airBaltic leaves the Russian market

airBalticย has announced that it has made a decision to leave the Russian market until further notice and cancel all of the planned flights to and from Russian destinations. This decision follows the previous announcement of the temporary flight suspension.

airBalticย (Air Baltic Corporation AS) connects the Baltic region with over 70 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and the CIS.ย Over the last 25 years airBaltic has developed as a strong, profitable and internationally respected airline. airBaltic is by far the best known international brand of Latvia and responsible for more than 2.5% of the Latvian GDP.

airBalticย operates 33ย Airbus A220-300ย aircraft.

Aeroitalia is planning to start operations with Boeing 737-800s

Aeroitalia is a new airline in Italy.

The new airlines was founded by aviation specialist Francesco Gaetano Intrieri, who was an advisor to the Minister of Transport from 2018 to 2019.

The company is planning to launch operations in 2022 with six Boeing 737-800s.

 

Edelweiss Air returns to North America

Edelweiss Switzerland (Edelweiss Air) Airbus A340-313 HB-JMF (msn 561) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 937679.

Edelweiss Air has restarted flights to North America.

The Zurich – Tampa route was restored on March 2.

Flights to Las Vegas will start on March 28 followed by Denver on June 13.

Service to Vancouver begins on May 15 and Calgary on June 5.

Top Copyright Photo: Edelweiss Switzerland (Edelweiss Air) Airbus A340-313 HB-JMF (msn 561) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 937679.

Edelweiss Air aircraft slide show:

Edelweiss Air aircraft photo gallery:

640,000 passengers flew with Norwegian in February

Norwegian’s traffic figures for February show that the number of passengers has remained stable over the second month of the year. 640,000 passengers flew with the company and load factor was over 81 percent. In February, ticket sales reached the highest level since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020.

In February, Norway and many European countries removed entry rules and other measures and restrictions associated with the pandemic.

โ€œFebruary is traditionally a month with lower travel demand, however, figures have remained comparable to the month of January. We are particularly pleased that our aircraft have had a load factor of over 81 percent. When travel restrictions were lifted, we immediately noticed increased demand for flights. We will have a comprehensive summer program this year to meet this demand,โ€ said Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian.

Norwegian carried 643,089 passengers in February, compared with 61,374 in February 2021. The load factor was 81.3 per cent. The capacity (ASK) was 1,089 million seat kilometres, while actual passenger traffic (RPK) was 885 million seat kilometres. In February, Norwegian had an average of 44 aircraft in operation, and 99.8 per cent of scheduled flights were operated. Punctuality was 87.8 percent.

During the summer program, 280 routes to 38 destinations are planned, and Norwegian will have around 70 aircraft in operation. The company has noted a very positive development in future bookings over the last period, and monitors closely the uncertain situation in Europe, the turmoil in the financial markets and the change in oil prices.

Norwegian aircraft photo gallery:

Spirit Airlines announces additional pilot and flight attendant crew bases in Miami and Atlanta

Spirit Airlines has announced the addition of new Pilot and Flight Attendant bases at Miamiย International Airport (MIA) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) for a total of nine crew bases across the network as the airline continues to add new planes and new airports. The crew bases are projected to initially open this summer once advance preparations are finalized. Spirit expects to locate more than 100 Pilots and more than 200 Flight Attendants at each base initially, with additional crew, supervisors and support functions to follow later in the year.

 

Crew Bases, also known as Home Bases, are the various airport stations where commercial Pilots and Flight Attendants normally begin and end their duty periods.

The new bases will complement Spirit’s existing crew bases in Atlantic City (ACY), Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Detroit (DTW), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Las Vegas (LAS) and Orlando (MCO).

Spirit’s presence at MIA started in October 2021 with service to nine destinations and grew to a total of 30 nonstop domestic and international routes in January 2022. Spirit’s big entrance at MIA made it the second largest carrier at the airport. At ATL, Spirit currently ranks as the third largest carrier for number of Guests flown and operates nonstop flights to 19ย destinations.

(PRNewsfoto/Spirit Airlines, Inc.)

 

In Russia, how will they even pay for an airline ticket?

The Russian ruble has nose dived in value. It is basically worthless against the U.S. dollar. The value of the ruble has plummeted to less than 1 U.S. cent.

More from The Washington Post:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/03/03/russia-ruble-putin-sanctions/

Alaska Airlines celebrates the completion of the new International Arrivals Facility at SEA

Alaska Airlines made this announcement:

Marking a new era at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Alaska Airlines joined with the Port of Seattle today to celebrate the completion of the new International Arrivals Facility (IAF) โ€“ a state-of-the-art, world-class facility for passengers arriving from around the globe on international flights into Seattle.

Exterior view of the Great Hall at SEA’s new international Arrivals Facility. (Courtesy of SEA Airport)

The IAF will accommodate the Puget Sound region’s increasing demand for international air travel on Alaska, our fellow oneworld member airlines and our additional global airline partners. After a period of testing and transition, all arriving passengers who need customs clearance after international flights are scheduled to make their way through the new facility.

Nonstop international flights on oneworld partners from SEA this summer.

The opening comes just in time for increased summertime travel. oneworld airlines will offer the most nonstop flights to international destinations from SEA this summer โ€“ an average of 22ย daily international flights starting in June, which includes Alaska’s nonstop flights to Canada and Mexico. From oneworld global hubs, guests can connect to hundreds of other cities.

Nonstop international flights on oneworld partners from SEA this summer:

oneworld Partner Nonstop Destination Frequency
British Airways London Heathrow 2x Daily
Finnair Helsinki 3x Weekly
Japan Airlines Tokyo Narita Daily
Qatar Doha Daily

The new IAF is expected to reduce connection times by at least 15 minutes with more predictable and less stressful arrival and customs processing, making it easier and more convenient for arriving international passengers to continue their travels on Alaska’s domestic flights.

The IAF solidifies SEA as a gateway to the world. The new structure includes a marquee, first-of-its-kind aerial walkway โ€“ with dramatic views 85 feet above an active taxi lane โ€“ that connects guests arriving on international flights at the S Concourse to the IAF. That’s where they pick up their checked bags first and then go through customs processing โ€“ a single checkpoint to clear customs.

New baggage claim area at SEA’s International Arrivals Facility. (Courtesy of SEA Airport)

Another big change: The number of international capable gates has increased from 12 to 20 to allow for more flights during peak periods. The Port of Seattle says the new IAF is four times larger than the old facility and it will more than double peak international arrival capacity to 2,600 passengers an hour. Plus, the spacious baggage claim area now has seven carousels instead of four and each is larger than before.

Avelo Airlines partners with Aero HygenX for UVC robots

Ultraviolet Disinfection Robots

Avelo Airlines today announced an innovative partnership with Aero HygenX to deploy leading-edge autonomous ultraviolet light (UVC) robots to disinfect its aircraft fleet to combat COVID-19. Aero HygenX is the pioneer in autonomous UVC disinfection technology for the transportation industry.

The Aero HygenX RAY robot is a compact, light-weight and self-navigating device which uses motion-sensing technology to navigate interior spaces โ€” disinfecting surfaces quickly and safely using UVC light. RAY is a sustainable alternative to harmful chemicals and is emissions-free.

Avelo uses the RAY robots as part of its daily disinfection of its six Boeing Next-Generation (NG) 737 aircraft. Additionally, RAY is used to disinfect Avelo’s Crewmember (employee) workspaces at the airline’s West Coast base at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and its East Coast base at Southern Connecticut’s Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN). The aircraft and airport disinfection routine occurs every evening following the completion of each day’s flight operations.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines around the world have implemented enhanced cleaning procedures involving more frequent and deeper disinfection of aircraft. In most cases, these more stringent hygienic measures have necessitated the manual application of harsh chemical disinfectants and have prolonged the sanitization process. Additional disadvantages of chemical-based disinfection include the creation of surplus hazardous waste and the degradation of aircraft interior finishes.

Aero HygenX CEO Arash Mahin added, “We couldn’t be more excited to announce thatย America’sfirst new airline in nearly 15 years is utilizing RAY. Avelo’s partnership with Aero HygenX will enhance its aircraft and airport disinfection regiment, and exemplifies the airline’s commitment to safety, reliability and innovation. We look forward to growing with Avelo as they add aircraft, bases, Customers and Crewmembers in the future.”

A Game-Changing Solution
UVC technology has a long and proven history of effectively disinfecting surfaces, air and water in many other industries, including the healthcare, food / beverage and hospitality sectors. Aero HygenX is the first company to incorporate UVC disinfection technology into an autonomous robot solution for the transportation industry. In addition to commercial aircraft, RAY can be used to disinfect buses and trains.

RAY’s light-emitting technology safely destroys up to 99.9% of harmful pathogens in the air and on the surfaces of Avelo’s aircraft cabins, galleys, lavatories and flight decks โ€“ as well as in workspaces at the airline’s BUR and HVN bases. RAY’s automation technology enables the robots to be operated remotely by a single Crewmember โ€” the previous manual chemical-based disinfection process required several Crewmembers to sanitize each aircraft. The time it takes to complete the disinfection of Avelo’s three 737-700s and its three 737-800s is also significantly reduced by using the RAY robot. Avelo has committed to adding nine additional 737 NG jetliners in 2022 โ€” expanding its fleet to 15 aircraft.

RAY is connected to HygenXStream, a real-time digital platform which enables Avelo to monitor the health of RAY and gain access to valuable metrics that can assist with decision making for its operations.

There is significant science validating the effectiveness of UVC exposure to render pathogens โ€” such as COVID-19 โ€” inactive. UVC disinfection is a function of intensity over time. RAY’s smart functionality consistently delivers the perfect dose of UVC light to eliminate pathogens onboard an aircraft. At the same time, RAY moves unguided through the aircraft cabin eliminating the need for an Avelo Crewmember to be onboard while it’s in use.

 

Sabre terminates distribution agreement with Aeroflot!

No reservations … No airline.

Sabre Corporation, a leading software and technology company in the travel industry, today announced that it has terminated its distribution agreement with Aeroflot, the largest government-majority owned carrier in Russia. Sabre is taking immediate steps to remove Aeroflot flight content from its global distribution system (GDS), a marketplace used by travel agencies, travel websites and corporations around the world to shop, book and service flight reservations.

โ€œSabre has been monitoring the evolving situation in Ukraine with increasing concern. From the beginning, our primary focus has been the safety of our team members in the impacted region, as well as doing our part to support the much-needed relief efforts,โ€ said Sean Menke, CEO of Sabre. โ€œWe are taking a stand against this military conflict. We are complying, and will continue to comply, with sanctions imposed against Russia. In addition, today we announced that Sabre has terminated its distribution agreement with Aeroflot, removing its content from our GDS.โ€

The Company will continue to monitor the ongoing situation and will evaluate whether additional actions would be appropriate, taking into account legal considerations and any counter measures that could be implemented in response.

To help support humanitarian programs in the region, Sabre, which has approximately 1,500 team members in Poland, has donated $1 million to the Polish Red Cross, a 100-year charity that does exemplary work in conflict zones and for supporting displaced people. The funds donated by Sabre will be used by the Polish Red Cross to purchase, among other materials, much-needed food, hygiene products and sleeping bags, and will support the provision of medical assistance to those seeking shelter in Poland.

Air Dolomiti adds two additional Embraer 195s

Airline Color Scheme - Introduced 2019

Air Dolomiti, the Italian airline company ofย Lufthansa Group, is growing again.

Two Embraer 195s have been confirmed and will arrive in the coming weeks. With the registrations ofย I-JENBย andย I-ADJZ.

The jets add to the 15 already in the fleet, bringing the numberย to a total of 17: a positive sign that shows a new opening to the European market. The planes, arriving in March and May, will operate the routes to Frankfurt and Munich, international hubs that offer a wide range of destinations around the world.

Since 1991 to date, Air Dolomiti has shown itself to be attentive to theย continuous renewal of itsย fleet, with constant improvements to the on board services responding to the most demanding passenger requests. Moreover, the refurbishment of all the interiors of the 15 E195s is underway, as well as a change in the internal configuration that will bring each aircraftย to 122 seats. The seats of the two coming planes will also be replaced at the end of this year.

Top Copyright Photo: Air Dolomiti Embraer ERJ ERJ 190-200LR (ERJ 195) I-ADJK (msn 19000245) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 945689.

Air Dolomiti aircraft slide show:

Air Dolomiti aircraft photo gallery: