Southwest extends the Boeing 737 MAX grounding to April 13, 2020

Southwest Airlines made this announcement:

Southwest Airlines continues to monitor information from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the impending 737 MAX software enhancements and training requirements. We remain confident that, once certified by the FAA, the enhancements will support the safe operation of the MAX.

We previously removed the MAX through March 6, 2020 to offer reliability to our operation and stability for our Customers. Based on continued uncertainty around the timing of MAX return to service, the Company is proactively removing the MAX from its flight schedule through April 13, 2020.

By proactively removing the MAX from scheduled service, we can reduce last-minute flight cancellations and unexpected disruptions to our Customers’ travel plans. The limited number of Customers who have already booked their travel and will be affected by our amended schedule will be notified of their re-accommodated travel according to our flexible accommodation procedures. The revision will proactively remove roughly 300 weekday flights from our schedule out of our total peak-day schedule of more than 4,000 daily flights.

We offer our apologies to our Customers impacted by this change, and we thank them for their continued patience.

Qatar Airways announces new seasonal flights to Santorini, Greece and Dubrovnik, Croatia in 2020

Qatar Airways has made this announcement:

Qatar Airways is delighted to reveal two new exciting Mediterranean destinations will join its ever-expanding network in the first half of 2020, with many more to be announced in the coming months. The airline will also add 66 weekly frequencies to 20 existing destinations in its network due to strong market demand and the recent deliveries of more fuel-efficient aircraft.

The airline will be the first Gulf carrier to begin direct flights to Santorini, its fourth destination in Greece after Athens, Mykonos and Thessaloniki, with services to begin on 20 May 2020. Flights to Dubrovnik, Croatia, the airline’s second destination in Croatia after Zagreb will start on 20 April 2020.

The seasonal flights to Santorini, Greece and Dubrovnik, Croatia will be operated by an Airbus A320, featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 132 seats in Economy Class.

New destinations:

Dubrovnik, Croatia – Three weekly flights expanding to five (18 May to 30 September)

Santorini, Greece – up to four weekly flights

Osaka, Japan – five weekly flights expanding to daily from 23 June 2020

The following frequency increases are planned for 2020:

Europe

Adana, Turkey will increase from three to five weekly flights
Antalya, Turkey will increase from three to five weekly flights
Athens, Greece will increase from three to four daily flights
Belgrade, Serbia will increase from seven to 10 weekly flights
Bodrum, Turkey will increase from three to five weekly flights
Edinburgh, Scotland will increase from 10 to 14 weekly flights
Oslo, Norway will increase from 10 to 14 weekly flights
Venice, Italy will increase from seven to 11 weekly flights
Warsaw, Poland will increase from 14 to 18 weekly flights
Zurich, Switzerland will increase from 14 to 18 weekly flights

Africa

Maputo, Mozambique will increase from three to five weekly flights
Windhoek, Namibia will increase from five to seven weekly flights
Three of the seven weekly flights to Kigali, Rwanda to be delinked from Entebbe, Uganda and operate direct non-stop flights to each destination
Daily service to Kilimanjaro, Tanzania and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania will be delinked with non-stop direct daily flights to each destination

Asia

Colombo, Sri Lanka will increase from four to five daily flights
Dhaka, Bangladesh will increase from three to four daily flights
Penang and Langkawi, Malaysia combined service will increase from five to seven weekly flights

KLM to take delivery of the very last Boeing 737 NG

Joe G. Walker reporting from the Pacific Northwest:

Aviation history can be interesting, with hidden gems found from time to time.

Though the last original Boeing 737NG airframe was built and delivered to Skymark, as previously reported, the very, very last 737NG will be going to KLM, with the registration of PH-BCL, msn: 98801, ln:7542A. It is named “Krooneend/ Crown Duck”.

History of the original airframe, msn: 63624, ln: 7542, has rumors that the fuselage was shot at during transport to Renton and then had the wrong wing holes drilled for wings for a MAX or P-8A. The original fuselage was destroyed and new one ordered. As this is a “one of”, is was given a special serial number of 98801.

PH-BCL is pictured arriving at Boeing Field (King County) in Seattle.

Alaska Airlines ‘North Pole’ flight makes life a little brighter for well-deserving children

From Alaska Airlines blog:

This weekend, our annual Fantasy Flight arrived at the “North Pole” to bring smiles and holiday cheer to 65 children, many of whom live in shelters or transitional housing.

For most of the kids, it was their first time on an airplane. Flight 1225 (as in “Dec. 25”), not only departed Spokane, Washington for Santa’s hometown at 4:45 p.m. this Saturday, but we also threw an elaborately decorated party – a true winter wonderland.

For children who don’t have much, the special treatment provides a momentary lift this time of year – and memories to last a lifetime. Since 2008, Alaska Airlines has sponsored the annual Fantasy Flight, with many Alaska and Horizon employees volunteering as “elves” ready to make magic happen.

Nonstop to the North Pole

The journey begins to Spokane International Airport, where each child is given a “passport” to the North Pole and a personal “elf” that takes them under their wing.

Volunteers are required to dress in their best elf-wear and develop their individual elf history to help the kids believe their North Pole adventure is real. The flight crew usually dons Santa hats or antlers. The annual event is organized by nonprofit Northwest North Pole Adventures, and numerous companies donate jet fuel, food, toys and other items.

After passing through airport security, the children are presented with backpacks and are greeted at the Alaska boarding area with festive music and food.

A young traveler pulls her elf down the jet way to their plane to the North Pole from the Spokane Airport December 14, 2019. Most of the children on the flight had never been on a plane before. (Photo by Rajah Bose)

Elves and young travelers play games and dance at gate before their Fantasy Flight to the North Pole at the Spokane Airport December 14, 2019. (Photo by Rajah Bose)

Elves and young travelers take-off on their Fantasy Flight to the North Pole at the Spokane Airport December 14, 2019. (Photo by Rajah Bose)

Just before it’s time to board the plane to the North Pole, the elves begin shouting, “We’re going home! We’re going home!” The children and elves board an Alaska jet given the call sign Santa 1, and the plane departs into the sky above Spokane.

Halfway through the 40-minute flight, the children are instructed to close their window shades and recite a magical chant that would allow them to enter Santa’s airspace. Minutes later, they arrive at the “North Pole” – in reality, a spruced-up hangar at the end of the Spokane airfield. It has been transformed into a glittering fantasyland of Christmas fun with decorations, games, jugglers, magicians, face painters, a Polar Express train set, and fancy sugar cookies and other sweets.

Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive, and each child gets to visit Santa and receive a gift they previously requested in a wish letter. And, the list is checked to ensure every young traveler is in Santa’s book under ‘nice’.

Memories for a lifetime

While happy spirits fill the air, there are many poignant reminders of the difficulty each child faces. One year, after visiting a booth to select pajamas, a young girl put on her purple PJs as fast as she could, near tears, because she’d never owned pajamas before.

“The most magical part of Fantasy Flight is how happy it makes the kids,” said one of our elves. “Not only do we help them reach the North Pole where there is literally unlimited ice cream, hot chocolate, and cookies, but they get to be the craziest, happiest kids they want to be because a lot of them haven’t been able to be kids at home.”

Children say goodbye to their elves at the end of a long day of travel to the North Pole and back to Spokane. December 14, 2019. (Photo by Rajah Bose)

As the night winds down, the children gather around to hear Mrs. Claus read “The Polar Express,” the beloved story about a magical train that takes a group of children on a journey to the North Pole to meet Santa.

Fantasy Flight in Spokane, Washington and the North Pole December 14, 2019. (Photo by Rajah Bose)

“Most of the little ones arrive at the airport a little timid and shy and by the end of the night they are screaming and smiling and running around with their new toys,” said one of Santa’s helpers. “Seeing their faces light up when they see Santa and Mrs. Clause is unforgettable.”

Qatar Airways celebrates its inaugural flight to Gaborone, Botswana

The first Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Gaborone, Botswana, touched down at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport on Sunday, December 15, 2019.

The flight was greeted upon landing by His Excellency Vice President of Botswana, Mr. Slumber Tsogwane, and the Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr. Thulagano Segokgo. The multiple award-winning airline will operate a three-times weekly service to the capital city of Botswana and is the only non-African airline to fly to the country.

The inaugural flight is Qatar Airways’ ninth new destination of the year and the third in Africa during 2019, complementing the already popular routes to Mogadishu, Somalia and Rabat, Morocco. With Luanda, Angola to follow in 2020, the airline is making good on its promise to grow throughout the continent.

The airline will operate to Gaborone with its Airbus 350-900, featuring 36 seats in Business class and 247 seats in Economy class. Passengers can enjoy the next generation interactive on-board entertainment system, Oryx One, with a choice of up to 4,000 audio and video-on-demand options as well as complimentary Wi-Fi for passengers.

Botswana is globally renowned for its unspoiled natural environment, including the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta, making it popular for its safaris & other cultural tourism.

Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of more than 250 aircraft via its hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA) to more than 160 destinations worldwide. The airline has recently launched an array of exciting new destinations, including Rabat, Morocco; Izmir, Turkey; Malta; Davao, Philippines; Lisbon, Portugal; Mogadishu, Somalia; Langkawi, Malaysia; and Gaborone, Botswana. The airline will add with Luanda, Angola; and Osaka, Japan, following in 2020.

Flight schedule: Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

DOH-GBE
(QR 1377): Departs Doha 06:55hrs, Arrives Gaborone 16:50hrs

GBE-DOH

(QR 1378): Departs Gaborone 18:35hrs, Arrives Doha 06:45hrs

Hi Fly first to launch sustainability training for cabin crew

Hi Fly has made this announcement:

As part of its ongoing commitment to corporate sustainability, Hi Fly has recently started a series of sustainability training workshops for its cabin crew.

In what is likely a world-first in the aviation industry, Hi Fly has coupled with its sustainability arm – The Mirpuri Foundation – to ensure the men and women who take to the skies in the Hi Fly uniform, are fully up to date with the important work that the airline and the Foundation have been doing in the sustainability area.

Speaking ahead of the Sustainability Workshops, Paulo Mirpuri, Hi Fly and the Mirpuri Foundation President, said: “The first aim of the staff-training programme is to build the best teams we can, to make the Hi Fly experience as positive as possible for the passengers. But, the programme is about more than that. It also aims to help our crew members themselves to be better citizens. We always believed that if you can inspire a core group, then they, in turn, will inspire others. So, as we make rapid progress towards our goal of Hi Fly flying its entire fleet plastic-free by the end of this year, it’s important that our crews understand not only what we are doing, but why we are doing it. They will see, we believe, that we are making these efforts for a better planet and for the benefit of their children and their children’s children. If we can get this simple message across, our staff will be better motivated in their jobs and in their ability to explain our intent and message to Hi Fly passengers and customers.”

As well as the training related directly to the sustainability practices of Hi Fly, crew members in training are also able to learn about some of the other stories of the Mirpuri Foundation.

Boeing suspends 737 MAX production starting in January

Boeing has made this announcement:

Safely returning the 737 MAX to service is our top priority. We know that the process of approving the 737 MAX’s return to service, and of determining appropriate training requirements, must be extraordinarily thorough and robust, to ensure that our regulators, customers, and the flying public have confidence in the 737 MAX updates. As we have previously said, the FAA and global regulatory authorities determine the timeline for certification and return to service. We remain fully committed to supporting this process. It is our duty to ensure that every requirement is fulfilled, and every question from our regulators answered.

Throughout the grounding of the 737 MAX, Boeing has continued to build new airplanes and there are now approximately 400 airplanes in storage. We have previously stated that we would continually evaluate our production plans should the MAX grounding continue longer than we expected. As a result of this ongoing evaluation, we have decided to prioritize the delivery of stored aircraft and temporarily suspend production on the 737 program beginning next month.

We believe this decision is least disruptive to maintaining long-term production system and supply chain health. This decision is driven by a number of factors, including the extension of certification into 2020, the uncertainty about the timing and conditions of return to service and global training approvals, and the importance of ensuring that we can prioritize the delivery of stored aircraft. We will continue to assess our progress towards return to service milestones and make determinations about resuming production and deliveries accordingly.

During this time, it is our plan that affected employees will continue 737-related work, or be temporarily assigned to other teams in Puget Sound. As we have throughout the 737 MAX grounding, we will keep our customers, employees, and supply chain top of mind as we continue to assess appropriate actions. This will include efforts to sustain the gains in production system and supply chain quality and health made over the last many months.

We will provide financial information regarding the production suspension in connection with our 4Q19 earnings release in late January.

Azul begins operating flights from Belo Horizonte to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood

Belo Horizonte has a new international destination. Starting today, December 16, there will be direct flights from Minas Gerais three times a week to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood in the United States. These flights on the Airbus A330, with capacity for up to 272 passengers, will last an average of eight and one-half hours.

With a full plane, the first flight out of the capital city to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood took off right after 1:00 p.m. Prior to that, representatives from the government, the Belo Horizonte Airport, and Azul made speeches in the international departures area, celebrating the start of operations from Belo Horizonte to yet another international destination. Azul now serves both Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, expanding the frequency of its flights between Minas Gerais and the US to six flights per week.

As Azul’s second-largest hub in Brazil, with the new connection Belo Horizonte now has a daily average of 90 connections to 38 destinations, three of which are international: Orlando and Fort Lauderdale in the United States, and Buenos Aires in Argentina. Jason Ward, Vice President of Azul’s People and Clients Division, highlighted the stronger profile of the company in the capital city, and reinforced the importance of Belo Horizonte in the company’s domestic and international network.

Cities in the interior of Minas Gerais, especially Ipatinga, Uberlândia, Montes Claros and Uberaba, as well as Rio de Janeiro (Santos Dumont and Galeão), Brasília, Goiânia, Salvador and Vitória, will be the main Brazilian cities with convenient connections to the new Belo Horizonte–Fort Lauderdaleflight. In less than nine hours, clients from these regions can take off from Belo Horizonte and land in North America. Additionally, in Fort Lauderdale, Azul, in partnership with United and JetBlue, will offer connections to destinations operated by its partner companies.

Schedule:

Belo Horizonte-Fort Lauderdale
Origin	Departure	Destination	Arrival	Frequency
Belo Horizonte	1:30 p.m.	Fort Lauderdale	8:00 p.m.	Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
Fort Lauderdale	10:00 p.m.	Belo Horizonte	8:30 a.m.	Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

Azul aircraft photo gallery:

Reuters: Boeing board meets as company considers 737 MAX production changes

From Reuters:

“Boeing Co is considering whether to cut or halt production of its grounded 737 MAX after the Federal Aviation Administration said last week it would not approve the plane’s return to service before 2020, a person briefed on the matter said on Sunday.”

Read the full story.

WestJet lands in Roatán

WestJet is celebrating carrying guests for the first time to the snorkeling and diving paradise of Roatán, Honduras following yesterday’s inaugural flight between Toronto and Roatán.

WestJet's inaugural flight connects guests to the Caribbean paradise of Roatan from Toronto (CNW Group/WESTJET, an Alberta Partnership)

With convenient access to 14 Caribbean destinations non-stop from Toronto this winter, WestJet’s new service to Roatán is operated on the airline’s Boeing 737 aircraft featuring WestJet’s Premium and Economy cabins.

Flights are timed to optimize connectivity to WestJet’s Toronto hub and provide for WestJet Rewards accumulation and redemption along with additional benefits for WestJet Rewards top tier members.

Details of WestJet’s service between Toronto and Roatán:

Route

Frequency

Departing

Arriving

Effective

Toronto-Roatán

(Sunday)

Once weekly

9:30 a.m.

1:11 p.m.

December 15, 2019