Swoop carries its one-millionth traveller

Swoop has made this announcement:

Swoop celebrated its one-millionth traveller on a flight from Edmonton to Hamilton earlier this week. William and Emily Burchat were surprised to be selected as the lucky recipients of a round-trip for two on Swoop and a commemorative, Swoop branded, model aircraft. The pair were travelling to Hamilton with their twin infant daughters who were meeting their grandparents for the first time.

“It was an awesome experience. They were all super helpful, every single one of them,” said William of his first Swoop flight. “Their prices are cheap, but the quality isn’t. We save as much money as we can to give them (the twins) a better future. Every penny counts with them.”

“Both of us and the girls flew here for half the price it would have cost,” said Emily about why they chose Swoop. “We wouldn’t have been able to actually make the trip. It’s hard to travel as a family.”

A small Swoop team was on hand in Edmonton to kick-off the festivities, which included celebratory dรฉcor and refreshments at the gate. Travellers were encouraged to record their favourite travel stories at the Swoop Stories Video Booth to be shared on the Swoop social channels. Every traveller received an exclusive Swoop luggage tag, promo code and the hugely popular, Swoop piggy bank.

Swoop President Steven Greenway was waiting in Hamilton to surprise the millionth traveller.

“We suspected the millionth traveller would be flying this week, so we decided to have some fun and share the experience with an entire flight,” said Steven Greenway, President of Swoop. “After all, every traveller is equally as valued and we were eager to show our appreciation in a unique way.”

“The best compliments we receive are affirmations from word-of-mouth referrals,” said Karen McIsaac, Sr. Advisor of Communications for Swoop. “Of those who try us, more than 94 per cent say they would fly with Swoop again.ย โ€ ย This kind of awareness and endorsement has been our biggest ally in bringing more affordable air travel to everyone.”

โ€ Based on a 2019 Swoop survey of 23,830 participants.

Swoop is a month shy of reaching one full-year of operation, having begun flights on June 20, 2018 with an initial fleet of three aircraft and a network of five Canadian cities. Since then, the airline has quickly expanded service to include 16 destinations across four countries. The Edmonton base has seen an exponential increase in weekly flights and now employs 104 Swoopsters. Hamilton has almost quadrupled its weekly flights since launch and currently employs 166 Swoopsters.

 

CNBC: United CEO says heโ€™s not sure travelers will want to fly a Boeing 737 MAX

From CNBC:

“United Airlinesย CEO Oscar Munoz on Thursday said heโ€™s under no assumption that all passengers will feel comfortable flying on a Boeing 737 MAX plane anytime soon.”

โ€œWe will be incredibly communicative to all our customers and very transparent when that aircraft comes back,โ€ Munoz told CNBCโ€™s Phil LeBeau at New Yorkโ€™s LaGuardia airport, where the carrier is opening up a new terminal. Munoz added, โ€œThe first and foremost objective is to not assume everyone will want to fly, or assume everyone will get over it.โ€

Read the full story and video.

United Airlines begins flight operations at LaGuardia Airport’s new Terminal B Eastern Concourse on June 2

United Airlines has made this announcement:

This weekend United customers traveling through New York-LaGuardia Airport will experience new gates on the Terminal B Eastern Concourse, following the first phase of the $4 billion, 1.3-million-square-foot redevelopment project of Terminal B, operated by LaGuardia Gateway Partners. With soaring ceilings up to 55-feet high and plenty of natural light, customers will have thirteen new shops, restaurants and services in the concourse to visit; all inspired by the best of New York โ€“ from the iconic Shake Shack and local Irving Farm Coffee Roasters to an outpost of New York’s famous toy store, FAO Schwarz.

The new concourse features ample gate seating, with charging stations throughout the seating area along with free unlimited high-speed Wi-Fi, offered by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Additional features include a “park area” complete with greenery and benches, an airport themed children’s play area which contains a 16-foot interactive display and restrooms with spacious stalls and above sink shelves that will keep belongings dry while washing hands.

As part of the terminal redevelopment, United will open its newest United Club on June 2. Conveniently located after security near United’s gates, the new club offers a private oasis of 10,500 square feet with sweeping views of the tarmac. The Club, which is 30 percent larger than the prior LGA United Club location, combines the sleek styles of New York City with the modern touches travelers desire and features more than 200 seats.

Customers can enjoy an expanded food menu including distinctly New York selections such as the iconic New York Bagel provider, Ess-a-Bagel, which will be paired with assorted cream cheese, jams and smokehouse salmon spread, a Greek salad bar and rotating hot foods including oven-baked Neapolitan ziti, fast-fired pesto and goat cheese flatbread, bite sized reuben corned beef with sauerkraut and more. Menu options will rotate throughout the day with hot and cold entrees available all-day. Additional amenities include complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi, wellness rooms and phone booths.

All photos by United Airlines.

 

Southwest Airlines extends its flight schedule through the end of 2019, will expand at Long Beach

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-76N WL N7729A (msn 32675) LGB (Michael B. Ing). Image: 946605.

Southwest Airlines today announced it extended its bookable flight schedule through January 5, 2020.

New and Returning Service

Beginning November 3, 2019, Southwest will add daily nonstop service between Baltimore/Washington and Greenville-Spartanburg. This route was previously offered in 2016.

Just a few days later, on November 9, 2019, the carrier will add new weekly service on Saturdays between Boston and Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood.

Long Beach Service

Having recently received additional slot allocations from the City of Long Beach, Southwest is rounding-out service for Long Beach Customers with additional flights. Effective October 1, 2019, the carrier will offer the following service:

Between Long Beachย and Oaklandย (Four daily flights)*
Between Long Beachย and San Jose, Calif.ย (Four flights a day on weekdays and three flights on Saturdays and Sundays)
Between Long Beachย and Sacramentoย (Four flights a day on weekdays and three flights on Saturdays and Sundays)
Between Long Beachย and Las Vegasย (Two flights a day on weekends)

*Between Oct. 1 and Oct. 31, there will be an additional flight on Saturdays and Sundays between Long Beach and Oakland.

In October, the carrier will also offer one roundtrip a day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between Long Beachย and Las Vegasย and one roundtrip a day on Saturdays and Sundays between Long Beachย and Denver.

Holidays on the Beach
The carrier also announced today the return of several seasonal routes linking key cities across the United Statesย with the Caribbean and Latin America.

Effective November 3, 2019, daily service will resume between:
Austinย and Cancun

Effective November 9, 2019, weekly service on Saturdays will resume seasonally between:

Houston (Hobby)ย and Aruba
Nashvilleย and Cancun
Milwaukeeย and Cancun
Sanย Antonio and Cancun
Baltimore/Washingtonย and Liberia, Costa Rica
Baltimore/Washingtonย and San Jose, Costa Rica
Denverย and Belize
Chicago (Midway)ย and San Jose del Cabo/Cabo San Lucas

Top Copyright Photo: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-76N WL N7729A (msn 32675) LGB (Michael B. Ing). Image: 946605.

Southwest Airlines aircraft slide show:

Lufthansa retires its first Airbus A320 – D-AIPA

Lufthansa made this announcement on social media:

An era has come to an end:

Our very first ย Airbus A320 landed on May 29 for the last time at Frankfurt (FRA).

Since 1989 D-AIPA has been flying all over Europe. CEO Carsten Spohr thanked the crew and colleagues of Lufthansa Technik for their great commitment.

So long, Papa Alpha!

All photos by Lufthansa.

In other news, Lufthansa is also setting an example for Europe after the election: the standard livery of all Lufthansa aircraft will be changed. In addition to the German flag, the European flag will also be on display in future.

J.D. Power 2019 Airline Rankings

 

Boeing’s CEO apologizes for the two 737 MAX accidents

From CBS Evening News:

In an exclusive interview with incoming CBS EVENING NEWS anchor and managing editor Norah Oโ€™Donnell, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg apologized to the families of those killed in the two crashes that left 346 dead and led to the grounding of all 737 Max jets.

He also acknowledged that the incidents had โ€œdamaged the public trust and the confidence in flying.โ€

The interview aired on May 29ย on the CBS EVENING NEWS (6:30-7:00 PM, ET) on the CBS Television Network.

โ€œWe feel terrible about these accidents, and we apologize for what happened. We are sorry for the loss of lives in both accidents,โ€ Muilenburg told Oโ€™Donnell. โ€œWe are sorry for the impact to the families and the loved ones that are behind, and that will never change, that will always be with us. I can tell you it affects me directly as a leader of this company. Itโ€™s very difficult.โ€

Muilenburg said the crashes have had the โ€œbiggest impactโ€ on him in his 34 years at the company.

โ€œWe canโ€™t change what has happened in these accidents, but we can be absolutely resolute in what weโ€™re going to do on safety going forward,โ€ Muilenburg said. โ€œSo I am sorry for that. We apologize to the families that have been affected. We apologize more broadly to the traveling public where confidence has been affected.โ€

Muilenburg told Oโ€™Donnell he would trust his own family in a 737 Max jet after testing new software in the wake of two deadly crashes that left 346 dead and led to the grounding of all 737 Max jets.

โ€œYou’d put your family on a 737 Max?โ€ Oโ€™Donnell asked.

โ€œWithout any hesitation. Absolutely,โ€ Muilenburg said.

โ€œI do personally apologize to the families. We feel terrible about these accidents, and we apologize for what happened, we are sorry for the loss of lives in both accidents, and that will never change,โ€ he said. โ€œThat will always be with us. I can tell you it affects me directly as a leader of this company, it’s very difficult.โ€

โ€œDid you ever consider resigning?โ€ Oโ€™Donnell asked.

โ€œNo. It’s important that I continue to lead the company, and the fact that lives depend on the work we do, whether it’s people flying on our commercial airplanes or military men and women around the world who use our defense products, that is a worthy mission,โ€ he said.

SAS divests its shareholding in Air Greenland to the Government of Greenland

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS has made this announcement:

SAS has divested its 37.5% ownership in Air Greenland A/S to the Government of Greenland. The transaction is a result of several years of discussions and negotiations,ย ending an era of ownership which dates back over 50 years.

Under the agreement,ย which was closed today,ย the Government of Greenlandย will payย DKK277 million in cash for SASโ€™ 37.5% shareholding in the Greenland based airline group.

The transaction price is slightly above the book value, resulting in a marginal capital gain for SAS.

SASย would like to thank Air Greenland and its other shareholders โ€“ the Government of Greenland and the Danish State โ€“ for the good cooperation over the years and wish the airline all the best for the future.

Greenlandโ€™s national airline Grรธnlandsfly was founded in 1960. The company changed its name to Air Greenland in 2002 and has undergone rapid development during the last 50 years: From seaplanes to jet planes; and from helicopter services to scheduled services with fixed-wing aircraft. Then, as now, Air Greenland operates in Arctic airspace, which presents a unique range of challenges.

All above photos by Air Greenland.

Air Greenland Airbus A330-223 OY-GRN (msn 230) HAM (Gerd Beilfuss). Image: 928525.

Above Copyright Photo: Air Greenland Airbus A330-223 OY-GRN (msn 230) HAM (Gerd Beilfuss). Image: 928525.

Air Greenland aircraft slide show:

Video:

Route Map:

Air France launches flights to Quito

Air France has operated its first flight to Quito from Paris-Charles de Gaulle. The company is offering its customers 3 weekly services to the Ecuadorian capital. Flights will be operated by Airbus A340-300* for the summer season (30 seats in the Business cabin, 21 seats in the Premium Economy cabin and 227 seats in the Economy cabin) then by Boeing 787 for the 2019-2020 winter season (30 seats in the Business cabin, 21 seats in the Premium Economy cabin and 225 seats in the Economy cabin).

Flight schedules (in local time) from May 23 to October 26, 2019 –

AF646: leaves Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 13:10, arrives in Quito at 18:10
AF641ย  leaves Quito at 20:10, arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 14:20 the following day.
Flights operated on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays by Airbus A340*.

Flight schedules (in local time) from October 27, 2019 to March 28, 2020 –

AF646: leaves Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 13:10, arrives in Quito at 19:20.
AF641: leaves Quito at 21:20, arrives at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 14:20 the following day.
Flights operated on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays by Boeing 787.

This new destination is in addition to KLMโ€™s daily flight between Amsterdam-Schiphol and Quito, operated by Boeing 777, for the 2019 summer season.

Quito, jewel of the Andes

Located more than 2,850 m above sea level, and built on the ruins of an Inca city, Ecuadorโ€™s capital is home to many treasures. Its historic center, the best preserved in Latin America, is the first to be included in UNESCOโ€™s World Heritage List. From Independence Square to San Francisco Square, nothing beats getting lost in the narrow and colorful streets to discover Old Quito. Want a great view? The Panecillo peak, which stands in the middle of the city, offers a breathtaking view.

Want to go even higher? Quito, bordered by the Andes, is also the starting point for unforgettable escapades into the heart of the volcanoes, the gateway to the lush Amazonian forest and an opportunity to discover the Galapagos Islands and its protected species.

* Initially operated by Joon, Air France is resuming services to this destination as from June 26, 2019.