Emerald Airlines, the exclusive operator of Aer Lingus Regional services, announces its Summer 2024 schedule from Dublin. The airline has added its 18th ATR 42-600 (EI-HNA) for the summer season.
Commenting on the announcement, Ian Lough, Head of Commercial at Emerald Airlines said: โWe are delighted to be launching Aer Lingus Regionalโs largest ever Summer schedule from Dublin. Our expanded schedule caters to a variety of travellers with diverse destinations and convenient flight times for Summer 2024 and beyond. With tickets already on sale, we encourage our customers to book flights soon to avail of the best offers. ”
Frequency Boost
The Aer Lingus Regional Summer schedule from Dublin boasts an increase in frequency and services across the network, including extra flights to key destinations such as Edinburgh and Birmingham.ย ย
Bonjour, Brittany!
The airline recently launched Summer services from Dublin to Brittany; Rennes and Brest. Both routes will operate twice weekly starting from early May right through until late October.
Something for Everyone
Aer Lingus Regionalโs Summer schedule from Dublin has something for everyone – short getaways on popular city breaks like Leeds and Glasgow, bolstered frequency and key timings on business destinations such as Edinburgh and Birmingham, extra flights for sporting events such as the IOM TT Races, along with Summer coastal getaways to hotspots such as Cornwall (Newquay) or Jersey.
Routes from Dublin
Aberdeen
Edinburgh
Leeds Bradford
Rennes
Brest
Exeter
Liverpool
Southampton
Birmingham
Glasgow
Manchester
Bristol
Isle of Man
Newcastle
Donegal
Jersey
Newquay
Good news from #EmeraldAirlines@DublinAirport today as they welcomed their 18th ATR72-600 . Named Saint Saran and registered EI-HNA, it will go into service on the largest ever Aer Lingus Regional network this Summer pic.twitter.com/oH7iUEY66V
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has reported an operating result (Adjusted EBIT) of CHF 30.7 million for the seasonally weak first quarter of 2024. The result is some CHF 48 million below the prior-year period (Q1 2023: CHF 78.4 million). Total first-quarter revenues for 2024 amounted to CHF 1.2 billion, up 8.1 per cent on their prior-year level.
โAs anticipated, the exceptional market conditions that our industry experienced immediately after the pandemic have continued to fade,โ explains SWISS Chief Financial Officer Markus Binkert. โDemand for travel remains high. But many airlines have further increased their capacities. This is tending to bring yields down from their prior-year levels โ at our company, too. We have also seen a sizeable weakening in our air cargo business, which benefited from particularly strong tailwinds during COVID times.โ
SWISSโs first-quarter earnings were also reduced by rising costs. In addition to the adverse effects of inflation and higher fuel prices, a rise in personnel costs was particularly felt as the terms of the new collective labour agreements for cockpit and cabin personnel were reflected in staff expense.
โGiven that the first quarter of the year tends to be one of the weaker ones for seasonal reasons, we are satisfied with this earnings result,โ CFO Binkert continues. โOur business has returned to normality at a high level. For our full-year results, though, the next two seasonally strong quarters will be key.โ
Focus on stability and punctuality in the peak travel season
Having delivered a solid business and operating performance over the Easter period, SWISS is now preparing for the busy summer travel months. In doing so, the company is putting customer satisfaction firmly centrestage.
โLast year we were Europeโs stablest airline,โ CEO Dieter Vranckx explains. โWe want to be so this summer, too, and offer our customers the kind of reliability that they should be able to expect from us. For a premium airline like ours, though, stability alone is not enough. So this year we aim to substantially improve our flightsโ punctuality as well, in collaboration with our partners. To this end we have launched a companywide programme that is firmly focused on the satisfaction of our customers. Weโre already working intensively on this, and are developing a wide range of actions to help us achieve these objectives.โ
Passenger volume growth
SWISS transported some 3.7 million passengers in the first three months of 2024 โ just under 17ย per cent more than in the same period last year. Almost 31,000 flights were operated in the period, a 14.5-per-cent increase on the first quarter of 2023. Systemwide, first-quarter production was raised 11.6 per cent in available-seat-kilometre terms. Total first-quarter traffic volume, measured in revenue passenger-kilometres, was up 11.3 per cent. Systemwide seat load factor for the first-quarter period stood at 80.7 per cent, down 0.2 percentage points from its prior-year level.
Group revenue increases by 5 percent to 7.4 billion euros in the first quarterย
Number of passengers rises to 24 million in the first quarterย
Adjusted EBIT in the first quarter at -849 million eurosย
Strikes impact earnings by around 350 million euros in the first quarterย
Unit costs excluding strike impact below previous yearย
Summer with record number of holiday destinations and 16 percent more bookings than last yearย
Adjusted EBIT of around 2.2 billion euros expected for the full year of 2024
Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG:
“We are now leaving the first quarter behind us, which was mainly impacted by strikes, and are at a turning point. We have reached long-term wage agreements for the majority of our employees. This means planning certainty and clarity for the coming years. We are still seeing strong demand, which is even significantly higher than last year for the summer. We are therefore continuing to expand our offering and are growing on long-haul routes in particular. Our planes remain well filled throughout. One thing is already clear: it will be another very strong summer. I am particularly pleased that we are continuing to see a positive trend not only among leisure but also business travelers. We are now devoting all our energy to further expanding our premium customer offers and ensuring punctual and reliable flight operations.”
Results for the first quarter of 2024
The Group increased its revenue by five percent year-on-year to 7.4 billion euros in the first quarter of 2024 (previous year: 7.0 billion euros). The Lufthansa Group recorded an operating loss (Adjusted EBIT) of 849 million euros (previous year: -273 million euros). Strikes, both by various employee groups within the Group and by employees of our system partners, had a negative impact of around 350 million euros on earnings. In addition, Lufthansa Cargo’s result declined now that the logistics industry has returned to normal after the pandemic-related exceptional economic situation. The Adjusted EBIT margin fell to -11.5 percent (previous year: -3.9 percent). The Group result fell to -734 million euros (previous year: -467 million euros).
Passenger numbers and traffic development
Demand for air travel continued to rise in the first quarter of the current year. A total of 24 million passengers flew with the airlines of the Lufthansa Group, an increase of 12 percent compared to the previous year (Q1 2023: 22 million). The Group airlines expanded their seat capacity by 12 percent year-on-year despite the strike-related flight cancellations. Compared to the pre-Crisis year 2019, this was 84 percent, around 5 percentage points lower than originally planned. Despite the significant increase in capacity, the load factor remained consistently high due to high demand. The passenger load factor amounted to 79.7 percent and was thus at the previous year’s level.
Strikes have a significant negative impact on Passenger Airlines’ earnings
The Lufthansa Group Passenger Airlines’ revenue rose by seven percent to 5.6 billion euros in the first quarter (previous year: 5.2 billion euros). They recorded an Adjusted EBIT of -918 million euros (previous year: -512 million euros). Strikes had an impact of around 300 million euros on earnings in this segment.
Yields fell by 2.5 percent compared to the previous year, partly due to the strike-related uncertainty on the customer side and the corresponding lack of high-priced last-minute bookings. Unit revenues (RASK) were 6.3 percent down on the previous year, also influenced by lower cargo revenues and significantly higher compensation payments to passengers due to the strike.
Unit costs (CASK) rose by 2.9 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year due to the strike. Adjusted for the strike effects, however, they were 1.8 percent below the previous year despite higher expenses for fees, MRO and personnel.
Due to the high losses in the core brand Lufthansa in the first quarter (Adjusted EBIT -640 million euros), Lufthansa Airlines has initiated measures to strengthen the result this year in the short term. Among other steps, it is planned to reduce operating costs, stop new projects and assess the need for additional staff in administrative areas.
Lufthansa Technik benefits from more air traffic
Demand for maintenance, repair and overhaul services as well as other Lufthansa Technik products increased in the first quarter of 2024 due to the positive trend in air travel. Revenue increased accordingly by 15 percent year-on-year to 1.8 billion euros (previous year: 1.5 billion euros). Adjusted EBIT fell by 14 percent to 116 million euros (previous year: 135 million euros), impacted by strike-related work stoppages. Excluding this effect, which had a negative impact on earnings of around 25 million euros, earnings were up on the previous year.
In the logistics business, capacity rose by seven percent due to the expansion of air traffic and revenue tonne-kilometres also increased by ten percent. Yields were around 25 percent lower than in the same quarter of the previous year, in which the result was significantly boosted by high demand due to supply chain disruptions and the shortage of capacity as a result of the pandemic. Lufthansa Cargo thus achieved an Adjusted EBIT of -22 million euros (previous year: 151 million euros). Excluding the strike effects of 25 million euros, the quarterly result was slightly positive.
Positive Adjusted free cash flow further reduces net debt
Due to the continued high level of incoming bookings, operating cash flow amounted to around 1.3 billion euros despite the negative operating result. At 940 million euros, net investments were around ten percent below the previous year, meaning that Adjusted free cash flow amounted to 305 million euros (previous year: 482 million euros).
The Group further strengthened its balance sheet in the first quarter of 2024. Net debt decreased to 5.5 billion euros compared to the end of 2023 (December 31, 2023: 5.7 billion euros) due to the positive free cash flow. Net pension obligations fell to 2.4 billion euros due to a higher discount rate (December 31, 2023: 2.7 billion euros). At the end of March 2023, the company had liquidity totaling 10.8 billion euros (December 31, 2023: 10.5 billion euros) at its disposal. Following an upgrade by Moody’s in the first quarter, the Lufthansa Group is now the only European network airline to be consistently rated investment grade again by all four agencies in the market.
Remco Steenbergen, Chief Financial Officer of Deutsche Lufthansa AG:
“We cannot be satisfied with the operating result for the first quarter; at more than 350 million euros, the various strikes had a significant impact on our result. Nevertheless, cash flow was positive due to the continuing high demand for air travel. We were also able to further strengthen our balance sheet. In the coming months, we will work intensively to compensate for the effects of rising costs. We have taken additional measures to this end, particularly at Lufthansa Airlines, which is significantly affected by rising personnel expenses and fees. I therefore remain convinced that we will be able to achieve stable unit cost development for the year as a whole without taking the strikes in the first quarter into account.”
Bookings for summer 16 percent up on previous year
Global demand for air travel remains strong, particularly from private travelers. The company expects another very good summer of travel. Never before have so many holiday destinations been served by Lufthansa Group airlines as this year. The most popular summer destinations in 2024 are once again Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece and, for long-haul travel, the USA, Japan and Southern Africa. This year, many holidaymakers will once again be able to afford a ticket in one of the premium classes. In addition to the very good demand in the private travel segment, the trend in the business travel segment is also positive. This applies in particular to long-haul flights. The Lufthansa Group is continuously expanding its offering here. In addition to the traditionally strong North American routes, demand from business travelers on the India and Japan routes in particular is growing this year.
Overall, bookings for the summer timetable (April to October) are 16 percent up on the previous year.
Guests can now also enjoy Lufthansa Allegris, the new travel experience on long-haul routes. Allegris will start regular scheduled service on May 1. The first Airbus A350-900 equipped with Allegris will fly from Munich to Vancouver on the Canadian West Coast. The second destination is Toronto, which will be served alternately with Vancouver on selected flights in the first few months. With further A350s delivered, the Allegris cabin will also be used on flights to Chicago and Montreal in the summer.
Financial outlook
The Lufthansa Group plans to increase available capacity in the second quarter to around 92 percent of the pre-crisis level. The increase will therefore be lower than originally planned due to further investments in operational stability and delayed aircraft deliveries. The company expects a year-on-year decline in unit revenues (RASK) in the low single-digit percentage range, partly because customers were reluctant to make short-term bookings for April and, to a lesser extent, May during the wage disputes that have now been resolved. Unit costs (CASK) are expected to increase in the low single-digit percentage range in the second quarter. Adjusted EBIT in the second quarter will therefore still be below that of the previous year. In line with the lower capacity in the first two quarters, the Lufthansa Group now expects to achieve a capacity level of around 92 percent of the pre-crisis figure for 2019 (previously: 94 percent) for the full year 2024.
In the third quarter, capacity is to be increased further to over 95 percent of the pre-crisis level. Based on incoming bookings, the Group airlines expect unit revenues (RASK) in the third quarter to be higher than in the previous year.
In the second half of the year, the Group’s operating result is expected to be higher than in the previous year. As already communicated on April 15, Adjusted EBIT for the full year is now expected to be around 2.2 billion euros (previously: stable earnings development compared to 2.7 billion euros in the previous year). For the Passenger Airlines, a decline in unit revenues (RASK) in the low single-digit percentage range and an increase in unit costs (CASK), also in the low single-digit percentage range, are expected for the full year. Excluding the effects of the strikes in the first quarter, unit costs (CASK) are expected to remain stable. Adjusted free cash flow is expected to be at least 1 billion euros (previously: at least 1.5 billion euros).
Further information
Further information on the results of individual business units will be published in the report on the first quarter of 2024. This will be published at the same time as this press release on April 30, 2024 at 07:00 CEST at www.lufthansagroup.com/investor-relations.
WestJet on April 29 celebrated the takeoff of connectivity betweenย Atlantaย andย Edmonton, following the departure of flight WS1902 atย 00:45 MDT. The launch of the airline’s exclusive service marked a critical milestone in growingย Edmonton’sย direct transborder travel options to one of the world’s largest global hubs.
Route
Frequency
Start Date
Departure
Arrival
Edmonton-Atlanta
Daily
April 29
12:45 a.m.
7:06 a.m.
Atlanta-Edmonton
Daily
April 29
9:05 a.m.
11:50 a.m.
blue sky and white clouds
More seamless options for trade and tourism with access toย Atlanta, Delta’s largest hub
The United Statesย representsย Alberta’sย most important bilateral trade partner and the largest inbound tourism market for the province. Through WestJet’s longstanding partnership with Delta Air Lines, guests connecting throughย Atlantaย will gain access to a vast network of U.S. destinations on a single purchased ticket with check-in for all flights at the first departure, baggage tagged to their final destination and lounge access for select guests. Additionally, frequent flyers of both airlines will continue to enjoy extensive reciprocal benefits any time they fly with either carrier, including earning and redeeming in their preferred program.
Canadian Airline Dispatchers Association (CALDA) issued this statement:
Airline Dispatchers at Air Transat represented by the Canadian Airline Dispatchers Association (CALDA) have given their association a resounding 100% strike mandate in their negotiations with Air Transat. The result of the Strike Vote was delivered to Air Transat on April 15th after Conciliation talks with the assistance of the Federal Government failed and Conciliation ended on April 2nd, 2024. The 21 day mandatory cooling off period ended April 23rd, 2024. . The 28 Montreal based Air Transat Flight Dispatchers are very disappointed at the progress of talks. Air Transat Flight Dispatchers Collective Agreement ended on October 31st, 2022.
Flights Dispatchers are licensed by Transport Canada and prepare the Flight Plan, board fuel, monitor aircraft systems, monitor weather, deal with in-flight emergencies along with other very important functions. The Flight Dispatcher at Air Transat shares responsibility with the Pilot-In-Command for Flight Watch and Operational Control. Both the Flight Dispatcher and the Pilot-In-Command share pertinent information with each other to ensure the Flight is operated in the safest manner possible. No Air Transat aircraft can depart without the approval of the Flight Plan by the Flight Dispatcher.
Lufthansa – Yes to Europe Airbus A320-214 WL D-AIUC (msn 6006) FRA (Bernhard Ross). Image: 963016.
Lufthansa previously announced:
A message at an altitude of over ten kilometers and spread across the entire continent! With the clear statement “Yes to Europe”, several Lufthansa Group aircraft will be flying across their European home from this week on. A total of four Airbus A320 will serve as ambassadors of the European idea shortly before the European elections. The eye-catching message can be read on the fuselage and is framed by the European star wreath.
European stars in the European sky
Lufthansa and Eurowings, which even has its connection to Europe at the heart of its brand name, will be the first to do so, each sending an aircraft with special foil into the European skies from this week. Next week, one aircraft each from Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines will take off.
On May 13, 2024, all four Lufthansa Group aircraft will then meet at Brussels Airport. Lufthansa had already branded an aircraft with a commitment to Europe before the European elections in 2019.
Top Copyright Photo: Lufthansa – Yes to Europe Airbus A320-214 WL D-AIUC (msn 6006) FRA (Bernhard Ross). Image: 963016.
Day and night, rain or shine, American’s team of system customer service managers (SCSM) has a sharp focus on our customers, helping to ensure their journeys go smoothly. Though they’re based at American’s Integrated Operations Center (IOC) in Fort Worth, Texas, the SCSMs have their eye on every customer, looking for operational solutions to get customers on their way.
Daniel Schiff, the IOC’s Senior Manager of Network Ops Strategy, recently sat down with System Customer Service Manager Kim Burrell for a discussion about their roles at the IOC.
Daniel: Let’s start with the basics: what is American’s Integrated Operations Center?
Kim: We call it the IOC, and it’s the nerve center of our airline. In this large facility, more than 20 workgroups โ and 1,700 team members โ come together to help run our airline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. We work collaboratively to solve challenges that come our way, from weather to anything else.
American’s Integrated Operations Center.
Daniel: Our strategy is our customers, and the SCSMs ensure our customers get where they want to go smoothly. The team is always thinking ahead to minimize disruptions.
Kim: That’s exactly right. A day in the life for me is busy and full of twists and turns. When I get in, I’m assigned to a unit, which is broken down by the types of aircraft we operate and hubs that we fly into. The unit is led by an Operations Coordinator, who works in tandem with team members overseeing our fleet, our crew members and, in the case of SCSMs, our customers.
Daniel: SCSMs have a key role in caring for group travel. We have large groups โsometimes really large groups with hundreds of customers โ who travel throughout our network. It’s critically important they have a seamless journey when traveling with us. If one of these groups were to misconnect, it might be harder to reaccommodate them as there likely wouldn’t be enough available seats on the next flight, unlike when we have individual travelers and smaller parties to reaccommodate. The first order of business is alerting our airport teams that these groups are coming through to make sure we have a plan for them. Sometimes we’ll hold their connecting flight, and we’ve even found back-up aircraft for these groups because they’re such a big part of our operation.
Kim: Military service members are also incredibly important to us. We work to ensure that our service members have as easy and smooth a journey as possible. We look at markets that have military bases or are close to them โ we have many of them โ and keep an especially close eye on those markets, going out of our way to ensure there are crew and aircraft to support the operation there. We develop a plan B as well. I’m glad the SCSM team gets to play a role with caring for our troops.
Daniel: SCSMs play a key role in the recovery of our network during what we call irregular operations โ severe weather or any other type of event that disrupts the airline. We’re responsible for running a tool that helps reaccommodate our customers on alternate flights when their travel plans are impacted. American has gotten much faster at recovering, and I’m proud to say that the SCSM team plays an important role as we care for customers who are impacted.
I’m sure you have some incredible stories to tell about other ways we’ve helped our customers in the 17 years you’ve worked here.
Kim Burrell working in the IOC’s regional unit.
Kim: You bet! One time, we had a group of 40 customers who were originating in Knoxville, Tennessee, connecting through DFW on their way to Honduras, and I realized that they were going to misconnect. After I worked with the station and my colleagues in the IOC, we found a solution to use a larger aircraft for the next flight. The airport let me know that the customers were very excited that they were able to get to their destination within a reasonable amount of time. For me, it was a reminder of why I do this. I genuinely care about our customers and want to find solutions.
โIt was a reminder of why I do this. I genuinely care about our customers and want to find solutions.โKim Burrell
Daniel: One of my favorite stories is when we had a high-volume connection, which means we have a large number of customers traveling between cities. This one was between Oklahoma City and Hanoi, Vietnam, with a connection in Chicago. When their initial flight was delayed, we found another aircraft from one of our regional partners to get this group to Chicago, where they connected to one of our oneworldยฎ partners. The SCSM team coordinates within and outside of the IOC to ensure our customers are looked after, no matter who operates the flight. It felt great to help these customers out.
Kim: It’s really the best part of the job. And we do it every day because when you purchase a ticket on American, you place your trust in us to get you to your destination safely and as efficiently as possible.
Finnair will suspend its daily flights to Tartu, Estonia, from April 29 to May 31, so that an alternative approach solution that doesnโt require a GPS signal can be put in place at Tartu Airport.
The approach methods currently used at Tartu Airport are based on a GPS signal. GPS interference, which is quite common in the area, affects the usability of this approach method and can therefore prevent the aircraft from approaching and landing. Last week, two Finnair flights had to divert back to Helsinki after GPS interference prevented the approach to Tartu.
Finnair suspends its flights to Tartu for one month, during which time the aim is to build approach methods at Tartu Airport that enable a safe and smooth operation of flights without a GPS signal.
Customers who have booked flights between Helsinki and Tartu on 29.4.-31.5. will receive a cancellation message from Finnair and will be given more information of their options by text message and/or email.
Finnair is the only airline operating international flights to Tartu.
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