Tag Archives: Boeing 737-700

Southwest Airlines announces its first international routes to Aruba, Montego Bay and Nassau

Southwest Airlines (Atlanta) today announced its first-ever scheduled international flights.

Beginning July 1, 2014, Southwest Airlines will operate daily, nonstop flights between:

Atlanta and Aruba, and Montego Bay
Baltimore/Washington and Aruba, Nassau, and (twice daily) Montego Bay
Orlando and (Saturday only) Aruba, and Montego Bay

In this first phase of the Company’s international conversion plan, wholly owned subsidiary AirTran Airways will continue service between Atlanta and Nassau, between Chicago Midway and Montego Bay, as well as flights to/from Cancun, Los Cabos, andMexico City, Mexico, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. By the end of 2014, the carrier plans to complete the launch of Southwest Airlines service to the remaining four international destinations on the Company’s network route map of 96 destinations in six countries. Both carriers’ full flight schedules are now open for booking through August 8, 2014.

The make-ready process for international service has involved nearly all of Southwest’s 45,000 Employees to implement additional technologies, training, and compliance, to obtain operational and regulatory approvals, and to ready the People, planes, and policies unique to Southwest Airlines to serve Customers in new countries.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-7H4 WL N280WN (msn 32533) in the Sea World “Penquin One” livery arrives at Las Vegas.

Southwest Airlines:

Southwest Airlines reports record 4Q net income of $236 million and $805 million for the full year

Southwest Airlines Company (Dallas) today reported its fourth quarter and full year 2013 results:

Record fourth quarter net income, excluding special items*, of $236 million, or $.33 per diluted share, compared to fourth quarter 2012 net income, excluding special items, of $65 million, or $.09 per diluted share. This exceeded the First Call consensus estimate of $.29 per diluted share.
Record fourth quarter net income of $212 million, or $.30 per diluted share, which included $24 million(net) of unfavorable special items, compared to net income of $78 million, or $.11 per diluted share, in fourth quarter 2012, which included $13 million (net) of favorable special items.
Record full year net income, excluding special items, of $805 million, or $1.12 per diluted share, compared to full year 2012 net income, excluding special items, of $417 million, or $.56 per diluted share.
Record full year net income of $754 million, or $1.05 per diluted share, which included $51 million (net) of unfavorable special items, compared to net income of $421 million, or $.56 per diluted share, in full year 2012, which included $4 million (net) of favorable special items.
Return on invested capital* (before taxes and excluding special items) for full year 2013 of 13.1 percent, as compared to 7.2 percent for full year 2012.

Gary C. Kelly, Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “We are happy to report full year 2013 net income of $805 million, and fourth quarter 2013 net income of $236 million, both excluding special items. We are extremely proud of these record results and the tremendous progress made on our strategic initiatives, which produced substantial returns and contributed significantly to our superb 2013 financial performance. Our full year 2013 total operating revenues were a record $17.7 billion, and our cost performance was excellent. We generated strong free cash flow* of $1.0 billion in 2013, allowing us to return $611 million to our Shareholders, through share repurchases and dividend payments, and reduce debt and capital lease obligations by $313 million. Our pre-tax return on invested capital, excluding special items (ROIC), for full year 2013 was 13.1 percent, nearly double the prior year’s performance. I want to thank the outstanding People of Southwest and AirTran. They deserve all the credit for producing these strong results, which earned them a$228 million contribution to the Profitsharing Plan for the year 2013, up 88.4 percent, or $107 million, compared to the prior year.

“We ended 2013 strong, with an exceptional fourth quarter performance. Total operating revenues were a fourth quarter record $4.4 billion, increasing 6.1 percent compared to fourth quarter last year. On a unit basis (per available seat mile), our fourth quarter 2013 revenues increased 3.8 percent year-over-year, which is remarkable considering the increase in stage length and seat density. While traffic was impacted at the beginning of the quarter by the federal government shutdown, we saw a healthy rebound in traffic and revenue trends, resulting in a five percent year-over-year increase in passenger unit revenues for the combined November/December period. Strong travel demand and favorable year-over-year unit revenues have continued in January, thus far. And, bookings for the remainder of the first quarter are strong. Based on these trends, we currently expect year-over-year growth in first quarter 2014 unit revenues.

“We also had an outstanding fourth quarter 2013 cost performance, with unit costs, excluding special items, down 2.8 percent year-over-year. We benefited from stable fuel prices, our ongoing fleet modernization efforts, and rigorous cost control efforts across the Company. We closed the year with fourth quarter 2013 economic fuel costs of $3.05 per gallon, a decline of approximately eight percent from fourth quarter 2012. Based on current market prices and our existing fuel derivative contracts, as of January 17 ^th, we expect first quarter 2014 economic fuel costs to be in the $3.05 to $3.10 per gallon range, which would be a significant drop year-over-year. Excluding fuel, profitsharing, and special items, our fourth quarter 2013 unit costs declined 0.4 percent year-over-year. We expect a year-over-year increase in our first quarter 2014 unit costs, excluding fuel, profitsharing, and special items.

“We are on track with our AirTran integration, achieving approximately $400 million in annual net pre-tax synergies in 2013, as planned. Since 2011, we have converted 17 of the 52 AirTran Boeing 737-700s to Southwest, and we have replaced the flying for 13 AirTran Boeing 717-200s transitioned to Delta in 2013, with Southwest 737 service. Nine more 717s were removed from active service at year end 2013, and the remaining 66 717s are scheduled to be removed from the AirTran network by the end of this year, and transitioned to Delta through 2015. The remaining 35 AirTran Boeing 737-700s are scheduled to be converted to Southwest this year. During fourth quarter, we converted Memphis, Pensacola, San Juan, and Buffalo to Southwest, and launched Southwest service to Richmond. At year end 2013, all remaining domestic AirTran markets had Southwest service. We are pleased with the rapid improvement of our developing markets as we convert AirTran routes into Southwest and optimize our combined networks. With our international reservation system scheduled for implementation later this month, we remain on track to convert AirTran’s seven international markets, along with its remaining domestic markets, by the end of this year. As planned, this will allow us to complete the AirTran integration and retire the brand by the end of 2014.

“We plan to launch international service on Southwest Airlines this year, which will be a huge milestone for us. Construction of a five-gate international facility at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport, expected to open in late 2015, has begun, and can accommodate Southwest service to destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and the northern cities of South America. We also have future plans to bring Southwest near-international service to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). Under a recently executed agreement with Broward County, Florida, which owns and operates FLL, we will oversee and manage the design and construction of the airport’s Terminal 1 Modernization Project. In addition to significant improvements to the existing Terminal 1, the project includes the design and construction of a new five-gate Concourse A with an international processing facility.

“During 2014, we expect to take delivery of 33 new Boeing 737-800s and 12 pre-owned -700s, which will allow us to keep our 2014 capacity relatively flat, year-over-year, as we continue to transition the AirTran 717 fleet to Delta, and retire Classic Boeing 737 aircraft. We continue to optimize the combined Southwest and AirTran route networks, and announced new travel options in 2014 to some of our Customers’ favorite domestic destinations, like San Diego and Portland, Oregon. We also look forward to expanding service to Dallas Love Field, with the October 2014 repeal of the Wright Amendment.

“We are excited about bringing more flights to New York’s LaGuardia Airport with our recent acquisition of 12 takeoff and landing slots, pursuant to American Airlines’ required divestiture for its merger with US Airways. In addition, we gained permanent control of 10 takeoff and landing slots at LaGuardia that Southwest currently operates under lease from American. In an effort to bring more low fares to Washington’s Reagan National Airport, we also have bid on slots that American is required to divest.

“We enter 2014 financially strong and excited about the opportunities unfolding. We are proud of our many 2013 accomplishments, most notably our strong financial performance that we believe positions us well to achieve our targeted 15 percent ROIC in 2014. As ever, we remain focused on providing job security for our Employees; providing friendly, reliable and low-fare service to our Customers; and enhancing Shareholder value.”

Notable 2013 accomplishments for Southwest Airlines include:

Achieved 41^st consecutive year of profitability, with record profits
Achieved 13.1 percent return on invested capital (before taxes and excluding special items)
Contributed $228 million to the Profitsharing Plan, an increase of $107 million
Returned $611 million to Shareholders through repurchases of $540 million of common stock (38 million shares) and distribution of $71 million in dividends
Reduced long-term debt and capital lease obligations by $313 million
Deferred $1 billion in aircraft capital spending to beyond 2018
Received numerous awards and recognitions, most notably being recognized as the Best Domestic Airline for Customer Service by Executive Travel Magazine’s Leading Edge Awards, named Brand of the Year in the Value Airline Category by the Harris Poll, and recognized with the top ranking by InsideFlyer Magazine for Best Customer Service and Best Loyalty Credit Card
For the 17^thconsecutive year, Southwest Airlines Cargo received the 2013 Quest for Quality Award, awarded by Logistics Management Magazine
Launched the first Southwest destination outside the 48 contiguous states with service to San Juan, Puerto Rico
Completed the connection between the Southwest and AirTran networks
Expanded Southwest Cargo to the AirTran network
Ended the year with Southwest service in all domestic AirTran airports
Launched AirTran service to Hartford and Oklahoma City
Completed the 143-seat Evolve retrofit of 372 Southwest 737-700s and 78 737-300s
Converted 6 of the 52 AirTran 737-700s to the Southwest livery with Evolve configuration, bringing cumulative conversions to 17
Transitioned 13 of the 88 AirTran 717-200s to Delta Air Lines
Reached a cumulative 65 percent of the AirTran workforce converted to Southwest, with the remaining flight crews and dispatchers scheduled to transition in 2014
Completed equipping all -700 and -800 aircraft with satellite-based WiFi (including completed AirTran conversions) and became the first and only carrier to offer gate-to-gate connectivity
Partnered with DISH to offer “TV Flies Free” in second half 2013; DISH sponsorship was recently extended through 2014
Launched movies on demand, a new WiFi portal, and Messaging feature for iOS users
Remained on track to implement Southwest’s International Reservation system in January 2014
Broke ground on the five-gate, international facility at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport, planned to open in late 2015
Acquired 12 slots (for six roundtrip flights) at New York’s LaGuardia Airport and permanently secured 10 slots (five roundtrip flights) that are currently being operated by Southwest
Joined the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) expedited screening program known as TSA Pre Check™

Financial Results
The Company’s fourth quarter 2013 total operating revenues increased 6.1 percent to $4.4 billion, while operating unit revenues increased 3.8 percent, on a 2.2 percent increase in available seat miles and a 3.0 percent increase in average seats per trip, all as compared to fourth quarter 2012. Based on current revenue and booking trends, the Company expects year-over-year growth in its first quarter 2014 unit revenues.

Total operating expenses in fourth quarter 2013 decreased 1.0 percent to $4.0 billion, as compared to fourth quarter 2012. The Company incurred costs (before taxes) associated with the acquisition and integration of AirTran, which are special items, of $19 million during fourth quarter 2013, compared to $14 million in fourth quarter 2012. Excluding special items in both periods, total operating expenses of $4.0 billion in fourth quarter 2013 were comparable to fourth quarter 2012.

Fourth quarter 2013 economic fuel costs were $3.05 per gallon, including $.03 per gallon in favorable cash settlements from fuel derivative contracts, compared to $3.32 per gallon in fourth quarter 2012, including $.09per gallon in unfavorable cash settlements from fuel derivative contracts. Based on the Company’s fuel derivative contracts and market prices as of January 17 ^th, first quarter 2014 economic fuel costs are expected to be in the $3.05 to $3.10 per gallon range, which is significantly below first quarter 2013’s economic fuel costs of $3.29 per gallon. As of January 17 ^th, the fair market value of the Company’s hedge portfolio through 2017 was a net asset of approximately $108 million. Additional information regarding the Company’s fuel derivative contracts is included in the accompanying tables.

Excluding economic fuel expense, profitsharing, and special items in both periods, fourth quarter 2013 operating costs increased 1.8 percent from fourth quarter 2012, and decreased 0.4 percent on a unit basis. Based on current cost trends, the Company expects first quarter 2014 unit costs, excluding fuel, profitsharing, and special items, to increase from first quarter 2013’s 8.21 cents, with full year 2014 unit costs, excluding fuel, profitsharing, and special items, expected to increase year-over-year in the two to three percent range.

Fourth quarter 2013 operating income was a fourth quarter record $386 million, compared to $91 million in fourth quarter 2012. Excluding special items, fourth quarter 2013 operating income was also a fourth quarter record $418 million, compared to $136 million in the same period last year.

Other expenses in fourth quarter 2013 were $52 million, compared to other income of $34 million in fourth quarter 2012. This $86 million swing primarily resulted from $27 million in other losses recognized in fourth quarter 2013, compared to other gains of $62 million recognized in fourth quarter 2012. In both periods, these gains/losses included unrealized mark-to-market gains/losses associated with a portion of the Company’s fuel hedging portfolio, which are special items. Excluding these special items, fourth quarter 2013 had $21 million in other expenses, compared to $3 million in fourth quarter 2012, primarily attributable to the premium costs associated with the Company’s fuel derivative contracts. First quarter 2014 premium costs related to fuel derivative contracts are currently estimated to be in the $10 million to $20 million range, compared to $5 millionin first quarter 2013. Net interest expense in fourth quarter 2013 was $25 million, compared to $28 million in fourth quarter 2012.

For 2013, total operating revenues increased 3.6 percent to $17.7 billion, while total operating expenses of$16.4 billion were comparable to 2012. Operating income for 2013 was a record $1.3 billion, compared to $623 million for 2012. For 2013, special charges (before taxes) associated with the acquisition and integration of AirTran were $86 million. Cumulative costs associated with the acquisition and integration of AirTran, as of December 31, 2013, totaled approximately $410 million (before profitsharing and taxes). The Company expects total acquisition and integration costs to be no more than $550 million (before profitsharing and taxes). Excluding special items in both periods, operating income was a record $1.4 billion for 2013, compared to $838 million for 2012.

As of January 22, the Company had approximately $3.1 billion in cash and short-term investments, and a fully available unsecured revolving credit line of $1 billion. Net cash provided by operations during fourth quarter 2013 was $302 million, and capital expenditures were $451 million. For 2013, net cash provided by operations was $2.49 billion, and capital expenditures were $1.45 billion, resulting in free cash flow of approximately $1.04 billion. The Company currently estimates its 2014 capital expenditures to be in the $1.5 billion to $1.6 billion range. The Company repurchased $540 million in common stock, or 38 million shares, during 2013. Since August 2011, the Company has repurchased $1.2 billion, or 111 million shares, of common stock under its $1.5 billion share repurchase authorization. This reduced the Company’s outstanding common stock by approximately 14 percent. The Company repaid $313 million in debt and capital lease obligations during 2013, and is currently scheduled to repay approximately $550 million in debt and capital lease obligations during 2014.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Southwest Airlines’ Boeing 737-7H4 WL N945WN (msn 36660) in the Florida One scheme approaches the runway at Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport.

Southwest Airlines:

Airberlin outlines its summer schedule with new tourist routes

Airberlin (airberlin.com) (Berlin) has issued this statement outlining its plans for its upcoming summer schedule:

Airberlin will be expanding its tourist travel services this summer and including more destinations in its schedule. “Tourist flights are an important pillar in our business model and we are constantly improving our services. With Larnaca and Malta, we have included new destinations in our portfolio and we are increasing the frequency of flights, especially to Greece and the Canary Islands,” says Detlef Altmann, Senior Vice President Sales Touristic Services. The frequency of flights to Greece has increased by 11% compared with summer 2013, to 172 flights a week. Flights to the Canary Islands have increased by 12%, with 73 connections a week in summer 2014.

Next summer, Airberlin will be offering seven additional flights a week to the airport of Heraklion on Crete. For tourists wishing to travel to Kos and Santorini, there will be three more flights a week to each destination, meaning that airberlin will be flying seven times a week to Santorini and 21 times a week to Kos. There will be one extra flight a week to each of Chania, Kalamata, Lesbos, Mykonos, Rhodes, Samos and Zakynthos.

The number of flights a week to Lanzarote will increase by three compared with last year, to 13. airberlin will fly 16 times a week to Gran Canaria and 25 times a week to Tenerife South. Two flights a week have been added to each destination. The number of weekly flights to Fuerteventura is up from 17 to 18. There will be more Airberlin flights from Munich, with new services to the Canary Island destinations of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife South.

For the first time, Airberlin’s summer schedule offers flight guests from Dusseldorf a weekly service to Corsica and several flights a week to Madrid.

The tourist services for people travelling from Vienna have been extended, with new services to Madrid, Malta and Larnaca on Cyprus. There are excellent connections from Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hanover, Hamburg, Munich and Nuremberg for the newly introduced flights from Vienna to Malta and Larnaca.

Airberlin also offers a regular schedule of long-haul tourist flights, including to Curaçao, Cuba, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Fort Myers, Miami, New York (JFK) and the Thai holiday island of Phuket, with feeder flights from many airports in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. airberlin flies daily from Berlin and Dusseldorf to Abu Dhabi and, with its strategic partner, offers connecting services, for example to Bangkok, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and the Seychelles. Even Australia can be reached with Airberlin and Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi, making this the shortest one-stop service from Germany to down under.

Airberlin:

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 lands at the wrong Branson airport

Southwest Airlines (Dallas) recently inherited Branson, Missouri from its subsidiary AirTran Airways and some of its pilots may not be as familiar with Branson Airport (IATA: BKG, ICAO: KBBG, FAA LID: BBG) as other long-time Southwest-served airports. The airport opened on May 11, 2009 and is privately owned by Branson Airport, LLC.

Apparently the crew of flight WN 4013 last night (January 12) from Chicago (Midway) to Branson were a bit unfamiliar with the area. The Boeing 737-700 with 124 passengers and five crew members mistakenly landed at M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport (IATA: PLK, ICAO: KPLK, FAA LID: PLK) in Branson. The downtown airport has one runway designated 12/30 with an asphalt surface measuring 3,738 by 100 feet (1,139 x 30 m) according to Wikipedia. PLK is owned and operated by Taney County.

The aircraft involved is Boeing 737-7H4 N272WN (msn 32527). The aircraft will be ferried out of PLK with only a crew.

Read the full report (with video) from OzarksFirst.com: CLICK HERE

Southwest Airlines:

Fiji Airways announces two new routes from Suva

Fiji Airways (2nd) (Nadi, Fiji) has announced the introduction of two new nonstop international services from the Fijian capital of Suva.

From May 2014, Fiji Airways will offer twice–weekly nonstop flights between Suva and Sydney, operated by its Boeing 737-700 aircraft, and between Suva and Apia, operated by Pacific Sun’s soon-to-arrive ATR 72 aircraft.

The direct services between Suva and Sydney will operate on Mondays and Friday, with a convenient midday departure from Suva, and an afternoon departure from Sydney.

The new introduction means Fiji Airways will offer three flights from Sydney to Fiji on Mondays and Fridays, with the two current flights to Nadi and the new direct Suva flight from May 2014.

The new schedule means a change to the Suva-Auckland services, allowing for a late evening Suva-Auckland service on Mondays and Fridays, and a morning Auckland-Nadi service on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The new schedule will improve connectivity with ferries and flights to the outer islands for passengers arriving from Auckland.

“The 8 am departures from Auckland to Nadi two times a week mean New Zealanders will now be able to easily travel to the North and the outer islands, allowing them to enjoy the amazing beauty of these regions on the day they arrive,” says Mr Pichler.

The Suva-Apia services will operate late nights on Mondays and Fridays, while the return Apia-Suva flights will operate in the mornings of Tuesday and Saturday. This will now allow Apia passengers to connect on a Fiji Airways service to Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane or Nuku’alofa (Tonga) on the same day.

Pichler explained the strategy behind the expansion in Suva: “As Nadi is our traditional leisure hub, Suva will more and more grow into our business hub.” It is a dual hub strategy where there is one winner – our customers.

Copyright Photo: John Adlard/AirlinersGallery.com. Under a rainbow, Boeing 737-7X2 DQ-FJF (msn 28878) is pictured in action at Sydney.

Fiji Airways:

Route Map:

AeroMexico to fly to Quito, Ecuador

AeroMexico (Mexico City) has applied to the Corporacion Quiport, the company operating the concession for Mariscal Sucre International Airport, its new proposed new daily service to Quito from Mexico City.

The new route will be flown with Boeing 737-700 aircraft, with a capacity for 124 passengers, 12 in First Class.

AeroMexico is proposing the following schedule:

Quito – Mexico City

Mexico City – Quito

AM 685

08:30 a.m.

12:15 p.m.

Daily

AM 684

11:50 p.m.

05:23 a.m.

Daily

*Schedules are published in the local time of each country, and are subject to change without prior notice.

In other news, AeroMexico and Gogo, the world leader of in-flight connectivity and a pioneer in wireless in-flight digital entertainment solutions, announced today that they have agreed on the principal terms and conditions relating to providing in-flight Internet and wireless in-flight entertainment service – Gogo Vision – on at least 75 aircraft.

Copyright Photo: Eddie Maloney/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-752 WL XA-VAM (msn 34295) lands at Las Vegas still painted in the old 1999 livery.

AeroMexico:

Southwest acquires six New York LaGuardia slot pairs, will drop three cities

Southwest Airlines (Dallas) has acquired 12 takeoff and landing slots (for six roundtrip flights) at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) being divested by American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) as part of its merger with US Airways (Phoenix). In addition, Southwest gained permanent control of 10 takeoff and landing slots (for five roundtrip flights) that it currently operates under a lease from American. Details of the transactions are confidential. Southwest plans to begin its new service at LGA in May 2014. Details of the new service will be available later this month.

Southwest and its subsidiary AirTran Airways currently operate 27 daily roundtrip flights to and from LGA to eight nonstop destinations. The acquired slots will allow the airlines to add six daily roundtrips.

Southwest currently serves Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia Airport, and Long Island MacArthur Airport. These six additional roundtrips at LGA will strengthen Southwest’s service to and from the New York City area.

In other news, Southwest Airlines announced its decision to close three cities in the airline’s network. On June 7, 2014, Southwest will cease operations at Branson Airport (BKG), Key West International Airport (EYW), and Jackson-Evers International Airport (JAN). Southwest began service to Jackson-Evers International in 1997. The airline added Branson Airport and Key West International Airport to its route map in 2012 as part of its integration with AirTran, a wholly-owned subsidiary.

“Unfortunately, the level of local demand no longer allows Southwest to profitably serve these markets,” said Bob Jordan, Southwest’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. “Southwest takes pride in becoming not only a great choice for air travel in the cities we serve, but we also become a member of the community. These decisions are never easy.”

Over the next six months, Southwest will operate its full schedule at each of these cities, and there will be no disruption to reservations for travel through June 6, 2014.

Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Southwest Airlines retains one Boeing 737-700 in a gold “Southwest Classic” version of the original 1971 color scheme. Boeing 737-7H4 N714CB (msn 27848) taxies at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Southwest Airlines:

Delta wants to expand operations at Dallas’ Love Field

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) plans to add 18 daily nonstop flights to five destinations from Dallas Love Field in October 2014.

According to the airline, Delta’s planned expansion will enhance competition at the airport with new nonstop service to New York-LaGuardia, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Delta also will add two daily flights to its existing Atlanta service.

Delta will require access to gates at Love Field in order to operate its expanded schedule. Delta has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to allow it to bid on Love Field gates as part of the divestiture of airport assets under a proposed settlement agreement with American Airlines and US Airways.

Currently at Love Field, 16 of the 20 gates and more than 95 percent of available seats are controlled by one airline, Southwest Airlines, which transports more passengers in the U.S. than any other carrier. Love Field has one of the highest concentrations of operations controlled by a single airline among the nation’s large airports.

The expanded Love Field service builds on Delta’s recent growth at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, where it currently operates 45 peak-day flights to eight destinations. Last year, Delta added new nonstop service between DFW and New York-LaGuardia. It also operates nonstop flights from DFW to Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati, Memphis and New York-JFK.

When the expansion is complete, Delta would operate a total of 68 daily flights in the Dallas/Fort Worth region, including flights at both DFW and Love Field.

Delta’s expansion will be implemented following changes to the Wright Amendment, which previously restricted Love Field service to Texas, adjacent states and Missouri, Alabama, Kansas and Mississippi. Those restrictions are scheduled to end in October 2014.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-732 N302DQ (msn 29648) prepares to land at Dulles International Airport near Washington.

Delta Air Lines:

Southwest Airlines breaks ground on a new international terminal at Houston’s Hobby Airport

Southwest Airlines (Dallas) today (September 30) broke ground on a new international terminal at William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), marking the official start of construction on the $156 million project.

Once completed, the five-gate facility will accommodate regional international flights for Southwest Airlines, with service reaching destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, and the northern cities of South America.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker, as well as local and state dignitaries, joined Southwest Airlines Employees in the brief ceremony before work immediately began.

A 2012 study commissioned by the Houston Airport System indicates that the new terminal will generate more than 10,000 jobs across the Greater Houston metropolitan area and will provide an economic impact of $1.6 billion. The study estimates that the terminal will bring in an additional 1 million passengers a year to Hobby Airport.

The terminal project, fully funded by Southwest Airlines, includes a new five-gate international terminal, expansion of the existing security checkpoint, and upgrades to the Southwest Airlines ticketing counter area.

In support of the project, and in anticipation of the expected increase in passenger traffic, the Houston Airport System will be making significant investments of its own, constructing a new multi-level parking garage and making improvements to the existing roadway system.

Southwest Airlines anticipates its first international flights out of Houston Hobby’s new international terminal will begin in late 2015 to destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, and the northern cities of South America.

Copyright Photo: Fernandez Imaging/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-7H4 N279WN (msn 32532) with the special “Summer of Love – Cirque du Soleil” emblem taxies at the Houston (Hobby) hub.

Southwest Airlines:

WestJet signs a purchase agreement with Boeing for 65 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft

WestJet (Calgary) has announced it has entered into a definitive purchase agreement for 65 737 MAX aircraft from Boeing. This order was previously announced on August 29, 2013 as a letter of intent (LOI) to purchase.

This purchase agreement includes commitments for 25 MAX 7 and 40 MAX 8 aircraft with substitution rights to the 737 MAX 9, with deliveries scheduled from 2017 through 2027. As previously announced, the airline will substitute 15 of its existing Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft orders currently scheduled to deliver between December 2014 and 2018, with Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, for a net increase of 50 committed deliveries to its fleet plan. (See the updated Boeing Fleet Plan Schedule below).

Year	WestJet Boeing Fleet Schedule
	Boeing 737 Commitments ^{a b}				Total Com	737-700 Disp ^c	Total	Lease Opts
	700 ^d	800	MAX 7	MAX 8	Total Com	737-700 Disp ^c	Total	Lease Opts
2013	–	2	–	–	2	–	2	–
2014	–	7	–	–	7	(5)	2	(3) ^e
2015	5	5	–	–	10	(5)	5	(12)
2016	7	–	–	–	7	–	7	(8)
2017	1	–	–	4	5	–	5	(6)
2018	–	–	–	7	7	–	7	(4)
2019	–	–	2	10	12	–	12	(5)
2020	–	–	4	2	6	–	6	(3)
2021	–	–	2	3	5	–	5	(3)
2022	–	–	1	4	5	–	5	–
2023 ^f	–	–	1	4	5	–	5	–
24-27	–	–	15	6	21	–	21	–
Total	13	14	25	40	92	(10)	82	(44)

(a)	As of September 26, 2013.
(b)	WestJet also has options to purchase an additional 10 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft between the years 2020 and 2021.
(c)	Sale of 10 Boeing 737-700 aircraft to Southwest Airlines as announced on May 7, 2013.
(d)	WestJet has an option to convert any of these 737-700 Next Generation future commitments to 737-800 Next Generation aircraft.
(e)	WestJet expects to renew one of the three lease renewal options on its Boeing 737 aircraft set to expire in 2014.
(f)	Based on total commitments and lease renewal options, WestJet’s fleet could be as large as 162 737 Boeing aircraft or as few as 120 737 Boeing aircraft by 2023.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing. WestJet is selling 10 Boeing 737-700s to Southwest Airlines and will phase out the type in 2017. Boeing 737-7CT C-GWJO (msn 33969) approaches the runway at Los Angeles International Airport.

WestJet: