Vueling adds three new African destinations from Barcelona

Vueling Airlines (Barcelona) will add Rabat (Morocco), Yerba (Tunisia) and Accra (Ghana) from Barcelona starting on June 20.

The airline will also launch a summer service to Istanbul. From June through October the airline will fly three times a week from Barcelona.

After launching flights to Marrakech in 2009, the airline gradually added new African services and now has 16 routes reaching 11 destinations on the continent: Marrakech, Rabat, Casablanca, Nador, and Fez in Morocco; Tunis and Yerba in Tunisia; Algiers and Oran in Algeria; Dakar in Senegal; Banjul in Gambia; and Accra in Ghana. At 3,960 km, the Barcelona-Ghana route will be the longest operated by the airline.

Vueling aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-3/Airlines-Europe3-QZ/Vueling-Airlines

Air France to cut another 800 positions through a “voluntary departure plan”

Air France (Paris) will cut another 800 positions due to a “weaker revenue trend”. The airline issued this statement:

In 2015, Air France will benefit from the impact of the measures taken within the framework of Transform 2015 and from the fall in the fuel price. However, as announced in December 2014, the Group will also have to contend with the weaker unit revenue trend that has developed since the summer of 2014, which requires the implementation of additional measures.

Within this framework, the Air France management presented a number of actions to the Corporate Works Council: downwards revision in fleet and capacity growth, new initiatives to drive revenues, the reinforcement of ‘purchasing’ initiatives, maintained wage moderation and productivity efforts and further adaptation of headcount to requirements.

In particular, during a meeting of the Corporate Works Council to be held during the first fortnight in February, the Air France management will provide details on proposed new Voluntary Departure Plans. These Voluntary Departure Plans will relate to ground staff and cabin crew and aim at the departure of approximately 800 people. These measures relate to both the full execution of Transform 2015 and an immediate adaptation to the Group’s competitive environment.

In parallel, the Group is pursuing its efforts within the framework of the new Perform 2020 strategic plan. A progress report on this topic will be given during the Full Year 2014 results presentation on February 19. All the items shared during this meeting of the Air France Corporate Works Council refer exclusively to Air France and its subsidiary, and not Air France-KLM, whose targets remain unchanged.

Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-214 F-GKXJ (msn 1900) climbs away from Heathrow Airport near London.

Air France aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-1/Airlines-Europe-1/air-france

Gem Air of Idaho applies for an EAS contract in Nebraska

Gem Air (Salmon, Idaho) has applied to the Department of Transportation (DOT) to operate Essential Air Service (EAS) in Nebraska between Chadron and Alliance according to ch-aviation.

Gem Air is an Idaho owned and operated air service that currently offers year-round scheduled flights between Salmon and Boise, Idaho.

During the summer season, the airline offers an expanded schedule with multiple daily flights between Salmon, Boise, McCall, and Stanely, Idaho.

Copyright Photo: Gem Air. Gem Air operates the nine-seat Idaho-built Quest Aircraft Company Kodiak 100 including the pictured N838SA (msn 100-002).

Centurion Cargo to return to Amsterdam

Centurion Cargo (Miami) will restore the Miami-Amsterdam route on February 19 with Boeing 747-400F freighters per Cargo Facts. The carrier dropped its only European route last year. The company is restoring services and redeploying its previously parked aircraft.

Centurion Cargo aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Centurion-Cargo

Horizon Air converts two Bombardier Q400 options into firm orders

Horizon Air Industries, Inc. (Horizon Air) (Alaska Horizon) (Seattle/Tacoma) has converted two of seven previously acquired Bombardier DHC-8-402 (marketed as the Q400 NextGen) aircraft options to firm orders. The airline retains its options on another five Q400 NextGen aircraft. Horizon Air and its sister carrier, Alaska Airlines are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group.

Horizon Air’s Q400 aircraft are equipped with Head-up Guidance Systems (HGS) for all-weather operations, Wide Area Augmentation Systems (WAAS) with approach guidance (LPV) for ILS-like landing minima at remote runways and RNP AR 0.1 to fly curved approaches to airports in difficult terrain.

Established in 1981, Horizon Air was acquired in 1986 by Alaska Air Group, Inc., the parent company of Alaska Airlines. At its start, the airline operated two aircraft and served three destinations in Washington state. Today, Horizon flies its 76-seat Q400 aircraft on behalf of Alaska Airlines and serves 43 cities in the western United States, Canada and Mexico. Horizon Air, which is also a codeshare partner of American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, operates both the longest (Seattle to Fresno, 748 miles/1,204 km) and shortest (Pullman to Lewiston, 26 miles/42 km) turboprop routes currently being served by regional carriers in the U.S.

In 2014, Bombardier and Horizon Air signed a five-year heavy maintenance agreement whereby Bombardier will perform heavy maintenance tasks for the airline’s fleet of Q400 aircraft at Bombardier’s service center in Tuscon, Arizona.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) N448QX (msn 4409) arrives in Anchorage, Alaska.

Alaska Horizon aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Alaska-Horizon-Horizon-Air

Aruba Airlines wants to expand to the United States

Aruba Airlines (Aruba) wants to expand its route network to Florida and other U.S. markets. The island carrier has filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation to operate charter and scheduled flights to the USA according to Flightglobal.

The carrier commenced scheduled passenger operations with two Airbus A320s on May 13, 2013 on the Aruba – Maracaibo route. The Aruba – Panama City route was added on June 28, 2013. Valencia has also been added.

Copyright Photo: Michel Saint-Felix/AirlinersGallery.com (all others by Aruba Airlines). This colorful livery was introduced in October 2012 on the pictured Airbus A320-232 P4-AAA (msn 582) (above).

Virgin America extends its partnership with the San Francisco Giants, adds a new logo to Airbus A320 N849VA

Virgin America (San Francisco) and the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball yesterday (January 21) announced a multi-year partnership extension, which maintains the Bay Area-based airline’s position as the “Official Airline of the San Francisco Giants” through the end of 2018. This announcement came during an “orange carpet” send-off for the 2014 World Championship Trophy as it heads to New York City for the East Coast leg of a three-month World Championship Trophy Tour presented by Bank of America.

The trophy will fly in style (above), riding in Virgin America’s exclusive eight-seat First Class cabin from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) onboard the Virgin America Airbus A320 aircraft “Fly Bye Baby,” (below) named in honor of the hometown team. Onboard the flight, Giants President and CEO Larry Baer will invite fellow Virgin America guests to grab photos with the trophy and will host a live Twitter chat at 35,000 feet using the airline’s inflight WiFi. Guests and fans alike are encouraged to follow along and submit questions using the hashtags #sfgtrophy and #flytogether.

Copyright Photo: Mark Durbin/AirlinersGallery.com (all others by Virgin America). Airbus A320-214 N849VA (msn 4991) has received this updated “World Champions 2014” logo for 2015.

The extended partnership includes unique co-branding elements at AT&T Park, including the “Virgin America Loft,” a premium customized suite located in right field above McCovey Cove, and the “Virgin America Club Level” that features the airline’s signature cabin mood-lighting. In 2012, the airline first unveiled its Giants themed “Fly Bye Baby” aircraft that was updated in 2014 with a crowdsourced #FlyTogether design populated with the photos of hundreds of Giants fan who submitted photos on Instagram and Twitter. Today at SFO, Virgin America unveiled the aircraft’s newest design – the 2014 World Championship mark – in celebration of the San Francisco Giant’s latest World Series Victory.

Once in the Big Apple, the trophy will be available to Giants fans that have followed the team for generations – a history that dates back to when the team was based in New York before moving to San Francisco in 1958. A public viewing of the trophy will be held on Saturday, January 24 from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Finnerty’s Bar in Manhattan.

In addition to a Main Cabin that offers custom-designed leather seating with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, the airline’s First Class cabin offers plush white leather seating with 55 inches of pitch, 165 degrees of recline and lumbar massagers. The carrier’s Main Cabin Select service offers 38-inches of pitch, free food and cocktails, an all-access pass to media content, dedicated overhead bins and priority check-in/boarding. The Red® in-flight entertainment platform offers guests their own seatback touch-screen TV, with more than 20 films, live TV, Google Maps, videogames, a 3,000 song library and an on-demand menu, which allows flyers to order a cocktail or snack from their seatback any time during a flight. Virgin America’s airport lounge – The Loft – is located at LAX and its Elevate frequent flyer program offers no black-outs or restrictions on rewards seats with three levels of status including Elevate Gold and Elevate Silver.

Virgin America aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-UnitedStates-3/Airlines-United-States3-QZ/Virgin-America

American Airlines to launch the new Dallas/Fort Worth – Beijing route

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) will begin operating its new daily service between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) on May 7, marking the airline’s sixth daily flight to Asia from DFW and the only nonstop flight connecting DFW and Beijing. With the addition of this service, American will offer 11 routes between the U.S. and Asia. Customers may begin booking flights on the new route this Saturday, Jan. 24.

Daily DFW-PEK Service Schedule (all times local):

AA 89
Departs DFW at 10:40 a.m.
Arrives at PEK at 2:15 p.m. the following day

AA 88
Departs PEK at 4:25 p.m.
Arrives at DFW at 5 p.m.

The new flight from DFW will complement American’s existing service from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Beijing. With the addition of Beijing, American will offer nonstop service from Dallas/Fort Worth to five key markets in Asia – Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo.

American will operate its service between DFW and Beijing with a Boeing 777-200 aircraft. The airline is retrofitting all 47 of its 777-200s to refresh the cabins and enhance the premium experience on international flights. The retrofitted 777-200 features a Business Class product designed especially for American’s customers, with a fully lie-flat seat, direct aisle access and a private flying experience. The plane has a modern interior – including a walk-up bar – with unique lighting, a dramatic archway and a spacious look. It also has Main Cabin Extra and all Main Cabin seats have in-seat entertainment systems.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-223 ER N797AN (msn 30012) arrives at Los Angeles International Airport.

American Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery only):

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/American-Airlines

Southwest Airlines reports a record 4Q net profit of $190 million and $1.1 billion for 2014, its 42nd consecutive year of profitability

Southwest Airlines Company (Dallas) today reported its fourth quarter and annual 2014 results:

Record fourth quarter net income, excluding special items1, of $404 million, or $.59 per diluted share, compared with fourth quarter 2013 net income, excluding special items, of $236 million, or $.33 per diluted share. This exceeded the First Call consensus estimate of $.55 per diluted share.

Fourth quarter net income of $190 million, or $.28 per diluted share, which included $214 million (net) of unfavorable special items, compared with net income of $212 million, or $.30 per diluted share, in fourth quarter 2013, which included $24 million (net) of unfavorable special items.

Record annual net income, excluding special items, of $1.4 billion, or $2.01 per diluted share, compared with 2013 net income, excluding special items, of $805 million, or $1.12 per diluted share.

Record annual net income of $1.1 billion, or $1.64 per diluted share, which included $261 million (net) of unfavorable special items, compared with net income of $754 million, or $1.05 per diluted share, in 2013, which included $51 million (net) of unfavorable special items.

Return on invested capital, before taxes and excluding special items (ROIC)1, of 21.2 percent for 2014, as compared with 13.1 percent for 2013.

Gary C. Kelly, Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are extremely proud to report record annual 2014 net income, excluding special items, of $1.4 billion, or $2.01 per diluted share. Our 2014 total operating revenues were strong, increasing 5.1 percent to a record $18.6 billion. Our 2014 operating cost performance was also solid, with costs declining, year-over-year. Our ROIC for 2014 was 21.2 percent. This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the hard work, perseverance, and determination of our Southwest People, and I commend them for these exceptional results, which earned them a record $355 million in profitsharing for 2014, up 56 percent from the previous record in 2013. Our strategic plan has come together successfully, and we have realized significant contributions from the AirTran integration, fleet modernization efforts, and the continued growth of our Rapid Rewards program.

“Our balance sheet and liquidity remain strong, with cash and short-term investments of $3.0 billion at the end of 2014. We generated strong free cash flow1 of $1.1 billion in 2014, allowing us to repurchase $955 million of Southwest common stock, pay $139 million to Shareholders in dividends, and reduce debt and capital lease obligations by $261 million, net, during the year.

“We concluded 2014 with record fourth quarter profits, excluding special items, of $404 million, or $.59 per diluted share. Total operating revenues were a fourth quarter record $4.6 billion. On a year-over-year basis, our fourth quarter 2014 revenue per available seat mile increased 2.0 percent, which is outstanding considering the 2.4 percent increase in available seat miles (ASMs); the 2.6 percent increase in stage length; the 2.4 percent increase in seats per trip2 (gauge); and the large percentage of our capacity under development. Customer demand remained strong, resulting in a record fourth quarter 2014 load factor of 82.0 percent, up 1.6 points from fourth quarter 2013. We are pleased with our passenger unit revenue and booking trends thus far in January, considering the continuing impact of increasing ASMs, stage length, and gauge, and the large percentage of our capacity under development. Based on these trends, we currently expect our first quarter 2015 passenger revenues to grow in line with the expected six percent increase in first quarter 2015 ASMs, both on a year-over-year basis.

“Our fourth quarter 2014 unit costs, excluding special items, were down 3.8 percent year-over-year, primarily as a result of significantly lower fuel prices. Our first quarter 2015 cost outlook is also favorable. With the collapse in fuel prices since September 2014, fuel prices have declined nearly 50 percent. Based on our existing fuel derivative contracts and market prices as of January 16, 2015, we estimate our first quarter 2015 economic fuel costs to be approximately $1.90 per gallon, which would result in approximately half a billion dollars in year-over-year fuel cost savings for first quarter alone. Excluding fuel and oil expense, special items, and profitsharing, we currently expect first quarter and full year 2015’s unit costs to decline in the one to two percent range, compared with the same year-ago periods, driven largely by our capacity growth and ongoing fleet modernization initiatives.

“December 28, 2014, marked the sunset of the AirTran brand. Overall, the AirTran acquisition resulted in net pre-tax synergies (excluding acquisition and integration expenses) of approximately $500 million in 2014, exceeding our $400 million target.

“We launched international service on Southwest Airlines to seven destinations in five countries in 2014, which will grow to seven countries with our plans to begin service to San Jose, Costa Rica; Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; and Belize City, Belize, in 2015, pending government approvals. We have been very pleased with the overall performance of our markets under development, most notably Dallas Love Field, New York LaGuardia, and Reagan National.

“Without question, 2014 was a monumental year for Southwest Airlines with many notable achievements. My gratitude goes out to our outstanding Employees for their tremendous efforts and the successful execution of our strategic initiatives, which allowed us to achieve our financial goals and expand our service internationally. As we enter 2015, we are well positioned financially and excited about our growth opportunities ahead. We remain steadfast in our unwavering commitment to preserve our financial strength, provide job security for our Employees, protect our low fare brand, and deliver adequate returns to our Shareholders. We live up to that commitment by offering friendly, reliable, and low cost air travel, and by expanding our network in a sensible manner.”

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Listen to the conference call at 12:30 EST today to discuss the results: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Raul Sepulveda/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-7H4 N909WN (msn 32458) taxies at San Juan in the new Beats Music – Don’t miss a beat special livery.

Southwest Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-UnitedStates-3/Airlines-United-States3-QZ/Southwest-Airlines-Current

Alaska Air Group reports 4Q GAAP net income of $148 million and $605 million for 2014, its best quarter/year ever

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air) (Seattle/Tacoma) today reported fourth quarter 2014 GAAP net income of $148 million, or $1.11 per diluted share, compared to GAAP net income of $78 million, or $0.56 per diluted share in 2013. Excluding mark-to-market fuel hedge gains of $6 million ($4 million after tax, or $0.03 per diluted share), a benefit related to the curtailment of certain postretirement benefit plans and a one-time gain associated with the settlement of a legal matter for $30 million in aggregate ($19 million after tax, or $0.14 per diluted share), the company reported record fourth quarter 2014 net income of $125 million, or $0.94 per diluted share, compared to net income, excluding mark-to-market fuel hedge gains, of $77 million, or $0.55 per diluted share, in 2013.

The company reported full-year 2014 GAAP net income of $605 million, compared to $508 million in the prior year. Excluding the impact of the items noted in the table below, the company reported record net income of $571 million, or $4.18 per diluted share for 2014, compared to net income of $383 million, or $2.70 per diluted share in 2013.

This is a company record for earnings for the fourth quarter and any year.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 N525AS (msn 35692) with Aviation Partners Boeing Split Scimitar Winglets climbs away from the runway at Los Angeles International Airport.

Alaska Airlines aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Alaska-Airlines