Delta Air Lines reports a first quarter pre-tax loss of $2.9 billion

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Delta Air Lines issued this financial report for the first quarter of 2021:

Delta Air Lines reported its financial results for the first quarter 2021 and provided its outlook for the second quarter 2021. ย Highlights of the first quarter 2021 results, including both GAAP and adjusted metrics, are on page five and are incorporated here.

โ€œA year after the onset of the pandemic, travelers are gaining confidence and beginning to reclaim their lives. Delta is accelerating into the recovery with our brand stronger and more trusted than ever before,โ€ said Ed Bastian, Deltaโ€™s chief executive officer. ย โ€œThanks to the incredible efforts of our people, we achieved positive daily cash generation in the month of March, a remarkable accomplishment considering our middle seat block and the low level of demand for business and international travel. ย If recovery trends hold, we expect positive cash generation for the June quarter and see a path to return to profitability in the September quarter as the demand recovery progresses.โ€

First Quarter Financial Resultsย 

  • Adjusted pre-tax loss of $2.9 billion excludes $1.2 billion of benefit related to the first payroll support program extension (PSP2), which is partially offset among other items by the debt extinguishment charges incurred when prepaying our $1.5 billion slots, gates and routes term loan
  • Adjusted operating revenue of $3.6 billion declined 65 percent on 55 percent lower sellable capacity (see Note A) versus March quarter 2019
  • Total operating expense, which includes the $1.2 billion benefit related to PSP2, decreased $3.9 billion over the March quarter 2019. ย Adjusted for the benefit related to PSP2 and third-party refinery sales, total operating expense decreased $3.1 billion or 33 percent in the March quarter compared to March quarter 2019, driven by capacity- and revenue-related expense reductions, lower salaries and related costs and strong cost management across the business
  • During the March quarter, cash burn (see Note B) averaged $11 million per day and turned positive in the month of March with cash generation of $4 million per day
  • At the end of the March quarter, the company had $16.6 billion in liquidity, including cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and undrawn revolving credit facilities.ย  The company had total debt and finance lease obligations of $29.0 billion with adjusted net debt of $19.1 billion, which was higher than prior guidance as a result of aircraft financing decisions

Read the full report.

Top Copyright Photo: Delta Air Lines Airbus A350-941 N506DN (msn 175) AMS (Ton Jochems). Image: 950895.

Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show (Airbus):

airBaltic announces flights between Riga and Tenerife

airBaltic's 2019 Estonia flag livery

airBaltic has announced that starting on September 2, 2021, it plans to launch new scheduled flights between Riga and Tenerife in Spain. airBalticย has planned to operate flights between Riga and Tenerife three times a week with theย Airbus A220-300ย aircraft.

Destination served Flight frequency Start date Price *, GREEN Price *, GREEN Classic Price*, Business
Rigaโ€“Tenerife 3 flights weekly September 2, 2021 159 EUR 209 EUR 649 EUR

*Lowest fare (one way), including taxes, fees and service charges

This summer seasonย airBalticย will also offer new safe connections between Riga and Heraklion (Greece), Santorini (Greece), Naples (Italy) and Edinburgh (United Kingdom).

On the financial side, the airline issued this report for 2020:

Due to the historical negative impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,ย  air Baltic group closed 2020 with a revenue of EUR 143 million, which was 72% less than the year before. The groupโ€™s net result was negative EUR 265 million. Despite the severe travel restrictions, airBalticย carried 1.34 million passengers

Martin Gauss, Chief Executive Officer ofย airBaltic: โ€œWe saw a dramatic change last year, butย airBalticโ€™sย core vision for the future remains the same โ€“ to be the number one carrier in the Baltics, providing the best connectivity to and from the region. Last year, in the wake of the crisis, we significantly reduced our cost and adjusted the business planย Destination 2025 CLEAN.

We took a decision to permanently phase out Bombardier Q400ย andย Boeing 737 aircraft and became a single aircraft type operator of the Airbus A220-300 two year ahead of the original plan.โ€

โ€œWe look forward to an increase in travel demand that is now slightly showing some positive signals. We have developed several scenarios for the gradual market recovery. Our base scenario reduction is currently in line with the industry wide projections, and we are flexible to make further adjustments whenever necessary. To support our future return to profit, we will accept additional sevenย Airbus A220-300ย aircraft in 2021,โ€ Martin Gauss added.

Last year the airline connected Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius on a total of 76 routes, providing much-needed essential connectivity and cargo shipments for the region.

2020 2019 Change %
Revenue EUR 142.6 million EUR 509.0 million -72%
EBITDAR EUR -152.3 million EUR 126.4 million -221%
EBIT EUR -201.7 million EUR 27.2 million -841%
Net Result EUR -264.6 million EUR -9.1 million -2803%
Passengers 1.34 million 5.0 million -73%
Market share in the Baltics 37% 36% +1% pp
Flights 22 thousand 63 thousand -64%
Routes out of Riga, Tallinn, Vilnius 76 routes 88 routes -14%
Employees (year-end, airBaltic Group) 1.2 thousand 1.7 thousand -30%

Top Copyright Photo: airBaltic Airbus A220-300 (Bombardier CS300 – BD-500-1A11) YL-CSJ (msn 55038) (Estonia) ZRH (Andi Hiltl). Image: 947410.

airBaltic aircraft slide show:

Air France to launch the Paris CDG – Denver route on July 2

Air France will launch on July 2, 2021 a new connection between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Denver International Airport (Colorado). Up to three direct flights will be operated each week (on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with a capacity of 279 seats (30 in Business cabin, 21 in Premium Economy and 228 in Economy).

This new destination will thus strengthen Air France’s service to the United States. Subject to the easing of travel restrictions, the airline will offer flights to 12 US cities during the 2021 summer season: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C.

With this new route, Europe will be connected to Denver for the first time nonstop by a SkyTeam member airline.

This flight schedule is subject to change depending on travel restrictions. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Air France has been adjusting its offer in real time, taking into account changes in the health situation. Prior to any trip, Air France invites its customers to check the conditions of entry and the documents required on arrival at their destination.

The best of Air France on board the Boeing 787

For Air France customers traveling to Denver,ย the Boeing 787 provides a number of assets. They will enjoy a real cocoon in the sky in the Business cabin and even more comfort in Premium Economy and Economy with:

–ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  On-board WiFi adapted to customers’ needs and expectations;
–ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Windows that are approximately 30% larger than on similar aircraft;
–ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  Improved air pressure and humidity levels for greater travel comfort;
–ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  20% less fuel consumption than previous generation aircraft;
–ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  A significant reduction in CO2ย emissions (about 20%) as well as noise emissions.

F-HRBJ, with larger titles - Best Seller

 

Above Copyright Photo: Air France Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner F-HRBJ (msn 42497) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 950659.

Air France aircraft slide show:

Inside Brussels Airlines: preparing for their gradual summer relaunch

Brussels Airlines issued this article:

With vaccination programs underway in many countries and demand for travel slowly starting to pick up for summer Brussels Airlines prepares its operations for a gradual build up of its flight offer.

At an airline, such a buildup does not happen overnight and it takes several months to prepare. We not only need to get our planes ready to hit the skies again, but we also need to get our cabin and cockpit crew and our Ground Operations colleagues back up to speed and fully trained after a period of inactivity.

Training our pilots, crew and ground staff

In aviation, nothing is left to chance and safety is at all times the highest priority. Therefore, our Training department worked out a very thorough and intensive training program to make sure we fully prepare our pilots to take off again. The first group started their training at the beginning of April. For each pilot, the program takes approximately one month to complete and includes 14 hours of theoretical training, including self-study and classroom trainings to review all flight and aircraft procedures, 12 hours of simulator and ย 10 to 20 flights with an instructor, depending on the experience of the pilot. Last but not least, every pilot performs a line check before they are released to fly on their own again. In total 150 pilots need to go through this complete training and we expect to finish the training program by summer. Our 400 other pilots have continuously been trained during the past months.

As for our cabin crew, as of 1 May, 130 cabin colleagues who have been in full temporary unemployment will gradually be retrained for flying duties with seven to ten days of refresher courses, depending on the type of flights they operate (short haul or long haul), and several familiarization flights to have all safety procedures and Corona-related hygiene measures fresh in mind when they welcome our passengers on board again.

Also on the ground, we prepare our airport colleagues for their duties. They get refresher courses and work in pairs with colleagues on their first day back on the job so they are ready to welcome our guests again.

Getting our aircraft ready

Today, 21 of our 38 aircraft are operational. In order to increase our flight offer, we of course also need to get more and more aircraft back in the air to prepare for summer.

As aircraft are made to fly, not to stand on the ground, ย we have kept busy meticulously maintaining our birds while they were inactive, in order to keep them in great shape once we could reactivate them. To reactivate an aircraft after such a long period (some have been parked since March 2020), our Maintenance teams go through thorough procedures, checking every nook and cranny of the fuselage and moving parts, checking every valve and tube, and test-running all electronic systems. They test the engines, replace life vests and other safety equipment if they are expired, and getting the cabin ready with a thorough cleaning. Finally, they run a test flight to give the aircraft a final GO for operations. The entire de-storage process takes approximately 200 man hours per aircraft.

Hygiene measures

Welcoming more passengers means that it is important to emphasize that we continue to apply the same Corona measures as before. These include a mandatory face mask during the entire flight (as of arrival at the airport) for every passenger as of six years old, row by row boarding and de-boarding to avoid queues in the aircraft, extra disinfection of the aircraft and of course proper hand hygiene. All our aircraft are equipped with HEPA filters that continuously supply clean air on board. See the complete overview or our measuresย here.

As usual, we ask passengers who feel unwell not to travel, to protect the health of other passengers and our crew. As many countries still have specific restrictions, we ask our passengers to check the requirements before they travel.

Brussels Airlines' 2019 salute to artist Pieter Bruegel

 

Above Copyright Photo: Brussels Airlines Airbus A320-214 OO-SNE (msn 4243) (Pieter Bruegel – we fly you to home of Bruegel) LHR (Tony Storck). Image: 947177.

Brussels Airlines aircraft slide show:

Frontier Airlines announces 8 new routes with 4 from Miami and also 3 new summer destinations

"Wellington, the Black-Footed Ferret"

Frontier Airlines today announced its expansion of summer 2021 service with eight new nonstop routes, including the addition of three new destinations: Nassau, The Bahamas; San Jose, Costa Rica and St. Maarten. To celebrate the new service, Frontier is offering fares as low as $29*.

New Route via Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW):

SERVICE TO

SERVICE START

SERVICE FREQUENCY

INTRO FARE

APPLICABLE DAYS FOR INTRO FARE

Cancun (CUN)

June 10, 2021

3x Weekly

$89*

Tuesday, Thursday

New Routes via Miami International Airport (MIA):

SERVICE TO

SERVICE START

SERVICE FREQUENCY

INTRO FARE

APPLICABLE DAYS FOR INTRO FARE

Myrtle Beach (MYR)

June 10, 2021

5x Weekly

$29*

Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Nassau, The Bahamas (NAS)

June 24, 2021

4x Weekly

$39*

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO)

July 2, 2021

2x Weekly

$79*

Monday, Friday

St. Maarten (SXM)

July 10, 2021

1x Weekly

$89*

Saturday

New Routes via Orlando International Airport (MCO):

SERVICE TO

SERVICE START

SERVICE FREQUENCY

INTRO FARE

APPLICABLE DAYS FOR INTRO FARE

San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO)

July 1, 2021

2x Weekly

$89*

Thursday, Sunday

St. Maarten (SXM)

July 10, 2021

1x Weekly

$89*

Saturday

New Routes via Luis Muรฑoz Marรญn International Airport, San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU):

SERVICE TO

SERVICE START

SERVICE FREQUENCY

INTRO FARE

APPLICABLE DAYS FOR INTRO FARE

St. Thomas, USVI (STT)

June 12, 2021

1x Weekly

$29*

Saturday

Additional Miami International Airport made this announcement:

On April 15,ย low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines and Miami-Dade County officials gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the airlineโ€™s inaugural flight from Miami International Airportย to San Salvador that day, as well as its new Miami-Guatemala City service that began on April 12. Frontier is now serving both routes with twice-weekly service.

Photo: MIA Director Lester Sola addresses guests at the airlineโ€™s launch event.

Frontier topped off its busy week at MIA by announcing that it will be launching service to four more cities this summer:ย Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (5x weekly) on June 10; Nassau, Bahamas (4x weekly) on June 24;ย San Jose, Costa Rica (2x weekly) on July 2; and St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles (1x weekly) on July 10. Myrtle Beach is not currently served by any other airline at MIA.

Top Copyright Photo: Frontier Airlines (2nd) Airbus A320-251N WL N362FR (msn 9222) (Wellington, the Black-Footed Ferret) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 952369.

Frontier Airlines aircraft slide show:

Southwest Airlines to begin service to Eugene, Oregon on August 29, 2021

Will become N8814K

Southwest Airlines today published an initial flight schedule forย Eugene Airportย (EUG) in Oregon, bringing the airlineโ€™s low fares, flexible policies, and Hospitality closer to more outdoor attractions in the Pacific Northwest. Southwest Airlinesยฎ will offer nonstop, roundtrip service once daily to Las Vegas and twice daily to Oakland in the Bay Area, bringing additional same-plane or connecting roundtrip service daily between Eugene and more than 30 airports across the Southwest route map.

New destinations recently added:

 

Beginning August 29, 2021, Southwest will commence service to a second city in Oregon, having served Portland since 1994.

Fly nonstop between
Eugene, Ore. and:

Initial flight schedule (roundtrip service, nonstop):

One-way fares as low as*:

Las Vegas

Once daily

$49

Oakland

Twice daily

$39

*The number of seats, days, and markets for these fares are limited.

Top Copyright Photo: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 N1781B (N8814K) (msn 42664) BFI (Nick Dean). Image: 953456.

Southwest Airlines aircraft slide show:

Hydro-Quรฉbec and Air Inuit sign a new 12-year contract

Operated by Air Inuit

Hydro-Quรฉbec and Air Inuit have entered into a new agreement to ensure the maintenance and operations of Hydro-Quรฉbec’s fleet. Valued at approximately $28ย million a year, the contract runs until 2032.

Hydro-Quรฉbec relies on three aircraftโ€”two Dashย 8ย Q400 and one Dashย 8ย 300โ€”to transport employees to locations in Saguenay, Abitibi, Cรดte-Nord and Baie-James.

Under the agreement, Air Inuit consolidates 78 cabin crew, pilot and maintenance and operations specialist positions. Hydro-Quรฉbec uses Air Inuit’s facilities at Montrรฉal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) for its flights to and from its main remote work sites.

Air Inuit was founded by the Inuit in 1978 and owned by Makivik Corporation, Air Inuit was created to provide air connections between Nunavik’s 14 coastal villages and southern Quรฉbec, to promote trade and to preserve Inuit culture. The company has become a major player in air transportation in Quรฉbec and is one of Nunavik’s most significant economic drivers.

Top Copyright Photo: Hydro Quรฉbec Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) C-GHQP (msn 4004) YUL (Gilbert Hechema). Image: 903904.

Ryanair to appeal EU court rulings on Finnair and SAS state aid

The new 200-seat Boeing 737-8 with 28 inches of seat pitch

Ryanair has issued this statement:

Ryanair has noted the EU General Courtโ€™s rulings on Finnish, Danish and Swedish State aid favoring Finnair and SAS over all other EU airlines. The Finnish government granted a โ‚ฌ600 million loan guarantee to Finnair which has benefited from more than โ‚ฌ1.2 billion in State aid since the beginning of the pandemic. The Danish and Swedish governments each granted a loan guarantee of โ‚ฌ137 million to SAS which has also benefited from recapitalization State aid from these countries, bringing the total aid received by SAS to over โ‚ฌ1.3 billion.

While the COVID-19 crisis has caused damage to all airlines that contribute to the economies and the connectivity of Finland, Denmark and Sweden, the governments of these countries decided to support only their flag carriers. Ryanair referred the European Commissionโ€™s approvals of these illegal subsidies to the EU General Court in June 2020. Ryanair will appeal todayโ€™s General Court judgments to the Court of Justice of the EU.

Ryanairโ€™s spokesperson said:

โ€œOne of the EUโ€™s greatest achievements is the creation of a true single market for air transport. ย The European Commissionโ€™s approvals of the Finnish, Danish and Swedish State aid went against the fundamental principles of EU law. Todayโ€™s judgments set the process of liberalization in air transport back by 30 years by allowing Finland, Denmark and Sweden to give their national flag carriers a leg up over more efficient competitors, based purely on nationality. ย 

We will now ask the EU Court of Justice to overturn these unfair subsidies in the interests of competition and consumers. If Europe is to emerge from this crisis with a functioning single market, airlines must be allowed to compete on a level playing field. Undistorted competition can weed out inefficiency and benefit consumers through low fares and choice. Subsidies, on the other hand, encourage inefficiency and will harm consumers for decades to come.โ€

The EU Commissionโ€™s spineless approach to State aid since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis has allowed Member States to write open-ended cheques to their inefficient zombie flag carriers in the name of faded national prestige. The EU Commission has hastily approved over โ‚ฌ30 billionย of discriminatory State aid since the crisis began.ย  Discriminatory State subsidies given by EU Member States or planned to be given are set out here:

Lufthansa Group ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  โ‚ฌ11bn 

Air France-KLMย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  โ‚ฌ10.6bn

Alitaliaย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  โ‚ฌ3.5bn

SASย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  โ‚ฌ1.3bn

TAPย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  โ‚ฌ1.2bn

Finnairย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  โ‚ฌ1.2bn

Norwegianย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  โ‚ฌ0.8bn

LOTย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  โ‚ฌ0.65bn

Condorย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  โ‚ฌ0.6bn

Air Europaย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย  โ‚ฌ0.5bn

Top Copyright Photo: Ryanair will soon take delivery of its first high-density MAX 8: Ryanair Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 (200) N4027A (EI-HGK) (msn 62326) BFI (Joe G. Walker). Image: 953313.

Ryanair aircraft slide show:

Swiss to trial IATA Travel Pass app

Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A320-271N WL HB-JDC (msn 10242) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 952963.

Swiss International Air Lines is to become the first airline in the Lufthansa Group to trial IATAโ€™s new Travel Pass app, which it will do on its Zurich-London Heathrow route from April 22 onwards. The trial marks a major further step in making travel simple and reliable again during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Swiss has also been testing further such concepts since mid-March.

The new IATA Travel Pass app enables travelers to check up on the latest coronavirus-related entry provisions for their country of destination. It also allows them to have their COVID-19 test results sent directly to the app. This is turn enables the traveller to demonstrate to airlines and authorities that they meet the relevant entry requirements, without having to divulge further information about their personal health. The new app should also bring greater speed and efficiency to the corresponding airport procedures.

The new IATA Travel Pass app meets the strictest data protection requirements. All the userโ€™s health details remain on the app: at no point are they transmitted or centrally stored, which assures the user of total control over all their personal data. The IATA Travel Pass has already been accepted as an official health document for entry purposes by the Singapore authorities.

Standardized parameters essential

โ€œWe support all endeavors to make travel simple and reliable again during the coronavirus pandemic,โ€ says SWISS CEO Dieter Vranckx. โ€œDigital health documents like the IATA Travel Pass are making an invaluable contribution to reconciling the demand for mobility with the need for health protection, to make it easier for our customers to plan their journeys with confidence and to restore the trust in travel as a whole. We still consider it essential that consistent, unified and mobility-promoting parameters are established and maintained, along with internationally recognized and standardized processes to deliver digital test and vaccination certifications. This is the only way to ensure that Switzerland can retain the international links that are so vital to the country in economic terms.โ€

Swiss testing further concepts, too

In addition to the IATA Travel Pass, Swiss is also evaluating the use of further digital solutions such as the EU Green Pass and the CommonPass.

Alongside these options, further trials are being conducted โ€“ since mid-March on its Newark (USA)-Zurich route and since the beginning of April on flights from Zurich to Spain and Portugal โ€“ under which Swiss travelers can upload their COVID test results to the swiss.com website up to 12 hours before starting their trip. These data will then be verified so that the traveller knows before departure whether they meet the official entry requirements of the country they are flying to. The current trials here should be extended to further Swiss routes, too.

The use of the IATA Travel Pass app and these digital document checks is optional. Swiss travelers are informed of all such options that are available to them in good time in advance of their planned travel.

Top Copyright Photo: Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A320-271N WL HB-JDC (msn 10242) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 952963.

Swiss aircraft slide show:

Dortmund becomes the official home airport of the “BVB Mannschafts-Airbusโ€œ

Germanwings' 2016 "Borussia Dortmund Mannschaftsairbus" (Team Airbus) logo jet

Eurowings has made this announcement:

Eurowings is strengthening Dortmund: In the 2021 summer flight schedule, the Lufthansa subsidiary is significantly expanding its services and offering travelers from Dortmund six additional attractive holiday destinations in Spain, Italy and Greece. The new tourist destinations Alicante, Malaga, Catania, Naples, Heraklion and Kavala complement the existing connections that Eurowings already successfully operates to Lufthansa’s hub in Munich as well as to Split and Mallorca. Eurowings has expanded its connections to the popular Balearic island in particular.

“BVB Mannschafts-Airbusโ€œ regular guest in Dortmund

To serve the expanded summer program, Eurowings will station a second aircraft in the Ruhr metropolis from June 2021. In this context, the “BVB Mannschafts-Airbus” โ€“ ย a photo motif known throughout Europe due to its special black and yellow livery โ€“ will also be a regular guest in Dortmund in the future and take off from its home airport in the Ruhr region. This means that BVB fans from the Ruhr region will have the opportunity to meet “their plane” even more often than in the past.

“Dortmund is not only the home of our partner Borussia Dortmund, it is also where the roots of Eurowings lie,” said Eurowings CEO Jens Bischof. “That’s why we feel a particularly close bond with this aviation location and are expanding our flight offerings with all due caution. In doing so, we are strictly adhering to our industry-leading hygiene concept. Together with all Dortmund residents, we are pleased that the BVB Mannschafts-Airbus can now take off from here more frequently.”

Free middle seat bookable on all Eurowings flights from Dortmund

As on all Eurowings flights, passengers can reserve a free middle seat also from Dortmund in advance for as little as 10 euros and book it online at eurowings.com. The free middle seat can also be booked subsequently via the call center or even shortly before departure at the check-in counter. A reservation is possible as long as there are still enough seats available on the booked flight. If a passenger opts for the offer, the free seat is blocked with the booking and thus guaranteed not to be allocated elsewhere.

The 2021 summer destinations from Dortmund at a glance

Germany
Dortmund-Munichย up to 11 times a week

Croatia
Dortmund-Splitย up to twice a week

Spain
Dortmund-Mallorcaย up to 16 times a week
NEW from June 2: Dortmund-Alicanteย up to twice a week
NEW from June 2: Dortmund-Malagaย up to twice a week

Italy
NEW from June 2: Dortmund-Cataniaย up to three times a week
NEW from June 4: Dortmund-Neapelย up to twice a week

Greece
NEW from June 1: Dortmund-Heraklionย up to three times a week
NEW from June 3: Dortmund-Kavalaย up to twice a week

In other news, Eurowings has integrated health data collection into the digital travel chain:

Available immediately on all Eurowings flights from Germany to Spain: Eurowings is integrating a new offer for particularly flexible, time-saving and safe travel in times of Corona. Passengers flying from Germany to Spain can now use the new health data solution “myHealth Docs” to conveniently check with just a few clicks whether they have all the necessary entry documents for their upcoming flight โ€“ such as an online registration as well as a negative Corona test.

The digital solution “myHealth Docs” was already successfully tested by many passengers on an Eurowings flight from Cologne/Bonn to Palma de Mallorca over the Easter weekend. In a further step, the airline has now extended the new service to all flights from Germany to Spain โ€“ additional flight connections as well as functions, such as uploading negative test results, are being planned.

Usage of the newly integrated “myHealth Docs” health data solution

To use the new service, Eurowings passengers check in for their flight as usual via the Eurowings customer app. In a next step, they can use the newly integrated solution “myHealth Docs” to fill out a digital health self-disclosure, which is required for entry in times of pandemic. This includes, for example, answering a couple of health questions, confirming the existence of the online registration for Spain as well as the existence of a negative Corona test. Based on this data, the digital boarding pass is automatically generated โ€“ with the additional note that all mandatory entry documents are complete.

Considerable time saving and reduction of physical contacts

By using “myHealth Docs”, passengers benefit from considerable time savings as they can easily see at a glance which documents are required: Thus, all passengers are well prepared for their flight, which in turn saves time at the check-in. Moreover, within the framework of the Lufthansa Group’s leading hygiene concept, this ensures that physical contacts at the airport are reduced to a minimum.

With the integration of “myHealth Docs” into the Eurowings customer app, Eurowings takes a further step in the digitalization of required entry documents, thus facilitating travel in times of pandemic.

Eurowings hygiene concept

The obligation to wear a protective medical mask continues to apply on Lufthansa Group flights to and from Germany. Passengers are obliged to wear either a surgical mask or an FFP2 mask or mask with the KN95/N95 standard during boarding, the flight and when leaving the aircraft. An exemption from this obligation to wear a mouth-nose mask during the flight is only possible for medical reasons if the medical certificate is issued on a form provided by the Lufthansa Group and a negative Covid19 test is available that is not older than 48 hours at the scheduled start of the journey.

In principle, infection on board is very unlikely. All aircraft of the Lufthansa Group are equipped with the highest-quality air filters, which ensure an air quality similar to that in an operating room. In addition, the air circulates vertically โ€“ instead of being distributed throughout the cabin โ€“ and is thus completely exchanged every two to three minutes. Furthermore, all Eurowings customers benefit from automatically included Corona travel protection when they choose a travel insurance policy of their choice with the airline.

Finally, Eurowings is planning to fly to Russia and Georgia for the first time:

Starting in summer with Eurowings nonstop to Russia and Georgia: the airline launches three new direct connections starting in July, flying its passengers from Dรผsseldorf to Russia for the first time โ€“ to Ekaterinburg and Krasnodar in Southern Russia โ€“ as well as to the Georgian capital Tbilisi.

The flights expand the range in the “Visit Friends and Relatives” segment, in which the Lufthansa subsidiary already offers numerous flights to Greece, Croatia, Algeria and Turkey, for example. Most recently, connections to Beirut in Lebanon and Erbil in northern Iraq were added to the Eurowings program in December. Eurowings is the leader in this market segment and is increasingly expanding its position in response to growing demand. As a result, even more travelers benefit from direct connections to their home countries.

The new routes will be operated by an Airbus A320.

Eurowings flights to Russia

From Dรผsseldorf to Krasnodar

From July 19, passengers will fly directly fromย Dรผsseldorfย toย Krasnodarย in Southern Russia. Flights will be operated on Mondays and Fridays, each followed by a return flight

Monday: DUS – KRR, 11:45 a.m. – 4:55 p.m.; KRR – DUS, 6:15 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Friday: DUS – KRR, 07.15 a.m. – 12.25 p.m.; KRR – DUS, 13.45 p.m. – 17.00 p.m.

From Dรผsseldorf to Ekaterinburg

Starting July 24, Eurowings takes it passengers fromย Dรผsseldorfย toย Ekaterinburgย every Saturday morning. The return flight leaves in the afternoon of the same day, touching down in Dรผsseldorf in the evening.

Saturday: DUS – SVX, 11:10 a.m. – 6:50 p.m.; SVX – DUS, 7:40 p.m. – 9:55 p.m.

Flights to Georgia

From Dรผsseldorf to Tbilisi

Starting July 21, Eurowings will connectย Dรผsseldorfย with the Georgian capitalย Tbilisi. On Wednesdays and Sundays, an Airbus A320 will take off from the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia to Georgia. Return flights to Dรผsseldorf are also offered on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Wednesday: DUS – TBS, 11:45 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.; TBS – DUS, 6:50 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Sunday: DUS – TBS, 07.15 a.m. – 1.30 p.m.; TBS – DUS, 2.20 p.m. – 5.00 p.m.

All flight times are local times.

Top Copyright Photo: Eurowings Airbus A320-214 WL D-AIZR (msn 5525) (BVB 09 – Mannschaftsairbus) LHR (SPA). Image: 941520.

Eurowings aircraft slide show: