Brussels Airlines invests further in its Africa network, drops Mumbai

Brussels Airlines continues to invest in its position on the African market, by further reinforcing its flight offer to and from the continent.

As of next year, the airline adds 3 extra flights per week to Banjul (Gambia) and will operate 3 out of the 7 weekly frequencies to Dakar (Senegal) as a direct flight, without a stop in another African airport.

At the same time, the airline ceases its operations to and from Mumbai on January 6, 2019, but continues to offer its customers smooth travel options via Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich with Lufthansa Group partners Lufthansa and Swiss.

After a network expansion of 26 short- and medium-haul destinations this summer, Brussels Airlines invests further in its African long-haul network in winter. The airline will service Banjul (The Gambia) daily instead of 4 times a week. From the 7 weekly flights to and from Dakar, 3 flights will become direct flights, without a stop in another African airport from 7 January onwards, creating more capacity on the flights on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Brussels Airlines’ Mumbai flights, which were launched in March 2017, will be stopped on January 6, 2019 for economic reasons, as the route does not deliver the anticipated results. At the same time, passengers still have ample alternative travel options via Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich thanks to Lufthansa Group airlines Lufthansa and SWISS. The Mumbai flight capacity will be used to refocus on Africa, the core intercontinental business of Brussels Airlines.

Customers who had booked flights to or from Mumbai after 6 January are being contacted by Brussels Airlines and are offered alternative travel solutions to get to their final destination.

On the short-haul network, Brussels Airlines adds two new destinations: as from October Kiev (Ukraine) will be served 4 times a week and as of February a 3-weekly service to Wroclaw (Poland) will be launched. Furthermore the airline adds additional frequencies to existing destinations this winter season, including Alicante, Billund, Bordeaux, Faro, Geneva, Lisbon, Malaga and Tel Aviv.

Above Copyright Photo: Brussels Airlines Airbus A320-214 OO-TCV (msn 1968) LHR (SPA). Image: 941759.

Brussels Airlines aircraft slide show:

Brussels Airlines is also making a significant investment this winter in its long-haul product and overall on board experience by gradually renewing the cabins of its ten Airbus A330 aircraft, launching a brand new Business Class, a renewed Economy Class and for the first time a Premium Economy Class in a separate cabin. The first refurbished aircraft will be ready in December.

New destinations starting in Winter 2018-2019:

Kiev 4x/week (as of October 2018) – all-year destination
Wroclaw 3x/week (as of Feb 2019) – all-year destination

Additional frequencies as from Winter Season (starting on October 29, 2018)

Short Haul

Alicante +1/week
Billund +2/week
Bordeaux +1/week
Faro +1/week
Geneva +1/week
Lisbon +1/week

Long Haul (changes effective as from January 7, 2019)

Banjul +3/week (daily service)
Dakar: remains daily service but 3 times direct

All other images by Brussels Airlines.

Qatar Airways sustains strong EBITDAR supported by capacity growth despite the illegal blockade by its neighboring countries

Qatar Airways has made this announcement:

Following the most challenging year in its 20-year history, Qatar Airways has published its annual report for 2017/18, which demonstrates the airline’s strength and resilience in the face of adversity. Overall revenue and other operating income grew 7.22 per cent annually compared to capacity (Available Seat Kilometres) growth of 9.96 per cent. Lower revenue growth was directly attributable to the illegal blockade since 5 June 2017, which impacted departing seats by 19 per cent. Cargo revenue witnessed very impressive growth of 34.40 per cent against cargo capacity (Available Tonne Kilometres) growing 13.95 per cent annually.

The Group generated EBITDAR Margin of 23.0 per cent at QAR 9.714 billion. EBITDAR was lower than the previous year by QAR 1.759 billion due to longer flying time resulting from the illegal blockade and loss of departing seats from the blockading countries.

Replacing 18 mature routes, which were closed due to the illegal blockade, the airline opened 14 new destinations during the fiscal year (24 new destinations to date). New destinations come with launch costs and the necessity to establish market presence, which resulted in an overall net loss of QAR 252 million. With a positive operating cash inflow, the cash position of the Group remained strong at QAR 13.312 billion.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “This turbulent year has inevitably had an impact on our financial results, which reflect the negative effect the illegal blockade has had on our airline. However, I am pleased to say that thanks to our robust business planning, swift actions in the face of the crisis, our passenger-focused solutions and dedicated staff, the impact has been minimised – and has certainly not been as negative as our neighbouring countries may have hoped for.”

A strategic and rapid response from the airline when neighboring countries illegally blocked Qatar’s airspace on June 5, 2017 put Qatar Airways in a position of strength from which to recover from the unprecedented attack on the country’s sovereignty. Within 10 weeks new destinations to Sohar, Prague and Kyiv were announced and launched, while other routes saw an increase in frequency and capacity, thus swiftly redeploying capacity with a view to soften the impact of being illegally blockaded from 18 regional gateways.

The airline has launched 24 new destinations in total since the start of the blockade, further expanding its network of more than 150 exciting gateways around the world and continuing its ambitious growth plans in Europe and Asia.

Against this backdrop of regional political tension, just six weeks after the start of the blockade, Qatar Airways proved to the world that its neighbours had failed to reach their objective in reducing the airline to collapse by instead winning the coveted title of ‘Skytrax Airline of the Year’ for the fourth time in less than 10 years. The airline also took home awards for ‘World’s Best Business Class’, ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, and ‘World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge’.

Throughout this turbulent year, Qatar Airways has not wavered from its strategy and vision of constant growth and development to give its loyal passengers the best possible on-board experience every time they travel. As the first airline in the world to take delivery of the Airbus A350-1000 in February 2018, Qatar Airways proved once again that it leads where other airlines follow in terms of providing passengers with the latest generation aircraft available in the skies. As well as taking delivery of its first Airbus A350-1000, the airline added 20 other aircraft to the fleet throughout the financial year, increasing the total number to 213 (as of March 31, 2018).

During the financial year, Qatar Airways Group also continued apace with the expansion of its investment portfolio to include an initial 9.94 per cent stake in Cathay Pacific, which has since increased to 9.99 per cent, as well as a 49 per cent share of AQA Holding, the parent company of Meridiana fly, which was relaunched as Air Italy in February 2018.

With its “business as usual” approach to the blockade, the airline also continued to invest in sports sponsorships, which it sees as the ideal platform for bringing people together from all corners of the globe. Qatar Airways Group’s sponsorship with FIFA remains the core of its sponsorship portfolio, and is complemented by the addition of sports partnerships with Bayern München AG, AS Roma and Boca Juniors. These sponsorships further enhance the airline’s commitment to leveraging sports as a means to connecting with passengers across its global network.

Please find below the Qatar Airways Consolidated Financial Statement:

Qatar Airways Consolidated Financial Statement 2018

Please find below the 2018 fiscal year annual report:

Qatar Airways Group Annual Report Fiscal 2018

United introduces a new boarding process

United Airlines is expanding enhancements to its boarding at gates in airports around the world. The updated better boarding process gives customers more space at the gate, less time waiting in line and improved boarding information to create a less stressful environment.

“The boarding process was one of the top areas customers told us they wanted improved,” said Sarah Murphy, vice president of Global Operations Strategy, Planning and Design at United. “We listened to customers and employees as we tested a variety of processes on thousands of flights until we found a better boarding process that results in less time spent waiting in lines, improved communication and a better way to recognize our Premier® customers while balancing out the number of passengers in each boarding group.”

The improvements start with reducing the number of boarding lanes from five to two, giving customers added space, more time to relax and less time spent in line. With more time, passengers can enjoy a nearby United Club or lounge or airport restaurants and shops before their flight. United app users will also receive a new alert when boarding has begun for their flight, making it easier to know when to make their way to the gate. In the future, United will expand these notifications to text messages. Digital displays in the gate area also keep customers informed with updated helpful boarding information.

United’s enhanced boarding also provides an upgraded experience for some of the airline’s top MileagePlus members. United’s MileagePlus Premier 1K customers who previously boarded in group one, will now be invited to pre-board, and United’s MileagePlus Premier Gold customers will also move up in the boarding process from group two to group one. These changes not only give these customers more time to settle into their seats, but also help balance out the number of customers in each of the airline’s five boarding groups. United is also expanding its military pre-boarding group from uniformed military members to also include all active duty military members to even better recognize those serving our country. Qualifying United credit card holders will continue to receive priority boarding in group two.

United started testing a variety of boarding concepts in the fall of 2017, soliciting feedback from customers and employees along the way. After testing these changes at numerous airports, United received overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers and employees who experienced the better boarding process. United began rolling out aspects of this process, including updated signage at select airports across its network earlier this year, and putting it into effect at all gates at Los Angeles International Airport in February. Beginning September 18, the better boarding will appear at over 1,000 gates across the globe.

The feedback from customers and employees was clear: we needed to improve our boarding process. As part of our ongoing efforts to put customers at the center of everything we do, we identified boarding as an opportunity to improve the airport experience. We tested a variety of different boarding processes on thousands of flights across multiple airports.

Better Boarding consists of three key improvements

Less time in line:

By reducing the number of boarding lanes, there is more space for customers to enjoy the gate areas, many of which have been completely remodeled with more comfortable seating and in some airports, the ability to have food and drinks from within the airport delivered directly to the gate area. Over the years, we have invested millions of dollars in our terminals, and now with less time spent standing in line, customers will have more time to dine, shop, relax, work or enjoy a United Club℠.

Simplified gate layout

Say goodbye to the five long lines we see today

Group 1 will board through the blue lane.

Group 2 will board through the green lane, followed by groups 3, 4, and 5.

Two groups on each side of sign indicating lanes 1 (blue) and 2 (green)

Late arriving customers in Group 1 and 2 will use the blue lane.

Customers in groups 3, 4, and 5 always use the green lane.

Better information:

We are providing customers with more information throughout the boarding process so that they feel more at ease, and more equipped with the latest information about their flight. Customers with the United app can receive a push notification once their flight starts boarding. Customers will only receive the notification if they’ve opted in for push notifications and have a mobile boarding pass in the app’s wallet.

Enhanced communications

Be in the know about boarding

Mobile phone and smartwatch with boarding notifications

Customers will receive boarding notifications through the United app (if they’ve opted in for notifications).

Gate information display with boarding instructions for group 1-2 through lane 1 (blue) and group 3-4 through lane 2 (green)

Improved gate area digital signage to guide customers through boarding.

Balanced groups and better recognition:

United MileagePlus® Premier 1K® customers will now pre-board and United MileagePlus Premier Gold customers will be boarding in Group 1. For more information on our boarding groups, visit: https://www.united.com/web/en-us/content/travel/airport/boarding-process.aspx

Improved premier customer recognition

We’re happy to make them happy

Premier passenger in front of boarding line

Improved premier recognition and better positioning of customers to create balanced boarding groups.

The new Better Boarding process is just one of the steps we are taking to improve the customer experience. We will continue to collect feedback from customers on ways we can further improve boarding and you may receive a post-travel survey to tell us more about your experience.

All images by United Airlines.

American Airlines celebrates Chicago O’Hare’s leading connectivity, adds new routes

American Airlines issued this statement:

OAG, the global authority on air service information, today named the American Airlines hub at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) the best-connected U.S. airport and a leading international hub — second only to London Heathrow (LHR) — in its 2018 Megahubs U.S. Index.

American has played a large role in increasing connectivity and offering travelers more options, offering more seats out of ORD this summer than at any other time in the last 10 years. This year, American has or will launch service to 18 new destinations, including top international cities Venice, Italy (VCE), and Vancouver, British Columbia (YVR), and popular domestic cities like Charleston, South Carolina (CHS), and Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL).

To celebrate, American is announcing four new destinations to Florida in time for spring break 2019.

From February 16 to September 5, 2019 American will operate Saturday service to Key West (EYW) using Embraer E175 aircraft.
From March 9 to September 5, 2019 American will operate Saturday service to Panama City Beach (ECP) on Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft and Pensacola (PNS) and Destin-Fort Walton Beach (VPS) on Embraer E175 aircraft.

Last month, American announced that beginning May 3, 2019, it will launch ORD’s first-ever service to Athens, Greece (ATH) operated on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. The announcement of the new Florida routes and ATH service, brings American to 23 new destinations served out of ORD in 2018 and thus far in 2019 further increasing ORD’s connectivity.

The OAG report also noted that American’s hubs at Charlotte International Airport (CLT) and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) placed third and fourth respectively among U.S. airports.

Photo: American Airlines.

Philippines to bring the Airbus A350-900 to Los Angeles

Philippine Airlines will introduce the new Airbus A350-900 on the Manila – Los Angeles route on September 22, 2018. Initially the new service will be operated on two days.

Copyright Photo: Philippines (Philippine Airlines) Airbus A350-941 F-WZNZ (RP-C3503) (msn 228) TLS (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 942986.

Philippines aircraft slide show:

Sun Country to fly between Portland and San Francisco

Sun Country Airlines has announced the addition of two nonstop routes to its growing network.

Sun Country will offer nonstop service between Portland, OR and San Francisco as well as San Francisco and Palm Springs.

New seasonal nonstop from Portland (PDX) to San Francisco (SFO)

Service starts November 16, 2018
Operates twice-weekly with roundtrips on Monday and Friday

New seasonal nonstop service from San Francisco (SFO) to Palm Springs (PSP)

Service starts November 19, 2018
Operates twice-weekly with roundtrips on Monday and Friday

Top Copyright Photo: Sun Country Airlines Boeing 737-8Q8 WL N816SY (msn 30637) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 940047.

Sun Country Airlines aircraft slide show:

Dream Wind Airlines starts operations

Dream Wind Airlines (Kiev) is a new airline in Ukraine with two Boeing 737-300s (UR-CRL and UR-CRM).

The new airline commenced operations on September 9 with a flight from Kiev to Antalya.

The company received its AOC in July 2018.

Delta expects to resume near-normal operations across Carolinas Tuesday

Delta Air Lines has issued this statement:

Delta has extended its fare cap, waivers for ticket changes, overweight and oversized baggage fees, pet-in-cabin fees and some restrictions in select cities due to continued infrastructure challenges caused by Hurricane Florence.

The airline continues to work closely with airport authorities and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide any assistance, including restoration of power to airport facilities, as teams on the ground work to provide customers with a restart to regularly scheduled flights.

Of the airports originally impacted by Florence, two continue to be challenged — Wilmington, N.C. (ILM) and Jacksonville, N.C. (OAJ). Power was restored to both stations Monday afternoon and flights to the coastal cities are scheduled to resume Tuesday. A waiver remains in effect as infrastructure remains a concern for several cities following the storm’s reign over the region. Unaccompanied minor embargos remain in effect for those traveling to or through EWN, ILM and OAJ until Wednesday, Sept. 19. Waivers for baggage and pet-in-cabin fees also remain in effect for several parts of the region as residents begin traveling back to coastal cities in Virginia, Georgia and the Carolinas through Wednesday.

Flights to Charleston, S.C. began operating Saturday with Fayetteville, N.C. restarting Sunday and New Bern, N.C. on Monday. Flights in Charlotte, N.C. and Raleigh/Durham, N.C. were not affected and continued throughout Florence’s impact.

While keeping Delta people and customers out of harm’s way, the airline was able to maintain its strong completion factor relative to the industry. Delta canceled approximately 275 mainline and Delta Connection flights as a result of the storm.

Preparing for impact and helping those in need

Almost a week ahead of Hurricane Florence making landfall on the Carolina coast, Delta announced that teams in the airline’s Operations and Customer Center were keeping an eye on the storm and areas in the projected path. As the forecasted track of the storm shifted in the days leading up to the arrival of Florence, Delta’s Meteorology Team kept a vigilant eye on cities that were likely to be impacted.

A waiver followed just a day later allowing customers the opportunity to adjust their travel through the affected airports. The airline also waived checked baggage fees and pet-in-cabin fees in addition to capping fares on several markets in the storm’s path to help those looking to get out ahead of the storm.

Delta’s Meteorology team worked alongside operations teams to expand the scope of airports included in the days leading up to landfall and worked closely with partners in the region to keep operations running safely as much as possible.

Florence’s devastation over the Carolina region remains days after the storm made landfall, with flooding still a primary concern from record-breaking rainfall. To help people affected by the storm and to give back to the communities in need, Delta’s continued partnership with the American Red Cross provides several ways to get involved.

First ANA Airbus A380 takes to the skies

The first A380 for All Nippon Airways (ANA) took to the skies today, completing a maiden flight from the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse, France to the Airbus site in Hamburg, Germany. The aircraft is now being prepared for cabin installation and painting in the airline’s special A380 livery.

ANA Holdings Inc. placed a firm order for three A380s in 2016, becoming the first customer for the superjumbo in Japan. The first delivery is scheduled early 2019, and the A380 will initially be operated on the popular Tokyo-Honolulu route and will be painted in special liveries (below).

To date, Airbus has delivered 229 A380s, with the aircraft now in services with 14 airlines worldwide.

Photo: Airbus.

JAL to resume full operations at Kansai Terminal 1 on September 21, will start Haneda – Manila flights

Japan Airlines has made this announcement:

Due to the major impact of Typhoon 21 (Jebi), flight operations have been limited at Kansai International airport. During the closure of the airport, JAL Group operated additional flights out of Narita International airport, while servicing select flights on Japan domestic routes to provide transportation options to the public.

As full recovery is expected at Kansai International airport, the company has announced that all scheduled JAL Group flights will resume operations on September 21, 2018.

During the last few weeks, the country of Japan has experienced two major natural disasters at Kansai airport (typhoon) and New Chitose airport (earthquake), which has affected the economies in each respective region. Through the full operation of flights, the JAL Group will embrace the challenge to help support and revitalize these regions.

In other news, JAL will launch flights from Tokyo (Haneda) – Manila on February 1, 2019.