The Cathay Group is pleased to announce that it has achieved a significant milestone by carrying more than 100,000 passengers, the most on a single day since the start of its rebuild.
On 15 December 2024, Cathay Pacific and HK Express, the Group’s two passenger airlines, carried a combined total of 100,856 passengers, surpassing the 100,000-passenger mark on a single day.
Since the milestone was first reached, the Group exceeded the 100,000-passenger mark on a total of eight days during the year-end travel peak ending 31 December 2024.
Cathay Pacific Airways Boeing 777-367 B-HNI (msn 27508) CGK (Michael B. Ing). Image: 963925.
Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam said: “We are thrilled to have concluded the year 2024 on a high note with yet another milestone. The past year saw unprecedented progress and expansion for the Cathay Group, thanks to our people’s dedication and efforts. In particular, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our global frontline teams, who have been working tirelessly over the holiday period to ensure that our customers enjoy a smooth journey as they explore new destinations or reunite with their friends and families during the holidays.
“We are pleased to have successfully completed our two-year rebuilding journey, during which we were firmly focused on adding more flights and destinations for our customers and our home hub. A new chapter has now begun for Cathay.”
Cathay Pacific recently resumed its seasonal service to Cairns, Australia and will be launching several long-haul routes in 2025, including Hyderabad in India, Dallas in the United States, and Munich and Brussels in Europe. In addition, HK Express added Shizuoka, Japan to its network recently and will be launching a new service to Sendai, Japan later this month.
Together as a Group, Cathay Pacific and HK Express have reached 100% of pre-pandemic flights from January 2025. It is projected that the two airlines will operate passenger services to 100 destinations around the world within 2025, marking another meaningful milestone for the Cathay Group.
With the commissioning of the Three-Runway System, Hong Kong has entered an exciting new era. As the city’s home airline, Cathay will continue to contribute to Hong Kong’s status as a world-leading international aviation hub, connecting Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and the world.
Avelo Airlines celebrated today the opening of its 6th aircraft base at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS) – doubling its route network from the Bay Area’s best airport.
Avelo will also inaugurate service to four new destinations from STS: Portland/Salem, Oregon (via SLE); Boise, Idaho (via BOI); Tri-Cities/Pasco, Washington (via PSC); and Kalispell, Montana (via FCA). Avelo currently flies from STS to Los Angeles, California (via BUR); Las Vegas, Nevada (via LAS); Palm Springs, California (via PSP); and Bend/Redmond, Oregon (via RDM).
Avelo will now serve eight nonstop destinations from STS – offering more nonstop routes than any other airline operating at STS.
Three main carriers at STS (Airport)
Avelo Crewmembers and STS airport representatives inaugurated the new flights at a gate-side celebration for Wednesday morning’s first flight to Kalispell. Customers were welcomed aboard with local favorites from the four new destinations, as well as a commemorative boarding pass.
With the new base opening, Avelo has hired 32 STS-based Crewmembers, which is how the airline refers to its employees. New Crewmembers include flight attendants, pilots, and maintenance technicians. Avelo expects to employ approximately 50 STS-based Crewmembers by the end of this year.
Avelo is the only airline flying nonstop between STS and these four destinations:
Kalispell, Montana via Glacier Park International Airport (FCA)– The first flight departs today, May 1, 2024, with twice-weekly service on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Pasco/Tri-Cities, Washington via Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) – The first flight departs today, May 1, 2024, with twice-weekly service on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Boise, Idaho via Boise Airport (BOI) – The first flight departs Thursday, May 2, 2024, and will operate twice-weekly on Thursdays and Sundays.
Portland/Salem, Oregon via Salem Municipal Airport (SLE) – The first flight departs Friday, May 3, 2024, and will operate twice-weekly on Mondays and Fridays.
West Coast route map:
Avelo Airlines aircraft photo gallery:
Screenshot
Great Airlines Series of books by Brian Worthington (Volumes 1-6 now available on Amazon) – new volumes announced:
Emerald Airlines, the exclusive operator of Aer Lingus Regional services, announces its Summer 2024 schedule from Dublin. The airline has added its 18th ATR 42-600 (EI-HNA) for the summer season.
Commenting on the announcement, Ian Lough, Head of Commercial at Emerald Airlines said: “We are delighted to be launching Aer Lingus Regional’s largest ever Summer schedule from Dublin. Our expanded schedule caters to a variety of travellers with diverse destinations and convenient flight times for Summer 2024 and beyond. With tickets already on sale, we encourage our customers to book flights soon to avail of the best offers. ”
Frequency Boost
The Aer Lingus Regional Summer schedule from Dublin boasts an increase in frequency and services across the network, including extra flights to key destinations such as Edinburgh and Birmingham.
Bonjour, Brittany!
The airline recently launched Summer services from Dublin to Brittany; Rennes and Brest. Both routes will operate twice weekly starting from early May right through until late October.
Something for Everyone
Aer Lingus Regional’s Summer schedule from Dublin has something for everyone – short getaways on popular city breaks like Leeds and Glasgow, bolstered frequency and key timings on business destinations such as Edinburgh and Birmingham, extra flights for sporting events such as the IOM TT Races, along with Summer coastal getaways to hotspots such as Cornwall (Newquay) or Jersey.
Routes from Dublin
Aberdeen
Edinburgh
Leeds Bradford
Rennes
Brest
Exeter
Liverpool
Southampton
Birmingham
Glasgow
Manchester
Bristol
Isle of Man
Newcastle
Donegal
Jersey
Newquay
Good news from #EmeraldAirlines@DublinAirport today as they welcomed their 18th ATR72-600 . Named Saint Saran and registered EI-HNA, it will go into service on the largest ever Aer Lingus Regional network this Summer pic.twitter.com/oH7iUEY66V
Canadian Airline Dispatchers Association (CALDA) issued this statement:
Airline Dispatchers at Air Transat represented by the Canadian Airline Dispatchers Association (CALDA) have given their association a resounding 100% strike mandate in their negotiations with Air Transat. The result of the Strike Vote was delivered to Air Transat on April 15th after Conciliation talks with the assistance of the Federal Government failed and Conciliation ended on April 2nd, 2024. The 21 day mandatory cooling off period ended April 23rd, 2024. . The 28 Montreal based Air Transat Flight Dispatchers are very disappointed at the progress of talks. Air Transat Flight Dispatchers Collective Agreement ended on October 31st, 2022.
Flights Dispatchers are licensed by Transport Canada and prepare the Flight Plan, board fuel, monitor aircraft systems, monitor weather, deal with in-flight emergencies along with other very important functions. The Flight Dispatcher at Air Transat shares responsibility with the Pilot-In-Command for Flight Watch and Operational Control. Both the Flight Dispatcher and the Pilot-In-Command share pertinent information with each other to ensure the Flight is operated in the safest manner possible. No Air Transat aircraft can depart without the approval of the Flight Plan by the Flight Dispatcher.
Day and night, rain or shine, American’s team of system customer service managers (SCSM) has a sharp focus on our customers, helping to ensure their journeys go smoothly. Though they’re based at American’s Integrated Operations Center (IOC) in Fort Worth, Texas, the SCSMs have their eye on every customer, looking for operational solutions to get customers on their way.
Daniel Schiff, the IOC’s Senior Manager of Network Ops Strategy, recently sat down with System Customer Service Manager Kim Burrell for a discussion about their roles at the IOC.
Daniel: Let’s start with the basics: what is American’s Integrated Operations Center?
Kim: We call it the IOC, and it’s the nerve center of our airline. In this large facility, more than 20 workgroups — and 1,700 team members — come together to help run our airline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. We work collaboratively to solve challenges that come our way, from weather to anything else.
American’s Integrated Operations Center.
Daniel: Our strategy is our customers, and the SCSMs ensure our customers get where they want to go smoothly. The team is always thinking ahead to minimize disruptions.
Kim: That’s exactly right. A day in the life for me is busy and full of twists and turns. When I get in, I’m assigned to a unit, which is broken down by the types of aircraft we operate and hubs that we fly into. The unit is led by an Operations Coordinator, who works in tandem with team members overseeing our fleet, our crew members and, in the case of SCSMs, our customers.
Daniel: SCSMs have a key role in caring for group travel. We have large groups —sometimes really large groups with hundreds of customers — who travel throughout our network. It’s critically important they have a seamless journey when traveling with us. If one of these groups were to misconnect, it might be harder to reaccommodate them as there likely wouldn’t be enough available seats on the next flight, unlike when we have individual travelers and smaller parties to reaccommodate. The first order of business is alerting our airport teams that these groups are coming through to make sure we have a plan for them. Sometimes we’ll hold their connecting flight, and we’ve even found back-up aircraft for these groups because they’re such a big part of our operation.
Kim: Military service members are also incredibly important to us. We work to ensure that our service members have as easy and smooth a journey as possible. We look at markets that have military bases or are close to them — we have many of them — and keep an especially close eye on those markets, going out of our way to ensure there are crew and aircraft to support the operation there. We develop a plan B as well. I’m glad the SCSM team gets to play a role with caring for our troops.
Daniel: SCSMs play a key role in the recovery of our network during what we call irregular operations — severe weather or any other type of event that disrupts the airline. We’re responsible for running a tool that helps reaccommodate our customers on alternate flights when their travel plans are impacted. American has gotten much faster at recovering, and I’m proud to say that the SCSM team plays an important role as we care for customers who are impacted.
I’m sure you have some incredible stories to tell about other ways we’ve helped our customers in the 17 years you’ve worked here.
Kim Burrell working in the IOC’s regional unit.
Kim: You bet! One time, we had a group of 40 customers who were originating in Knoxville, Tennessee, connecting through DFW on their way to Honduras, and I realized that they were going to misconnect. After I worked with the station and my colleagues in the IOC, we found a solution to use a larger aircraft for the next flight. The airport let me know that the customers were very excited that they were able to get to their destination within a reasonable amount of time. For me, it was a reminder of why I do this. I genuinely care about our customers and want to find solutions.
“It was a reminder of why I do this. I genuinely care about our customers and want to find solutions.”Kim Burrell
Daniel: One of my favorite stories is when we had a high-volume connection, which means we have a large number of customers traveling between cities. This one was between Oklahoma City and Hanoi, Vietnam, with a connection in Chicago. When their initial flight was delayed, we found another aircraft from one of our regional partners to get this group to Chicago, where they connected to one of our oneworld® partners. The SCSM team coordinates within and outside of the IOC to ensure our customers are looked after, no matter who operates the flight. It felt great to help these customers out.
Kim: It’s really the best part of the job. And we do it every day because when you purchase a ticket on American, you place your trust in us to get you to your destination safely and as efficiently as possible.
airBaltic has announced the launch of direct flights between Tampere, Finland and Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Starting today, flights will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, and will continue until October.
Currently, airBaltic operates eight direct routes from Tampere to European destinations. This year, the airline plans to add 17 new routes from all its bases and has expanded its network to include seven new countries in the Balkan region.
In 2024, airBaltic will connect Finland with direct flights to 10 destinations and offer one-stop connections to more than 70 destinations in its network.
The new flights will be operated by Airbus A220-300 aircraft.
In other news, the airline issued this statement:
As the Latvian national airline,airBalticprepares to publish its financial results for the first quarter of 2024, preliminary data already points to a strong performance. airBaltic continues to demonstrate operational excellence and confident business indicators, building on its record results for the full year of 2023. According to preliminary indicators, total revenue for Q1 is expected to reach approximately EUR 132 million, an increase of 26% as compared to the corresponding period of 2023 and the highest ever in Q1 for the airline. Passenger numbers increased by 20% compared to the first quarter of 2023 – another historical high for Q1 for airBaltic.
Significant improvements were also seen in airBaltic’soverall operational capacity, as evidenced by a 30% increase in Available Seat Kilometers (ASK) to 1.9 billion, compared to 1.5 billion in Q1 2023. The airline’s load factor has improved to 75.9% from 71%, also the best ever performance in Q1 record. Total flights, including ACMI, rose to 12.3 thousand in Q1 2024, up from 11.4 thousand in the same quarter the previous year, an 8% increase.
airBaltic plans to announce full financial results of the first three months will be presented on 22nd of May, 2024, during an investor call, and afterwards the information will be available on the company’s website.
Today marks an exciting milestone as SkyTeam and SAS have officially signed an Alliance Adherence Agreement (AAA), serving as an important step toward SAS’ official entry into the global airline alliance. SkyTeam and SAS are committed to ensuring a seamless transition for all customers.
From September 1, 2024, SAS will officially become a part of SkyTeam, enriching the alliance with the best access to Scandinavian key hubs. This collaboration will bolster SkyTeam’s global network, offering new destinations, enhanced connectivity, and a more seamless, elevated customer journey for all travellers.
From the moment SAS joins SkyTeam, EuroBonus members will enjoy benefits across most SkyTeam airlines. EuroBonus Silver members will be recognized as SkyTeam Elite level, while Gold and Diamond members will be recognized as Elite Plus. This will offer them access to a network of 750+ airport lounges and SkyPriority services at eight airport touchpoints including priority check-in, boarding and baggage handling.
SAS customers will benefit from easy connectivity across SkyTeam’s network of 1,060+ destinations, which includes their favourites as well as previously unserved cities – particularly across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. SkyTeam and SAS share the vision of providing a valued customer experience through quality products, innovation, and dedicated service.
SkyTeam members serving SAS’ hubs include Air France, KLM, Delta Air Lines and Middle East Airlines (MEA).
KLM recently launched its latest brand platform, KLM Travel Well. This platform is designed to inspire and enable travelers to make more meaningful connections with people, places and experiences when they travel.
With this platform, KLM is calling on people to move beyond the “well-traveled” autopilot that emphasizes ticking off destinations to a true “meaningful travel” experience that prioritizes real connections with people, places and experiences.
Recent research conducted by KLM with Norstat indicates that people want to change how they travel: 3 out of 4 travelers indicate they would like to travel more meaningfully on their next trip, especially Gen Z and Millennials. According to the research, a shift in travel mindset is observed: 97% of Chinese travelers express a desire for meaningful experiences on their next trip with 89% prioritizing meaningful connections with people and places over simply visiting destinations. For them, meaningful travel is all about connecting with their own self, connecting with the natural environment and enjoying spontaneity.
The decision to launch Travel Well resonates with traveler’s needs and stems from KLM’s commitment to enhancing the meaningfulness of every traveler’s journey. Guided by Travel Well, KLM will continue to prioritize genuine connections with travelers, embedding thoughtfulness and care about each and every journey into all aspects of the KLM experience: to do our own small part in creating more meaningful – and therefore more memorable and enjoyable – travel experiences.
KLM, an enabler to a more connected and meaningful travel experience
KLM strives to inspire travelers to explore new destinations and embrace diverse cultures, while facilitating opportunities for meaningful connections along the way. By introducing next-generation aircraft, integrating AI technology, offering more spacious seating, fine dining, augmented entertainment and other service upgrades both on the ground and in the air, we ensure enhanced comfort for every traveler. In addition, through our travel guides, curated recommendations for places and activities, we enable travelers to delve deeper into the cultural fabric of their destinations, weaving connections with local communities and experiences.
KLM offers travelers the opportunity to purchase an additional SAF contribution during booking, which helps to reduce air travel’s dependence on fossil fuels and makes a meaningful contribution to sustainable air travel.
The Travel Well platform is just the beginning of KLM’s multi-year commitment to enable people to make more meaningful connections with people, places and experiences while traveling. KLM has been committed to providing world-class service to its Chinese customers since its first commercial flight to China in 1948. In the Spring/Summer 2024 season, KLM will operate 23 weekly passenger flights to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol from March 31 to October 26, from 4 destinations in Greater China: Beijing (7 weekly flights), Shanghai (7 weekly flights), Hong Kong (4 weekly flights) and Taipei (5 weekly flights). The flights will be operated with Boeing 777 and 787-9 aircraft.
Condor Airlines (DE) flight #DE2454 from Frankfurt arrived in Vancouver on April 25. The nonstop route to Frankfurt is now serviced by the airline’s new Airbus A330neo aircraft sporting Condor’s eye-catching, striped branding.
Photo: Condor
The A330neo arrived in Vancouver just in time for the start of the summer transatlantic travel season, when Condor will offer five flights weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) to its Frankfurt hub, with easy connections to 100+ destinations throughout Europe and beyond. The A330neo will replace the previous generation of Boeing 767 aircraft and will significantly reduce Condor’s operating costs and offer increased passenger and cargo capacity into the Vancouver market.
Photo: Condor
The A330neo is the new version of the popular A330 widebody. Incorporating the latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, new wings and aerodynamic innovations, the aircraft reduces Condor’s fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 20 percent. The A330neo consumes just 2.1 liters per passenger per 100 kilometers flown – — well below the industry average. It is the first aircraft in the world already certified for the regulatory reduction in CO2 emissions, which will be required by 2028, and that subsequently will reduce travelers’ environmental footprint. The A330neo supports state-of-the-art flight and navigation systems tailored to Condor’s exacting requirements, resulting in more noise- and CO2 -efficient approach and departure procedures, even at particularly high-altitude airports, reducing noise pollution by up to 60 percent.
Photo: Condor
Unrivalled Passenger Comfort Inflight
Condor’s A330neo will offer unrivalled inflight passenger comfort and will accommodate 310 passengers, featuring 30 seats in Business, 64 seats in Premium Economy and 216 seats in Economy class. The A330neo features an award-winning, whisper quiet Airspace cabin, providing passengers with a high level of comfort, ambience, and design. This includes offering more personal space, larger overhead bins, a new lighting system, and the ability to offer the latest in-flight entertainment systems and connectivity. The A330neo also features a state-of-the-art cabin air system, ensuring a clean and safe environment during the flight.
Best-in-Class, New Business and Premium Economy Class
The new Condor Business Class offers 30, lie-flat (180 degree) seats in a 1-2-1 configuration with direct aisle access for all guests. The seat conveniently converts to a 76-inch long by 19-inch-wide bed. Business Class guests have access to the latest movies, series, podcasts, and games, all accessible on a 17.3-inch screen in 4K mode, with touchscreen and remote control. The first row of Business Class will also feature four “Prime Seats”, with added space large enough to accommodate two guests who wish to dine together and an extra large, 24-inch entertainment screen. The “Prime Seats” will feature added in-flight amenities including a premium travel kit, inflight pajamas and a premium snack basket.
In Premium Economy Class, guests enjoy more personal space thanks to a generous extra seat pitch of 35 inches and a greater backrest angle of up to six inches. In addition, the multi-adjustable headrest and footrest at every seat ensure a significantly more comfortable flight experience. Both the Premium Economy Class and Economy Class seats have 13.3-inch in-seat 4K monitors with touchscreens, which can be used to enjoy the extensive in-flight-program. Condor’s A330neo features a 2-4-2 seating configuration in both classes.
A brand-new feature awaits guests in all three classes: Condor’s new A330neo offers high-speed broadband internet and onboard connectivity. The latest in-flight-entertainment technology provides a wide of films, series, and podcasts. Each seat has an extra holder for mobile device, so that streaming is also possible. In addition, personal Bluetooth headphones can be connected to the aircraft’s in-flight-entertainment system.
The cabin also features mood lighting in all three classes that can be individually adjusted to suit the time of day. This helps guests aboard to fall asleep easily and wake up more relaxed.
Photo: Condor
Modern Elegance with Stylish Accents
Visually, the new cabin product impresses with a stylish color concept featuring the “Condor Marina” and “Condor Earth” color schemes as well as subtle stripes as a recurring design element. This includes a striped badge on every seat as well as uniformly striped headrest covers in Business and Premium Economy Class. This complements Condor’s new branding which is proudly displayed on the exterior of each A330neo. The design of the cabin was implemented by the design agency müller/romca industrial design based in Kiel. Remo Masala, owner of the visionalphabet agency in Berlin, who designed Condor’s new brand identity, guided the process with creative direction.
Along with Vancouver, this summer Condor will operate from a total of 18 North American cities to Frankfurt: including Toronto (YYZ), Calgary (YYC), Edmonton (YEG) and Halifax (YHZ) in Canada and New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA), San Francisco (SFO), Boston (BOS), Baltimore (BWI), Miami, (MIA), Portland (PDX), Minneapolis (MSP), Las Vegas (LAS), Phoenix (PHX), San Antonio (SAT), and Anchorage (ANC).
consideration for Capital A’s disposal and correspondingly, AirAsia Group’s acquisition amounting to RM6.8 billion, to be fulfilled with shares and debt settlement
Capital A’s shareholders’ equity to turn positive for the first time in 14 quarters following the divestment, while AirAsia X’s shareholders’ equity to also strengthen post-transaction
AirAsia Group to fortify its position as the largest low cost carrier in Asia, with a win-win “One Airline” strategy set to transform the face of global low cost travel
AirAsia Group’s ultimate vision to create a global network airline based on the robust narrowbody fleet with enhanced operational efficiency and extended range capabilities to lower cost
Capital A Berhad (“Capital A”) and AirAsia Group Sdn Bhd (“AirAsia Group”), the newly incorporated entity that will eventually be the holding company of AirAsia X Berhad (“AirAsia X”), announced it has signed a conditional sale and purchase agreement for Capital A’s strategic divestment and AirAsia Group’s strategic acquisition of its aviation businesses (the “Transaction”). This landmark agreement, approved by the boards of Capital A and AirAsia X, is expected to catalyse AirAsia to its next growth phase to become the world’s first low-cost network carrier and redefine the aviation industry landscape.
Under the terms of the agreement and subject to requisite approvals, the Transaction includes two parts:
The divestment of AirAsia Aviation Group Limited (AAAGL), consisting of AirAsia subsidiaries in Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Cambodia, will be fulfilled through the issuance of new AirAsia Group shares to Capital A worth RM3 billion. Following this divestment, Capital A will immediately distribute-in-specie RM2.2 billion worth of the newly issued AirAsia Group shares to Capital A shareholders. Upon the completion of the proposed divestment and AirAsia X proposal, Capital A is expected to retain 18.39% of the enlarged issued shares of AirAsia Group.
The divestment of AirAsia Berhad, otherwise known as AirAsia Malaysia, for RM3.8 billion, to be satisfied by AirAsia Group’s assumption of RM3.8 billion of debt owed by Capital A to AirAsia Berhad.
Shareholders from both sides stand to gain as the value of the aviation assets is realised. Prior to the Transaction, AirAsia X’s shares and listing status will be transferred to AirAsia Group, effectively materialising the corporate structure of an enlarged aviation group, with AirAsia X’s shareholders then holding shares in AirAsia Group. The issuance of free warrants acts as a token of appreciation for shareholders’ continued support, while also providing them with the option to enhance their equity participation and contribute to the future growth trajectory of the enlarged aviation business. In recognition of the Transaction’s magnitude, a private placement is also proposed to fortify AirAsia Group’s financial standing, increase its shareholder base and improve the trading liquidity of its shares. From the perspective of AirAsia X shareholders, the allure lies in gaining access to an unlocked value of RM6.8 billion through a RM3 billion new shares issuance. This investment grants them ownership in a mature and ongoing airline business operation, comprising four established airlines that collectively form Asean’s most extensive short-haul network, consolidating AirAsia Group’s position as the largest low-cost carrier in Asean.
Capital A shareholders stand to benefit significantly as the proposed divestment is expected to unlock RM6.8 billion in value of Capital A’s aviation business, more than double the current market capitalisation of the group. Following the divestment and the distribution-in-specie of RM2.2 billion worth of new AirAsia Group shares, Capital A shareholders will maintain direct ownership in the combined aviation businesses, ensuring access to future growth opportunities. Moreover, post-divestment, Capital A will retain four high-growth, aviation-focused core businesses, including Capital A Aviation Services, Teleport, MOVE Digital, and Capital A International, all poised for continued growth and diversification.
You must be logged in to post a comment.