Tag Archives: A319131

Jat Airways brings the first Air Serbia Airbus A319 to Belgrade

Jat Airways (Belgrade) yesterday (October 19)ย celebrated the arrival at its Belgrade base of the first Airbus A319 painted in the new Air Serbia (Belgrade) livery.

The first Airbus A319 to arrive in Belgrade was welcomed by the airline’s CEO Dane Kondic with a traditional water cannon salute according to the Serbian carrier on Facebook.

Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) is acquiring a 49 percent share in the Serbian flag carrier. Jat Airways will be renamed Air Serbia later this year.

Copyright Photo: Karl Cornil/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Airbus A319-131 YU-APC (msn 2621) is now full painted in the new colors of Air Serbia.

Jat Airways:ย AG Slide Show

Air Serbia:ย AG Slide Show

Virgin America is coming to Austin and Anchorage

Virgin America (San Francisco) announced it will add dailyย flights from San Francisco (SF) to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) beginning on May 21, 2013.

In addition, the airline announced today it will offer seasonal service from SFO to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) with six nonstop roundtrip flights a week from June 6, 2013, through September 9, 2013.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing. Airbus A319-131 N523VA (msn 3181) approaches Los Angeles for landing.

Virgin America:ย AG Slide Show

United Airlines to cancel six routes in April and May

United Airlines (Chicago) is planning to eliminate five hub spoke routes in April and one in May according to a report by Airline Route.

From the Houston (Bush Intercontinental) hub, the route to Cedar Rapids will be nixed on April 8.

From the Los Angeles hub, the route to Tulsa will be eliminated on April 8.

From the Newark hub, the short-range feeder route to Philadelphia will be dropped on April 9.

From the Washington (Dulles) hub, both Manchester, NH and Pensacola will be axed also on April 8.

From the Chicago (O’Hare) hub, the long-range route to San Juan, PR will be abandoned on May 4.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing. Airbus A319-131 N839UA (msn 1507) climbs away from Los Angeles.

United Airlines:ย AG Slide Show

Kingfisher Airlines submits a reorganization plan to regulators but fails to be clear about funding

Kingfisher Airlines (Mumbai) has failed to provide a clear funding plan to Indian regulators. The grounded airline is attempting to resume operations according to this report by Reuters.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo:ย Guillaume Besnard. Airbus A319-131 VT-KFI (msn 2634) lines up to land at Bangkok.

Kingfisher Airlines:ย AG Slide Show

Kingfisher logo-1

United Airlines announces new routes from its hub cities

United Airlines (Chicago) today announced plans to launch nonstop service on several new international and domestic routes beginning in the spring of 2013, including:

  • New flights to Latin America from Chicago and Washington, D.C.
  • New service to Canada from Denver, New York, and Washington, D.C.
  • Additional domestic routes from Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

United and its regional partners will operate these new routes with a mix of mainline and regional aircraft.

United will begin weekly year-round service between its hub at Washington-Dulles International Airport and both Guatemala City, Guatemala, and San Jose, Costa Rica, subject to government approval. The airline will also begin weekly year-round service between its Chicago O’Hare hub and San Jose, subject to government approval. These flights, beginning April 13, 2013, will operate using Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 16 seats in United Business, 48 seats in Economy Plus and 90 seats in United Economy class.

These new flights will complement United’s existing service to Guatemala City and San Jose from the airline’s hubs in New York and Houston.

United will launch new flights between its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, beginning on May 1, 2013. The flights will operate six-times-weekly, using Airbus A319 aircraft, configured with eight seats in United First, 40 in Economy Plus, and 72 in United Economy.

The airline also serves Edmonton from its hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, and San Francisco.

New service between the Washington-Dulles hub and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, will begin on June 8, 2013, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operating on Saturdays and Sundays through August 25, 2013.

United serves Vancouver year-round from Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and seasonally from New York-Newark.

On June 6, 2013 United will start service between Denver and Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, the only nonstop service offered from Fort McMurray to the United States. SkyWest Airlines will operate the daily flights using 66-seat Canadair CRJ-700 regional jets, with six seats in United Business, 28 seats in Economy Plus, and 32 seats in United Economy.

Fort McMurray will be United’s 18thย destination in Canada.ย  United offers more flights to more destinations in Canada than any other US airline.

United will also add new domestic routes from four of its hubs:

  • Chicago โ€“ย Daily flights between Chicago and Fairbanks, Alaska, begin on June 6, 2013, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Chicago is the second United hub with service to Fairbanks, following the addition of flights from Denver earlier this year.
  • Denver โ€“ย Twice-daily United Express service between Denver and Santa Fe, N.M., will begin on May 1, 2013. ExpressJet will operate the flights using 50-seat Embraer ERJ 145 regional jet aircraft.
  • Los Angeles โ€“ย New United Express service between the Los Angeles hub and Wichita, Kan., will begin on May 1, 2013. SkyWest Airlines will operate the daily flights using 66-seat Canadair CRJ700 regional jets. These flights are in addition to United’s existing service to Wichita from Chicago, Denver and Houston.
  • Washington-Dulles โ€“ย United will add daily United Express service between Washington-Dulles and Grand Rapids, Michigan beginning on May 1, 2013. ExpressJet will operate the flights with 50-seat Embraer ERJ 145 regional jet aircraft. United currently serves Grand Rapids from hubs in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Houston and New York.

Copyright Photo: Tony Storck. Airbus A319-131 N803UA (msn 748) completes its final approach into Baltimore/Washington.

United Airlines:ย AG Slide Show

US Airways and South African Airways expand their codeshare agreement

US Airways (Phoenix) and fellow Star Alliance member South African Airways (Johannesburg) today announced a new bilateral codeshare agreement after receiving approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Transport โ€“ South Africa. Flights are currently available for sale for travel beginning on December 19.

US Airways customers will gain access to destinations throughout South Africa with the new agreement and to Dakar, Senegal pending final government approval, along with the convenience of a single-ticket purchase. Conversely, customers traveling on South African Airways will also receive expanded access to and throughout the United States.ย  US Airways customers will continue to have the ability to earn and redeem Dividend Miles on these new codeshare flights. South African Airways customers will also continue to earn and redeem miles as a member of the Voyager Frequent Flyer program.

US Airways customers will have access to South African Airways’ hub in Johannesburg as well as convenient connections to Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth in South Africa.ย  Customers will also have access to Dakar, Senegal via South African Airways’ Washington-Dulles to Johannesburg.ย  South African Airways customers will have access to US Airways’ hub cities of Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Phoenix as well as various destinations within the United States. Specific connection information is below:

 

New Connections for US Airways Customers on South African Airways New Connections for South African Airways Customers on US Airways
 

To Johannesburg, South Africa (JNB) from:

  • Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
  • New York’s JFK International Airport (JFK)
  • Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
  • London’s Heathrow International Airport (LHR)
  • Munich, Germany (MUC)

 

To Dakar, Senegal (DKR)* from:

  • IAD

 

Continue from JNB to:

  • Cape Town, South Africa (CPT)
  • Durban, South Africa (DUR)
  • East London, South Africa (ELS)
  • Port Elizabeth, South Africa (PLZ)
 

To Philadelphia (PHL) from:

  • LHR

 

To Charlotte, N.C. (CLT) from:

  • IAD
  • JFK
  • Denver (DEN)
  • Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)
  • Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
  • Las Vegas (LAS)
  • Los Angeles (LAX)
  • Miami (MIA)
  • Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
  • San Francisco (SFO)
  • San Diego (SAN)

 

To Phoenix (PHX) from:

  • JFK
  • LAS
  • SAN
  • SFO

*Route is pending final government approval.

Top Copyright Photo: Keith Burton. Boeing 767-2B7 ER N251AY (msn 24764) of US Airways lifts off from Heathrow Airport near London.

US Airways:ย AG Slide Show

South African Airways:ย AG Slide Show

Bottom Copyright Photo: Paul Denton. South African Airways operates both Airbus and Boeing narrow-body airliners on domestic and regional routes. Airbus A319-131 ZS-SFJ (msn 2379) prepares to land at the Johannesburg hub.

United Airlines’ pilots ratify the new contract

United Airlines (Chicago) yesterday (December 15) ย announced that its pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), ratified a new joint labor agreement for all United Airlines pilots.

“The ratification of this agreement is an important step forward for our pilots and the company,” said Fred Abbott, senior vice president of flight operations. “We look forward to the efficiencies and teamwork we will achieve as our pilots become one group once they complete their seniority integration.”

The agreement runs through December 2016 and covers nearly 10,000 United pilots.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough. Airbus A319-131 N830UA (msn 1243) approach Dulles International Airport.

United Airlines:ย AG Slide Show

Virgin America reports a 1Q operating loss of $49 million, launches its code share partnership with Virgin Australia

Virgin America (San Francisco) has reported another quarter in the red. The airlineย reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2012 yesterday. ย With overall fuel costs higher by 47 percent year-over-year, the financial pressure of the airline’s industry-leading capacity growth and a revenue shortfall associated with the carrier’s transition to a new reservations system, Virgin America reported a first quarter operating loss of $49 million on revenues of $267 million.ย  Top line growth continued to outpace the expanding airline’s capacity growth.ย  Year-over-year, total revenue grew by 33 percent for the first quarter on a 29 percent increase in Available Seat Miles (ASMs), at a time when the rest of the industry reported flat capacity.ย  The airline ended the quarter with $111 million in unrestricted cash.

Virgin America reported 2.2 percent year-over-year RASM growth, versus the double digit RASM percentage increases reported in 2010 and 2011.ย  This was driven by significant capacity growth and systems issues associated with the Company’s transition to a new reservations platform.ย  The growing airline’s rate of entry into new markets created margin pressure which offset revenue gains in more mature markets.ย  While capacity was up 29 percent year-over-year, total capacity increases were up 59 percent over the past two years.ย  This rapid growth established Virgin America’s core network and provided an important base for the carrier’s future success.ย  This planned phase of accelerated growth will wind down in mid-2012, until the airline’s next major fleet order begins delivery later in 2013.ย  ย At the same time, website issues and revenue management challenges associated with the Company’s transition to a new Sabre reservations system reduced first quarter revenue by $10 to 15 million.

Virgin America’s results were also adversely impacted by high fuel prices.ย  Had fuel prices remained flat year-over-year, the airline’s fuel costs would have been $15 million lower for the quarter.ย  The cost-per-gallon of fuel increased by 14 percent in the first quarter. ย In late 2011, Virgin America resumed a structured fuel hedging program to help manage the impact of fuel price volatility.ย  Approximately 70 percent of the airline’s fuel consumption in the first quarter of 2012 was hedged at prices slightly below market levels, resulting in a fuel expense for the quarter that was approximately $2 million below market prices.ย  The carrier has hedged approximately 33 percent of its expected fuel consumption for the remainder of 2012.ย  Since April 2012, fuel prices have dropped significantly.ย  Under Virgin America’s hedging program, the Company will not realize the full benefit of falling prices until the second half of 2012.

Virgin America continued to drive significant growth in the quarter: expanding its fleet from 38 aircraft in March 2011 to 51 aircraft by the end of the first quarter 2012 (today, the carrier operates 52 aircraft). ย Virgin America took delivery of five Airbus A320 aircraft in the first quarter, capping a remarkable expansion over the past two years.ย  The airline has acquired 23 aircraft since the first quarter of 2010, an 82 percent increase. ย This phase of accelerated growth comes to an end in mid-2012, with deliveries under the carrier’s next major fleet order not starting until later in 2013. ย In 2011, the carrierย announced a major fleet order โ€“ including the first commercial order for the A320neo.

Clearly Virgin America is under pressure to return to the black during the upcoming quarters.

In other news, Virgin Americaย has launched its first codeshare โ€“ with sister-branded airline, Virgin Australia, selling tickets as of July 4 in Australia on Virgin America flights from Los Angeles to Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Seattle/Tacoma and Washington (Dulles). This is the first-ever codeshare agreement for the California-based carrier, building on a 2009ย interline agreement with Virgin Australia.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough.

Virgin America:ย 

British Airways announces its winter schedule

British Airways‘ (London) winter 2012 schedule, beginning on October 28, 2012, has been unveiled, with UK regions set to benefit thanks to parent company IAG’s purchase of bmi (East Midlands).

The airline will add extra frequencies and use bigger aircraft on flights to Scotland enabling it to offer nearly 27,000 more seats a week between London and Scotland. This includes two extra flights a day between London Heathrow and Edinburgh and two extra flights per day between Heathrow and Aberdeen.

In addition British Airways is also starting a three-per-day service between London City and Aberdeen on September 24 to connect the two business hubs.

From December 9, British Airways will start four flights per day between Heathrow and Leeds Bradford, connecting Yorkshire with the airline’s extensive global route network at Heathrow and increasing consumer choice in the North of England. The airline has already taken over bmi’s six dailyย flights to Belfast, and will be launching a new timetable of seven flights a day between London and the Northern Irish capital on October 28.

A new London City to Isle of Man route has also recently launched.

At the time of EU approval for the bmi deal, IAG committed to launching new flights to important trading nations and delivering on that, British Airways is to begin flying six times a week to Seoul (Incheon) in South Korea from December 2, 2012.

Brand new, three times a weekย Las Vegas flightsย from London Gatwick start on October 29.

In Europe, Zagreb in Croatia will benefit from new daily flights to Heathrow from December 9 and six flights a week to Venice will be added to the London City route network on September 17. Customers looking forย holidays in Barcelonaย will benefit from more choice with a new three-per-week service from London Gatwick to Barcelona will launch on February 23, 2013.

From October 28, former bmi routes from London Heathrow to Agadir, Bergen and Stavanger will become new British Airways routes from Terminal 5, while former bmi routes to Belfast and Hanover will become new British Airways Terminal 1 routes.

British Airways aircraft and crew will operate these routes, and customers will receive the full-service airline’s on-board experience.

A number of existing British Airways routes including Basel, Dusseldorf, Luxembourg, Lyon and Toulouse will move from Terminal 5 to Terminal 1 on October 28.

There will be an increase in frequencies in winter 2012 (versus winter 2011) from Heathrow to Aberdeen (from six to eight flights per day), Edinburgh (from 10 to 12 flights a day), Manchester (from 10 to 11 flights a day), Oslo (from four to five flights per day), Zurich (from six to seven per day) and Phoenix (from six to seven flights per week). Flights to Bologna will be consolidated at Heathrow, with an increase in frequency on the existing Heathrow service from seven per week to 21 per week.

At Gatwick, services will increase to Faro (from four to five flights per week), Malaga (from seven to ten flights per week) and Marrakech (three to seven flights per week) from October 28, and extra services will be added to Salzburg and Turin for the winter ski season. Flights to Marseille will move from Gatwick to Heathrow on October 28.

Copyright Photo: Dave Glendinning.

British Airways:ย 

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