Auburn University, Delta Air Lines partnership elevates future of aviation, develops next generation of pilots

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Auburn University and Delta Air Lines are teaming up to further elevate the future of aviation, partnering together to develop the next generation of pilots.

With a recent $6.2 million grant by Delta Air Lines, the Delta Air Lines Foundation and the Jacobson Family Foundation, a new Delta Air Lines Aviation Education Building will open this fall at Auburn, featuring an Airbus 320 airliner simulator. The gift is also providing funding for the university’s Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID Lab, and it will create endowed faculty professorships within Auburn’s Department of Aviation, home of one of the longest standing public flight programs in the country.

“Delta is revolutionizing the way we teach aviation at Auburn,” said Bill Hutto, interim chair of Auburn’sDepartment of Aviation and director of the Auburn University Regional Airport and Auburn UniversityAviation Center. “We will see the impact of their gift for decades.”

The investment in the RFID Lab will provide a dedicated Delta Air Lines Aviation Sensor ID Bay to facilitate research and create an experiential learning center that will include executive, student, and industry teaching capabilities. Delta’s support will further the overall growth of RFID applications and contributions to sensor technology solutions across aviation to create the air travel experience of the future.

Alongside the launch of the Delta Air Lines Aviation Education Building, Delta also recently selected Auburn as one of just eight colleges nationwide to launch the Delta Propel Pilot Career Path Program. Its focus will be to help identify, select, and develop the next generation of pilots. Each student selected for the program will be matched with a Delta pilot as a mentor, and the students will receive a qualified job offer from Delta, detailing a defined path and an accelerated timeline to become a Delta pilot.

The Delta Propel Pilot Career Path Program has three main areas of focus—college, company, and community. This three-pronged approach will help Delta support future aviators as well as current Delta employees who have a passion for aviation and strong interest in becoming a Delta pilot. The Propel program is the first in the U.S. to offer students their choice of three unique career routes and an accelerated timeline to progress to Delta, in 42 months or less, after flying for one of the Delta Connection carriers; a job-share flying for Delta Private Jets and instructing for one of Delta’s partner collegiate aviation institutions; or flying military aircraft for the Air National Guard or Reserves.

It all adds up to a unique partnership in which Auburn and Delta are leading the way on a global scale, helping us all stay better connected to the world.

United Airlines reports its third quarter results

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United Airlines (UAL) today announced its third-quarter 2018 financial results, reporting third-quarter net income of $836 million, diluted earnings per share of $3.06, pre-tax earnings of $1.1 billion and pre-tax margin of 9.6 percent. Tropical storms across the system are estimated to have reduced diluted earnings per share by approximately $0.07. Third-quarter diluted earnings per share increased 42 percent year-over-year. The company recaptured approximately 100 percent of its year-over-year fuel expense increase in the third quarter.

“Our stand-out third-quarter performance, which produced double-digit revenue growth as we more than offset the steep increase in fuel costs, is proof that United is building momentum,” said Oscar Munoz, chief executive officer of United Airlines. “Our growth plan has been essential to our success, and we’re more confident than ever we’ll achieve the ambitious adjusted earnings per share¹ target of $11 to $13 we laid out for 2020.”

UAL reported third-quarter adjusted net income of $837 million, adjusted diluted earnings per share of $3.06, adjusted pre-tax earnings of $1.1 billion and adjusted pre-tax margin of 9.7 percent.² Third-quarter adjusted diluted earnings per share increased 36 percent year-over-year.
Consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) increased 6.1 percent year-over-year, above the high end of the company’s third-quarter 2018 guidance range of up 4 percent to 6 percent.
Consolidated unit cost per available seat mile (CASM) increased 6.4 percent year-over-year.
Consolidated CASM, excluding special charges, third-party business expenses, fuel and profit sharing, decreased 0.4 percent year-over-year.
UAL’s mid-continent hubs in Chicago, Denver and Houston had year-over-year capacity growth of 9.7 percent in the third quarter and led the system in unit revenue growth performance in the quarter.
UAL now expects full-year 2018 adjusted diluted earnings per share³ to be $8.00 to $8.75. The company currently expects to recapture approximately 90 percent of the estimated $2.5 billion year-over year increase in full-year 2018 fuel expense.

For more information on UAL’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2018 guidance, please visit ir.united.com for the company’s investor update.

Third-Quarter Highlights

Customer Experience

Introduced a new boarding process at 1,000 gates around the world, designed to reduce customers’ stress by spending less time waiting in line and providing them with improved boarding information.
United Airlines MileagePlus loyalty program voted Favorite Frequent-Flyer Program in Trazee Awards.
The United Polaris lounge at Chicago O’Hare International Airport voted Best Business Class Lounge in the United States by the 2018 World Airline Awards from Skytrax.
Debuted United Corporate Preferred, the industry’s newest corporate travel program designed to offer top travel benefits to the company’s most loyal business customers.
Launched the redesigned united.com homepage, featuring a more personalized digital experience for each customer.

Operations and Employees

In July, UAL had its best consolidated D :00 month of July in history and its highest consolidated load factor month ever.
Carried the most-ever customers to their destinations during the summer.
Consolidated completion factor at UAL’s hubs in Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington Dulles reached third-quarter record levels.
Achieved the top score of 100 percent on the 2018 Disability Equality Index (DEI), a prominent benchmarking metric that rates U.S. companies on their disability inclusion policies and practices, also earning UAL a place on DEI’s 2018 “Best Places to Work” list.

Network and Fleet

Announced several new international routes, including year-round nonstop service between Washington Dulles and Tel Aviv, Israel, making UAL the only airline to offer nonstop service between the two cities; daily, year-round service between San Francisco and Amsterdam; and nonstop seasonal summer service between Newark/New York and Naples, Italy, and Newark/New York and Prague, all subject to government approval.
Added 100 flights and more than 10,000 seats daily to 12 of the country’s top ski destinations during the 2018/2019 ski season, more than 8,500 seats from U.S. hubs and eight other U.S. cities connecting more customers than ever to Las Vegas for CES 2019, and more than 204,000 total seats from September through November to popular college football towns including Madison, Wisconsin, and Columbia, South Carolina.
Announced orders to purchase 25 new Embraer E-175 and 13 new Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
Took delivery of one Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft (top) and two used Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

Community and Environment

Committed to reducing the company’s greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2050, the only U.S. airline to commit to emissions reductions, further strengthening UAL’s ambition to be the world’s most environmentally conscious airline.
Launched a Crowdrise fundraising campaign to support those affected by Hurricane Florence, Typhoon Mangkhut, flooding in Western Japan, wildfires in California and other disasters.
As part of a previously announced $8 million commitment, announced a $2 million grant to be split between the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Urban League of Essex County, and Year Up New York, as well as a $1 million grant to First Place for Youth in Los Angeles, and a $1 million grant to the San Francisco Immigrant Legal and Education Network.

In other news, United will drop the seasonal Newark – Hamburg route in 2019, previously scheduled to start on April 29, 2019.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by United): United Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX 9 N67501 (msn 43430) BFI (Brandon Farris). Image: 941628.

United aircraft slide show:

Silk Way West Airlines adds Tianjin

Silk Way West Airlines is poised to commence a twice-weekly service to Tianjin, connecting its global hub of Baku with one of the leading industrial centers of northern China.

Silk Way West’s service will run every Friday and Sunday, offering smooth transit options from Baku.

Delta seeks 100 percent reliability with predictive maintenance technology

By Catherine Simmons

As Delta continues to focus on further improving its industry-leading operational reliability, the airline is investing in new tools and technology to further eliminate maintenance cancellations and enhance the customer experience.

Delta’s latest investment is a multi-year agreement with Airbus to use the Skywise open-data platform and related predictive maintenance services. As the first major U.S. carrier to invest in the tool, Delta will utilize Skywise on its A320 and A330 aircraft to track and analyze operations and performance data so it can assess the failure probabilities of aircraft parts to anticipate maintenance tasks before they’re needed.

“The time is right to invest in this technology because we’ve built the most reliable airline operation in the world with the best people and processes already in place,” said Gil West, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “Adding Skywise to our stable of innovative TechOps tools will support our teams in their work to improve Delta’s performance by the fractions needed to reach our ultimate goal of 100 percent reliability.”

Delta TechOps teams keep the airline’s more than 850 mainline aircraft flying safely worldwide each and every day. Year-to-date the team has logged 248 days without a single maintenance-related cancellation, which has contributed to the airline going 100 days without a single mainline or regional partner cancellation this year. Between 2013 and 2017, Delta TechOps jumped from 169 cancel-free days to 324.

In 2015, Delta TechOps began working with Airbus on developing the manufacturer’s initial predictive program, Prognostic Risk Management, by co-designing, testing and making improvement recommendations about some of its key features. Delta TechOps will continue to partner with Airbus on Skywise, the next evolution of predictive offering, which complements Delta’s focus on using technology to predict when maintenance should be performed and eliminate unscheduled maintenance events.

“With a success rate of over 95 percent, our predictive maintenance program is just another way we’re building the world’s most reliable airline and providing a new standard of reliability to customers,” said Don Mitacek, Senior Vice President — TechOps. “Our incredibly skilled engineers and our home-grown processes for how to use data will continue to set Delta apart from the pack.”

Delta CEO Ed Bastian added, “Skywise is the latest example of our great partnership with Airbus. Delta people are continuously focused on improving the experience for customers, and this new tool will enable them to provide an exceptional, reliable experience.”

Norwegian Argentina today starts operations

Norwegian Argentina has made this announcement on social media:

The day has come! We started our operations from Buenos Aires Aeroparque to Córdoba and Mendoza. Our first passengers have arrived and they are checking in. Welcome aboard Norwegian!

Kuwait Airways becomes the newest customer of the Airbus A330neo

Kuwait Airways, the national carrier of the state of Kuwait, has signed a Purchase Agreement (PA) for eight A330-800 aircraft. The agreement was signed by Yousef Al-Jassim, Kuwait Airways Chairman and Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer, at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse.

The announcement marks an important step in Kuwait Airways’ fleet renewal and expansion strategy. The national carrier of Kuwait also has A350 XWB and A320neo Family aircraft on order. The delivery of the new Airbus fleet will start in 2019.

Launched in July 2014, the A330neo Family is the new generation A330, comprising two versions: the A330-800 and A330-900 sharing 99 percent commonality. It builds on the proven economics, versatility and reliability of the A330 Family, while reducing fuel consumption by about 25 percent per seat versus previous generation competitors and increasing range by up to 1,500 nm compared to the majority of A330s in operation. The A330neo is powered by Rolls-Royce’s latest-generation Trent 7000 engines and features a new wing with increased span and new A350 XWB-inspired Sharklets. The cabin provides the comfort of the new Airspace amenities.

The A330 is one of the most popular widebody families ever, having received over 1,700 orders from 120 customers. More than 1,400 A330s are flying with over 120 operators worldwide. The A330neo is the latest addition to the leading Airbus widebody family, which also includes the A350 XWB and the A380, all featuring unmatched space and comfort combined with unprecedented efficiency levels and unrivalled range capability.

British Airways highlights two new destinations in its 2019 summer schedule

British Airways has made this announcement:

Customers can start plotting their summer escape now as British Airways launches new routes from Heathrow to Preveza in Greece and Bastia in Corsica and adds more flights to leisure destinations.

Colorful buildings of Bastia, Corsica, France

Flights will be taking off from Terminal 5 on Wednesdays and Sundays from May 26 through to September 29, 2019.

Milos Beach near Agios Nikitas Village on Lefkada, Greece

Preveza is ideally positioned as a gateway to both beach and mountain escapes, sitting just 20 minutes north of the island of Lefkada, a world-famous summer yachting haven and windsurfers’ paradise. Adventure seekers can also explore one of Europe’s great wildernesses as Preveza is located just 60 minutes away from the Pindus mountains, where travellers can trek the vast alpine trails or explore the UNESCO protected Vikos Gorge.

Island of Kefalonia in Greece.

Flights to the Corsican gateway of Bastia will operate every Saturday from May 25 to September 28, 2019 and will be the second destination the airline will serve on the French island following the launch of a new service to Figari this year. Corsica is perfectly placed between France and Italy in the Mediterranean Sea and is fast becoming a must-visit destination for European holidaymakers. Fares start from £48 in Euro Traveller and £128 in Club Europe one-way.

The airline is also increasing the number of flights it operates from Heathrow to other popular leisure destinations next summer, with more flights to Marseille, Budapest, Gibraltar, Palermo, Amsterdam and Malaga and a new service from Gatwick to Kos taking off from May 15, 2019.

Flights from London City will also be boosted, with additional frequencies on Ibiza, Edinburgh and Berlin.

Timetable:

Preveza

Route

Flight number

Days of Operation

Departure and arrival times

Dates

LHR-PVK

PVK-LHR

LHR-PVK

PVK-LHR

BA674

BA681

BA674

BA681

Weds

Sun

08:20/13:45

14:45/16:10

11:25/16:50

17:45/1910

26 May 19 to 29 Sep 19

Bastia

Route

Flight number

Days of Operation

Departure and arrival times

Dates

LHR-BIA

BIA-LHR

BA586

BA587

Saturday

07:40/11:00

11:50/13:10

25 May 19 to 28 Sep 19

*Prices stated above are one way based on a return economy basic fare.

Cello Aviation shuts down

Cello Aviation on October 12, 2018 announced it was shutting down immediately.

The company made this announcement:

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Cello Aviation): Cello Aviation Boeing 737-476 G-RAJG (msn 24439) SEN (Keith Burton). Image: 943943.

Cello Aviation aircraft slide show:

Videos:

Juneyao Airlines takes delivery of first Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Juneyao Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

The first Boeing 787-9 (B-1115) was handed over at a ceremony at Paine Field on October 15, 2018.

Finally on October 19, 2018 made its formal announcement of the handover:

Boeing delivered the first 787-9 Dreamliner for Shanghai-based Juneyao Airlines. The new, super-efficient Dreamliner will also be the first widebody commercial jet operated by a privately-held Chinese airline.

Juneyao Airlines, previously an all-Airbus operator, mainly offers flights from Shanghai to more than 50 cities across China. In introducing the long-range 787 Dreamliner, the carrier is looking to expand its international network and increase flights to Southeast Asia, Japan and Korea.

The 787-9 is part of a family of three airplanes that offer long ranges and unmatched fuel efficiency in the 200 to 350 seat market. The 787-9 can carry 290 passengers and fly up to 7,635 nautical miles (14,140 km), while reducing fuel use and emissions by 20 to 25 percent compared to older airplanes. Passengers will appreciate a more comfortable flight thanks to the Dreamliner’s large windows, lower cabin altitude, smooth-ride technology, and other amenities.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Juneyao): Juneyao Air Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner B-1115 (msn 64312) PAE (Nick Dean). Image: 943660.

Juneyao aircraft slide show: