Tag Archives: Boeing 737-800

American to add new routes to Cancun, Mexico

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) will offer new access to Cancun, Mexico when it adds new service from four U.S. cities in 2016. The new seasonal service to Cancun International Airport (CUN) will operate on Saturdays from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), Nashville International Airport (BNA) and Kansas City International Airport (MCI). Service will start on March 5, 2016.

In August, American announced plans to provide customers a more seamless experience with its Airbus 319 fleet. A319s will be retrofitted with AC power ports at every seat and new overhead bins with increased storage for carryon bags. When complete, all A319s will be configured with 128 seats with 8 First Class seats and 18 Main Cabin Extra seats.

American is taking delivery of more than 100 new aircraft this year, giving it the youngest fleet of any U.S.-based network carrier. Orders include the Airbus A320 and A320neo family, A350-900s, Boeing 737 MAX, 777-300ERs and 787s, which will make American’s fleet even younger, more modern and fuel efficient.

Photo: American Airlines. AA has released an early photo of its new Boeing 737-800 Reno Air legacy retro jet.

Atlantic Star Airlines to partner with TUIfly, flights to St. Helena to start in March

Atlantic Star Airlines (London) has issued this statement:

Atlantic Star will partner with TUIfly to deliver its 2016 charter flight program between the UK and St. Helena. TUI Group is Europe’s largest travel company and holds a European Air Safety Agency Air Operators Certificate, including the necessary Extended Twin Operations validation necessary to operate to St. Helena.

TUIfly will operate a Boeing 737-800 on the route from London Gatwick to St. Helena, via a short fuel stop in Banjul, Gambia. The two-class configuration will offer Economy and Economy Plus seating options.

The first dates for travel coincide with the Easter school holidays. They will of course be dependent on the airport at St. Helena being opened on schedule in February 2016.

Further flights are planned, timed to coincide with school holidays later in 2016. Atlantic Star will not be able to confirm the dates or release tickets for sale on these services until much nearer the time.

The first service will leave London Gatwick in the late evening of Sunday, March 20, 2016, arriving mid-morning in St. Helena on Monday, March 21, 2016. The aircraft will then leave St. Helena around lunchtime, to arrive back in London Gatwick late the same night.

The second service will operate to a similar schedule, leaving London Gatwick on Sunday, April 3, 2016 to arrive in St. Helena on April 4, 2016, departing St. Helena the same day to arrive at London Gatwick late that night.

Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. TUIfly’s (TUIfly.com) (Germany) ex-Airberlin Boeing 737-86J WL D-ABKI (msn 37748) arrives at EuroAirport.

TUIfly aircraft slide show:

WestJet introduces a new Disney Frozen logo jet

WestJet (Calgary) today (October 18) unveiled its new Disney Frozen-theme logo jet on the pictured Boeing 737-8CT C-GWSV (msn 37158). The airline issued this statement:

A plane so cool, it’s frozen. Second custom-painted WestJet aircraft inspired by Disney’s Frozen.

WestJet, WestJet Vacations and The Walt Disney Company (Canada) Ltd., Parks and Resorts, have made magic again, unveiling a second custom-painted, Disney-themed aircraft featuring Anna, Elsa and Olaf from Frozen, the highest-grossing animated film of all time.

Like the #MagicPlane featuring Sorcerer Mickey, the images on the #DisneyFrozenThemedPlane tell an enchanting story. The tail of the aircraft features Anna and Elsa celebrating sisterhood and the magic of snow. Moving along the aircraft from back to front, the magic travels to warmer climes where Olaf can be found enjoying a summer day on the beach. The theme carries through to the interior of the aircraft with images on the overhead bins, bulkheads, lavatory mirrors and headrests.

“This aircraft takes the relationship between WestJet and Disney to a completely new level of cool,” said Bob Cummings, WestJet Executive Vice-President, Commercial. “Two years ago, we launched the #MagicPlane, our first Disney-themed aircraft, and no matter where it flies throughout our network, it is the most-anticipated and most-photographed aircraft in WestJet history. Today, we are proud to team up with our great friends at Disney to create a sequel like no other.”

“To see our vision come to life is so exciting, as we collaborated on this project for over a year. Only a very small group of us (WestJetters and Disney Artists and Cast Members) knew and we had to keep our secret under wraps… or should I say, on ice,” said Marlie Morrison, Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company (Canada) Ltd., Parks & Resorts. “It’s a truly unique and unforgettable design that Disney Fans and WestJet guests alike will enjoy for years to come.”

Fun facts about the #DisneyFrozenThemedPlane:

The aircraft was painted in Fort Worth, Texas.
The paint team included team members from Canada, the United States and Germany. They watched Frozen to get them into the spirit before work began.
The job took 21 days of 12-hour rotations involving a constant crew of six painters working 24/7.
The crew used 643.5 litres of paint consisting of 23 colours — five for the umbrella alone.
Sparkles were added to the paint in sections to add shimmer and shine as the aircraft moves.
An airbrush artist was brought in to work on details around the sun, water and castle.
The inside of the aircraft has decals and headrest covers that mimic the cold-to-warm (back-to-front) theme on the outside of the aircraft.
There are 54 separate overhead bin doors on the aircraft and each has a unique Frozen decal.
Several dozen bagels were consumed during the painting of this aircraft (there weren’t any doughnut stores nearby). The crew drank more than 100 litres of sweet tea.

All photos by WestJet.

WestJet aircraft slide show:

Video:

Southwest begins daily international service to six destinations from Houston Hobby

Southwest Airlines (Dallas) is celebrating the launch of international flights from the new international terminal at William P. Hobby Airport yesterday (October 15). The airline issued this statement:

Employees of Southwest Airlines (LUV) launched a new international chapter on October 15 in a 45-year history of serving Houston by joining with Houston Airport System and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to open a new five-gate concourse, Federal Inspection Station for Customs and Border Protection, new concessions for travelers, and begin daily international service for travelers using Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport. Southwest’s new nonstop daily service to a total eight international destinations by November charts a new horizon for Houstonians who value world-renowned Customer Service.

At a news conference that began just as Southwest Flight 305 to Cancun departed from one of five gates in the airport’s new west concourse, Southwest’s local Employees and Company Leadership joined many Houstonians who played a role in bringing international service back to William P. Hobby Airport.

In 2012, the Houston City Council overwhelmingly approved Southwest Airlines’ proposal to expand service across borders from William P. Hobby Airport by building the new international concourse and Federal Inspection Station, thus “freeing Hobby” from domestic-only capability and a historically monopolized market long-burdened by high international airfares. Southwest broke ground on the new facility on Sept. 30, 2013, and two years later has completed the $156 million project both on time and under budget. Southwest worked diligently throughout the construction to give opportunity to Small Business Enterprise and Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise (SBE / MWBE), and has exceeded City of Houston SBE / MWBE requirements.

International-themed festivities at the airport throughout the day included a chance for travelers in the terminal to win prizes provided by Southwest Vacations. Ceremony surrounded departures to the new destinations, including Belize City, Belize, Southwest’s 96th and newest city served.

Through William P. Hobby Airport, Southwest Airlines began operating twice daily nonstop service to and from Cancun as well as once daily nonstop options between Houston and Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, and San Jose del Cabo/Los Cabos, a total of four cities in Mexico. Nonstop service linking Costa Rica to Houston also began on October 15 with a daily flight to and from the nation’s capital, San Jose, with additional new service to Liberia in Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province, Southwest’s 97th city served, scheduled to begin daily operation November 1, 2015, subject to foreign government approval. That same day, Southwest is scheduled to begin daily nonstop service between Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Houston Hobby.

In addition, seasonal service on Saturdays connects Houston nonstop with San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Oranjestad, Aruba, making a total of ten nonstop routes across Latin America and the Caribbean available to Southwest Customers using Hobby Airport.

Copyright Photo: Steve Bailey/Airlinersgallery.com. Boeing 737-8H4 N8643A (msn 42524) departs from Boeing Field in Seattle.

Southwest Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

Ryanair to establish its 75th base at Corfu, Greece

Ryanair (Dublin) has announced it will open a new base at Corfu (number 75), from April 2016, with one based aircraft, 11 new routes to Birmingham, Bratislava, Budapest, Cologne, Rome, Katowice, Poznan, Pisa, Rzeszow, Venice and Warsaw and more flights to Charleroi (near Brussels), East Midlands, London (Stansted) and Bergamo (near Milan).

The first additional route will be to Rome (Fiumicino) starting on March 29, 2016. The others will be added in late April, early May and June 3, 2016 to Pisa.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8AS EI-FIO (msn 61579) taxies at Brussels. The new aircraft was delivered on June 12, 2015.

Ryanair aircraft slide show:

SAS to launch eight new routes next summer

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) is planning to launch eight new routes next summer. The airline made this announcement:

SAS continues to open new direct routes, providing nearly 600,000 more seats from Scandinavian airports in its 2016 summer timetable. More departures are also being added on a number of popular routes.

As the summer timetable gradually comes into effect from the end of March, SAS customers will be able to look forward to new direct year-round routes from Copenhagen to Reykjavik, Vienna, and Krakow, and from Stockholm to Gdansk. Krakow and Vienna are particularly popular holiday destinations, while Reykjavik and Gdansk both attract business and leisure travelers.

The new additions next summer also serve in-demand holiday routes during the peak season. During the summer, SAS will fly from Stockholm to the Greek island of Mykonos, from Copenhagen to Faro in Portugal, from Aarhus to Palma de Mallorca, and from Stavanger to Paris.

SAS is during the summer high season providing over 100,000 more seats to and from vacation destinations compared with last year.

More frequencies from Oslo

As well as the new routes, SAS is also enhancing its offering to and from Oslo with an additional daily departure on five key business routes. From April 2016, there will be flights to Aberdeen and Düsseldorf twice a day, to Brussels and Billund three times a day, and to Bodø eight times a day.

In addition to the new direct routes from Scandinavia to popular European destinations, SAS recently launched new direct year-round routes to the US in 2016: from Stockholm to Los Angeles, from Oslo to Miami, and from Copenhagen to Miami and Boston.

With the new routes to the US, SAS is opening a total of 12 new routes from Scandinavian airports in 2016. The new routes and additional departures mean that during the summer season SAS will be providing 579,000 extra seats compared with last year.

New routes

Copenhagen-Vienna
Departures from Copenhagen on SK695, on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday. During the summer peak season, departures on Monday and Thursday. First departure: March 24, 2016.

Copenhagen-Krakow
Departures from Copenhagen on SK1735, on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. First departure: March 25, 2016.

Copenhagen-Reykjavik (Keflavik airport)
Daily departures from Copenhagen on SK595. First departure: March 27, 2016.

Copenhagen-Faro:
Departure from Copenhagen on SK2823 on Saturday. First departure: April 2, 2016.

Aarhus-Palma de Mallorca:
Departure from Aarhus on SK1513 on Monday. First departure: June 27, 2016.

Stockholm-Gdansk:
Departures from Stockholm on SK2759 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. During the summer peak season, departures on Friday and Sunday. First departure: March 25, 2016.

Stockholm-Mykonos:
Departure from Stockholm on SK2739 on Saturday. First departure: May 21, 2016.

Stavanger-Paris (CDG)
Departures from Stavanger on SK831 on Monday and Friday. During the summer peak season, departures on Monday and Friday. First departure: April 8, 2016.

SAS aircraft slide show:

Alaska Airlines starts Orange County – Los Cabos flights

Alaska Airlines (Seattle/Tacoma) today (October 8) begins nonstop Boeing 737 service from Orange County, California, to Los Cabos, Mexico. The flights are year-round and will operate four-times a week.

Alaska Airlines began flying to Los Cabos more than 25 years ago. Today, the carrier operates 50 weekly peak-season flights to Los Cabos—more than any other carrier from California.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 WL N568AS (msn 35183) in the special Employee powered livery arrives in Los Angeles.

Alaska Airlines aircraft slide show:

Malaysia Airlines to rebrand with a possible name change

Malaysia Airlines (Malaysia Airlines Berhad-MAB) (Kuala Lumpur) will undergo a rebrand process, including a possible name change, in the first quarter of 2016 according to a report by stuff.co.nz. A rebranding strategy will be announced in December.

Read the full report:

Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8H6 9M-MLQ (msn 39327) passes through Honolulu on delivery in the 2010 livery.

Malaysia Airlines aircraft slide show:

Alaska Airlines adds another spoke route from the SEA hub to Raleigh/Durham

Alaska Airlines (Seattle/Tacoma) continues to expand its Seattle/Tacoma hub with the start of new service from the Emerald City to Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina starting yesterday (October 1). Raleigh/Durham is the sixth new destination the carrier has added this year, following last month’s start of service from Seattle/Tacoma to Nashville and New York City’s JFK International Airport.

Flights will be operated by fuel-efficient Next Generation Boeing 737 aircraft.

Copyright Photo: Arnd Wolf/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-890 WL N570AS (msn 35185) in the special “Follow us to Disneyland Resort – Disney Cars” livery arrives in Las Vegas.

Alaska Airlines aircraft slide show:

Video:

<p><a href=”https://vimeo.com/141156602″>Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 N570AS (msn 35185) in the special "Follow us to Disneyland Resort – Disney Cars" livery</a> from <a href=”https://vimeo.com/user19954503″>Bruce Drum</a> on <a href=”https://vimeo.com”>Vimeo</a>.</p>

Air Lease Corporation to lease two Boeing 737-800s to Siam Air

Siam Air (Siam Air Transport) (Bangkok-Don Mueang Airport) is becoming a new Boeing 737-800 operator.

Air Lease Corporation (ALC) (Los Angeles) announced lease agreements with Siam Air Transport (Thailand) for two used Boeing 737-800 aircraft. These aircraft will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Siam Air was founded in 2013 and commenced low-fare operations in October 2014.

Copyright Photo: Robbie Shaw/AirlinersGallery.com. Siam Air currently operates two Boeing 737-300s to three destinations in Hong Kong and China. The 737-300s will now be replaced with the newer 737s. Boeing 737-3J6 HS-BRU (msn 25893) arrives in Hong Kong.