Avelo to fly to Las Vegas from Eureka/Arcata

Avelo Airlines is adding its second route to Las Vegas. The upstart has made this announcement:

Avelo Airlines today announced the addition of a second popularย Northern Californiaย destination โ€“ย Eurekaย /ย Arcata. Everyday one-way low fares starting atย $29*ย are available at AveloAir.com.

Avelo’s twice-weekly direct service between McCarran International Airport (LAS) and California Redwood Coast – Humboldt County Airport (ACV) beginsย November 18, 2021ย and will be operated by Boeing Next Generation 737-800 aircraft.

The flight will operate on Thursdays and Sundays. Flight 148 departs LAS atย 5:25 p.m., arriving ACV atย 7:25 p.m.ย Flight 147 departs ACV atย 3:00 p.m., arriving LAS atย 4:45 p.m.

Avelo operated its first flight into LAS (from Santa Rosa) on September 16.

Traffic at Munich Airport increases significantly in summer months

Traffic at Munich Airport has risen steadily since the beginning of the summer months. While only 570,000 passengers were registered at Munich Airport in the first quarter of the year due to the global Covid-19 pandemic and resulting travel restrictions, this figure more than tripled in August alone to over 1.8 million.

At his visit to the Munich Press Club, the CEO of Flughafen Mรผnchen GmbH, Jost Lammers, added that passenger demand is still high after the end of the summer holidays. The airport welcomed a total of 440,000 passengers in the first week after the holidays, the highest number since the start of the pandemic. Jost Lammers: โ€œThis also means that the current volume of traffic is not a result only of stronger tourist travel, but also that a stable traffic structure has been established again, at least for short and medium-haul routes.โ€

Despite this positive trend, however, the current overall volume of traffic still remains far below pre-pandemic levels. At present, passenger numbers at Munich Airport are at about 40% of 2019 levels, with take-offs and landings at about 50% of this figure. Many routes have still not resumed on account of continued travel restrictions, especially for long-haul flights. Jost Lammers: โ€œGiven this, we were extremely pleased to hear that the current travel ban imposed by the US for those traveling from Germany and many other European countries will be lifted at the start of November. Without a doubt, this reopening will massively revive transatlantic travel, especially as there will likely be a considerable catch-up effect here after a long absence due to the pandemic.โ€

The Munich Airport CEO believes that โ€œthe worst of the crisis is over.โ€ Given recent events, Lammers expects the volume of traffic to increase substantially in the year ahead. โ€œTogether with Lufthansa, our aim is still to bring momentum back to the global hub that is Munich Airport while at the same time laying the groundwork for intermodal and sustainable transportation.โ€

Swiss to fly to 90 destinations this winter, will restore the Geneva – New York route

Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A320-214 HB-IJP (msn 681) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 955199.

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) will offer its customers a portfolio of destinations in its Winter 2021/2022 schedules that is as extensive as it was in pre-pandemic times. A total of 90 destinations will receive SWISS service from Zurich and/or Geneva, with the aim of offering travelers the widest possible range of routes and onward connections. The extent of the winter offer is further boosted by certain classic summer destinations, especially around the Mediterranean and in Eastern Europe, continuing to be served in the coming winter timetable period. SWISS also plans to resume service on its long-haul Geneva-New York route on selected days of the week from mid-December onwards. And the carrier will further increase its winter services at times of particularly high demand, such as the Christmas holiday period and the winter sports season. All in all, SWISS will be offering around half of the capacity it provided in 2019 in the coming winter schedules.

Despite the continuing and still-changeable travel restrictions, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) will be offering a wide range of services in its coming Winter 2021/2022 schedules, to perform its mission of keeping Switzerland connected with the rest of Europe and the world.

With 90 points served from Zurich and/or Geneva, SWISSโ€™s winter destination portfolio will be as extensive as it was in Winter 2019, albeit with fewer frequencies. SWISS customers will be offered 81 destinations from Zurich and 26 from Geneva. All in all, SWISS plans to again be offering around 50% of the capacity it provided in 2019 in the coming winter schedules.

Over 80 points from Zurich

SWISS plans to serve a total of 60 short-haul and 21 long-haul destinations from Zurich in the coming winter schedules. Short-haul destinations with the most frequencies from Zurich include Berlin, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Lisbon, London, Malaga and Stockholm and various points in Eastern Europe such as Kyiv and Belgrade. On the long-haul front, the focus will be on such key centers as Chicago, Miami, New York, Sรฃo Paulo, Dubai, Johannesburg and Tel Aviv. The coming winter schedules also extend to various classic summer destinations which this year will continue to be served in the winter months. These include Alicante, Malta, Marseille, Palermo and Thessaloniki. Sarajevo and Tallinn will also continue to receive SWISS service in the coming winter period, as will the Albanian capital of Tirana, for which SWISS took over service this summer from its sister airline Edelweiss.

Resumption of long-haul Geneva-New York services currently being planned

A total of 25 European destinations will receive SWISS service from Geneva in the coming winter timetable period. The most frequently served of these will include Athens, Lisbon and Porto. Travelers from Geneva will also be offered a number of destinations this winter which have previously received only summer services. These include Madeira, Sharm El Sheikh and Tenerife. SWISS is further introducing non-stop service this winter between Geneva and Denmarkโ€™s capital Copenhagen. The winter sports season will be a particular focus of SWISSโ€™s Geneva services: for customers from the UK and Scandinavia especially, the carrier will offer an extensive flight program. SWISS also plans to resume its long-haul services between Geneva and New York on selected days of the week with effect from mid-December: up to four weekly flights are envisaged on the route from December 14 onwards.

Two-step publication

The winter timetable period will run from 31 October 2021 to 27 March 2022. For greater planning, the new SWISS winter schedules will be published in two steps. The schedules up to and including January 16, 2022 are published today (September 22), while the definitive schedules for mid-January to the end of March 2022 will be published in October. The associated stabilizing finalization of these may also entail cancellations of flights originally planned. Any customers whose flight is cancelled may rebook free of charge or have their ticket fully refunded.

Top Copyright Photo: Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A320-214 HB-IJP (msn 681) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 955199.

Swiss aircraft slide show:

New World Traveller luxury design for long-haul aircraft

From Lufthansa Technik AG:

At the Monaco Yacht Show 2021, Lufthansa Technik, the world’s leading provider of cabin interiors for VIP and government aircraft, will for the first time preview a new pioneering cabin design study for long-haul aircraft. The design, called โ€˜Explorer’,ย is based on the current trend for superyachts of the same name, which optimally fulfill their owners’ wishes to “go anywhere at any time” and “discover the world”.

For the design study, the specialists of Lufthansa Technik’s VIP business chose the Airbus Corporate Jet ACJ330 as the platform. As a classic widebody aircraft, it offers sufficient space for a large number of new cabin ideas. At the same time, only a few ACJ330 cabin concepts have been presented to the market so far, so a great deal of customer interest can be expected.

Wieland Timm, Head of Sales VIP & Special Mission Aircraft Services, at Lufthansa Technik, commented: “Lufthansa Technik regularly develops new VIP aircraft cabin concepts that both meet the latest market requirements and represent the latest trends. With this red-hot study we continue this tradition in an innovative way. We are developing the โ€˜Explorer Design’ for a completely new target group.”

Jan Grube, Sales Director in Lufthansa Technik’s VIP & Special Mission Aircraft Services division, who accompanied the development of the new study, added: “Over the last few months we have intensively analyzed the visual context and the typical elements of the EXPLORER boat class in order to transfer the design idea behind it from the water to the air, and thus into a new cabin design. The interior elements, which also integrate brand-new features, are therefore deliberately kept multi-functional.”

In developing the cabin floor plan, emphasis was placed on a wide range of possible uses. In addition to classic room elements such as bedrooms and guest rooms, bathrooms, offices, dining and conference areas, the study shows a variety of new ideas. One example is a projection system that covers large areas of the ceiling and sides of the cabin and can thus generate a new design on the walls and ceiling depending on the projection content used, such as an underwater world. The current design is designed for around 10-16 VIP passengers and explicitly focuses on meeting the requirements of these passengers in terms of a maximum positive “passenger experience”.

The cabin concept is still being finalized, and Lufthansa Technik will present the complete study with further “surprises” at the Dubai Air Show in November of this year. However, visitors to the Monaco Yacht Show can already see first impressions of the “Explorer” design and obtain further information about it in the Lufthansa Technik Lounge in the Monaco Yacht Club (harbor side / first floor).

The Explorer yacht design transferred to an Airbus A330 ACJ
The โ€˜Explorer Design’ on the A330 ACJ is deliberately kept multi-functional
Explorer yacht design transferred to the air: projection systems give passengers the illusion of being whereverr they want to be.
Perfect illusion: Thanks to the latest projection technology โ€˜Explorer’ even allows to go under water whilst flying
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Despite the active volcano, Binter Canarias maintains operations at La Palma

Binter Canarias is maintaining operations at La Palma Airport despite the active nearby Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma inย the Canary Islands, Spain.

The airline announced on social media it was monitoring the current wind conditions and would continue to maintain operations on the island if safety permits.

Finnair and Turkish Airlines launch code shares

Delivered on December 13, 2018

Finnair and Turkish Airlines today announced a codeshare agreement that brings more choice to the airlineโ€™s customers. Starting September 29, the Finnair AY code will be added to Turkish Airlines route between Helsinki and Istanbul, and from Istanbul to Athens, Sofia, Thessaloniki, Amman, Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, Luxor, Antalya and Gazipasa.ย  Respectively, the Turkish Airlines TK code will be added to the following routes from Finnairโ€™s Helsinki hub: Kuopio, Vaasa, Oulu, Rovaniemi, Reykjavik, Tallinn, Tartu, Riga, Vilnius, Antalya and Gazipasa.

2021 special scheme for Tokyo Olympic and Paralympics Games, Team Tรผrkiye

Turkish Airlines flies to more countries and international destinations than any other airline in the world, and currently operates to more than 300 international passenger and cargo destinations in total, in 127 countries.

Top Copyright Photo: Finnair Airbus A350-941 OH-LWM (msn 264) LHR (SPA). Image: 945935.

Finnair aircraft slide show:

Above Copyright Photo: Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-203 TC-JNB (msn 704) (Team Tรผrkiye) ZRH (Andi Hiltl). Image: 954480.

Turkish Airlines aircraft slide show:

J.D. Power Survey: Labor shortage, rising passenger volumes drag on airport traveler satisfaction

J.D. Power issued the results of their latest airport surveys:

With weekly airline passenger volumes now reaching 75% or more of pre-pandemic levels, travelers have officially come back to North American airports. Unfortunately, according to the J.D. Power 2021 North America Airport Satisfaction Study,SMย released today, many of them are arriving to find food, beverage and retail options severely limited as airports struggle with a persistent labor shortage. While airports have maintained historically strong customer satisfaction scores throughout the pandemic, reaching an overall record high of 802 (on a 1,000-point scale) this year, the combination of steadily rising passenger volumes and shuttered coffee shops and eateries has caused satisfaction scores to decline significantly through the second and third quarters of 2021 (last half of the study).

โ€œAirport customer satisfaction reached all-time highs when passenger volumes were severely suppressed by the pandemic, but as leisure travel rebounded sharply throughout the spring and summer of 2021, we saw an expected downturn in satisfaction,โ€ saidย Michael Taylor, travel intelligence lead at J.D. Power. โ€œUltimately, the data conveys changing expectations among travelers. Early in the pandemic, passengers were satisfied with any shop or restaurant being open, but they now expect full service at the airport.โ€

Following are some key findings of the 2021 study:

  • Record high satisfaction scores belie growing challenges:ย Overall customer satisfaction with North American airports rises to a record high this year, but much of that improvement was achieved during waves 1 and 2 of the study (July 2020 to January 2021), when passenger volumes were still just a fraction of the historical norm. Over the course of the year, as volumes picked up, satisfaction scores during waves 3 and 4 of the study (January 2021 to July 2021) steadily declined.
  • Labor shortage translates to lower scores for food, beverage and retail:ย Food, beverage and retail services are the keys that turn a good airport experience into a great experience. Award recipient airports Miami International and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International also score highest in the factor for food, beverage and retail in their respective segments. The effects of the labor shortage throughout North America have resulted in several airport dining and retail locations closing, a fact that has disproportionally affected medium-sized airports.
  • Major airport construction projects are a swing factor:ย Major airport construction projects at North American airportsโ€”which include traffic cones, redirected traffic and heavy equipment clogging airport roadways and parking areasโ€”greatly affect customer satisfaction scores. Planned airport construction projects in North America, which total in the hundreds of billions of dollars, disrupt travelers and diminish satisfaction, but completion of those construction projects usually leads to significant improvement in satisfaction scores.

Study Rankings

Miami International Airportย ranks highest in passenger satisfaction among mega airports with a score of 828.ย John F. Kennedy International Airportย (817) ranks second andย Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airportย (815) ranks third.

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airportย ranks highest among large airports with a score of 844.ย Tampa International Airportย (843) ranks secondย andย Raleigh-Durham International Airportย (841) ranks third.

Individual airports in the medium airports category were not award eligible this year due to reduced passenger volumes.

The 2021 North America Airport Satisfaction Study measures overall traveler satisfaction with mega, large and medium North American airports by examining six factors (in order of importance): terminal facilities; airport arrival/departure; baggage claim; security check; check-in/baggage check; and food, beverage and retail. Mega airports are those with 33 million or more passengers per year; large airports with 10 to 32.9 million passengers per year; and medium airports with 4.5 to 9.9 million passengers per year.

Now in its 16th year, the study is based on 13,225 completed surveys from U.S. or Canadian residents who traveled through at least one U.S. or Canadian airport and covers both departure and arrival experiences (including connecting airports) during the past 30 days. Travelers evaluated either a departing or arriving airport from their round-trip experience. The study was fielded from August 2020 through July 2021.

StarLux Airlines launches a new route to Singapore

StarLux Airlines officially launched its inaugural flight between Singaporeย andย Taipei today (September 23). Once again, the airline achieves a significant milestone despite the pandemic following the opening of new routes to Kuala Lumpur,ย Ho Chi Minh Cityย andย Manilaย earlier this year.ย STARLUX will initially operate two flights per week. The schedule is listed below.

Route

Inaugural Date

Weekly Schedule

Outbound

Flight Time

Inbound

Flight Time

Singaporeโ€“Taoyuan ย 

(SIN-TPE)

2021/9/23

-T-T— (starting Sep.23)

-T-T-S-(starting in Oct.)

15:05-20:05

09:20-13:45

Changi Airport welcomed the inaugural flight fromย Taipei with a water salute today.

STARLUX has been continuously adjusting its flight schedule and aircraft delivery plan in response to the changing conditions caused by the pandemic. In this respect, the airline has opted to open routes to important business destinations rather than popular vacation spots. With the new route launching today, the airline is now servicing nine destinations from Taoyuan includingย Macau,ย Penang,ย Bangkok,ย Osaka,ย Tokyo,ย Kuala Lumpur,ย Ho Chi Minh City,ย Manilaย andย Singapore.

The airline currently operates five Airbus A321neo aircraft, each having 188 seats, including eight in business class and 180 in economy class. Each seat in business class transforms into an 82-inch fully flat bed. Every seat in economy is equipped with a personal entertainment system.

The cabin interior was designed by BMW Group Designworks and features natural and warm colors to evoke a sense of being “Home in the Air.” On flights departing from Taoyuan, the business class meals are specially prepared by the Michelin Taiwanese restaurant “Longtail,” while economy class features a menu created by the renowned Japanese-style grilled meat restaurant “Hutong” inย Taiwan. STARLUX prides itself on painstaking detail regarding accommodation and services on all STARLUX flights. In spite of the current challenges facing the airline industry, most services remain available, allowing the airline to continue providing the most enjoyable flights an airline can during this difficult time.

Nolinor selects Pan Am Academy in Miami as a pilot training partner for its new Boeing 737-800s

2020 "Montreal Alouettes" CFL team livery

Pan Am Flight Academy has made this announcement:

Following the recent acquisition of its first Boeing 737-800, leading carrier,ย Nolinor Aviation, conducted extensive research to find a training center that could deliver quality training services for their pilots. After their market analysis, the airline unhesitatingly selectedย Pan Am Flight Academyย located inย Miami, Florida.

This relationship of trust between the established aviation training organization and the carrier began 15 years ago when Nolinor Aviation selected Pan Am Flight Academy for the training of their pilots for its Boeing 737-200 fleet.

In 2019 Nolinor Aviation executed the purchase of the only Boeing 737-200 simulator available on the market from Pan Am Flight Academy. Following the acquisition of the full flight simulator, Nolinor proceeded to hand over the management of the simulator to the experienced team at Pan Am Flight Academy.

Nolinor Aviation pilots will be able to carry on with their regularly scheduled training at the Pan Am Flight Academy facilities inย Miami.

Note: The 737-800s are operated as OWG.

Commenced operations on December 18, 2020

Above Copyright Photo: OWG (Off We Go) – Hola Sun Boeing 737-408 C-GGWX (msn 24804) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 952337.

Top Copyright Photo: Nolinor Aviation Boeing 737-2R4C C-GNLW (msn 23130) (Montreal Alouettes – Toujours Game) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 954339.

Nolinor aircraft slide show:

Northern Pacific Airways announces purchase of its first six Boeing 757-200s

Northern Pacific Airways (Anchorage), a wholly-owned subsidiary of FLOAT Alaska LLC, has agreed to the purchase of its first six aircraftโ€”Boeing 757-200s. The airline completed the transaction to meet part of its initial fleet requirements. The first aircraft within this purchase will be delivered immediately.

The airline intends to offer service between points in the U.S. andย Asia, viaย Anchorage, Alaska.

The acquisition of the Boeing 757-200s is the first step in Northern Pacific’s business plan. Prior to entering service, the aircraft will undergo a full C-level maintenance check by Certified Aviation Services LLC (C.A.S.), a leading maintenance, repair and overhaul (M.R.O.) firm inย San Bernardino, California. Theย Alaska-based carrier intends to continue enlarging its fleet as it prepares for passenger flights.

The best in class Boeing 757-200 is powered by twin 36-600 Rolls-Royce RB211 underwing turbo engines for a maximum takeoff weight of 255,000 lbs. The plane can transport over 200 passengers to their destination’s each flight, with a range of 3,915nm/-7,250km per fueling. The single-aisle plane is less costly to fly than its wide-bodied counterparts, yet has a range greater than other aircraft of similar size. Over the duration of their manufacturing program, more than 1,049 Boeing 757-200s were delivered. The aircraft is well suited for point-to-point, long-haul flights, and has enough space to accommodate each passenger’s carry-on.