Tag Archives: Airbus A320200

Thomas Cook Airlines introduces its “Air Flair” logojet

Thomas Cook Airlines (Belgium) (Brussels) loves logojets and the additional advertising revenue its brings in. Following on the new Ice-Watch logojet, the airline has also introduced this new “Air Flair” logojet on the pictured Airbus A320-214 OO-TCJ (msn 1787). The logojet promotes the local Belgian magazine Flair, which is read mainly by women.

Thomas Cook Airlines (Belgium):

Thomas Cook Airlines introduces a Ice-Watch logojet

Thomas Cook Airlines (Belgium) (Brussels) introduced this special Airbus A320 logojet today (July 9) to help promote the Ice-Watch collection.

According to the manufacturer, the Belgian watchmaker burst onto the fashion scene in 2007. The colorful collection of hip designs is available in 110 countries and 12,000 outlets worldwide. The line of watches feature vibrant colors.

Copyright Photo: Karl Cornil/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-214 OO-TCH (msn 1929) arrives back tonight at the Brussels base in the colorful new design. Last year this aircraft was decorated in a special 10 Years celebration color scheme.

Thomas Cook Airlines (Belgium):

Swiss to add six new routes from Geneva this fall

Swiss International Air Lines (Zurich) will be adding six further destinations to its Geneva-based network this fall: Stockholm (served four times weekly), Oslo (three flights weekly), London Gatwick (three flights weekly), Gothenburg (twice weekly), Belgrade (twice weekly) and Marrakesh (twice weekly). Swiss will also be turning its present summer-season services between Geneva and Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Porto into year-round operations.

Swiss customers travelling from Geneva will also see a new fare concept that replaces the current pricing model. In one major innovation here, both round-trip and one-way fares will be offered.

The new Geneva Economy Flex fare offers European travel from Geneva for as little as CHF 89 one-way. The new fare offers greater flexibility, too, since bookings can be modified at no additional fee; and one piece of registered baggage is included in the fare.

The new Geneva Economy Light fare offers European travel from Geneva for as little as CHF 39 one-way. One piece of carry-on baggage is included in the fare. Bookings here cannot be changed or cancelled once they have been made.

Swiss is further creating a local cabin crew base for 150 new flight attendants.

Swiss:

Alitalia issues a new Turnaround Plan, Air One to be rebranded

Alitalia (2nd) (Rome), a carrier that is familiar with financial problems, has issued this new “Industrial Plan 2013-2016” to turnaround the flag carrier along with Air One (Milan-Malpensa):

Gabriele Del Torchio, new CEO of Alitalia, presented the strategic outline of the new Industrial Plan 2013 – 2016 for Alitalia and the new mission of the Company.

With this Plan, the Group wants to better respond to changes in the aviation market which, in recent years, has seen a sharp reduction in the domestic traffic sector, against a growth of international and intercontinental routes, particularly to Eastern Europe, North and South America, Middle and Far East.

The Plan foresees an increase in revenue from overseas activities which already account for over 50% of the total revenue of the Group, making Alitalia one of the main Italian companies to contribute to the balance of payments of Italy.

The Industrial Plan 2013 – 2016 will focus on 3 principal businesses – Alitalia, Air One and Alitalia Loyalty (the new company of the Group, founded at the end of 2012, which deals with the development and enhancement of the MilleMiglia program) and will be based on 4 strategic lines with the goal of recovering the productivity of the Company, allowing it to remain in the market efficiently and profitably.

1. STRATEGIC LINE: REDEFINITION OF THE ROLE OF ALITALIA AND AIR ONE WITH REGARD TO SHORT AND MEDIUM HAUL ROUTES

This will involve the redefinition of the Alitalia Group’s short and medium haul network, differentiating the activities of Alitalia and Air One, avoiding overlapping between the two Companies, with the aim to better respond to the needs of all customer segments.

The Smart Carrier Air One: a web oriented company, which will have operational bases in Sicily, North East Italy and Pisa.

A new image and branding project is under way for Air One. The new brand, which will replace Air One, will have a stronger likeness to Alitalia. The Smart Carrier will offer, with a predominantly web-oriented sales model, 2 fares and 2 levels of service (GO and SMART) to meet the needs of both price-sensitive and premium segments. GO fare passengers will be able to customise their travel experience by choosing additional services.

The Smart Carrier’s new short and medium haul network structure will be dedicated to serve point-to-point connections, from the bases of Catania, Palermo, Venice and Pisa, strengthening, in particular, the provision of international flights.

The increase of the offer in Sicily and in North East Italy responds to the need to meet the high traffic demand in Sicily and to regain market share in North East Italy, which was lost in recent years to other European airports. Maintaining a presence in Pisa and Tuscany is also of great importance.

Alitalia strengthens its operations at the hub of Rome Fiumicino and at Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa airports

Alitalia will operate all national and international connections to/from the hub of Rome Fiumicino and to/from Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa airports, increasing international and intercontinental services at these 3 airports.

With regard to Milan Linate airport, whilst maintaning the connections to Southern Italy, the Plan provides that selected Rome-Milan-Rome slots will be replaced with new international point-to-point connections, thereby allowing Alitalia to satisfy the needs of customers in Northern Italy, especially business travellers.

During the course of the Plan, new flights from Milan Linate to Copenhagen, Budapest, Vienna, Stockholm, Helsinki, Malta, Tallinn, Prague and Warsaw will be introduced.

Alitalia will also operate services from Milan Malpensa airport to non-EU destinations such as Cairo, Tunis, Moscow and Tirana, in addition to connections to Rome Fiumicino.

The international offer will be further enhanced, as early as 2013, with new flights from Rome Fiumicino to several international routes. Possible new destinations are: Nuremberg, Lviv, Bordeaux, Skopje, Zagreb, Sarajevo, Ankara, Marrakech, Misurata, Minsk, Basel, Marseille, Rostov, Pristina, Damascus, Erbil.

New pricing strategy and servicing

The safeguard and the development of the domestic and international market share will be ensured through a rethinking of pricing strategies to take into account and to attract not only those who choose a premium fare (the vast majority of Alitalia passengers today), but also price-sensitive customers, who, in any case, will be able to customise their travel experience by choosing additional services.

The new strategy also embraces other customer groups by offering dedicated initiatives. For example, young people (thanks to the already introduced JUMP ON-BOARD fares) and, soon, families and foreign nationals living in Italy.

2. STRATEGIC LINE: DEVELOPMENT OF INTERCONTINENTAL ACTIVITIES

The Strategic Plan 2013 – 2016 sees a strong projection on the intercontinental network.

Development of the long-haul fleet

To support the development of the intercontinental network, 6 long-haul aircraft are expected to be introduced into the Alitalia fleet, during the course of the Plan.

Various actions are needed in order to increase profitability of the current intercontinental routes. In October 2013, as part of a specific plan, the reconfiguration of 10 Airbus A330 aircraft part of the Alitalia fleet will commence and is expected to be completed by 2014.

The new configuration is the result of a research into the precise needs of the Italian air transport market.

New long-haul routes with high potential

New long-haul routes with high traffic potential to/from Italy will be identified and introduced. The new routes will operate mainly from the hub of Rome Fiumicino and the airports of Milan Malpensa and Venice.

The new intercontinental destinations which may be introduced between Winter 2014 and Winter 2016 are Nairobi, Seoul, Santiago de Chile, San Francisco and Johannesburg from Rome. Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and Osaka from Milan Malpensa; Tokyo from Venice.

The launch of the new routes will be combined with the strengthening of the Alitalia presence through increased frequencies to North and South America (especially the United States and Brazil), Japan and the Arabian peninsula.

This process will boost the attractiveness of Rome Fiumicino as a national and intercontinental hub, with a strong and innovative trade policy to attract increasing volumes of passengers.

Strengthening of business partnerships with major companies

Parallel to the development of new long-haul routes served directly, Alitalia will expand its worldwide presence in countries which, are today insufficiently served, by strengthening existing commercial partnerships.

Thanks to the reinforcement of existing codesharing agreements, or through the development of new agreements, Italian passengers will be able to reach destinations throughout the world, even if not directly served by Alitalia.

Development of market share and of commercial activity abroad

Alitalia, as ambassador of Italy and of Italian excellence in the world, aims to increase its market share abroad and, in particular, in those countries where there is a strong presence of Italian communities, such as Canada, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, South Africa and Australia.

At the same time, to further increase the flow of traffic to Italy, of both leisure and business travellers, Alitalia will strengthen its commercial network, already present in many worldwide countries.

The expansion of Alitalia abroad will be made possible by alliances and codesharing agreements.

ROME FIUMICINO RE-HUBBING PROJECT

An all-encompassing activity, which will fast forward the achievement of the objectives highlighted in the first two strategic lines of the 2013 – 2016 Industrial Plan, is the Re-Hubbing project of the Alitalia hub at Rome Fiumicino Airport, which will be launched in October for the Winter 2013 – 2014 timetable.

This process consists of the reorganization and optimization of the time slots for domestic, international and intercontinental flights departing from and arriving at Rome Fiumicino, with the aim of improving the quality of the service offered to passengers.

The change of the time slots for flights to/from Rome Fiumicino has been implemented in favour of both business passengers, who will benefit from flights to Italy and Europe with early morning departures and evening returns, and passengers departing from other Italian airports, who will be able to take advantage of more convenient connections in Rome Fiumicino to reach long-haul destinations, such as the Americas.

This reorganization will also guarantee significant benefits and economic advantages for Alitalia, thanks to a more efficient operational structure and use of flight and ground resources at the Rome Fiumicino hub.

3. STRATEGIC LINE: DEVELOPMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERSHIPS AND MORE ATTENTION TO THE INTERMODAL PASSENGER TRANSPORTATION (AIR AND RAIL)

It involves the identification of new partnerships and the strengthening of existing ones, with key infrastructure partners in Italy, such as, for example, airports.

The goal of these partnerships is to create synergies and improve customer satisfaction through increased efficiency of ground operations, joint development of network and infrastructures and the expansion of services which are not closely related to flight operations (parking or transfers to/from airports).

The Plan calls for another key element of future collaboration: the opportunity to introduce and develop appropriate intermodal connections between aviation and high speed rail.

A more efficient allocation of traffic between train and plane will allow to optimize the inputs of the Italian national production system.

4. STRATEGIC LINE: TURN ALITALIA LOYALTY INTO A SEPARATE BUSINESS BRINGING PROFITABILITY TO THE ENTIRE ALITALIA GROUP

This relates to Alitalia Loyalty, the new company of the Group, founded at the end of 2012, which deals with the development and the enhancement of the Alitalia MilleMiglia programme.

The main guidelines of the Plan relating to the operation of Alitalia Loyalty include: the push to increase the number of members of the MilleMiglia programme, the development of new ways to redeem miles on flights or other services, the creation of high value partnerships with leading financial and credit institutions, the entrance of the MilleMiglia programme in a coalition of many loyalty programs to increase the opportunities of earning and redeeming Alitalia miles, the development of new forms of communication and marketing towards MilleMiglia members.

ECONOMIC-FINANCIAL OBJECTIVES OF THE 2013 – 2016 PLAN

During the course of the four-year plan, with the implementation of all the expected industrial and financial measures, the Company plans to achieve the following economic results:

2013: positive industry EBIT in the second semester, resulting from an improvement in industrial management
2014: break-even operating margin
2015: balanced budget
2016: balance sheet profit

Concurrently, the following objectives have also to be achieved:

Increase the convertible shareholders loan by 55 million euros within December 2013
Increase the financial resources by 300 million euros in December 2013

THE NEW MISSION OF ALITALIA

The Industrial Plan provides that Alitalia refocuses on the values that have always distinguished the Company in Italy and in the rest of the world: the being Italian, the high quality service and the pride of belonging.

These elements define the new mission of the Company:

PROUD TO SHOW THE BEST OF OUR COUNTRY. WITH PASSION.

The new mission of Alitalia, which will be made as visible as possible to customers on planes and at airports, is, in a nutshell, the new spirit of Alitalia: a company that, with its highly recognizable tricolor tailfin and thanks to the passionate effort of all its employees, is the ambassador of the quality, the elegance and the typical Italian lifestyle that make Italy an icon in the world.

The first initiatives will address the re-branding of the three flight service classes, the improvement of on-board services, the new VIP Lounges and the new assistance service dedicated to passengers in transit at the airport hub of Rome Fiumicino.

Top Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Alitalia will concentrate on adding new, higher-yield long-range international routes. Boeing 777-243 ER I-DISA (msn 32855) climbs away from Tokyo (Narita).

Alitalia (2nd):

Air One:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Richard Vandervord/AirlinersGallery.com. Air One will be rebranded, possibly as “Smart Carrier”. Air One’s Airbus A320-215 EI-DSK (msn 3328) taxies at the Milan (Malpensa) base in the 1995 color scheme.

Saudia to fly nonstop between Jeddah and Madrid

Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines) (Jeddah) starting on October 29 will fly nonstop between its Jeddah hub and Madrid three days a week with Airbus A320s. Currently MAD is served via a stop at Milan (Malpensa).

Saudia-Saudi Arabian Airlines:

EasyJet to add five new routes in the winter schedule

EasyJet (UK) (easyJet.com) (London-Luton) has today added a further five routes to its flight schedule making 190,000 more seats available for its passengers.

The new routes will take off from October 17, 2013.

The schedule additions include a new route to the Romanian capital of Bucharest, Larnaca in Cyprus, Venice, Lyon and Tenerife. The routes will fly from across easyJet’s UK bases including London Gatwick, London Luton, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. This former GB Airways Airbus A320-232 registered as G-TTOH (msn 1993) and pictured at Palma de Mallorca was incorporated into the easyJet fleet for only a short period before it was returned and later migrated to AviaNova (EI-ELN) and Yamal Airlines (VP-BCN).

EasyJet (UK):

AirAsia Japan to be shut down on October 31

AirAsia Japan (Tokyo-Narita) will cease all scheduled services on October 31, 2013. ANA has decided it will not merge the joint venture with Peach Aviation. The airline started operations on August 1, 2012.

All four Airbus A320s will be returned to AirAsia (Malaysia) the following day.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-216 JA01AJ (msn 5153) approaches the Tokyo (Narita) hub.

AirAsia (Japan):

Route Map:

JetBlue today launches nonstop Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood-San Jose, Costa Rica flights

JetBlue Airways (New York) today launched daily nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO).

Destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean now make up almost one-third of JetBlue’s route network. In addition to the new Fort Lauderdale to San Jose route, JetBlue started service between Orlando and San Jose in 2009, and also offers nonstop service to Liberia from New York’s JFK Airport.

JetBlue’s schedule between Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood and San Jose, Costa Rica:

Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to San Jose (SJO):	San Jose (SJO) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL):
Depart – Arrive	Depart – Arrive
9:45 a.m. – 10:38 a.m.	1:20 p.m. – 6:24 p.m.
– All times local –

JetBlue serves 27 Latin American and Caribbean destinations, including: Aruba; The Bahamas (Nassau); Barbados; Bermuda; Cayman Islands (Grand Cayman); Colombia (Bogota, Medellin and Cartagena); Costa Rica (Liberia and San Jose); Dominican Republic (La Romana, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Samana, Santiago and Santo Domingo); Jamaica (Kingston and Montego Bay); Mexico (Cancun); Puerto Rico (Aguadilla, Ponce and San Juan); St. Croix; Saint Lucia; St. Maarten; St. Thomas; and, Turks and Caicos (Providenciales).

JetBlue’s flights to San Jose will be operated with its 150-seat Airbus A320s.

Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-232 N534JB (msn 1705) in the Blueberries tail design departs from FLL.

JetBlue Airways:

Finnair to continue to fly to Tel Aviv year-round, rumors of a possible merger with SAS

Finnair (Helsinki) will continue to operate its new route to Tel Aviv also during the winter season. As of November 1, Finnair will continue to fly to Tel Aviv with the similar frequency as during the on-going summer season, twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, but with new timetables that better fit Finnair’s Asian and European connections.

Finnair flights arriving from Asia on Mondays will have a good connection to Tel Aviv. The connecting flight from Helsinki departs at 3.40 p.m. (1540) and arrives in Tel Aviv at 8.05 p.m.(2005) The return flight from Tel Aviv departs at 8.55 p.m. (2055) and arrives in Helsinki at 1.35 a.m. (0135) the next day.

On Fridays the flight departs from Helsinki at 6 a.m. (0600) and arrives in Tel Aviv at 10.25 a.m. (1025). The return flight from Tel Aviv is well connected to Finnair’s Asian flights in the afternoon.

The flights to Tel Aviv are operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft.

Finnair will also operate five scheduled flights a week from Helsinki to Dubai during the winter season. In addition, a charter service is provided on Tuesdays.

In other news, there are media reports of a possible merger with Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm). According to this report by Reuters, new Finnair CEO Pekka Vauramo sees both advantages and disadvantages with a possible merger. other than that, both airlines are not commenting on the reports.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Finally, Finnair has leased three Embraer ERJ 170s to AeroMexico Connect.

Top Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Finnair’s Airbus A320-214 OH-LXF (msn 1712) arrives at Amsterdam.

Finnair:

Bottom Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Finnair’s Embraer ERJ 170-100STD OH-LEL (msn 17000139) in now dressed in full AeroMexico connect colors. The airliner is pictured passing through Toronto (Pearson) on June 15 and will become XA-SAC with the Mexican carrier.

Frontier to start twice-weekly Wilmington, DE-Fort Myers service on November 16

Frontier Airlines (2nd) (Denver) today announced it will add nonstop service from Wilmington New Castle Airport in Wilmington, Delaware (ILG) to Fort Myers, Florida (RSW) starting November 16, 2013.

As previously announced, Frontier will start service on July 1 from Wilmington to five cities: Chicago-Midway; Denver; Houston; Orlando; and Tampa. The Fort Myers service builds on this new service given the strong customer response Frontier is seeing to its new Wilmington service.

This new service will operate with 168-seat Airbus A320 aircraft.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-214 N210FR (msn 4668) approaches Washington (Reagan National) for landing.

Frontier Airlines: