Tag Archives: Airbus

Frontier to start nonstop Durango-Las Vegas twice-weekly service on October 4

Frontier Airlines (2nd) (Denver) today announced new nonstop service between Durango, Colorado and Las Vegas, Nevada beginning on October 4, 2012. The twice weekly nonstop service will operate using 138-seat Airbus A319 aircraft.

Following are schedules for the new service:

Durango – Las Vegas (beginning Oct. 4, 2012)

Route

Departs

Arrives

Frequency

Aircraft

LAS-DRO

5:59 p.m.

8:14 p.m.

Thur/Sun

A319

DRO-LAS

8:54 p.m.

9:09 p.m.

Thur/Sun

A319

In other news, Frontier Airlines today also announced it will extend its nonstop seasonal service between Pennsylvania’s Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) and its Denver International Airport (DEN) hub through October 27, 2012. The carrier first launched the three weekly flights on May 24, 2012.

Following are schedules for the extended Harrisburg service:

Harrisburg-Denver (Sept. 7 – Oct. 27, 2012)

Route

Departs

Arrives

Frequency

Aircraft

DEN-MDT

4:40 p.m.

9:55 p.m.

Wed, Fri, Sun

A319

MDT-DEN

9:47 a.m.

11:37 a.m.

Mon, Thur, Sat

A319

Frontier:

US Airways announces a new code share agreement with Croatia Airlines

US Airways (Phoenix) and Croatia Airlines (Zagreb) today (June 27) announced a new bilateral codeshare agreement after receiving approval from the Croatian Civil Aviation Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). US Airways’ customers will enjoy expanded service to destinations in Croatia and the convenience of a single-ticket purchase for a seamless travel experience. Customers traveling on Croatia Airlines will also receive expanded access to the United States.

US Airways customers will be able to connect to Zagreb on Croatia Airlines flights from Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, London-Heathrow, Munich and Zurich. Equally, Croatia Airlines’ customers traveling from Zagreb will have access to US Airways’ East Coast hubs of Charlotte and Philadelphia when traveling from these European destinations. Croatia Airlines will also add its code on US Airways flights from Philadelphia to Cleveland, Detroit and St. Louis. In the future, US Airways and Croatia Airlines intend to expand their relationship to include flights to and from Dubrovnik and Split.

Top Copyright Photo: Jay Selman.

US Airways:

Croatia Airlines:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Keith Burton.

IndiGo performs the first RNP approach into Kochi, India’s first

IndiGo Airlines (Delhi) on June 24 conducted the first ever Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approach in regular airline operations, while landing at Kochi on their scheduled flight, 6E 345 from Bengaluru. IndiGo has collaborated with Quovadis, a subsidiary of Airbus, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to enable an even more secure and safe landing procedure at the Kochi International Airport. IndiGo becomes the first carrier in India authorized to implement this effective, fuel-saving practice. The Kochi International Airport is India’s seventh busiest airport, and equipped with one ILS (Instrument Landing System) on runway 27 and a VOR (both ground based installations) that are used for guidance for landing procedures on both ends of the runway.

IndiGo has been working with Airbus and the government to develop and implement the RNP procedure, which brings great benefits to both the authorities and IndiGo:

Accurate flight path on contained and secure trajectories
A shorter flight path, saving 75 KM for IndiGo on each approach, which is approximately 400 kgs of fuel saving per landing, and a corresponding amount of reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
Freedom from dependence on conventional ground based navigation installations by using on board systems and Global Positioning System (satellite based positioning)
Easier traffic management in non-radar environments

The entire process that has been successfully validated on Airbus simulators and in the aircraft, has now been flown successfully in regular commercial operations by IndiGo on its Airbus A320 on June 23, 2012.

IndiGo:

Current Route Map:

Please click on the map to expand.

Vueling Airlines celebrates 50 million passengers

Vueling Airlines (Vueling.com) (Barcelona) has now flown over 50 million passengers. To celebrate this milestone, the airline previously asked for help in preparing its first ever mid-air photography exhibition named the Vueling Air Gallery.

Vueling has now decorated one of its Airbus A320s with a selection of winning Instagram photos of Vueling destinations submitted by its passengers.

The 50 photos were chosen by a panel of judges and became a part of the Vueling Air Gallery book, which will now travel to all the Vueling destinations on board this aircraft. Each winner received a free roundtrip flight to any Vueling destination from their nearest airport.

Copyright Photo: Javier Rodriguez. Airbus A320-214 EC-JZQ (msn 992) departs today from Palma de Mallorca with the word “¡gracias!” on the fuselage formed using the winning photos. “Thanks” is also displayed on the right side.

Vueling Airlines:

Hot New Photos:

LAN acquires TAM, becomes the LATAM Airlines Group

LAN Airlines S.A. (Santiago) (which has been renamed LATAM Airlines Group S.A.) and TAM S.A. (Sao Paulo) on June 22 completed their exchange offer. The acquisition has created the LATAM Airlines Group S.A. LATAM Airlines Group S.A. will offer passengers more flights to more destinations than any other affiliated group of airlines in South America, initially reaching about 150 destinations in 22 countries and transporting cargo to 169 destinations in 27 countries.

As previously announced, the transaction was carried out through an exchange offer in which TAM’s shareholders could elect to exchange their TAM shares for LAN shares at a ratio of 0.9 LAN shares for each TAM share. The offered LAN shares will be delivered in the form of BDRs (Brazilian Depositary Receipts) in Brazil and ADRs (American Depositary Receipts) in the United States. The exchange offer, which was materialized with the auction on June 22, 2012, was subject to the condition that more than 2/3 of the TAM shares that participate in the offer agree with the deregistration of TAM as a public company in Brazil. This delisting condition was satisfied when 99.9% of the participant shares agreed with TAM’s deregistration. The tendered shares together with the TAM shares committed by the TAM Controlling Shareholders represented 95.9% of the total outstanding shares of TAM.

According to this report by Reuters, LATAM Airlines will decide within the next six months which airline alliance it will stay with. Currently LAN is a member of the OneWorld alliance, while TAM belongs to Star Alliance.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: Alvaro Romero.

LAN Airlines:

TAM Linhas Aereas:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Marcelo F. De Biasi.

Avianca and TACA Airlines join the Star Alliance

Avianca (Colombia) (Bogota) and TACA Airlines (San Salvador) yesterday (June 21) announced their official entry into the Star Alliance. The airline network is the world´s largest in terms of daily flights, route network, service excellence and number of airline members.

After two years of work in the approval process and with the adoption of the highest standards of operation and service, Avianca and TACA Airlines now offer passengers the opportunity to access this global network, which brings together 28 internationally renowned airlines. It operates more than 4,200 latest generation aircraft, servicing 21,500 daily flights to 1,356 airports in 193 countries.

Star Alliance, with 15 years of experience (since 1997) is recognized as the first truly global airline alliance. Consistent with its goal of offering customers worldwide the largest number of destinations and a great travel experience, it now offers exclusive services and assistance to frequent flyers in 990 airport lounges on all five continents. It has the support of nearly half a million employees in America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

The Alliance transports an average of 650 million passengers per year and has sales revenues of USD 160bn.

The combined Star Alliance network will provide Avianca and TACA Airlines an opportunity to strengthen their presence in Latin America and the Caribbean in general. Passengers of the global network can quickly and seamlessly fly to over 50 destinations in the region through Avianca and TACA Airlines Hubs in Bogota (Colombia), San Salvador (El Salvador), Lima (Peru) and San Jose (Costa Rica).

Top Copyright Photo: Jay Selman.

Avianca (Colombia):

TACA:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough.

WestJet and China Eastern Airlines launch a code-share partnership

WestJet Airlines (Calgary) has announced it has entered into a code-share agreement with China Eastern Airlines (Shanghai). Tickets are on sale for flights starting on July 1, 2012.

This code-share agreement allows China Eastern Airlines to market and distribute WestJet-operated flights by placing its “MU” flight indicator on WestJet-operated flights within North America.

In addition to China Eastern Airlines, WestJet has code-share agreements with American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines, KLM and Korean Air.

Top Copyright Photo: Gilbert Hechema.

Search:

WestJet:

China Eastern:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing.

EasyJet to close the Madrid base this winter

EasyJet (easyJet.com) (UK) (London) due to poor financial returns, has announced it will close its Madrid base with the start of the Winter 2012/2013 Schedule.

Today the company issued the following statement:

“EasyJet today announced that after a thorough review of its Madrid operations it proposes to cease basing crew and aircraft at Madrid from Winter 2012/13. EasyJet intends to continue to serve Spain but to do so differently by moving its aircraft to other EasyJet bases around its European network which will deliver higher returns for the airline.

The Madrid base is delivering returns below all of easyJet’s other bases. This is due to a combination of over capacity in the Spanish airline market, leading to low revenue per passenger, combined with high airport charges which have more than doubled in the last two years and will be subject to further above inflation increases in the coming years.

EasyJet remains committed to Spain, including Madrid, and will continue to fly to and from Spain out of its bases across Europe. While EasyJet proposes to reduce its capacity to and from Madrid by around 20% in the next financial year, the reduction to and from Spain will be 7%. After the proposed changes EasyJet expects to carry over 12 million passengers to and from Spain next year.

70% of passengers on easyJet’s Spanish flights start their journey from other parts of Europe and demand from these passengers remains strong. Madrid based customers will also continue to benefit from easyJet’s services after the proposed transfer as easyJet will operate to Madrid from many of Europe’s most popular cities. EasyJet operates over 200 aircraft across 23 bases in the UK and mainland Europe.

The airline is now reviewing a range of options for its eight Madrid based aircraft and 310 crew. All of EasyJet’s pilots and cabin crew in Madrid will be offered a job in the airline’s other bases and easyJet hopes to retain as many of its people as possible. EasyJet will discuss the proposal with the easyJet European Works Council and the local employee representatives as appropriate.

Any restructuring costs arising out of this proposal will be accounted for in the current financial year. The market price of jet fuel has fallen since EasyJet’s outlook statement set out in its Half Year Results statement of May 9, 2012. Assuming the current fuel price environment continues for the remainder of the year, the benefit from lower fuel prices should fully offset any restructuring costs. Consequently management expectations for profit before tax for the financial year ending September 30, 2012 remain unchanged.

EasyJet expects its capacity to increase by around 5% in the year ending September 2012, compared to 2011, and to continue to grow in the next financial year. EasyJet’s strategy of low fares and our focus on making it easy for our customers, aligned with tight cost management and strictly managed allocation of capital, ensures that easyJet is well positioned to deliver good results for shareholders.”

EasyJet (UK):

Ryanair makes a new bid to take control of Aer Lingus

Ryanair (Dublin) has made another attempt to acquire a controlling share of rival Aer Lingus (Dublin). The ultra low-fare carrier which already owns slightly under 30 percent of the current Aer Lingus stock is offering a premium price of 1.30 euros a share, a 38 percent premium according to this report by Reuters. If Ryanair is successful in becoming the majority owner, the acquisition of the stock would still be subject to approval by the European Commission which in 2007 blocked a previous attempt by Ryanair due to concerns about the lack in competition in the Irish market if a transaction was approved.

Meanwhile Aer Lingus has told its shareholders to do nothing and to hold on to their shares. Will a quick profit tempt many stockholders?

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth.

Ryanair:

Aer Lingus:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Jay Selman.

JetBlue Airways becomes first FAA-Certified carrier to fly Special (Non-Public) RNP AR Approaches with Airbus A320s at New York’s JFK Airport

JetBlue Airways (New York) today (June 20) became the first Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-certified carrier in the United States to utilize the new satellite-based Special (Non-Public) Required Navigation Performance Authorization Required (RNP AR) approaches to Runways 13L and 13R at its home base at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport with its fleet of Airbus A320 aircraft. These unique Special Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) procedures are designed to utilize a constant vertical descent in conjunction with a precise curved flight path to the runways, resulting in the following efficiencies:

Stabilized approach path;
Shorter flight times for customers;
Reduced noise levels and greenhouse-gas emissions and,
Increased fuel savings by as much as 120 pounds, or 18 gallons, per flight.

The RNP AR approach procedure will allow JetBlue to utilize a decision altitude while in a slight turn to the runway, the first airline in the United States to harness this special capability. This allows for lower landing weather minimums, increasing runway utilization at JFK. These procedures will be a key component in making JFK operate independent of the other NY-area airports and reduce delays at JFK, LaGuardia (LGA), Newark Liberty International (EWR) and Teterboro (TEB) airports in certain poor weather conditions.

JetBlue began designing and testing the JFK special instrument procedures in 2004 in partnership with the FAA and MITRE Corporation. The airline’s entire cadre of more than 2,300 pilots have been trained and certified at JetBlue’s flight simulator training facility in Orlando to fly RNP AR procedures across the United States.

In addition to these milestones, in 2008 JetBlue became the first and remains the only Airbus A320 operator in the country to receive FAA authorization for RNP AR approaches, followed by RNP AR certification for its entire fleet of Embraer ERJ 190 aircraft in 2010. JetBlue maintains all of its fleet types certified for RNP AR. The airline plans to extend the unique capability at JFK to its Embraer ERJ 190 fleet in the near future.

To further advance its active role in upgrading the nation’s air traffic control system, in 2011 JetBlue also announced a partnership with the FAA to provide data and conduct real-time operational evaluations for the organization’s Next-Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) airspace modernization program. Through FAA-funding, the airline will equip up to 35 of its A320 planes with Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) Out avionics that will provide air traffic controllers with precise positioning of the aircraft using GPS satellite signals, enabling the aircraft to fly more direct routes off the East Coast. This capability, when combined with the new FAA En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) System, will begin field trials next summer. JetBlue is currently awaiting final aircraft certification.

JetBlue Airways: