which will be the most fuel-efficient and profitable single-aisle jet in the aviation industry. The deal, valued at approximately $6.24 billion at list prices, is the largest incremental order to date of the MAX 10 variant. The order was previously listed as unidentified on Boeing’s Orders & Deliveries website.

The Lion Air Group was first in the world to put the 737 MAX 8 into service and the first to order the 737 MAX 9. Last month, the group became the first to take delivery of a 737 MAX 9, using the airplane’s added capacity to launch several international routes.

The 737 MAX is a family of airplanes that offer about 130 to 230 seats with the ability to fly up to 3,850 nautical miles (7,130 kilometers). These jets incorporate the latest CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets, the Boeing Sky Interior, large flight deck displays and other features to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market. The 737 MAX 10 is the largest variant in the family. At 43.8 m (143 ft 8 in) long, the airplane can seat a maximum of 230 passengers and offer airlines the lowest seat-mile cost ever in a single-aisle aircraft.

Image: Boeing.

NAC to lease five new Embraer E175 and E190 aircraft to Belavia

Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) has announced that it has committed to lease five Embraer aircraft, three E195s and two E175s, to Belavia Belarusian Airlines, the largest carrier in the Republic of Belarus. The placement of the five new aircraft are from NAC’s existing Embraer order book.

The delivery of the first three aircraft, two E195s and one Е175, is expected as early as April 2019. The remaining two aircraft will be delivered in December 2019 and in April 2020, respectively.

The transaction is an essential part of Belavia’s fleet growth initiative which will allow them to successfully implement their strategy on growth and ensure cost-effective development.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Belavia): Belavia Belarusian Airlines Embraer ERJ 190-200LR (ERJ 195) EW-400PO (msn 19000668) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 922995.

Belavia aircraft slide show:

Philippine Airlines to operate nonstop to New York

Philippine Airlines has set October 28, 2018 as the start date for the previously announced nonstop service to New York (JFK) from Manila. The new ultra long-range route will operate four days a week with Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft according to Airline Route. The route currently operates via Vancouver.

Copyright Photo: Philippines (Philippine Airlines) Boeing 777-300 ER RP-C7782 (msn 61735) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 940282.

Philippine Airlines aircraft slide show:

Delta celebrates 20 years bringing greater connectivity to Central America

Delta Air Lines is celebrating its 20^th anniversary serving Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama this month. Two decades ago, Delta took its first steps in what has grown to be one of the most important operations in the Americas, connecting customers to its extensive network across the U.S. and the world.

Since 1998, nearly 11 million passengers have flown Delta to and from the four Central American nations:

Costa Rica: 4 million
El Salvador: 2 million
Guatemala: 3.3 million
Panama: 1.5 million.

Delta’s journey in the region started with the goal of providing greater connectivity to these countries. Together, Delta people began to build a footprint of excellence, diversity, and integrity that has shaped our culture throughout the years.

Currently, Delta offers an average of 15 daily flights to the region.

Costa Rica: Daily flights connecting San Jose with Atlanta and Los Angeles, and daily flights connecting Liberia with Atlanta along with seasonal flights to Minneapolis-St. Paul.
El Salvador: Daily flights connecting San Salvador with Atlanta and Los Angeles.
Guatemala: Daily flights connecting Guatemala City with Los Angeles and Atlanta.
Panama: Daily flights connecting Panama City and Atlanta.

Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show (Boeing):

Etihad Airways enhances its onboard food offering with the addition of ‘Weqaya’ menu items

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has collaborated with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, to introduce ‘Weqaya,’ a range of healthy food items, on-board its flights and in its lounges in Abu Dhabi.

Weqaya, meaning ‘prevention,’ is a program established by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi with the aim of encouraging people to eat a healthy and balanced diet to promote good health and wellbeing.

Starting in April, Etihad Airways will begin to offer a number of Weqaya dishes on menus in First and Business Class long-haul and ultra-long haul outbound flights from Abu Dhabi, and First and Business Class lounges in Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Photos: Etihad Airways.