Horizon Air to resume Embraer 175 deliveries in March 2018 as the pilot shortage lessens

Alaska Horizon (Horizon Air) is planning to resume Embraer 175 deliveries again in March 2018 according to Seattle Times. Deliveries were halted this past summer by outgoing CEO Dave Campbell due to a pilot shortage that has eased up. SkyWest Airlines filled the void for Alaska Airlines with their Embraer 175s.

The new Embraer 175s will gradually replace the Bombardier Q400 turboprops.

Copyright Photo: Alaska Horizon (Horizon Air) Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) N622QX (msn 17000651) SEA (Michael B. Ing). Image: 938965.

easyJet extends ‘Worldwide by easyJet’ to Milan Malpensa

easyJet (UK) has issued this statement:

Customers can connect easyJet flights to other airlines’ long haul flights and to other easyJet flights using the airport’s connection product ViaMilano.

Airline partners Neos and Norwegian now offer connecting flights from Milan to a number of long haul destinations in Africa, Asia, the USA and the Caribbean.

One third of all easyJet flights will now be able to connect to airline partner and other easyJet flights.

New partners and additional connections to be rolled out at other European airports.

easyJet, Europe’s leading airline, has announced that it is extending its ‘Worldwide by easyJet’ connections platform to Milan Malpensa airport. This means that, combined with the existing connections offered through London Gatwick, one third of the airline’s flights – and over 24 million easyJet customers – will now be able to connect to airline partner long haul services and other easyJet flights in a single booking.

‘Worldwide by easyJet’ is the first global airline connections service by a European low fares airline. It launched in September 2017, enabling customers to connect easyJet flights through London Gatwick to long haul flights, with launch airline partners WestJet and Norwegian.

Now easyJet customers will also be able to seamlessly connect via Milan Malpensa from an easyJet flight to a flight with Norwegian, a flight with new connectivity airline partner Neos or to another easyJet flight, all using the airport’s connections service ViaMilano.

All of this connectivity has been enabled by technology partner Dohop whose innovative platform allows easyJet customers to book connections and forward flights on easyJet.com

With easyJet now enabling passengers to connect through two of its largest bases, the extension to the Malpensa network will open up another profitable market segment for the airline and continue to challenge the efficiency of traditional connectivity models of legacy carriers.

easyJet will sign up other airlines to ‘Worldwide by easyJet’ in early 2018, with talks already far advanced with middle and far-eastern carriers amongst others and the airline also plans to expand to other key easyJet airports in Europe.

‘Worldwide by easyJet’ does not impact easyJet’s punctuality, its asset utilisation or operating model. The airline will not hold flights for connecting passengers. Worldwide by easyJet is subject to a 2 hour 30 minute ‘Minimum Connection Time’, which will give customers plenty of time to transfer between flights and/or terminals. Should a passenger miss a connecting flight they will be transferred to the next available flight.

Andrew Middleton, Ancillary Revenue Director for easyJet, commented:

“We are expanding our ‘Worldwide by easyJet’ network to offer even more connections via another of our largest bases Milan Malpensa, with partners Neos and Norwegian. By doing so we will be able to profitably access a significant market segment of customers across Europe without compromising our operating model and punctuality.

“We continue to broaden our focus to launch more airline partners and add connectivity to more of our biggest airports – between them they have tens of millions of connecting passengers each year whose journeys begin or end in Europe.”

Norwegian Chief Commercial Officer Thomas Ramdahl said:

“Norwegian is delighted to be among the first airlines to join Worldwide by easyJet. We are happy to offer to easyJet passengers in transit in Milan affordable intercontinental connections to Los Angeles. The previous experience in London Gatwick has been a satisfactory one and we are confident it will be the same in Milan Malpensa. With Norwegian’s growing long-haul network and easyJet’s extensive domestic and European ones in Malpensa, there is every reason to expect that this partnership will consolidate in the future, offering to an increasing number of passengers the chance to reach distant destinations comfortably and without additional stopovers“.

Aldo Sarnataro, Chief Commercial Officer for Neos said:

”We are very happy to be the first Italian long haul partner of the Worldwide project, and proud to be the first Italian airline operating the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. It is another important step forward to provide to our customer a wider and better flying experience”.

Photo: easyJet.

Delta’s customers and employees say farewell to “Queen of the Skies” in Seoul

Delta Air Lines issued this statement and photo:

Nearly 400 customers, crew and employees said a formal farewell to Delta’s Boeing 747-400 on Sunday morning to commemorate the Queen of the Skies’ retirement from Delta revenue flights.

“The Boeing 747-400 has been an integral part of Delta’s (including Northwest) entire fleet for the last three decades, especially on trans-Pacific routes,” said Andrew Kim, Delta’s Director – Sales, Korea. “Today’s flight, Ship 6310, was manufactured in 1990, has flown approximately 64 million miles and is retiring after 27 years of service, in favor of safer, more comfortable, more reliable and more efficient modes of transportation for our passengers.”

“Now Delta has introduced, for its next-generation main aircraft for the trans-Pacific, the newer Airbus A350-900, which is already active on the Seoul Incheon-Detroit route on select days. With the retirement of the 747, the route now offers the latest aircraft with premium products and service everyday” Andrew added.

The ceremony honored two distinguished 747-400 captains for their contribution to aviation history and thanked customers for sharing the decades with Delta.

“I started flying for Delta Air Lines in 1976. All of those years have put me in the fortunate position of being the Senior 747 Captain at Delta and given me the incredible honor of flying today’s flight along with this great crew,” said Capt. Brian Hollingsworth. “The 747 is the most iconic aircraft ever built, and an aircraft that every pilot dreams of flying. Actually, I have been married to a former flight attendant for 40 years now, and she will be greeting me when we arrive in Detroit because today is my last trip. I am retiring after 42 years at Delta.”

After thanking his fellow crew members, Hollingsworth welcomed Capt. Rusty Bliss, one of Delta’s most senior captains and a 747 check airman instructor.

“For almost a half a century, Northwest Airlines and now Delta Air Lines have been pioneering the Pacific with the Boeing 747. This wonderful airplane has provided a safe, comfortable, reliable and efficient mode of transportation for our passengers for many years. Historians will compare what the Boeing 747s have done for international flying to what the DC-3 did for domestic aviation in the United States,” said Bliss. “We know there are many of you who are admirers of the Boeing 747-400, and I understand you have chosen this last flight to say farewell to the queen of our fleet. Thank you for your loyalty to her and to Delta Air Lines.”

Meng Aguirre, Managing Director – Trans Pacific Operations, closed the ceremony by giving appreciation to employees and, most importantly, customers.

“Thank you and welcome to all our customers today as we celebrate Delta Air Lines’ Queen of the Skies, the 747-400. All of us who have worked on the 747-400 will always remember our queen with fondness. We would also like to recognize all our employees for their dedicated service to provide you with safe, reliable and excellent customer service on the ground and on-board. Enjoy your flight today, and we look forward to welcoming you back to ICN or your next Delta destination.”

After the ceremony, passengers enjoyed taking photographs with 747-400 branded back panels and received commemorative items including post cards and stickers. Flight 158 from Seoul-Incheon to Detroit departed early Sunday morning.

Photo: Delta Air Lines.

Volaris Costa Rica will launch operations to the USA on March 15, 2018

Volaris, the ultra-low-cost airline serving Mexico, the United States and Central America, announced its affiliate, Vuela Aviación, S.A., was awarded by the Department of Transportation (DOT) of the United States of America a Foreign Air Carrier Permit to provide:

1) Foreign scheduled transportation of persons, property, and mail from points behind Costa Rica via Costa Rica and intermediate points to a point or points in the United States and beyond; and

2) charter air transportation between any point or points in Costa Rica and any point or points in the United States, and between any point or points in the United States and any point or points in a third country or countries, provided that, such service constitutes part of a continuous operation, with or without a change of aircraft, that includes service to the homeland for the purpose of carrying local traffic between Costa Rica and the United States.

Volaris Costa Rica will initiate operations to and from the United States of America on March 15, 2018.

Volaris Costa Rica operated its first revenue flight from San Jose to Guatemala City on November 30, 2016 using an Airbus A320 wet-leased from Volaris (Mexico).

Volaris seeks to replicate its ultra-low-cost model in Central America by offering low base fares and point-to-point service in the region.

Volaris Costa Rica initiated sales of four routes from Central America to the following U.S. destinations: Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), and Washington D.C.(IAD) from San Jose.

Volaris Costa Rica is expected to launch operations with two Airbus A319s and two Airbus A320s.

Volaris (Mexico):

TUI Airlines UK to add Bristol – Punta Cana service

TUI Airlines (UK) (formerly Thomson Airways) will add weekly seasonal service from Bristol to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic starting on April 5, 2018.

The new route will be operated with Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners according to Airline Route.

TUI UK is a UK based travel operator and part of TUI Travel PLC.

Thomson Airways:

TUI (UK):

S7 Airlines to add a new route to Alicante, Spain

S7 Airlines will add a new weekly seasonal Airbus A319 route linking St. Petersburg, Russia with Alicante, Spain starting on April 28, 2018 according to Airline Route.

In other news, S7 Airlines has announced the opening of scheduled flights between Novosibirsk and Minsk starting on May 2, 2018.

Nonstop flights from Tolmachevo Airport to Minsk will be carried out weekly on Wednesdays. Flights will depart from Novosibirsk at 11:10 and arrive in Minsk at 12:15 local time. Return flights will depart at 13:15 and arrive at Tolmachevo Airport at 22:00.

The flights from Novosibirsk to Minsk will be carried out on modern and comfortable Airbus A320neo (top) designed to carry 164 passengers: 8 business class passengers and 156 economy class passengers. Passengers will be able to appreciate the exceptional level of comfort on board the aircraft with its comfortable armchairs that are equipped with sockets with a USB port, as well as with holders for mobile devices. Airbus A320neo has an improved sound insulation, the most capacious overhead bins and more space under the armchairs to fit cabin baggage.

The airline has a wide internal route network, created on the basis of air transport hubs in Moscow (Domodedovo) and Novosibirsk (Tolmachevo). S7 Airlines also performs regular flights to countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Europe, the Near East, Southeast Asia and countries of the Asia-Pacific region.

Top Copyright Phoito (all others by S7 Airlines): S7 Airlines (Siberia Airlines) Airbus A320-271N WL VQ-BCF (msn 7629) PMI (Javier Rodriguez). Image: 939196.

Qatar Airways launches a new route to St. Petersburg, Russia

Qatar Airways made this announcement:

Qatar Airways kicked off an important year ahead in Russia for both the airline and the State of Qatar with the touchdown of its first daily nonstop flight to St. Petersburg on December 19, 2017. 2018 will be a milestone year for Russian-Qatari relations as Qatar Airways sponsors the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the State of Qatar partners with Russia for the 2018 Year of Culture program, delivered by Qatar Museums.

The launch of this daily direct service to Russia’s cultural capital will increase the airline’s number of flights a week into the country to 28. Already operating to Moscow since 2003, Qatar Airways recently increased its service to the city from twice daily to three times daily to meet growing demand.

Qatar Airways will operate its daily St. Petersburg service with an Airbus A320 aircraft, which features 12 flatbed seats in Business Class and 120 seats in Economy Class. Passengers will be able to enjoy the airline’s superior entertainment system offering passengers various entertainment options.

Qatar Airways has added many new exciting destinations to its network in 2017, including Auckland, New Zealand; Dublin, Republic of Ireland; Nice, France and Prague, Czech Republic, to name a few. The airline will continue its rapid expansion throughout 2018 by adding new destinations such as Canberra, Australia; Cardiff, United Kingdom; and Penang, Malaysia to its global route map.

Emirates to launch London Stansted service from June 2018

Emirates announced on December 20, 2017 that it will launch a new daily route from Dubai (DXB) to London Stansted (STN) starting on June 8, 2018. With its strategic position close to the tech and pharma hubs of Cambridge and Peterborough, Emirates will be the first Middle Eastern airline to operate out of the popular North East London airport.

The daily route will be operated by the airline’s new three-class Boeing 777-300ER offering customers 6 seats in First Class, 42 in Business Class and 306 in Economy Class. The aircraft is fitted with its game changing, fully enclosed private suites in First Class, as well as refreshed Business and Economy Class cabins.

Outbound, flight EK33 will depart Dubai at 09:30hrs, and will arrive in London Stansted at 14:10hrs. On its return, flight EK34 will depart London Stansted at 21:10hrs and arrive in Dubai at 07:05 the following day.

Opening the London Stansted gateway was a strategic decision by Emirates to serve the thriving business community in London’s north east and the wider 7.5 million population that fall within its catchment area. Hong Kong, Dubai, Shanghai, Singapore and Mumbai are the most popular business destinations from the East of England, which Emirates serves daily through its Dubai hub. Leisure travellers can enjoy direct, daily services to Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Bali and the Indian Ocean islands.

More than 25 of the world’s largest corporations have established operations in the wider Cambridge and Peterborough area, with Airbus, Astra Zeneca and GSK amongst the multi-national companies based there. Such businesses have helped establish the London Stansted Cambridge Corridor as one of the top five global knowledge regions, alongside world-leading San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Boston.

With the introduction of the London Stansted daily service, there will be 10 Emirates flights daily, connecting Dubai and London. Passengers can also fly to London Heathrow and Gatwick. London Stansted Airport is one of the capital’s major airport serving London, as well as the wider regions of England’s South East and the Midlands. The airport is connected to London via the Stansted Express which operates a regular daily service to London Liverpool Street Station. The train takes only 47 minutes and passengers arrive in the heart of the City of London, from where they can then connect to regional trains and the London Underground.

Stansted airport will also be vital for Emirates’ SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates and the world’s largest international cargo airline, due to its large cargo handling capabilities. The carrier connects cargo customers to over 154 cities across 84 countries in six continents and flies 140,000 tonnes of cargo in and out of the UK in an average year.

The new gateway will be the seventh UK airport that Emirates operates out of in the UK; other locations include London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Newcastle, Manchester and Glasgow.

airBaltic to launch a new route from Tallinn to London Gatwick

airBaltic will launch a new nonstop route from London Gatwick Airport to Tallinn starting on March 27, 2018. The two weekly flights will offer convenient connections between the two cities.

Route	Flight frequency	Start date	*Price, Basic**	*Price, Premium**	*Price, Business**
London – Tallinn	2 flights weekly	March 27, 2018	49 EUR	109 EUR	629 EUR

*Lowest fare, including taxes, fees and service charges.

airBaltic will fly from London to Tallinn twice-weekly. The flight to Tallinn is scheduled to last 2 hours and 50 minutes.

For the summer season of 2018 airBaltic will also offer new services from Riga to Malaga (Spain), Lisbon (Portugal), Split (Croatia), Bordeaux (France), Gdansk (Poland) as well as Sochi and Kaliningrad (both in Russia).

airBaltic serves over 60 destinations from its home base in Riga, Latvia. From every one of these locations, airBaltic offers convenient connections via Riga to its network spanning Europe, Scandinavia, CIS and the Middle East. In addition, airBaltic also offers nonstop flights from Tallinn and Vilnius.

Norwegian to expand operations in Finland

Norwegian Air Shuttle has made this announcement:

Norwegian continues to grow and expand the number of flights to a number of popular European summer destinations from Helsinki-Vantaa. The capacity increase means that Finnish travelers get even more choices next summer as the number of seats increased by 15 percent.

In 2018 Norwegian will add 25 new aircraft into the fleet, which means more departures to popular summer destinations. Next spring and summer, starting March 25, 2018, Norwegian will increase the number of departures from Helsinki to a number of attractive destinations in Greece, Italy, Croatia, Kosovo and Bulgaria.

Norwegian will add more departures from Helsinki-Vantaa to Pristina, Athens, Crete, Venice, Burgas, Varna, Pula and Dubrovnik. These popular destinations will have a capacity increase of 15 percent, which means nearly 300,000 additional seats.

The capacity increase means that the routes from Helsinki to Pristina, Athens, Crete and Varna will be increased to two flights a week and the flights to Venice, Burgas and Pula will expand up to three flights a week during the summer of 2018. The flights to Dubrovnik will expand up to four flights a week.

Copyright Photo: Norwegian Air Shuttle (Norwegian.com) Boeing 737-8JP WL LN-DYH (msn 40865) (Soren Kiergaard) HEL (Ton Jochems). Image: 911080.