Sun Country Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul) will operate twice-weekly flights between Fort Myers, Florida and San Juan, Puerto Rico from May 3 through August 23, 2015. The seasonal non-hub route will be operated with Boeing 737-700 aircraft per Airline Route.
Copyright Photo: James Helbock/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-73V N711SY (msn 30245) completes the final approach to the runway at Las Vegas.
Sun Country Airlines aircraft slide show:
Current Route Map:
Boeing (Chicago, Seattle and Charleston) on Saturday (November 22) handed over the first direct purchase 737-700 to Ruili Airlines (Kunming), the pictured 737-7ME B-5829 (msn 60460). The new airliner departed Boeing Field in Seattle on the same day for its long journey to Kunming, China. Today, Boeing issued this announcement on the arrival in Kunming:
Boeing and Ruili Airlines today (November 25) celebrated the arrival of the airline’s first direct purchase Next-Generation 737-700. Ruili is a newly established private airline based at Changshui International Airport in Kunming, the capital city of China’s Yunnan province.
The new airplane is the first of 14 737 orders and commitments from Ruili Airlines, including eight 737-700s and six 737 MAXs. The carrier currently operates two 737-700s and one 737-800 serving seven domestic routes in China.
Ruili Airlines obtained its public air transport enterprise business license from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in February 2014, marking the formal establishment of the carrier. The start-up airline is the first private carrier approved by CAAC after the regulator relaxed restrictions on new carriers in 2013. According to its development plan, Ruili Airlines plans to increase its fleet to 30 Boeing airplanes by 2020, with around 120 daily flights on 60 to 70 routes.
Copyright Photo: Steve Bailey/www.vrefphotos.com/AirlinersGallery.com. A beautiful capture of the new B-5829 at Boeing Field in Seattle.
Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association-SWAPA (Dallas), representing the pilots of Southwest Airlines (Dallas), filed for mediation with the National Mediation Board (NMB). The union issued this statement:
In order to facilitate movement in contract negotiations, the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association (SWAPA) today officially filed for mediation with the National Mediation Board (NMB), the federal agency that oversees contract negotiations in the airline industry. After two-plus years of negotiations both sides are currently too far apart to realistically expect an agreement outside of a mediated process.
“This is certainly not a step either side wants to take during negotiations, and certainly not a typical step in the pilot and management relationship at Southwest Airlines,” said Mark Richardson, SWAPA President. “But times have certainly changed.”
SWAPA has focused their negotiations on improvements in areas that address the airline’s flat fleet growth, stagnant career advancement, and compensation. Over the past four years the pilots have sacrificed when asked by the Company. This facilitated Southwest reaching their financial goals, including a stated goal of 15 percent ROIC. Those goals have been accomplished, and furthered, with an announced ROIC total of 19 percent for the trailing 12 months, and a Wall Street expected 21 percent ROIC for fiscal year 2014. Southwest Airlines is on pace to enjoy almost $2.5 billion in operating profit for 2014.
“Our asks continue to be reasonable so that our highly productive pilots can enjoy marginal improvements in their schedule, pay, and especially retirement โ an area where Southwest pilots lag significantly compared to our peers at other airlines,” continued Richardson. “Filing for mediation is the next step in the process toward a new contract. We are trying to avoid the destructive and combative relationships that have plagued our industry.”
SWAPA becomes the third Southwest Airlines labor group to request national mediation in order to finalize a new contract in this current round of negotiations.
Located in Dallas, Texas, the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association (SWAPA) is a non-profit employee organization representing the more than 7,500 pilots of Southwest Airlines and 500 pilots of AirTran Airways. SWAPA works to provide a secure and rewarding career for Southwest pilots and their families through negotiating contracts, defending contractual rights and actively promoting professionalism and safety. For more information on the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association, visit http://www.swapa.org.
Copyright Photo: Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-76N N7705A (msn 32744) arrives in Los Angeles.
Southwest Airlines aircraft slide show:ย 
WestJet (Calgary) has announced it has reached a tentative agreement with its more than 1,200 pilots, represented by the WestJet Pilot Association (WJPA). The agreement’s highlights will be available in early December and voting will begin later in the month.
The WJPA and WestJet leadership teams began negotiations in September 2014 to develop a tentative agreement to replace the previous agreement, which has been in place since May 2009.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-7CT C-GWBN (msn 34155) arrives in Los Angeles.
WestJet aircraft slide show:ย
Gol Linhas Aรฉreas Inteligentes S.A. (Gol Transportes Aereos) (Sao Paulo) reported a third quarter net ofย BRL 245.1 million ($95.2 million), a notable larger loss thanย BRL 197 ($76.5 million).
The company issued this full CEO report:
Highlights:
Operating income (EBIT) registered R$ 152 million in 3Q14, R$ 115 million up over 3Q13, with an operating margin (EBIT) of 6.2%, up by 4.5 percentage points. The last twelve months (LTM) EBIT totaled R$ 497 million, with an operating margin of 4.9%.
Net revenue reached R$ 2.5 billion, 10% up over the 3Q13, of which R$ 2.2 billion refers to passenger revenues. Net revenue from cargo and others totaled R$ 272 million, increasing its share from 8% in 3Q13 to 11% of the total revenue. Net revenue LTM stood at R$ 10 billion, a new record, with international revenue accounting for 11% of total revenues, reaching R$ 1.1 billion.
EBITDAR totaled R$ 463 million, 24% up on 3Q13. The EBITDAR LTM came to a record registering R$ 1.9 billion, reducing the financial leverage ratio (adjusted gross debt/EBITDAR) by 4.6 points, from 10.9x in 3Q13, to 6.3x in 3Q14.
Total load factor increased by 8 percentage points to 77.5% in the quarter. This increase more than compensates the 2% decline in yield. As a result, RASK and PRASK increased by 13% and 9% over 3Q13, respectively.
Total CASK grew 7% over 3Q13, while CASK ex-fuel increased by 10%. As RASK moved up 3 percentage points above the CASK ex-fuel, GOL maintained its margin expansion in the quarter reflecting its focus on controlling the manageable costs and increasing revenue.
GOL continued its liability management initiatives in the quarter, which aims to optimize the amortization schedule and reduce the Companyโs cost of debt. GOL concluded two senior notes tender offer, totaling US$ 411 million, besides the new issuance of US$ 325 million in bonds due to 2022, at a rate of 8.875%. Its subsidiary Smiles S.A. also concluded a R$ 600 million debenture issuance to finance part of its capital reduction.
In the 3Q14, we recorded operating income (EBIT) of R$ 152 million, an expansion of R$ 115 million when compared to the same period last year, while the EBIT margin moved up 4.5 percentage points registering 6.2%. This was the seventh consecutive quarterly improvement in this indicator, reflecting the continuity and consistent delivery on our results.
Net revenue in the last 12 months totaled R$ 10 billion, a new record, even in a scenario of soft economic growth. GOLโs demand for seats (RPK) grew by 8.3% year over year in the first nine months, representing 53% of the industryโs growth, which reflects the greater attractiveness of our products and services. Domestic supply, however, fell by 2.9%, demonstrating the rationalization strategy that the Company took in place since April 2012. From January to September, 2014, we were the market leader in terms of passengers boarded in the domestic market, reaching the record mark of 27.5 million.
In order to offer greater connectivity, we launched during this quarter two new regional destinations on the domestic market, Carajรกs and Altamira (Parรก), as well as new international flights to Santiago (Chile) from Guarulhos (Sรฃo Paulo), Miami from Campinas, and to Punta Cana from Guarulhos (Sรฃo Paulo), Confins (Minas Gerais) and Brasรญlia. In this way, we are the Brazilian airline with the greater supply to the Caribbean, with 78 weekly flights.
The strategy of increasing our international presence has been further reinforced by the expansion of our alliances. This has also strengthened revenue in other currencies, which accounted for 11% of our total revenue in the last 12 months. We implemented a two-way codeshare partnership with Aerolineas Argentinas, allowing us to sell its tickets on our website. We will shortly begin offering the same facility for AirFrance-KLM flights.
In order to ensure an even better flying experience, we extended our GOL+ Conforto seating to our entire domestic route network, with an even greater reclining angle and even more distance between seats. Currently, 94% of our fleet is configured as GOL+ and, by the end of the year, 100% of our fleet will have this configuration. In the third quarter, we also launched an exclusive service in Brazil, our express bag drop service at Congonhas airport. With this new service, the customers can complete one more check-in stage at the self-service totems, labeling and weighing their own baggage, as well as paying for any excess. This is one more simple and intelligent innovation providing our passengers with even greater control and visibility throughout the entire process, since the ticket purchase to the flight.
These new facilities have strengthened our capacity to ensure an even better flying experience for leisure passengers, and to be more attractive to the corporate client. Even in the midst of a challenging economic scenario in Brazil, resulting in reduced demand from corporate customers, GOL was the airline company leader in tickets issued for the corporate segment, according to Abracorp (Brazilian Travel Agentsโ Association).
Continuing with our measures to strength our balance sheet, we concluded two senior notes tender offers totaling US$ 411 million. Also, we concluded a senior notes issuance this quarter, totaling US$ 325 million at 8.875% p.a. due on 2022. These actions aim to optimize the debt profile, avoiding major amortization pressure in the next three years and reduce the financial cost. We closed the quarter with R$ 2.7 billion inย cash position, equivalent to 27% of revenue in the last 12 months, which is essential to pass through periods of high market volatility. The financial leverage ratio (adjusted gross debt/EBITDAR) stood at 6.3x, 4.6 points down on 3Q13.
I would like to thank our customers for their loyalty, our Team of Eagles for their commitment and investors for their confidence posted on the Company. We celebrated on September 8, 2014 in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) the 10-year listing of GOL, in which we reiterated our commitment to the transparency and communication with our shareholders, which reinforces our vision of being the best company to fly with, work for and invest in.
Paulo Sรฉrgio Kakinoff
CEO of GOL Linhas Aรฉreas Inteligentes S.A.
Copyright Photo: Marcelo F. De Biasi/AirlinersGallery.com. Gol’s Boeing 737-7Q8 PR-GIL (msn 30635) approaches the runway at Sao Paulo (Guarulhos).
Gol aircraft slide show:
United Airlines (Chicago) will restore the Denver-Miami route on December 19 per Airline Route.
Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-724 N21723 (msn 28790) taxies at Toronto (Pearson).
Video:
United Airlines aircraft slide show:ย
Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) is opening six new nonstop routes from Scandinavian airports to major European cities, two of which are completely new routes: for the first time, SAS customers can fly to Salzburg and Ankara with SAS for their summer vacation.
Ankara, capital and second-largest city in Turkey, will be the second Turkish destination served by SAS, Gazipasa near Alanya being the first.
As well as launching nine new summer routes, including a new inter-Scandinavian route between Bergen and Gothenburg, SAS is adding more frequencies on inter-Scandinavian routes in winter 2014/2015 and will continue to do so into summer 2015. This includes more nonstop flights between Stavanger and Trondheim and between Bergen and ร lesund. The Copenhagen-Gothenburg route is getting two additional daily departures, bringing the total to eight in the summer timetable. The Stockholm-Gothenburg route is also getting a new morning departure on Mondays in both directions.
In addition to the new routes, SAS is also re-opening its popular 2014 holiday destinations in the 2015 summer timetable to popular destinations such as Chania, Palermo and Pisa.
Timetables for new routes:
Denmark
– Copenhagen-Edinburgh: Departures on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, with daily departures in the summer peak season. First departure March 29, 2015.
– Copenhagen-Ankara: Departure on Saturday, and on Monday and Wednesday in the summer peak season. First departure April 04, 2015.
Sweden
– Stockholm-Budapest: Departures on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. No departures in the summer peak season. First departure March 29, 2015.
– Stockholm-Faro: Departure on Saturday, and on Wednesday in the summer peak season. First departure April 04, 2015.
– Stockholm-Ankara: Departure on Tuesday. First departure June 30, 2015.
– Gothenburg-Alanya (Gazipasa): Departure on Wednesday. First departure July 01, 2015.
– Gothenburg-Dublin: Departure on Saturday, and on Wednesday and Sunday in the summer peak season. First departure April 04.
Norway
– Oslo-Salzburg: Departure on Saturday. First departure May 23.
– Bergen-Gothenburg: Departures on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. No departures in the summer peak season. First departure March 30.
Timetables for expanded and re-opened routes
Expansion of inter-Scandinavian routes
Copenhagen-Gothenburg: Increased from six to eight daily departures
Oslo-Bergen: Up to 16 daily departures
Stavanger-Trondheim: More direct flights
Bergen-ร
lesund: More direct flights
Stockholm-Gothenburg: New morning departure in both directions.
Stockholm-Luleรฅ: Increased from seven to nine departures in both directions on Sunday.
Re-opened peak summer routes
Denmark
From Copenhagen to Dubrovnik, Split, Pula, Montpellier, Biarritz, Chania, Thessaloniki, Palermo, Napoli, Pisa, Gazipasa and Alicante.
From Billund, the route to Gazipasa in Turkey is re-opening.
Norway
From Trondheim to Malaga and Barcelona.
From Bergen to Split, Dubrovnik, Nice, Malaga, Barcelona and Alanya (Gazipasa).
From Stavanger to Split, Nice, Malaga, Barcelona and Alanya (Gazipasa).
From Kristiansand to Split.
From Oslo to Dubrovnik, Pula, Olbia, Pisa, Palermo and Pristina.
Sweden
From Gothenburg to Pula, Nice, Athens, Pristina, Alicante and Palma de Mallorca.
From Stockholm to Chania, Cagliari, Olbia, Biarritz, Palermo, Pisa, Pristina, Bristol and Bodรธ.
Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-783 LN-RPK (msn 28317) arrives at Zurich.
SAS Aircraft Slide Show:ย
Southwest Airlines (Dallas) today (November 3) introduced Beats Music on its WiFi-enabled aircraft. The airline issued this statement:
Southwest Airlines is giving Customers a new reason to pack their headphones! Beginning today, Beats Music is providing a uniquely curated music experience onboard Southwest Airlines WiFi-enabled aircraft.
Customers accessing Beats Music onboard have an opportunity to listen to wide-ranging music programming in pop, rock, country, and other genres to hear fresh new artists and the hottest songs, which are handpicked by Beats Music expert curators. Accessing the service inflight is on the house and includes a library of hundreds of playlists. Not sure what to listen to, but feel like Jet-Setting with your BFF to Pop? The Sentence offers a continuous playlist just for you, customized by your response to four questions about location, activity, surroundings, and musical preference.
The new entertainment service was introduced today at a live demonstration onboard the official Beats Music-decaled Boeing 737 aircraft (above and below).
To celebrate, a special playlist was created that will come to life with live concerts from a couple of the artists on select Southwest flights at 35,000 feet! The official Beats Music aircraft is planned to depart from Dallas Love Field to Chicago-Midway on flight 732 with Cobra Starship onboard. Customers on this flight will get a Southwest Airlines VIP backstage pass to the most elevated live concert they’ve ever experienced, with an opportunity to meet and receive autographs from the band. Southwest Airlines also is celebrating with Customers on Flight 1527 with Elephant Revival, flying from Portland to Denver.
Beats Music is a music subscription service that combines expert curation with the best technology, so you get music that’s right for you every time. Customers can stream a selection of Beats Music playlists through the Southwest entertainment portal, which is powered by Global Eagle Entertainment Inc., using their personal electronic devices onboard Southwest Airlines WiFi-enabled aircraft. Global Eagle Entertainment is a worldwide provider of media content, technology, and connectivity solutions to the travel industry. Through the industry’s most comprehensive product and services platform, Global Eagle Entertainment provides airlines with a wide range of inflight solutions including WiFi, movies, television, music, interactive software, as well as portable IFE solutions, content management services, e-commerce solutions, and original content development.
The service provided on the Southwest entertainment portal will be compatible with major mobile devices and operating systems, including iOS and Android, as well as most web browsers, and is designed to ensure a seamless and superior quality playback.
Copyright Photos: Southwest Airlines’ Boeing 737-7H4 N909WN (msn 32458) is the first aircraft to wear the special Beats Music markings.
Southwest Airlines Aircraft Slide Show:ย
Video: Southwest’s executives celebrate Halloween:
WestJet (Calgary) today launched new weekly, seasonal, nonstop service between Winnipeg and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Florida. Flights out of the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson Airport operate every Saturday until April 25, 2015.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-7CT C-FEWJ (msn 32769) arrives in Los Angeles.
WestJet:ย
Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa) has announced it will launch a new route from Addis Ababa to Doha, Qatar on December 2. The new route will operate three days a week with Boeing 737s.
This will bring the total number of international destinations across five continents to 84. The city will mark the 10th Ethiopian destination to the Middle East.
Convenient connections will be available to and from cities such as Johannesburg, Nairobi, Kinshasa, Lagos, Accra, Dakar, Dar-es-Salaam and Entebbe.
Copyright Photo: Arnd Wolf/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-760 ET-ALM (msn 33765) taxies at Munich.
Ethiopian Airlines Aircraft Slide Show:
http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Africa-1/Airlines-Africa1-AF/Ethiopian-Airlines
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