Alitalia (2nd) (Rome) yesterday (December 15) began new service from Rome (Fiumicino), Milan (Linate) and Venice to Berlin (Tegel) and Dusseldorf. The first Alitalia flights to the two German cities took off from Milan Linate Airport at 6.30 am (flight AZ 418 to Dusseldorf) and 6:35 am (flight AZ 406 to Berlin), while the new flights from Rome and Venice departed later in the day.
The new daily service to Berlin and Dusseldorf will operate, for the winter season, with an Embraer 175 aircraft configured in two classes of service: “Ottima” โ Alitaliaโs business class on international flights, and “Classica”, the economy class. During the summer season, which will begin in March 2015, these routes will be operated with higher capacity aircraft.
The new service between Italy and Germany is very important for Alitalia from a strategic point of view. With the introduction of the new flights to Berlin and Dusseldorf, Alitalia will offer 370,000 more seats to Germany in 2015, an increase of +66%, compared to 2014, expanding its network, which was limited to flights from Rome to Munich and from Rome and Milan Linate to Frankfurt.
All new flights launched are in codeshare with Airberlin, the second largest German airline, in accordance with the codeshare agreement between the two companies launched on October 26, 2014.
Copyright Photo: Rolf Wallner/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) EI-RDC (msn 17000333) taxies at Zurich.
Alitalia aircraft slide show:ย 
Airberlin (Berlin) following in its tradition, yesterday (November 27) launched its 2014 Christmas special livery on Boeing 737-86J D-ABML (msn 37773). The airline has also announced a “spotter contest”. The airline issued this statement:
Boeing 737-800 bearing the code D-ABML entered into service as the 2014 Christmas aircraft, and can be found flying around the Airberlin route network. The elaborate motif is the work of illustrator Thies Schwarz. โThis was the biggest picture I’ve ever done,โ said Schwarz in reference to the challenge of creating the 2.3 m tall, 18.7 m long motif. In the place of the usual airberlin lettering, the fuselage is festooned with a Christmas landscape, and below it reads the Airberlin Christmas motto: โFlying home for Christmasโ. The windows of the aircraft also serve as the windows of the houses in the scene. โI’m looking forward to the impact it will have in the dark: once the windows are lit, the Christmas spirit can really unfold,โ says Schwarz.
The aircraft decorated in Christmas livery was greeted at Terminal C of Berlin’s Tegel Airport with a special surprise: within seconds, departure gates 44 and 45 turned into a winter wonderland with Christmas trees, a merry-go-round for children and snowflakes. airberlin staff dressed as Christmas angels and elves handed out mulled wine and chocolate hearts to the 700 guests in Terminal C before the Christmas aircraft took off at 5 pm for Stockholm.
โThe 2014 Christmas aircraft continues an Airberlin tradition that goes back to 2011. A digital Christmas plane on our website in 2010 led to many guests calling for a real Christmas aircraft. The annual presentation of the unusual aircraft also marks the start of our Christmas festivities. Airberlin passengers can look forward to special festive snacks on board: gingerbread or Lebkuchen (a traditional German cake) and 1,240,000 Christmas-edition chocolate hearts. On Airberlin flights within Germany or to Austria and Switzerland, as well as in the waiting areas in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and Vienna we will be inviting our passengers for a glass of mulled wine from 4 pm; we will be pouring a total of 7,100 litres over the Christmas season. As for food, the Sansibar restaurant classic ‘duck in orange sauce with a seasonally stuffed baked apple, potato dumplings and red cabbage’ is also especially popular in the winter months: the dish is ordered close to 2,000 times between October and March,โ says Aage Dรผnhaupt, SVP of Communications at Airberlin.
Airberlin’s social media channels are also buzzing with the Christmas spirit: from Facebook, to Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, Airberlin is making the most of all channels to spread the festive cheer with exciting offers. For example, on the prize-winning Instagram page with more than 13,000 followers, users can upload a Christmas photo with the hashtag #flyinghomeforchristmas for a chance to win free flights. Fans will also have the chance to win flights on Facebook through a worldwide search for Santa.
Photos: Airberlin.
Airberlin Group (Airberlin and Niki) (Berlin) has issued this statement:
The Airberlin Group has equipped the first two aircraft in its fleet with the new ‘airberlin connect’ Wi-Fi service. The two Airbus A320s, registered D-ABNJ and OE-LEL, now boast a Wi-Fi system from Panasonic Avionics Corporation, so passengers can access the internet with their own smartphone, tablet or laptop during the flight.
In addition, passengers on short and medium-haul flights will enjoy an entertainment offering with TV series, movies and music available for streaming to their own device with the new Wi-Fi service. Passengers will be able to choose their own personal entertainment from more than 180 hours of media. On long-haul routes, passengers will continue to enjoy the RAVE in-seat entertainment system.
The first two aircraft equipped with Airberlin connect will service the new Stuttgart-Abu Dhabi and Vienna-Abu Dhabi routes. The first flight from Stuttgart to Abu Dhabi takes off on December 1, 2014, bringing in-flight internet to passengers on this route for the first time. On the new Vienna-Abu Dhabi connection from Austrian subsidiary Niki, passengers will be able to use the new on-board Wi-Fi service as early as November 24, 2014.
Airberlin offers various time and data packages for airberlin connect: for just 4.90 euros, passengers get online above the clouds for 30 minutes, including 20 MB of data.
An hour of internet access, including 50 MB of data, costs 8.90 euros. The price includes use of the entertainment selection, which is available for the entire duration of the flight at no additional cost, even after the package time or data limits are used up. Passengers who wish to be online during an entire medium-haul flight can select the 13.90 euro package, which includes 90 MB of data, while the Full Flight Package for long-haul flights costs 18.90 euros, and includes 120 MB of data. Packages can be conveniently paid by credit card via the web browser on passengers’ own mobile device or laptop.
On the new Stuttgart-Abu Dhabi and Vienna-Abu Dhabi connections, passengers can enjoy the entertainment offered by Airberlin connect free of charge. Internet access during the entire flight to or from Abu Dhabi on these routes costs just 13.90 euros, including 90 MB of data.
Airberlin plans to complete equipping its fleet within three years.
Copyright Photo: Andi Hiltl/AirlinersGallery.com. Niki’s Airbus A320-214 OE-LEL (msn 2668) wears the former colors of OLT Express at Zurich.
Airberlin aircraft slide show:ย 
Niki aircraft slide show:ย
Ryanair’s (Dublin) flamboyant CEO expects his ultra low fare airline will benefit from pullbacks by some European carriers. O’Leary believes Scandinavian Airlines-SAS, Alitalia and Airberlin are carriers he expects to either shrink or merge according to this article by The Irish Times.
O’Leary also believes Aer Lingus (Ryanair owns a minority share), Iberia, Olympic Airlines and TAP Portugal also will face either cutbacks or consolidation.
O’Leary has also signed a contract extension with Ryanair through September 2019.
Read the full story: CLICK HERE
Airberlin (airberlin.com) (Berlin-Tegel) is planning to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with three Bombarider Q400 special flights over the city of Berlin on November 8:
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Airberlin is offering three sightseeing flights over Berlin during the evening of November 8, tracing the course of the former Wall. The flights are being conducted using a Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) with a seating capacity of 76 and will operate between 5.30 p.m. and 8.30 p.m. from Berlin-Tegel Airport. They are accorded flight numbers AB 1989, AB 1990 and AB 1991, thus evoking the year of the fall of the Wall, the year of reunification, and the year of the relaunch of Airberlin as a German airline following the watershed events. From the particularly low flying altitude of approximately 1,000 meters (3,000 feet), the special flight passengers will be able to view the 15-kilometer-long โilluminated borderโ made up of 8,000 luminous balloons stretching from Bornholmer Strasse to the Oberbaum Bridge. The light installation will illuminate a section of the former course of the Wall from ย November 7-9. An experienced city guide will accompany the special flights and narrate the history of the divided city of Berlin.
On the ground, too, Airberlin is represented within a section of the โilluminated borderโ at the East Side Gallery. In keeping with the airlineโs anniversary, 35 balloon sponsorships were raffled via its social media channels, on its website, via international media and among staff. The sponsors will be present in person along this stretch during the evening of November 9 to release their helium-filled balloon from its mooring and, thus, to gradually give wings to the โilluminated borderโ.
A further highlight on the afternoon of November 9 is to be the painting of two original sections of the Wall for Airberlin by the well-known French artist Thierry Noir. As early as in 1990, the artist designed sections of the East Side Gallery, nowadays considered protected monuments. Thierry Noir will complete work on the 3.6-meter-tall T-shaped sections live on the spot. The sections of the Wall will then be exhibited at the Berlin-Tegel Airport for a period of six months.
The fall of the Wall is synonymous with a specific milestone in the 35-year history of Airberlin: while Germany was divided, only airlines of Allied nations were permitted to fly to West Berlin. Thus Airberlin, founded as an American charter airline named Air Berlin USA, was able to offer flights from West Berlin from 1979. Upon German reunification, the situation changed radically and Airberlin lost its air traffic rights. Only upon relaunch as a German airline in 1991 were the foundations laid for continued development to the status of the second largest German airline.
Tickets for the special flights are available online at airberlin.com/fallofthewall at a price of 99 euros per person and can also be reserved around the clock via the companyโs Service Center by calling +49 (0)30/3434 3434 (local rates apply).
In other news, on October 26 Airberlin started flying to Milan’s downtown Linate Airport as previously reported. Airberlin issued this statement:
Since Sunday, October 26, 2014 all Airberlin Group flights have been taking off and landing at Milan Linate airport. The crew of flight AB 8406 from Dusseldorf, Alitalia employees and Airberlin ground crew greeted the first flights with an official “Benvenuto Linate”. The codeshare agreement between the Airberlin Group and Alitalia allows the airlines to offer their passengers a total of all the 412 nonstop flights of Airberlin, Niki and Alitalia between Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy under a joint flight number.
Additionally Airberlin increased service on the Berlin-Abu Dhabi route:
Airberlin now operates two flights a day between the German capital and Abu Dhabi. On Sunday, October 26, Captain Christoph Runge and his crew manned the first of these doubled-frequency flights. At 11:30 o’clock, the Airbus A330-200 took off from Berlin-Tegel Airport with 226 passengers and 10 crew members on board with destination of Abu Dhabi.
Finally in other news, Airberlin plans to cut another 200 administrative and ground staff in 2015. As previously mentioned Airberlin will continue to phase out its Boeing 737s and go to an All Airbus fleet.
Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Operated by LGW, Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) D-ABQH (msn 4256) arrives at Zurich.
Airberlin (Germany) Aircraft Slide Show:ย
Air Berlin USA Slide Show:
http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Air-Berlin-USA
Alitalia (2nd) (Rome) in a cost-cutting measure following the 49 percent investment by Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi), will terminate 879 ground crew employees, 61 pilots and 54 flight attendants according to Ria Novosti citing a report by the Italian news agency Adnkronos. The cut employees will begin receiving notice on October 31. Previously the beleaguered carrier had already eliminated 700 positions through through resignations or retirements.
Read the full report: CLICK HERE
In other news, with these employee cuts, Alitalia will also trim its fleet. According to ch-aviation, partner Airberlin (Berlin) will add 14 ex-Alitalia Airbus A320s as it goes to an all-Airbus fleet.
Finally the carrier issued the details about its winter schedule that started on October 26:
On Sunday, October 26, Alitaliaโs schedule for the winter season 2014-2015 took effect with validity through March 28, 2015.
The schedule will operate 3,650 weekly flights on 124 routes (7 more than the 2013-2014 winter season) and 83 destinations, of which 26 in Italy and 57 destinations in 41 other countries worldwide.
The main highlights of Alitaliaโs winter network are:
โข the launch of new daily direct flights between Rome and Marseilles reinforcing Alitaliaโs offer between Italy and France, and new service to Skopje (Macedonia) and Marrakech (Morocco) launched in recent months;
โข the launch of a code share agreement between Alitalia and Airberlin, second largest German airline, making available 412 weekly direct Alitalia and Airberlin code shared flights between Italy and Germany, Austria and Switzerland, as well as many Airberlin domestic flight and Alitalia domestic and international flights;
โข the launch of flights replacing Air One Smart Carrier discontinued service between Pisa and Catania and between Milan Malpensa and Tunis;
โข the commitment to providing continued and increased service to Albania with a total of 96 flights to Tirana from 8 Italian airports: Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, Pisa, Bologna, Bari, Turin, Venice and Genoa;
โข an increase in the intercontinental network compared to the winter season 2013-2014 with the addition of frequencies to Brazil (+1 weekly frequency to Rio de Janeiro and +3 frequencies to Sao Paulo) and the increase of frequencies between Rome and Abu Dhabi (+2 weekly frequencies).
โข on the international network, compared to 2013-2014, there will be an increase of service between London City and Milan Linate, between Tirana and Rome (+6 weekly frequencies), from Rome to Tel Aviv and Bucharest (+3 weekly frequencies), from Rome to Madrid (+2 frequencies), to Zurich, Toulouse, Athens, Prague (+1 frequency) and from Milan Linate to Frankfurt (+2 weekly);
โข on the domestic network, compared to the winter season 2013-2014, increased service from Milan Linate Airport to Pescara (+5 weekly frequencies) and introduction of flights between Rome Fiumicino and Alghero in territorial continuity;
โข continued service, in territorial continuity, from Lampedusa to Palermo and Catania and Palermo to Pantelleria and Trapani to provide the citizens of Lampedusa and Pantelleria reliable and consistent connections to Sicily, the rest of Italy and international and intercontinental destinations within Alitaliaโs network;
During the month of September 2014, Alitalia transported 2,273,629 passengers, an increase of 0.5% compared to the same period last year.
In addition, the load factor in September reached 82.6% (+3.2 percentage points compared to September 2013).
In September flights to and from Rome Fiumicino hub recorded a load factor of 85.8%, 4.4 percentage points higher than in September 2013. This result is especially guided by the increase by 1% on transit passengers in Rome airport with a load factor increase of 2.9 percentage points on connecting flights to and from Fiumicino.
Early October figures confirm the growth trend: in 22 days of October domestic routes from Rome Fiumicino recorded a +5,8% increase in passengers and an average load factor of 79.4% (+2 percentage points compared to 2013).
Positive results also on the routes served by the Milan Linate airport, in the first 22 days of October, which showed an increase in passengers by 3.8% and an average load factor of 70.2% (+3.4 percentage points compared 2013).
Copyright Photo: Jacques Guillem/AirlinersGallery.com.ย In April 2014 Alitalia introduced this “Discover Friuli Venezia Giulia” Airbus A319 logo jet in support of the Colibri (Hummingbird). Friuli Venezia Giulia is the only region in Italy where the endangered Hummingbird maintains a natural habitat. A319-112 EI-IMI (msn 1745) taxies past the camera at Paris (Orly).
Alitalia (2nd) Aircraft Slide Show:ย
Airberlin (airberlin.com) (Berlin) is dropping the Berlin (Tegel)-Miami route on May 4, 2015 per Airline Route. The airline was planning to continue the route through next summer but this has now apparently changed. It is uncertain if the route will be added back for the following prime winter season. Airberlin was also feeding Oneworld partner American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) at the Miami hub.
Airberlin is adding frequencies to the New York (JFK) and Los Angeles routes.
Copyright Photo: Luimer Cordero/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330-223 D-ABXA (msn 288) in the Oneworld motif arrives at Miami International Airport (MIA).
Airberlin:ย
Lufthansa (Frankfurt) has announced it will drop its daily route from Frankfurt to Abu Dhabi, the home of Etihad Airways. The route will be dropped on March 29, 2015. The German airline has been getting increased price competition from Etihad and its partner Airberlin (Berlin) on the route.
The route is operated with Airbus A330-300s.
Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330-343 D-AIKJ (msn 701) arrives at Washington’s Dulles International Airport.
Lufthansa Aircraft Slide Show:ย
Airberlin (Berlin-Tegel) and Alitalia (2nd) (Rome) have signed an extensive codeshare agreement. The agreement covers allย 412 weekly nonstop flights between Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy for this winter season.ย Etihad Airways has a 29.21 percent stake in Airberlin and a 49 percent stake in the revamped Alitalia.
Airberlin has issued this statement:
Airberlin, Germanyโs second largest airline and Alitalia, Italyโs leading carrier, have signed a codeshare agreement to offer more choice and greater convenience to their guests. All of Airberlinโs and Alitaliaโs 412 weekly nonstop flights between Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy will be codeshare flights effective this winter season.
As of October 26, Airberlinโs three daily flights from Dusseldorf and double daily flights from Berlin-Tegel will operate into Milan-Linate instead of Malpensa. Furthermore, the three daily flights from Vienna operated by Niki (Vienna), the Austrian airline which is part of the Airberlin group, will be directed to Linate as well.
The partners also agreed on selective codeshares beyond their home hubs. For instance Alitalia will place its โAZโ code on some of Airberlinโs domestic flights such as from Munich to Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Berlin. At the same time Airberlin will place its โABโ code on selected domestic and international Alitalia flights via Rome and Milan-Linate to, for example, Naples, Brindisi, Reggio Calabria, Alghero, Cairo or Malta as well as on some of Alitaliaโs long haul flights to South America such as Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. All codeshare flights will be published in the reservation systems by October 20, 2014 for flights commencing October 26, 2014. Codesharing on Alitaliaโs long-haul connections will commence after regulatory approval.
Besides the new codeshare services and more convenient flight connections, Airberlin and Alitalia have signed a frequent flyer agreement which allows their guests to earn and redeem bonus miles on the entire route network of both airlines on a reciprocal basis for flights starting on or after November 1, 2014.
The cooperation of Airberlin and Alitalia is a result of long-term planning over the last couple of years and also of more liberal alliance governance which permits partnerships across alliances borders. Both, Airberlin and Alitalia will remain members of oneworldยฎ and Skyteam respectively. Further synergies will arise from optimized aircraft rotation and avoidance of expensive overnight aircraft stops.
Top Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Airberlin’sย Airbus A320-214 D-ABFK (msn 4433) in the special Fan Force One Bitburger touches down in Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg (EuroAirport).
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Alitalia (2nd):ย
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Airberlin Aircraft Slide Show:
http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-1/Airlines-Europe-1/Airberlin-Air-Berlin
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