Tag Archives: A321231

JetBlue Airways is set to introduce a new tail fin design with the first Airbus A321

JetBlue Airways (New York-JFK) is getting ready to take delivery of its first Airbus A321. Besides introducing a new upscale cabin for the competitive trans-con routes next year, JetBlue will also introduce a new tail fin design.

The airline has 40 copies on order with 11 aircraft featuring 16 seats in first class which will arrive in the first quarter of 2014.

The carrier will launch the new Airbus A321 on December 19. The first three A321 routes will be from New York (JFK) to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Barbados (Bridgetown) and San Juan.

As announced last month, JetBlue unveiled its new, fully customized lie-flat seat which will be available on the highly popular trans-continental routes next year.

New lie-flat seats are expected to debut in the market on new Airbus A321 aircraft beginning in the second quarter of 2014 on the two most popular nonstop routes in the United States – New York to Los Angeles and New York to San Francisco. In addition, JetBlue will be the first and only airline in the market to offer customers the option of a completely separate single suite seat that includes a closable door for increased privacy.

The new lie-flat seat, created in a partnership with Northern Ireland-based Thompson Aero Seating, will be displayed in a unique 2-1 configuration. Rows 1, 3 and 5 will offer 2-by-2 seating, and rows 2 and 4 will offer private suites, with one seat on each side of the aisle.

The new seats also offer air cushions with adjustable firmness, a massage function, a 15-inch widescreen television featuring the most live entertainment in the skies, and a unique “wake-me-for-service” indicator if the customer chooses to sleep in, putting more control back into the customer’s hands. In addition, JetBlue will refresh the core JetBlue Experience in 2014 which will include a comfortable seat design with movable headrests, a new entertainment system with up to 100 channels of DirecTV® programming on 10.1-inch wide screens, and 110-volt and USB power ports accessible to all customers. And of course, more legroom throughout coach than any other U.S. airline.

JetBlue’s wholly owned subsidiary LiveTV will begin installing Fly-Fi on JetBlue’s fleet by the end of the year, a new high-speed, satellite-based wi-fi product that will offer true broadband speeds and serve as the fastest internet access at altitude. JetBlue expects to increase frequencies on JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO with new Airbus A321 aircraft next year to offer even more options, convenience and comfort for customers. There will be a dedicated sub-fleet of 11 aircraft initially used for the two core transcontinental routes. Additional markets are possible, based on customer response and demand for more service.

Copyright Photo: Gerd Beilfuss/Airlinersgallery.com. Appearing today taxiing around Finkenwerder Airport in Hamburg, Germany is JetBlue’s first Airbus A321. The pictured A321-231 D-AVZA (msn 5783) with a tail design that now includes green, will become N903JB on delivery.

Have you seen the “new look” AirlinersGallery.com photo library?

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JetBlue Airways:

Philippine Airlines takes delivery of its first Airbus A321

Philippine Airlines (PAL) (Philippines) (Manila) has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321. The aircraft was handed over at the Airbus delivery center in Hamburg (Finkenwerder), Germany on August 6 and is the first of 64 new Airbus aircraft ordered by the airline in 2012 under a major fleet modernization program. These include 44 single aisle A321s and 20 widebody A330s.

Philippine Airlines has specified a two class layout for its A321s, with 12 seats in Business Class and 187 in Economy. The airline will operate its new A321s primarily on international routes across the Asian region, as well as on selected domestic flights.

The A321 joins an Airbus fleet at Philippine Airlines that already includes 22 A320 Family aircraft flying on domestic and regional routes, as well as nine in service with its budget subsidiary PAL Express. The carrier also operates eight widebody A330s on higher capacity routes across Asia and seven A340-300s on its longest services to the United States.

Following the introduction of the A321, Philippine Airlines will take delivery of the first of its 20 new A330s in the third quarter of the year. The carrier is also currently adding four A340-300s to its fleet for deployment on new non-stop services to Europe, scheduled to begin next month.

Copyright Photo: Gerd Beilfuss/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured Airbus A321-231 D-AZAS (msn 5715) on a test flight at Hamburg (Finkenwerder) on August 5 became RP-C9901 on the hand over the following day.

Update: PAL introduced the new A321 on August 9 between Manila and Cebu and Manila and Davao.

Philippines-Philippine Airlines:

American Airlines and US Airways receive European Commission approval to merge

The European Commission has cleared American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) and US Airways (Phoenix) to merge. AMR Corporation issued this statement:

AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, Inc., and US Airways Group, Inc. have announced that they have received clearance from the European Commission under the EC Merger Regulation for their proposed merger.

Tom Horton, chairman, president and CEO of AMR, and incoming Chairman of the Board of the combined company, said, “We are very pleased that the EU has approved the merger between American Airlines and US Airways. This represents one of the final milestones on our path to becoming the new American Airlines.”

Doug Parker, chairman and CEO of US Airways, and incoming CEO of the combined company, said, “The clearance by the European Commission is an important step toward closing this merger. The new American will benefit customers in the United States, Europe and across the world by enhancing connectivity within the oneworld alliance and creating more options for travel both domestically and internationally. We look forward to providing access to the best destinations in the world as the new American Airlines.”

As previously announced, AMR and US Airways agreed to combine to create the new American Airlines, a premier global carrier. Headquartered in Dallas/Fort Worth, the new American Airlines will become a highly competitive alternative for consumers to other global carriers and is expected to offer more than 6,700 daily flights to 336 destinations in 56 countries. The combined airline will offer customers more choices and increased service across a larger worldwide network and through an enhanced oneworld alliance. Together, American Airlines and US Airways are expected to operate a mainline fleet of almost 950 aircraft and employ more than 100,000 team members worldwide.

The merger is subject to regulatory approvals, other customary closing conditions and confirmation of AMR’s Plan of Reorganization by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The companies continue to expect to complete the combination in the third quarter of 2013.

Top Copyright Photo: Tony Storck/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-823 N967AN (msn 29545) prepares to land at Washington’s Reagan National Airport.

American Airlines:

US Airways:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. The final (U.S.) merger approvals will come down to the issue of DCA Slots. American-US Airways are fighting to preserve their dominating number of arrival and departure slots at Washington’s Reagan national Airport. US Airways’ Airbus A321-231 N556UW (msn 5244) banks after completing the “River Approach” into DCA.

ALC to lease two Airbus A321-200s with Sharklets to Monarch Airlines

Air Lease Corporation (Los Angeles) has announced long term lease agreements with Monarch Airlines (London-Luton) for two new Airbus A321-200 aircraft with Sharklets and powered by IAE V2533 engines. Both aircraft are scheduled for delivery in April and May of 2015.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A321-231 G-ZBAE (msn 5606) taxies at Palma de Mallorca in the updated 2011 livery.

Monarch Airlines:

Spirit Airlines orders 20 Airbus A321s

Spirit Airlines (Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood) has placed a firm order for 20 Airbus A321 aircraft and additionally has opted to convert 10 of its existing A320 orders to the larger A321. All of these aircraft are current engine option (ceo) models. Spirit’s A321ceos will accommodate increasing passenger numbers in the airline’s network in the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America. All of the A321ceo aircraft will be fitted with fuel-saving Sharklets and will seat 219 passengers in a single-class layout.

The announcement was made today during the Paris Air Show.

The new Spirit A321s will also be the first North America-based aircraft to feature the Space-Flex cabin option. This rear lavatory and galley combination optimizes use of the available space at the very back of the aircraft. The configuration also allows for the first lavatory in the single-aisle market to be accessible to people with reduced mobility.

With this order announced today, Spirit’s firm orders total: 7 A319s, 98 A320s (including 45 A320 new engine option aircraft) and 30 A321s. The airline currently operates a fleet of some 50 A320 Family aircraft.

Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Surprisingly Spirit Airlines has been reducing its Airbus A321 fleet. Now the expanded A321 fleet will be painted in the new colors. A321-231 N587NK (msn 2476) climbs away from the FLL base painted in the old 2004 black and silver livery.

Spirit Airlines:

Monarch Airlines to launch East Midlands-Ibiza flights tomorrow, explains how to paint an airliner

Monarch Airlines (London-Luton) is launching two new routes from East Midlands. On May 7 the airline launched its first ever scheduled flight to Malta from East Midlands Airport. The flights will operate twice a week on a Tuesday and Saturday.

Malta is the first of two new routes to launch this summer from East Midlands Airport with Ibiza also launching on May 23.

Video: Monarch makes flying fun for 600 kids:

Monarch Airlines:

What does it take to repaint an airliner? Monarch Airlines explains the process that takes nine days on their excellent Monarch blog:

First step, checks and scaffolding

The first task was to fly Airbus A321 G-OZBZ down to a specialist aircraft painting company in Bournemouth called Airbourne Colours. The A321 would spend about 9 days being stripped down and repainted by a team of 10 to 12 highly experienced specialist painters each with 10 to 20 years experience. The team in Bournemouth would be in constant communication with Monarch operations teams and engineers during this time.

When G-OZBZ first arrived at the painter’s hangar, a Monarch engineer carried out an acceptance check on the aircraft. This check included removal of window wipers and a series of other tasks such as disconnecting batteries.

Next, the painting specialist’s hangar supervisor and a Monarch engineer worked together to check on the condition of the current paintwork and assessed any damage. While this check was carried out, a team put scaffolding into place around the aircraft. There had to be enough scaffolding to give access to every point of the aircraft during the painting process.

Second step, masking and stripping

There are two kinds of paint job that you can give an aircraft – a strip or an abrade (otherwise known as a ‘rub’). A strip involves the use of chemical washes to remove the paint back to bare metal. During a ‘rub’ the aircraft fuselage (the body of the plane) is sanded back to a smooth finish ready to accept paint.

Generally the fuselage and fin are stripped as these are made of metal but the engines and wings and rubbed as they are made of composite materials.

G-OZBZ needed a fuselage strip and repaint, so the next step was to cover or ‘mask’ all the areas which needed to be protected from sanding dust and paint overspray, for example the cockpit and cabin windows. As the wings weren’t being painted (just the ends were to be painted yellow), these were also masked. Masking was also applied to sensitive items such as ports, antennae, aerials and engine intakes.

The metallic areas were then chemically stripped back to bare metal, a process which includes a power wash and alkaline shampoo. The tail fin and engine cowlings (covers) are made of composite materials, so these were abraded, followed by a solvent wash. Once all the paint was removed and sealants checked and repaired or replaced, Monarch engineers carried out a bare metal inspection to check the state of the aircraft before painting commenced.

Then, it’s time to paint

After masking, a team of 10 to 12 people hand-sprayed primer to the fuselage.

Once the primer was dry, a layer of white paint was applied to the fuselage.

Next, yellow paint was sprayed on to the tail and once dry, the indigo was applied to the underneath of the fuselage and Monarch’s famous spotty M logo was added to the tail.

There are a number of mandatory markings and Monarch titles that need to be put on the aircraft. These are a combination of decals (industrial stickers) and paint. The Monarch title for instance was applied by placing a massive spray mask (or stencil) over the fuselage and spraying the mask with paint.

Aircraft paints are designed to be tough in order to withstand extreme environmental conditions as well as corrosion, chemicals, and rain erosion. However, unlike paint you might use to protect your home, aircraft paints also need to be incredibly lightweight and the completed paint job was allowed to be no more than 250 microns thick (0.25mm or about 0.01 inches).

Taking all the primer, white, yellow, purple basecoat and the clear coat together, the total amount of paint used was about 360 litres.

Finally, it’s very important to the safe and efficient operation of commercial aircraft that we know how much everything weighs. When the painting was complete, G-OZBZ was given a ‘calculated reweigh’, which compared the thickness of the new paint to the original paint. These figures were sent to a loadmaster company to produce accurate trim data for the aircraft, which will be used eventually by the pilots and other people in operations.

Thank you Monarch for explaining the process.

Spirit produces a 1Q net profit of $32.8 million

Spirit Airlines, Inc. (Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood) today reported first quarter 2013 financial results.

Adjusted net income for the first quarter 2013 was $32.8 million, or $0.45 per diluted share¹. GAAP net income was $30.6 million, or $0.42 per diluted share.
For the first quarter 2013, Spirit achieved an operating margin, excluding special items, of 14.4 percent¹. Operating margin on a GAAP basis was 13.4 percent for the first quarter 2013.
Spirit ended the first quarter 2013 with $483.5 million in unrestricted cash.
Spirit grew total available seat miles (“ASMs”) 20.8 percent as compared to the first quarter 2012.
Spirit’s return on invested capital (before taxes and excluding special items) for the last twelve months ended March 31, 2013 was 28.0 percent. See “Calculation for Return on Invested Capital” table below for more details.

“We are pleased to report strong first quarter results. Our team continues to do a great job delivering among the best results in the industry while offering our customers low base fares. Our average base fare per passenger segment in the first quarter 2013 was $79.09. Spirit is proud to offer extremely low base fares so that, even when adding in optional extras, the total price our customers pay is almost always less than what they would pay on other airlines,” said Ben Baldanza, Spirit’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are committed to our low-cost, low-fare strategy and to providing value for our customers and our shareholders.”

Revenue Performance

For the first quarter 2013, Spirit’s total operating revenue was $370.4 million, an increase of 22.9 percent, compared to first quarter 2012.

Total revenue per available seat mile (“RASM”) for the first quarter 2013 was 11.85 cents, an increase of 1.7 percent compared to the first quarter 2012 driven by strength in operating yields. The calendar shift of Easter occurring in March this year compared to April in 2012 contributed to the strong first quarter 2013 results.

Passenger flight segment (“PFS”) volume grew 17.8 percent year-over-year in the first quarter 2013. Average non-ticket revenue per PFS for the first quarter 2013 increased 5.9 percent year-over-year to $54.75 and average ticket revenue per PFS for the quarter increased 3.2 percent year-over-year to $79.09. The growth in non-ticket revenue per PFS during the first quarter 2013 was primarily driven by the introduction of advance purchase restrictions on bags as well as other various changes in our pricing structure for optional services.

Cost Performance

Total operating expenses in the first quarter 2013 increased 21.4 percent year-over-year to $320.8 million on a capacity increase of 20.8 percent.

Cost per available seat mile excluding special items and fuel (“Adjusted CASM ex-fuel”) for the first quarter 2013 was 6.04 cents, up 0.8 percent year-over-year. The increase in Adjusted CASM ex-fuel was primarily driven by depreciation and amortization expense related to amortization of heavy maintenance events. Due to an increased number of severe winter storms during the quarter, the Company experienced a higher number of weather-related flight cancellations compared to the same period last year. The CASM pressure associated with the resulting decrease in ASMs as well as other weather-related expenses such as higher deicing expense, also contributed to the increase in Adjusted CASM ex-fuel. The impact of these items was partially offset by efficiency benefits resulting in lower labor expense per ASM, lower distribution expense per ASM, and an increase in average stage length.

Selected Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Items

As of March 31, 2013, Spirit had $483.5 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, no restricted cash, no debt on its balance sheet, and total shareholders’ equity of $614.8 million.

During the first quarter 2013, Spirit incurred capital expenditures of $10.6 million, which includes the purchase of a spare engine that was financed under a sale leaseback transaction after it was delivered. The Company paid $15.1 million in pre-delivery deposits (“PDPs”) for future deliveries of aircraft, and paid $6.8 million in maintenance reserves, net of reimbursements.

Fleet

In the first quarter 2013, Spirit took delivery of two used A319 aircraft and two new A320 aircraft, ending the quarter with 49 aircraft in its fleet. Spirit’s March A320 aircraft delivery was the carrier’s first aircraft to be delivered with sharklets. The Company has five additional new A320 aircraft with sharklets scheduled for delivery in 2013.

Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum. Spirit Airlines will phase out its last two Airbus A321s (N587NK and N588NK) in 2017 on the expiration of the leases. Airbus A321-231 N588NK (msn 2590) in the old 2004 livery arrives at Las Vegas.

Spirit Airlines:

Lufthansa cancels most of its flights tomorrow due to the strike by the Verdi union

Lufthansa (Frankfurt) will be impacted heavily tomorrow due to a strike by the Verdi union which represents around 33,000 of its employees. The airline is pre-canceling almost 1700 flights. Only a few flights will operate. The airline has issued this statement:

The Lufthansa Group’s flight operations will be considerably restricted on Monday April 22, 2013 as a result of the planned warning strike by the Verdi trade union.

Due to the announced strike actions on Monday, April 22, nearly all Lufthansa flights within Germany and Europe will be cancelled. Only a select few short-haul flights will operate on Monday, such as in Berlin, where strike actions should end by 2:30 pm CET. In all, only 20 of the 1,650 planned Lufthansa short-haul flights on Monday will operate due to the limited flight schedule.

In addition to the cancellations in Germany and Europe, massive flight cancellations and delays are to be expected for long-haul flights beginning Sunday April, 21. Of the 50 planned flights in Frankfurt, only six will operate; in Munich, of the 17 planned flights, only three will operate; whereas, in Dusseldorf all three long-haul flights are scheduled to operate as planned.

Flights operated by Germanwings will not be affected.

Lufthansa regrets any inconvenience to Lufthansa passengers caused by the threatened strike measures by ver.di and will do its utmost to minimise impacts on passengers. Passenger support and service has paramount priority.

Passengers are kindly asked to please check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport. Passengers for flights that will take place please calculate extra time at the airport.

An overview of currently cancelled flights can be found here:

Cancelled flights

Read the full news report by Reuters: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Nik French. The new Lufthansa 1955 retrojet is this Airbus A321-231 registered as D-AIDV (msn 5413) captured nicely at Manchester.

Lufthansa:

Spirit Airlines reports 4th consecutive profitable year and record full-year 2012 net income

Spirit Airlines, Inc. (Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood) reported fourth quarter 2012 and full year 2012 financial results.

Net income for the fourth quarter 2012 was $19.5 million, or $0.27 per diluted share. Results for the fourth quarter and full year 2012 include an estimated $25 million negative revenue impact ($24 million pre-tax income, $15 million after tax) from Hurricane Sandy.
Adjusted CASM ex-fuel for the fourth quarter 2012 decreased 2.5 percent year-over-year. See “Reconciliation of Adjusted CASM ex-fuel to CASM” table below for more details.
Net income, excluding special items, for the full year 2012 was a record $103.8 million, or $1.43 per diluted share¹. GAAP net income for the full year 2012 was a record $108.5 million, or $1.49 per diluted share.
For the fourth quarter 2012, Spirit achieved an operating margin, excluding special items, of 9.7 percent (15.8 percent adjusted for Hurricane Sandy)¹. For the full year 2012, Spirit’s operating margin, excluding special items, was 12.6 percent (14.2 percent adjusted for Hurricane Sandy). Operating margin on a GAAP basis was 9.7 percent and 13.2 percent for the fourth quarter and full year 2012, respectively.
Spirit ended 2012 with $416.8 million in unrestricted cash.
Spirit’s return on invested capital (before taxes and excluding special items) was 26.5 percent (28.8 percent adjusted for Hurricane Sandy) for the year ended December 31, 2012. See “Calculation for Return on Invested Capital” table below for more details.

“2012 was a very exciting year for Spirit. We successfully grew our business, delivered strong financial results and remained committed to our low-cost, low-fare strategy. This low-cost, low-fare strategy helped us to achieve among the highest margins in the industry,” said Ben Baldanza, Spirit’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “I want to thank and congratulate our team members that contributed to our success.”

Revenue Performance

For the fourth quarter 2012, Spirit’s total operating revenue was $328.3 million, an increase of 19.8 percent, compared to fourth quarter 2011.

Total revenue per available seat mile (“RASM”) for the fourth quarter 2012 was 11.10 cents, a decrease of 6.6 percent compared to the fourth quarter 2011 due to the negative revenue impact from Hurricane Sandy and a 5.3 percent increase in average stage length.

Passenger flight segment (“PFS”) volume grew 22.0 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter 2012 with average non-ticket revenue per PFS for the fourth quarter 2012 increasing 9.4 percent year-over-year to $52.73 and average ticket revenue per PFS for the quarter decreasing 8.6 percent year-over-year to $71.30. The growth in non-ticket revenue per PFS was primarily driven by a passenger usage fee increase implemented late in the fourth quarter of 2011.

For the full year 2012, total operating revenue increased 23.1 percent to $1.3 billion compared to the same period last year on a 21.3 percent increase in available seat miles.

Cost Performance

Total operating expenses in the fourth quarter 2012 were $296.3 million, an increase of 25.6 percent compared to the same period in 2011. The increase in operating expenses was primarily driven by fuel and other expenses associated with additional available seat miles (“capacity”) which grew by 28.3 percent year-over-year.

Cost per available seat mile excluding special items and fuel (“Adjusted CASM ex-fuel”) for the fourth quarter 2012 decreased 2.5 percent year-over-year to 5.93 cents. Primary drivers of the decrease included lower labor expense per ASM year-over-year due to lower unit overhead costs, lower distribution expense per ASM as a result of a decrease in credit card fees, and an increase in average stage length. These benefits were partially offset by start-up costs related to Spirit’s seat maintenance program of $1.4 million during the fourth quarter 2012, bringing the total start-up costs related to this program to $6.8 million, and higher depreciation and amortization expense related to amortization of heavy maintenance events.

Total operating expense for the full year 2012 was $1.1 billion, up 23.5 percent as compared to the full year 2011, largely driven by fuel and other expenses associated with capacity increasing by 21.3 percent year-over-year.

Selected Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Items

As of December 31, 2012, Spirit had $416.8 million in unrestricted cash and cash equivalents, no restricted cash, no debt on its balance sheet, and total shareholders’ equity of $582.5 million.

During the fourth quarter 2012, Spirit incurred capital expenditures of $2.1 million, paid $5.8 million in pre-delivery deposits (“PDPs”) for future deliveries of aircraft, net of reimbursements, and paid $2.1 million in maintenance reserves, net of reimbursements.

Fleet

Spirit ended 2012 with 45 aircraft in its fleet. The Company has nine aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2013, including seven new Airbus A320 aircraft and two used A319s.

Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum. Spirit Airlines is expected to retire its last two Airbus A321s (N587NK and N588NK) in 2017. Both are not expected to be repainted in the new colors. A321-231 N587NK (msn 2476) climbs away from the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood hub.

Spirit Airlines:

WSJ: American-US Airways merger is in the final stages, could come before February 15

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) and US Airways (Phoenix) continue to negotiate a very delicate merger proposal that could fall apart at any time. Negotiators are rushing to meet a February 15 deadline according to this report by the Wall Street Journal. The proposal, according to their sources, would be a stock deal with AMR’s creditors holding 72 percent of the new company and US Airways stockholders holding the other 28 percent. US Airways’ Doug Parker would take control of the “new American”. Still to be resolved, what role will American’s CEO Tom Horton play?

This merger, if approved, will create the world’s largest airline.

Read the full article: CLICK HERE

Read the analysis of a prospective AA-US merger by the WSJ: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: James Helbock. With US Airways’ CEO Doug Parker taking control, was the American new livery approved by Doug? Will this new brand survive the takeover? The first Boeing 737-800, 737-823 N908NN (msn 39238), taxies to the runway at San Diego.

American Airlines:

US Airways:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Jay Selman. The US Airways’ 2005 livery and brand will be phased out in any merger. Airbus A321-231 N535UW (msn 3993) climbs away from the runway at the Charlotte hub.