Finnairย (Helsinki)ย is increasing the number of flights it operates to London Heathrow from Helsinki from four to five times daily. Effectiveย March 30, 2014, flight AY 995 departs Helsinki atย 4:25 P.M. (1625) for arrival in London three hours later atย 5:30 P.M. (1730), while AY 996 departs London atย 7:35 P.M. (1935) and arrives in Helsinki atย 12:30 A.M. (0030). The new frequency will be flown primarily with Finnairโs new Airbus A321 aircraft, which are equipped with fuel-efficient Sharklet wingtip devices and operate within Heathrowโs strictest noise parameters.
In addition to its own five daily frequencies, Finnair offers two daily codeshare roundtrips operated by fellowย oneworld partner British Airways.
Copyright Photo: Gerd Beilfuss/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A321-231 D-AZAO with Sharklets became OH-LZG (msn 5758) on September 5, 2013.
JetBlue Airwaysย (New York) is planning to introduce the new Airbus A321 from New York (JFK) to both Nassau and San Diego (two new A321 routes) starting on September 3 per Airline Route. It will also continue to operate A321 flights from JFK to both Barbados and Las Vegas as well as Mint service to Los Angeles.
Copyright Photo: Tony Storck/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A321-231 N903JB (msn 5783) departs the runway at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
US Airways (Phoenix) as a result of the merger with American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth), will close its flight operations center located in Moon, Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). All flight operations will be consolidated at American Airlines’ facility near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 600 jobs will be impacted. The new facility opened in November 2008.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. All new US Airways deliveries will now be painted in American Airlines colors. Airbus A321-231 N559UW (msn 5292) approaches the runway at Los Angeles International Airport.
American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) today (January 7) welcomes the new Airbus A321, the first of what will become a dedicated three-class fleet operating on trans-continental flights betweenย New York’sย John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) andย Los Angelesย International Airport (LAX), and JFK andย San Franciscoย International Airport (SFO). American will initially operate the A321 (called “A321T” by American) betweenย New Yorkย andย Los Angeles, and will introduce the new plane betweenย New Yorkย andย San Franciscoย in March. American is the only U.S. carrier to offer three classes of service between these key markets.
According to the airline, “From coast to coast, customers can enjoy a comfortable and restful travel experience with fully lie-flat seats in First and Business Class โ including all aisle-access for First Class customers. For all customers, every seat offers a personal in-seat entertainment system with features including 3D moving maps and options of up to 200 movies, 180 TV programs, more than 350 audio selections and up to 20 games. To allow customers the ability to stay connected inflight, Gogo’s upgraded air-to-ground Wi-Fi technology (ATG4) is available throughout the aircraft, and each seat on the A321T features both a universal AC power port and a USB port. An espresso and cappuccino machine is also available exclusively to First Class customers.”
American also is rolling out enhanced food and beverage options on all of the airline’s transcontinental routes in First and Business Class cabins operated with the A321, 757 and 767-200 aircraft. Options will include new appetizers, salads, entrรฉes, desserts, and selections for brunch, dinner and overnight travel. First and Business Class customers traveling domestically also have the choice to reserve an entrรฉe in advance of their flight.
Copyright Photo: James Helbock/AirlinersGallery.com. The new Airbus A321s will eventually replace all of the older Boeing 767-200s on the trans-con routes. The pictured Airbus A321-231 N101NN (msn 5834) was the first A321 to arrive and was hand over to the carrier on November 22, 2013. N101NN arrives in Los Angeles.
JetBlue Airways (New York) tomorrow (December 19) willย begin revenue operations of their new Airbus A321s. ย The first all-coach (JetBlue calls it “core”) A321s, outfitted with 190 seats, will debut on routes from New York JFK to Barbados, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood and San Juan. By the launch of service, JetBlue have four A321s in service, the first ofย an order for 83.
Copyright Photo: Gerd Beilfuss/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured Airbus A321-231 with the temporary marks of D-AVZA was the first A321 and became N903JB on delivery on October 24. It was followed by N905JB on November 13 and N907JB on November 16. The new A321s are also introducing the new Prism tail design.
Monarch Group (Monarch Airlines) (London-Luton), the UKโs leading independent travel group, has announced its unaudited results for the Financial Year ended October 31, 2013.
Commenting on the Groupโs 2013 performance and the outlook for 2014, Executive Chairman, Iain Rawlinson, said:
โI am delighted to announce the return to profitability of The Monarch Group in 2013. This was the outcome targeted by our 2011 refinancing, which was based on a clear plan that combined the achievement of business efficiencies and intra group synergies with growth strategies for each business area. ย All these elements have been delivered in tough markets.
โWhilst we are encouraged by the more positive recent economic news of late, in the short-term there remains overcapacity in the aviation industry and we believe many travel customers are cautious about the economic outlook. However, our Group structure, combining the three mutually supporting business areas of the scheduled airline, tour operations and aircraft engineering, each with its own independent growth strategy, provides us with resilience in this very competitive market environment.
โThe actions we have taken in the last two years provide strong foundations from which to plan the next phase of growth and development.ย Our steady investment in this period – in strengthening the group and divisional management, raising awareness of our trusted travel brands, improving distribution, introducing business efficiencies, and answering the needs of customers – provides a strong platform from which to complete our modernisation agenda. โ
Summary (October 31 year-end)
KEY STATISTICS
2013
Unaudited Statutory
2012
Statutory
Change
Gross turnover (ยฃm)
1,237.5
1,071.5
+15.5%
Monarch Airlines (ยฃm)
763.2
683.5
+11.7%
Tour Operations (ยฃm)
336.4
291.4
+15.4%
Monarch Aircraft Engineering (ยฃm)
107.2
86.3
+24.2%
Other (ยฃm)
30.7
10.3
+198.1%
Turnover, net of intra-Group sales (ยฃm)
960.5
825.1
16.4%
Web traffic – unique visitors (m)
21.9
20.0
+9.5%
Gross e-commerce revenue (ยฃm)
520.0
479.0
+8.6%
2013 Group Highlights
All trading divisions profitable for the year on a pre-exceptionals basis
Successfully delivered efficiency programs, achieving annualised cost savings of ยฃ52 million and increase in intra group turnover of an additional ยฃ31 million
Investment of some ยฃ20 million in aircraft engineering facilities, and systems to increase operating capacity and improve efficiency
Significant increase in unique visitors to the Groupโs e-commerce platforms, up 10% to 22 million
Group-wide roll out of Olympics-inspired โWorldHostโ Customer Service programme
Launch of The Monarch Foundation, providing focus for charitable and CSR activities
Monarch Airlines in FY2013
11.7% increase in gross revenues to ยฃ763.2 million
10.1% increase in capacity to 8.1 million sector seats and on track to deliver 10 million sector seats by end 2016
9.5% increase in airline passenger volumes to 7.0 million
Advanced plans to order up to 60 new narrow body aircraft in Q1 2014 (valued at US$6 billion at list prices) ย to continue fleet renewal program
New base at Leeds-Bradford Airport established
UK network development so that over two thirds of the UK population lives within a 90 minute drive of one of Monarchโs six bases[1]
New advertising campaign to be launched Christmas 2013 emphasising Monarch Airlinesโ customer service heritage and commitment to providing โSuperior Customer Experience at Competitive Priceโ
Tour Operations in FY2013
15.4% increase in gross revenues to ยฃ336.4 million
12% growth in passenger volumes to 911,000, substantially out-performing the market
18% growth in Package Holiday volumes, continuing the trend for consumers to seek โcare, convenience and financially protected holidaysโ[2]
5.6% increase in unique visitors to package holiday websites to 9.3 million
Successful migration to new, flexible enterprise technology platform
Continued investment in differentiated offer for customers
Monarch Aircraft Engineering in FY2013
24.2% increase in revenues to ยฃ107.2 million
26% growth in revenue from 3rdย party customers
80% increase in maintenance capacity following the opening of a new state-of-the-art facility ย at Birmingham Airport
Introduced Bombardier and Embraer type aircraft servicing capability
Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Monarch Airlines is reviewing tender offers from the manufacturers and is expected to place a large aircraft order up to 60 aircraft in early 2014. A new order with Airbus is expected. Airbus A321-231 G-ZBAF (msn 2730) is seen in action at Palma de Mallorca.
American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) today took delivery of the first Airbus A321 trans-continental aircraft, complete with fully lie-flat First and Business Class seats. The new aircraft is scheduled to enter service next year, making American the only U.S. carrier to offer customers more choices with a three-class configuration when flying between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles, and New York (JFK) and San Francisco.
The “A321T” (as American calls it) will offer a comfortable flying experience from coast to coast with fully lie-flat seats in First and Business Class, with direct aisle access for all First Class customers for ease of moving about the cabin. The aircraft is equipped with Main Cabin Extra seating, giving Main Cabin customers the option of up to six inches of extra legroom, and every seat onboard features in-seat entertainment with up to 200 movies, up to 180 TV programs, more than 350 audio selections and up to 20 games. Individual AC power outlets and USB jacks are available at every seat throughout the aircraft. Customers will have an enhanced experience connecting with Gogo’s upgraded ATG-4 Wi-Fi service.
American will begin operating the A321T between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in January. The aircraft will initially operate two of American’s daily flights between JFK and LAX and will operate all frequencies between the two airports in June, when American increases its frequencies to 13 daily flights. The A321T will also begin flying between JFK and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in March 2014 and will operate all frequencies between the two airports in June, when American increases its frequencies to five daily flights.
The new A321T incorporates the latest improvements to reduce fuel burn, marking another important advancement toward American’s efforts to build a more fuel-efficient fleet. On the road to building a younger and more modern fleet, American plans to take delivery of nearly 60 new aircraft total by the end of the year, including new Boeing 777-300 ERs, Boeing 737-800s, Airbus A319s and Airbus A321s. The airline will continue its fleet renewal program in 2014 with more new aircraft deliveries, including the Boeing 787, which is scheduled to join American’s fleet late next year.
In addition, American’s current and future deliveries from the Airbus A320 Family, including the A321T, feature Airbus’ Runway Overrun Prevention System (ROPS). This onboard cockpit technology increases pilots’ situational awareness during landing, reduces exposure to runway excursion risk, and, if necessary, provides active protection.
Copyright Photo: Gerd Beilfuss/AirlinersGallery.com. Officially the aircraft is an Airbus A321-231. The pictured D-AVZK (msn 5834) at Hamburg (Finkenwerder) became N101NN on the handover.
American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) will soon take delivery of its first Airbus A321-200. The first, the pictured A321-231 with the temporary registration of D-AVZK (msn 5834), has been pulled out of the paint shop at the Airbus facility in Hamburg (Finkenwerder). The first airframe will be delivered as N101NN.
American plans to take delivery of 130 current generation Airbus aircraft from the A321 and A319 variants and up to 100 Boeing 737-800s through 2017. American plans to configure some of the A321s for use on trans-continental flights and intends to use the remaining A321s, as well as all of the A319s and new Boeing 737-800s to retire aging aircraft in its existing fleet.
The A321 aircraft will be equipped with V2500-A5 engines from International Aero Engines (IAE), a joint venture between Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, MTU and JAEC.
American intends to take delivery of the A321s beginning in November 2013 through 2014. The A321 trans-continental aircraft will replace American’s existing fleet of Boeing 767-200s and fly between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and JFK and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
American intends to replace its fleet of domestic Boeing 757-200s and DC-9-82/83s (MD-80s) with A321s, A319s and Boeing 737-800s.
Beginning in 2017, American expects to begin taking delivery of 130 aircraft from the A320neo (New Engine Option) family featuring next-generation technology. The new aircraft are about 15 percent more fuel efficient than today’s models. American is scheduled to be the first network airline in the U.S. to deploy this new technology. Engine selection for the A320neo family aircraft will be made in the future.
The new type provide a three-class layout for trans-continental flights on its new Airbus A321s โ which includes these full lie-flat beds in business class (all photos from Airbus).
Inside American Airlinesโ new A321s โ which are equipped with Sharklets โ passengers will benefit from Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the cabin, as well as inflight entertainment (IFE) and 100v AC power outlets and USB jacks at every seat.
The first class cabin offered in American Airlinesโ new Airbus A321s will feature full lie-flat beds for coast-to-coast direct service initially between New York and Los Angeles, followed by a New York-San Francisco route.
Top Copyright Photo: Gerd Beilfuss/AirlinersGallery.comย (all others by Airbus).
Zagrosjet (formerly Zagros Air) (Erbil, Iraq) is the airline in the autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. The carrier is partly owned by Atlasjet (Istanbul) of Turkey. The company was established in October 2005 as Zagros Air by the Zagros Group. The Kurdish airline adopted the current Zagrosjet name in August 2013 and as of October 2, 2013 is operating an Airbus A321-231 (YI-AQU) on routes from Erbil to Adana, Amman, Ankara, Beirut, Gaziantep, Istanbul and Stockholm (Arlanda).
The company issued this statement:
Zagrosjet, the first and only Kurdish carrier in history proudly announces its official flights to different destinations in Middle East, Turkey and Europe, which include Amman, Beirut, Stockholm, Ankara, and Adana in the first phase.
On October 2, 2013, we celebrated the first departure of our Airbus A321-200 from Erbil International Airport directly to Ankara, Republic of Turkey. Followed by scheduled flights according to the official timetable and will be in two configurations: Business and Economy class.
Thanks to the Iraqi Federal Government and Kurdistan Regional Government for all their support and assistance. With this event, we will not only develop our milestone, as we believe, we are also writing the preface in Kurdish aviation history, keeping air transportation development parallel to all other developments in all other sectors achieved in Kurdistan during the last few years.
Zagrosjet was established in October 2005 by Zagros Group and licensed as an Air Carrier by Ministry of Transportation โ Iraq on June 2013 to perform scheduled and unscheduled passenger and Cargo flights.
By 2014, Zagrosjet will commence flights to Umrah and Hajj followed by several other destinations in Europe, as we aim to connect Kurdistan Region and Iraq to the world and to be the most preferred carrier in the country.
Aside from network expansion, we will be opening our own flight academy in the near future to train Kurdish pilots and establish our own technical department for aircraft maintenance and services.
JetBlue Airways (New York) hasย announced plans to serve the New York (JFK) to Bridgetown, Barbados route with daily Airbus A321 service, adding up to 580 seats per week each way, starting on December 19, 2013.ย Additionally, JetBlue has filed to offer more capacity to Barbados during peak holiday times, including President’s Day and Easter, subject to receipt of government approval.
JetBlue expects to meet peak winter holiday demand by deploying brand new A321 aircraft on the route starting on December 19, 2013.ย These aircraft will be fresh from the Airbus factory and will not initially have LiveTV programming (television, movies or radio) available.ย As a new aircraft to the JetBlue fleet, the A321 must receive a supplemental type certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) before JetBlue can install and activate the airline’s signature entertainment on all A321s.ย The certification timeline may be impacted by the partial U.S. government shut down.ย JetBlue anticipates offering LiveTV’s full suite of entertainment on the first A321 aircraft by April 2014.
Copyright Photo: Gerd Beilfuss/AirlinersGallery.com. The first A321 became N903JB on delivery.
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