Tag Archives: 7878

Japan Airlines to restore Boeing 787 service on June 1

Japan Airlines-JAL (JAL Group) (Tokyo) will restore Boeing 787 passenger operations on June 1. Currently the airline is conducting test flights. The restored routes will be Tokyo (Narita)-Boston, Tokyo (Narita)-San Diego, Tokyo (Narita)-Singapore, Tokyo (Haneda)-Singapore and Tokyo (Haneda)-Beijing. A new route from Tokyo (Narita) to Helsinki will commence on July 1. The airline has issued this detailed report on the fleet and route plans:

Boeing 787-8 will return to service in sequence on June 1, 2013 after completely confirming the safety and reliability of the aircraft, including the proper installation of the improvements. JAL restarts daily service between Tokyo (Narita) and Boston as well as San Diego, and the daily nonstop service between Tokyo (Narita) and Helsinki will be launched from July 1, 2013 which was postponed in February 2013.

Larger aircraft, Boeing 777-200 ER instead of Boeing 767 will be assigned to fly between Japan and Bangkok and Honolulu in order to meet a robust passenger demand and further maximize revenue.

With the aim to achieve “Customer Satisfaction Number 1”, one of JAL Group Medium-Term Targets, JAL is actively moving ahead to provide our passengers much more quality products. 777-300 ER (JAL SKY SUITE 777) has been introduced on European and North American routes, in addition, More products like the seats are going to be refurbished on European and North American routes as well as Honolulu and Bangkok (Narita/Haneda=Bangkok) routes which Boeing 787-8 and Boeing 777-200 ER have been used for. The aircrafts equipped with personal TV will be arranged on all the international routes during the first half of fiscal year 2013(year ending March 31, 2014). JAL strives to make every customer’s journey refreshing and comfortable experience.

*The following schedules are subject to government approval.

New Route from July 1, 2013

Flight Number

Route

Dep. Time

Arr. Time

Aircraft

Class

Days of Operation

JL413

Narita = Helsinki

10:30

14:55

787-8

Business,

Economy

Daily

(from July 1 to Oct.26,2013)

JL414

Helsinki= Narita

17:25

09:05

Boeing 787-8 Will Be Arranged on the Following Routes**

Route	Period	Remarks
Narita = Boston	June 1,2013 ~	Daily operation from June 1,2013(4 weekly round-trip flights from Mar,31-May 31,2013)
Narita = San Diego	June 1,2013 ~	Daily operation from June 1,2013(3 weekly round-trip flights from Mar,31-May 31,2013)
Narita = Singapore	June 1,2013 ~	JL719/JL712,JL711/JL710;JL710(from Jun. 2, 2013)
Haneda = Singapore	June 1,2013 ~
Haneda = Beijing	June 1,2013 ~
Narita = Delhi	July 12,2013 ~
Narita = Moscow	September 1,2013 ~	3 weekly round-trip flights(We,Fr,Su)
Haneda = San Francisco	September 1,2013 ~	JL001(from August 31,2013)
Narita = Sydney	December 1,2013 ~	JL772(from December 2,2013)
Narita = Bangkok	December 2.2013~	JL707/JL718, 4 among 7 weekly round-trip flights;JL718(from December 3,2013)

**The type of aircraft might be changed due to the delivery schedule of the 787-8.

**Please visit http://www.jal.com/en/flight/boeing787/ to get the information regarding JAL’s Boeing 787 fleet.

Other Aircraft Type Changes***

Route	Details	Period	Remarks(flight/day/aircraft)
Narita = Honolulu	From767-300ER to 777-200ER	June 1,2013 ~	JL782/JL781
Chubu = Honolulu	From 767-300ER to 777-200ER	July12,2013 ~
Kansai = Honolulu	From 767-300ER to 777-200ER	September 1,2013 ~
Kansai = Shanghai(Pudong)	From 737-800 to 767-300ER	September 1,2013 ~
Haneda = Bangkok	From 767-300ER to 777-200ER	December 1,2013 ~
Narita = Bangkok	From 767-300ER to787-8, 777-200ER	December 1,2013 ~	JL707/Mo,Tu,Th,Sa/787-8

JL707/We,Fr,Su/777-200ER

JL718/Tu,We,Fr,Su/787-8

JL718/Mo,Th,Sa/777-200ER

JL708/Daily/777-200ER

***The type of aircraft might be changed due to the delivery schedule of the 787-8.

Flight Frequency Changes

Temporarily decrease the flight frequency in response to the passenger demand

Route	Details	Period	Remarks
Narita = Beijing	from 14 to 7 weekly round-trip flights	June 1 ~ July 5, 2013	JL863/JL864 decreased

In-flight Products Improvements on the Middle-haul and Long -haul International Routes

Refurbish the products focusing on the Business class on European and North American routes

Starting with the introduction of fully flat seat to Business Class as well as spacious and functional [SKY SUITE 777] sequentially served on European and North American routes, additionally 777-300 ER and 787-8 will be practically used, and JAL SHELL FLAT NEO (Business class) will be provided on more routes. JAL SKY Wi-Fi has been serving on New York, Chicago and Los Angeles’ routes, which will be expanded sequentially on European routes.

Route

Aircraft

Service

Period

Remarks

Narita = New York

777-300ER

SKY SUITE 777.(*1)

First Class: NEW JAL SUITE

Business Class: SKY SUITE

Premium Economy: SKY PREMIUM

Economy: SKY WIDER

Operated every other day from May 1, 2013 and daily operation from the approx. May.

(*2)

Narita = Paris

July 2013~

Narita = Los Angeles

November 2013~

Narita = Chicago

January 2014~

Narita = Frankfurt

First Class: JAL SUITE

Business Class: JAL SHELL FLAT NEO

Operated every other day from April 2013 and daily operation from the approx. May.

Narita = Moscow

777-200ER

Provide Premium Economy Service

June 2013~the end of August 2013

Haneda = San Francisco

787-8

Business Class: JAL SHELL FLAT NEO

September 1,2013~(*3)

(*1) For more detail on SKY SUITE 777, please visit http://www.jal.co.jp/en/newsky/

(*2) The actual operating date will be introduced on JAL homepage when is has been decided

(*3) The type of aircraft might be changed due to the delivery schedule of the 787-8.

<<International In-flight Internet Service [JAL SKY Wi-Fi]>>

Narita = Frankfurt: daily service from the approx. May 2013(currently provide every other day)

Narita = London: daily service from the approx. July 2013 (currently provide every other day)

Narita = Paris: provide from August 2013

In-flight products improvements on the Southeast Asia, Oceania and Honolulu routes

The 787-8 with JAL SHELL FLAT NEO in Business class and 777-200 ER with JALSHELL FLAT SEAT have been used for Delhi, Sydney, Tokyo (Haneda/Narita) =Bangkok and Honolulu routes, JAL will provide passengers a refreshing onboard experience with the quality in-flight products.

Route	Aircraft	Service	Period	Remarks
Narita = Delhi	787-8	Business Class: JAL SHELL FLAT NEO	July 12,2013 ~	(*1)
Narita = Sydney	777-200ER	Provide Premium Economy Service	June 2013 ~ November 30,2013
Narita = Sydney	787-8	Business Class: JAL SHELL FLAT NEO	December 1,2013 ~
Haneda = Bangkok(*2)	777-200ER	Business Class: JALSHELL FLAT SEAT	December 1,2013 ~
Narita = Bangkok(*3)			December 1,2013 ~
Narita = Honolulu (JL782/JL781)			June 1,2013 ~
Chubu = Honolulu			July 12,2013 ~
Kasai = Honolulu			September 1,2013 ~

(*1) The type of aircraft might be changed due to the delivery schedule of the 787-8

(*2) Haneda = Bangkok (JL33/JL34): Provide the Premium Economy Service from December 1, 2013.

(*3) Narita = Bangkok: ten round-trip flights operated by 777-200 ER and four round-trip flights operated by 787-8 among 14 weekly flights.

Flight Number	Aircraft	Dates of Operation	Remarks
JL717/JL708	777-200ER	Daily	Provide Premium Economy Service
JL707	787-8	Mo,Tu,Th,Sa
JL707	777-200ER	We,Fr,Su
JL718	787-8	Tu,We,Fr,Su
JL718	777-200ER	Mo,Th,Sa

The aircrafts equipped with personal TV will be arranged on all the international routes

The aircrafts equipped with personal TV will be arranged on Narita=Kaohsiung(*1) and Kansai=Seoul(Gimpo) routes during the first half of fiscal year 2013 to attain all JAL international routes served by aircrafts with personal TV.(*2)

(*1) Kansai=Seoul (Gimpo): Provide the Business Service from June 1, 2013

(*2) The type of aircraft might be changed due to the delivery schedule of the 787-8

New seats will be installed onto Boeing 767-300 ER

Improved 767 with fully flat seat in business class and the new spacious seat in Economy class will be served on middle-haul and long-haul routes in the Second half of Fiscal year 2013. The details of the products and available routes will be introduced as soon as they have been decided.

On the financial side, JAL Group announced its fiscal year (through March 31) operating profit had been cut by $13 million due to the 787 grounding. However the group produced a yearly net profit of $1.8 billion.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

JAL-Japan Airlines:

Thomson Airways to introduce the Boeing 787 on July 9

Thomson Airways (London-Luton) will introduce its new Boeing 787-8 on July 9 between London (Gatwick) and Cancun and Glasgow and Sanford (updated) per Airline Route. The airline now expects to take delivery of its first 787 at the end of this month.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. The first, the pictured Boeing 787-8 G-TUIA (msn 34422), lands back at Paine Field near Everett after a test flight.

Thomson Airways:

Qatar Airways resumes Boeing 787 operations, will receive compensation

Qatar Airways (Doha) today (May 1) resumed Boeing 787-8 operations on a flight from Doha to Dubai. The airline also stated it will receive compensation from Boeing due to the grounding according to Reuters. CEO Al Baker also criticized the grounding and blames social media for forcing the grounding.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Qatar Airways:

Video: A peak at the Qatar 787 before it entered original service:

Ethiopian Airlines becomes the first to put its Boeing 787s back into revenue service

Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa) as planned, put its first Boeing 787 back into revenue service yesterday (April 27) on the Addis Ababa-Nairobi route. All 787s were grounded on January 16.

Read the full report from Reuters: CLICK HERE

Ethiopian Airlines:

LOT Polish Airlines to resume Boeing 787 operations on June 5

LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw) is planning to resume Boeing 787-8 service on June 5. The first route will be from Warsaw to Chicago (O’Hare).

Warsaw-Toronto (Pearson) will resume two days later with the grounded type.

LOT Polish Airlines:

Boeing 787s to be repaired in the order they were delivered

Boeing (Chicago) is aggressively moving ahead to make 787 battery system changes on a worldwide basis. Boeing has already dispatched teams to locations around the world to begin installing improved battery systems on the already delivered 787s. Kits with the parts needed for the new battery systems are staged for shipment and new batteries also will be shipped immediately. Teams have been assigned to customer locations to install the new systems. According to Boeing, airplanes will be modified in approximately the order they were delivered. ANA was the first to take delivery. Boeing has issued this statement:

With the FAA approval of the battery system improvements for the 787 Dreamliner by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) clears the way for Boeing and its customers to install the approved modifications and will lead to a return to service and resumption of new production deliveries.

“FAA approval clears the way for us and the airlines to begin the process of returning the 787 to flight with continued confidence in the safety and reliability of this game-changing new airplane,” said Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney. “The promise of the 787 and the benefits it provides to airlines and their passengers remain fully intact as we take this important step forward with our customers and program partners.”

The FAA’s action will permit the return to service of 787s in the United States upon installation of the improvements. For 787s based and modified outside the United States, local regulatory authorities provide the final approval on return to service.

Approval of the improved 787 battery system was granted by the FAA after the agency conducted an extensive review of certification tests. The tests were designed to validate that individual components of the battery, as well as its integration with the charging system and a new enclosure, all performed as expected during normal operation and under failure conditions. Testing was conducted under the supervision of the FAA over a month-long period beginning in early March.

“The FAA set a high bar for our team and our solution,” said McNerney. “We appreciate the diligence, expertise and professionalism of the FAA’s technical team and the leadership of FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood throughout this process. Our shared commitment with global regulators and our customers to safe, efficient and reliable airplanes has helped make air travel the safest form of transportation in the world today.”

Boeing, in collaboration with its supplier partners and in support of the investigations of the National Transportation Safety Board and the Japan Transport Safety Board, conducted extensive engineering analysis and testing to develop a thorough understanding of the factors that could have caused the 787’s batteries to fail and overheat in two incidents last January. The team spent more than 100,000 hours developing test plans, building test rigs, conducting tests and analyzing the results to ensure the proposed solutions met all requirements.

“Our team has worked tirelessly to develop a comprehensive solution that fully satisfies the FAA and its global counterparts, our customers and our own high standards for safety and reliability,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner. “Through the skill and dedication of the Boeing team and our partners, we achieved that objective and made a great airplane even better.”

Boeing also engaged a team of more than a dozen battery experts from across multiple industries, government, academia and consumer safety to review and validate the company’s assumptions, findings, proposed solution and test plan.

The improved battery system includes design changes to both prevent and isolate a fault should it occur. In addition, improved production, operating and testing processes have been implemented. The new steel enclosure system is designed to keep any level of battery overheating from affecting the airplane or even being noticed by passengers.

“This is a comprehensive and permanent solution with multiple layers of protection,” said Conner. “The ultimate layer of protection is the new enclosure, which will ensure that even if a battery fails, there is no impact to the airplane and no possibility of fire. We have the right solution in hand, and we are ready to go.

“We are all very grateful to our customers for their patience during the past several months,” said Conner. “We know it hasn’t been easy on them to have their 787s out of service and their deliveries delayed. We look forward to helping them get back into service as quickly as possible.”

Boeing has deployed teams to locations around the world to begin installing improved battery systems on 787s. Kits with the parts needed for the new battery systems are staged for shipment and new batteries also will be shipped immediately. Teams have been assigned to customer locations to install the new systems. Airplanes will be modified in approximately the order they were delivered.

“The Boeing team is ready to help get our customers’ 787s back in the air where they belong,” said Conner.

Boeing will also begin installing the changes on new airplanes at the company’s two 787 final-assembly plants, with deliveries expected to resume in the weeks ahead. Despite the disruption in deliveries that began in January, Boeing expects to complete all planned 2013 deliveries by the end of the year. Boeing further expects that the 787 battery issue will have no significant impact to its 2013 financial guidance.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing. A close-up of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner N787BX (msn 40692) “ZA003” test aircraft with probes for early testing.

United Airlines hopes to get its Boeing 787-8s flying again on May 31

United Airlines (Chicago) plans to put its Boeing 787-8s back into service on the Denver-Houston (Bush Intercontinental) route starting on May 31 and on the Denver-Tokyo (Narita) international route beginning on June 10 pending FAA recertification according to Reuters and United Airlines.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

In other news, still stinging from the “worst airline” ranking in the annual Airline Quality Rating for 2013, United reported it achieved its best first-quarter on-time performance among domestic flights since 2003 with 81.4 percent arriving on time, and, despite several severe weather events, ended the month of March with 80.7 percent arriving on time.

March was the third consecutive month that more than 80 percent of United’s domestic flights arrived on time.

United’s highest-performing hub for on-time departures of the airline’s first flights of the day in March was San Francisco International Airport, with 86.6 percent of flights before 9 a.m. departing exactly at departure time or early, followed by Cleveland Hopkins International at 86 percent.

United Airlines:

Boeing completes certification testing for the new 787 battery system

Boeing (Chicago) yesterday (April 5) completed a 787 certification demonstration flight on line number 86, a Boeing-owned production airplane built for LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw). This flight marks the final certification test for the new battery system, completing the testing required by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The flight departed from Paine Field in Everett, Washington at 10:39 a.m. Pacific with a crew of 11 onboard, including two representatives from the FAA. The airplane flew for 1 hours and 49 minutes, landing back at Paine Field at 12:28 p.m. Pacific.

The crew reported that the certification demonstration plan was straightforward and the flight was uneventful. The purpose of the flight was to demonstrate that the new battery system performs as intended during normal and non-normal flight conditions.

Boeing will now gather and analyze the data and submit the required materials to the FAA. We expect to deliver all of the materials to the FAA in the coming days. Once we deliver the materials we stand ready to reply to additional requests and continue in dialog with the FAA to ensure we have met all of their expectations.

More information from Boeing on the battery fix: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. Boeing 787-8 N1791B (SP-LRC) (msn 35940) is the battery test aircraft pictured in action at Paine Field near Everett.

LOT Polish Airlines:

ANA to put their 787 pilots through resumption training

ANA (All Nippon Airways) (Tokyo) according to this report by Reuters, is planning to put its Boeing 787-8 pilots through resumption training. Pending recertification by the FAA and the Japanese authorities, the airline is now planning to resume 787 operations in June, possibly first as a freighter to allay any fears by the flying public over the now-being-tested battery system fix.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Akira Uekawa. Boeing 787-8 JA802A (msn 34497) climbs away from Tokyo (Narita) in the special 787 colors when it was flying. Will the “787” now be removed from the side of the fuselage?

ANA:

LOT Polish Airlines to wet lease an Airbus A330-200 from Hifly to replace its grounded Boeing 787-8s

LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw) is wet leasing an Airbus A330-200 from Hifly (Lisbon) until at least the end of May to replace its grounded Boeing 787-8s according to Air Journal. The leased aircraft will be operated to New York (JFK) and Chicago (O’Hare).

LOT will also be asking Boeing for additional compensation for its grounded fleet.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best. LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner SP-LRA (msn 35938) prepares to land at London (Heathrow) when it was flying.

LOT Polish Airlines: