Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) as planned, retired three ex-Northwest Airlines Boeing 747-400s on September 30:
N671US (fleet number 6311) performed its last revenue flight on September 30 from Paris (CDG) to Detroit as flight DL 99. The Jumbo ferried to Marana, Arizona on September 30 as flight DL 9950 for final disposition.
The pictured N672US (6312) performed its last revenue flight also on September 30 from Amsterdam to Atlanta as flight DL 239. The aircraft was ferried to Marana on October 1.
N676US (6316) performed its last revenue flight also on September 30 from Tokyo (Narita) to Atlanta as flight DL 269. The aircraft was ferried to Marana on October 1.
This leaves 13 remaining in active service. Another 747-400 will be retired at the end of this year leaving a dozen.
Delta has 10 Airbus A330-300 aircraft on order which will augment Deltaโs existing fleet of 32 A330s. The first new A330-300 delivery is scheduled for spring of 2015, with three additional airplanes scheduled for that year, four in 2016, and the final two in 2017.
Delta will be the first airline to operate the enhanced 242-metric ton A330-300, which offers additional payload capacity and range. Delta will use the aircraftโs versatility to optimize its Pacific and Atlantic networks.
The last Delta 747-400 is likely to be retired in 2017.
Top Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-451 N672US (msn 30267) is pictured on its final approach to Tokyo (Narita). N672US was delivered new to Northwest Airlines on July 19, 1999.
Delta Air Lines (current):ย
Boeing 747 Slide Show:ย
Northwest Airlines:ย
Bottom Copyright Photo: Jan Petzold/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-451 N672US departs from the Minneapolis/St. Paul hub when it was with Northwest.
Lufthansa (Frankfurt) has converted its first aircraft with the new Premium Economy Class. The company issued this statement:
At 11.00 a.m. today, LH 9880, a special flight took off from Frankfurt Airport. On board the Boeing 747-830 was the new Premium Economy Class. The aircraft, with the registration number D-ABYQ (msn 37839(, is the first in the Lufthansa fleet to offer the new class of travel on board. Experts from Lufthansa Technik have fitted the Boeing 747-8 with the 32 new Premium Economy Class seats and performed all the necessary quality checks.
The aircraft, which is called the โSchleswig-Holsteinโ, flew over the German region of the same name in a two-hour special flight.
โToday, we are seeing a genuine premiรจreโ, said Karl Ulrich Garnadt, Member of the Executive Board of Lufthansa AG and CEO of Lufthansa German Airlines. โWe are launching a new travel class for the first time in 35 years.โ Garnadt stressed that Premium Economy was an important part of the โbiggest product upgrade in Lufthansaโs historyโ. By late summer of next year, Lufthansa will have modified First, Business and Premium Economy Class on its entire long-haul fleet according to schedule and as part of its quality campaign. โWith Premium Economy Class alone, we will be able to offer some 1.5 million passengers per year the opportunity to choose extra comfort and quality at affordable prices,โ said the German Airlines CEO.
From as early as December 1 โ nine days earlier than scheduled โ Lufthansa customers will be able to enjoy Premium Economy Class on all flights on the Boeing 747-8 fleet. The โdash-8 fleetโ will then offer by far the most cutting-edge and exclusive travelling experience available at Lufthansa.
Premium Economy Class seats will make up some ten percent of the entire seating capacity on each wide-bodied aircraft. Over the next few months, Lufthansa will thus fit between 21 (Airbus A330-300) and 52 (Airbus A380-800) new seats in each of its aircraft. On board the Boeing 747-8, 32 seats will be modified in line with Premium Economy Class specifications. The airline commissioned a total of 3,600 seats from the manufacturer ZIM.
โBooking levels to date have significantly exceeded our expectationsโ, Garnadt added. โThis shows that we are striking a chord with customers with our new offering. As well as cost-conscious business travellers, weโre also attracting the rapidly growing target group of leisure travellers who donโt want to skimp on on-board comforts during their holidays.โ
Alongside Premium Economy Class, Lufthansa is also working intently on upgrades to First and Business Class on board its long-haul aircraft. All these quality-related measures are set to be completed by late summer 2015. Lufthansa will then be in a position to offer its guests in all classes the exclusive travelling experience of a prizewinning five-star First Class as well as the new Business Class, where aircraft seats can be transformed at the touch of a button into a comfortable bed with a horizontal sleeping area of 1.98 metres long.
โI firmly believe that, with this package of products and measures, we will undoubtedly achieve our objective of becoming the first Western five-star airlineโ, said Garnadt.
Lufthansa is currently offering special introductory prices for Premium Economy Class flights. For instance, return flights to Washington D.C. are available from as little as EUR 1,199, while passengers to Beijing can enjoy the new travelling experience for a mere EUR 1,249.
In addition, no rebooking fees are being charged to passengers looking to rebook from Economy to Premium Economy Class. As soon as Lufthansa Premium Economy Class becomes available on a flight route, an existing Economy Class booking can be upgraded to Premium Economy Class. Passengers will only have to pay the difference between the fares of the two tickets, provided that no changes are made to the original flights that were booked. This applies even if the original ticket was booked for a price that did not permit rebooking.
To increase global awareness of the new Premium Economy Class on the market, Lufthansa launched a broad marketing campaign already in mid-September. At the heart of this campaign is its โRecorderโ TV advertisement (below). This shows the British musician Duncan Townsend experiencing the extras available in Premium Economy Class for the first time. Brandishing a sound recorder, he combines many different snippets of sound that he hears on his journey into a rhythm, which ultimately evolves into a re-interpreted version of Billy Idolโs โRebel Yellโ: โMore, more, more…โ
Lufthansa will introduce its new Premium Economy Class on December 1 on the following routes from Frankfurt: Beijing, Buenos Aires, Chicago O’Hare, Hong Kong, Los Angles, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Seoul and Washington Dulles.
Copyright Photo Below: Bjoern Schmitt/AirlinersGallery.com. A dramatic view of Lufthansa’s Boeing 747-830 D-ABYI (msn 37833) on final approach to the runway at Los Angeles International Airport over the parking lot.
Air China (Beijing) has taken delivery of the pictured Boeing 747-89L B-2485 (msn 41191) yesterday (September 29), its first 747-800 Intercontinental.
Boeing issued this statement:
Boeing and Air China celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first 747-8 Intercontinental. Air China is the first carrier in Asia to operate the passenger version of the new, fuel-efficient 747-8. The new airplane is the first of seven 747-8 Intercontinentals Air China has on order.
“Air China has been operating 747s since the 1980s,” said Song Zhiyong, president of Air China. “This iconic airplane has played an important role in Air China’s international development and has also witnessed many milestones of the reform and opening-up of China. We are very proud to introduce the new 747-8 into our fleet to continue its tradition into the future.”
Air China, the flag carrier of the People’s Republic of China, will operate the new airplanes as it continues to expand its international routes.
The 747-8 Intercontinental will bring double-digit improvements in fuel consumption and emissions over its predecessor, the 747-400, while generating 30 percent less noise. The airplane’s interior, inspired by the 787 Dreamliner, includes a new curved, upswept architecture giving passengers a greater feeling of space and comfort, while adding more room for personal belongings. The 747-8 Intercontinental is powered by GE Aviation’s GEnx-2B engines.
Boeing’s partnership with Air China dates back to the 1970s. In addition to the 747-8 Intercontinental, Air China also has 15 787-9s on order. Air China has received all of its 20 777-300 ERs in the last three years and is one of the largest 737 operators in China.
Air China will deploy the new type on the Beijing-Frankfurt route starting daily on January 2, 2015 per Airline Route.
Copyright Photo: Brandon Farris/AirlinersGallery.com. B-2485 is pictured at Boeing Field in Seattle on a test flight.
Boeing 747-8 Customers (Boeing):
Video: The National Geographic documentary on the Boeing 747-8:
Virgin Atlantic Airways (London) is close to making a decision on its five Boeing 787 options according to this report by Bloomberg. The British carrier is updating its fleet plans as it retires its older aircraft types with the new generation aircraft.
According to the report, Virgin Atlantic will retire the last Airbus A340-300 (above) at the end of February 2015. The last five Boeing 747-400s will leave the fleet between September 2015 and July 2016.
Two Airbus A340-600s will be retired at the beginning of 2015.
Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. The older Airbus A340-300s will be the first to be retired in February.ย Virgin Atlantic Airways’ Airbus A340-313 G-VFAR (msn 225) climbs away from London’s Heathrow Airport.
El Al Israel Airlines (Tel Aviv) and JetBlue Airways (New York) today filed with the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) seeking approval to codeshare.
Subject to government approval, El Al plans to place its “LY” code on select JetBlue-operated flights to/from New York (JFK/Newark).
El Al currently offers up to 22 weekly nonstop flights from Tel Aviv to New York (JFK/Newark) which easily tap into JetBlue’s growing network. With one stop in New York (JFK/Newark), customers may connect between Israel and 35 JetBlue destinations including Boston, Chicago/O’Hare, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Houston/Hobby, Las Vegas, Orlando, San Francisco, San Juan, Washington/Dulles and West Palm Beach. JetBlue currently serves 86 cities across the United States, Caribbean, and Latin America.
El Al and JetBlue have been interline partners since 2010, allowing customers to purchase single-ticket itineraries, combining travel on both airlines.
Top Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. El Al’s Boeing 747-458 4X-ELB (msn 26056) climbs gracefully away from Heathrow Airport near London.
El Al Israel Airlines:ย
JetBlue Airways:ย
Bottom Copyright Photo: Fred Freketic/AirlinersGallery.com. JetBlue Airways’ Airbusย A321-231 WL N923JB (msn 5960) with the Prism tail fin awaits its runway departure clearance at JFK International Airport.
Air China (Beijing) will soon take delivery of its first 365-seat Boeing 747-800. The pictured Boeing 747-89L B-2485 (msn 41191) is being readied for the delivery ceremony. The airline, according to Airline Route, plans to introduce the new type on the Beijing-Guangzhou route on October 11, subject to change.
Copyright Photo: Steve Bailey/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-89L B-2485 lands at Paine Field after a test flight at the Everett plant.
Air Hollywood, the studio in Hollywood where many movies involving airliners are filmed, is now offering the “Pan Am Experience” to help “passengers” relive the golden age of air travel ย on the original Pan Am of the 1970s. Prices range from $297 for the First Class experience and $197 for Clipper Class. The “experience” never leaves the ground, it occurs inside the mock Boeing 747 cabin that is used for making movies. Air Hollywood describes the experience:
From its birth in 1927, Pan American Airways was the pioneer airline whose routes spanned 6 continents and more than 80 countries. Almost a century later, the name Pan Am is still a very powerful brand, and inside this Southern California motion picture studio sits an exact replica of the airlineโs Boeing 747 and everything that made it so special.
Your Pan Am experience starts on the main deck with a cocktail and beverage service in the First Class cabin. Each stewardess that greets you will be adorned in her original 1970โs Pan Am uniform. Our Pan Am crew will offer various video & audio selections while you sit back in your Pan Am Sleeperette seat and sip a cocktail.
Soon after, youโll climb the winding staircase where the crew will set your table for a truly memorable dining event. In classic Pan Am style, youโll be offered your favorite cocktail and served a delightful gourmet meal. Everything from the china to the glassware is authentic with careful attention to the exquisite service delivery of the era and menu offerings of Pan Am.
After dinner, you will have an opportunity to view the vast collection of airline memorabilia and view other film production sets.
For the first time since Pan Am ceased operations, you can now relive the magic of this golden era in travel. We cordially invite you to personally experience this unique โflyingโ opportunity in the tradition of Pan Am.
Bottom Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-121 N751PA (msn 19655) “Clipper Midnight Sun” displays the classic 1976 livery of the first and original Pan Am.
QANTAS Airways (Sydney) has announced it will return to Vancouver (last served in January 2008) with twice-weekly Boeing 747-400 flights during the month of January 2015 (January 3-23, 2015).
The airline issued this statement:
QANTAS ย announced it will operate six direct return services between Sydney and Vancouver in January 2015 to cater for demand during the peak of the North American winter holiday season.
The Vancouver services follow last weekโs announcement of a new codeshare with WestJet, providing new connections.
QANTAS has also announced an increase in services to the US and Santiago from early 2015, and is upgrading its Dallas/Fort Worth service to an Airbus A380.
The services will operate from January 3-22, 2015, departing Sydney on Saturdays and Wednesdays (with same day connections available from the major Australian capital cities), and from Vancouver on Sundays and Thursdays, operated by a three-cabin Boeing 747 aircraft, reconfigured with lie-flat beds in Business Class and the award-winning international Economy seat.* Subject to regulatory approval.
All proposed services are subject to regulatory approval.
Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallary.com. Boeing 747-438 ER VH-OEH (msn 32912) approaches the runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.
Air New Zealand (Auckland) ended an era ย when the pictured Boeing 747-419 ZK-NBV (msn 26910), flying the final 747 revenue flight, landed in Auckland on a flight from San Francisco. ANZ has ended its long association (nearly 35 years) with the Jumbo. The flag carrier originally operated the Boeing 747-200B before that early type was replaced with the newer Boeing 747-400s. Now the 747-400s have been fully replaced with newer Boeing 777-300 ERs and 787-9 Dreamliners.
Read the account from the Sydney Morning Herald: CLICK HERE
The last flight departed from San Francisco International Airport on September 10. This “Farewell 747” banner was displayed at the departure gate at SFO:
Copyright Photo: Air New Zealand.
Copyright Photo: Roy Lock/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-419 ZK-NBV was previously painted in this special color scheme to promote the first Lord of Rings movie featuring Frodo on the aircraft. ZK-NBV was delivered new to ANZ on Halloween (October 31), 1998.
In other news, Air New Zealand is adding more flights to its North American schedule. The popularity of the airlineโs service between Auckland and Los Angeles will see the airline step up frequency next year from twice daily to three times a day on three days of the week.
To date Air New Zealandโs Los Angeles service has predominantly run twice-daily but during the 2015 Northern Summer season (April – October) there will be a third flight departing Auckland on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, representing a 20% boost in total capacity.
The additional Los Angeles services will depart Auckland earlier than the current daily services arriving in Los Angeles around 0900 and enabling same day connections with Midwest and East Coast USA destinations. The earlier departure time will also suit Australian travellers heading to the USA, with convenient Melbourne and Sydney connections.
The additional services will depart Los Angeles later than current services accommodating later connections while still arriving into Auckland at 0700 in time for passengers to connect seamlessly to domestic New Zealand and Australia.
Air New Zealand is also increasing capacity between Auckland and Vancouver by 10%. Next year it will operate five times per week from June to September (currently mid-July to late August). The airline operates three times per week outside of this period.
Both the Los Angeles and Vancouver routes will get an additional boost during the New Zealand school holidays. Air New Zealand will operate a third daily Los Angeles flight on Sundays in the July and October school holidays taking the weekly total to 18, and move from three to four flights per week to Vancouver during the October school holidays.
Today (September 12) ANZ begins Boeing 787-9 service on the Auckland โ Perth route, one month earlier than planned.
Additionally, Air New Zealand is progressively refitting its Boeing 777-200 ER fleet bringing the on-board customer experience into line with the high level of inflight innovation and comfort already enjoyed on the airlineโs Boeing 777-300 ER and new 787-9 aircraft.
Air New Zealand has eight 777-200 ERs which are progressively having their interiors completely stripped out and replaced as part of a $100 million fleet refurbishment project.
ZK-OKA is the first to be completed.ย The refurbished aircraft features Air New Zealandโs new luxury leather Premium Economy seat (above) which recently debuted on the airlineโs 787-9 Dreamliner and nine rows of the award-winning Economy Skycouch product. The airlineโs Business Premier lie-flat bed and Economy seat round out the inflight product offering. Also on board is a brand new Panasonic eX3 seatback inflight entertainment system with improved resolution and touch capabilities.
The remainder of the airlineโs Boeing 777-200 ER fleet is being progressively refurbished with the final aircraft scheduled to roll out of the hangar late next year.
On the financial side, Air New Zealand recently announced normalized earnings before taxation of A$332 million for the 2014 financial year, an increase of 30 percent on the previous year. Statutory earnings before taxation were A$357 million, an increase of 40 percent, while statutory net profit after taxation was $262 million.
Chairman Tony Carter said that the result represented the third consecutive year of strong earnings growth for the airline.
“This is a result Air New Zealand can be proud of. Our employees, our customers and our shareholders can be confident that Air New Zealand continues to be a world leading airline both in terms of customer experience and financial performance,” Mr Carter said.
“We have made significant progress on our key strategic initiatives. With new aircraft offering better operating economics, an optimised network with the right alliance partners, disciplined cost management and a daily focus on improving the customer experience, we are very well positioned to continue growing.”
Mr Carter said that Air New Zealand will significantly grow its capacity in the coming year, as new aircraft arrive.
“Based on our current expectations of market demand and fuel prices, we expect to improve on the 2014 result in the coming year. This outlook excludes equity earnings from the Virgin Australia shareholding,” he said.
Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon said the result was testament to the efforts of Air New Zealanders at all levels of the organisation.
“Our team is demonstrating their passion and commitment to ensuring that Air New Zealand is performing better than ever before. A successful Air New Zealand is good for everyone โ it is a virtuous circle. As we grow our revenue and control costs, we generate strong financial results which lead to sustainable returns to shareholders and investment back in the business,” Mr Luxon said.
“We have a number of initiatives underway to further improve the customer experience, including induction of the Boeing 787-9 fleet, the refurbishment of our Boeing 777-200 ER fleet, moving to new terminals and lounges in Los Angeles and London and multiple lounge upgrades across the network.”
Mr Luxon also commented on the airlineโs alliance with Singapore Airlines, which was recently granted full regulatory approval.
“This alliance is the third strategic revenue sharing alliance we have formed in recent years, following agreements with Virgin Australia (reauthorised in 2013) and Cathay Pacific in 2012. Forming alliances with the right partners in the right markets is a key pillar of our Go Beyond strategy.”
“Strong alliances such as this provide us with a platform for sustainable growth, allowing us to open up new routes and markets across the Pacific Rim,” he said.
Air New Zealand Aircraft Slide Show:
Video: ANZ salutes the “Queen of the Skies”:
Video from stuff.co.nz:ย Air New Zealand’s Boeing 747-400 ZK-NBV named “Christchurch” made it final flight and now is in retirement. The 747-400 completed 67,552 flight hours and 7284 landings.
Video: Before the Boeing 747-400 there was the Boeing 747-200B:
Centurion Cargo (Miami) is struggling according to this report by the South Florida Business Journal. ย According to the report, “five statutory trusts based in Dublin, Ireland filed a lawsuit in federal court on August 29 against Miami-based Centurion and its Sky Lease I affiliate. It claims the companies are delinquent on $10.2 million in lease payments on five aircrafts: one Boeing 747-400F and four McDonnell Douglas MD-11Fs.”
Until now the airline has not returned the aircraft.
The company was originally founded on November 8, 1985 as Challenge Air Cargo Inc. After many years in the business, on July 20, 2001 Challenge Air Cargo Inc. changed its name and started operating as Centurion Air Cargo Inc.
According to the airline, Centurion Cargo is a privately owned company founded in 2001.Based at Miami International Airport it currently operates a 550,000 square foot warehouse (51,097 square meters); divided into two different sections; a 159,000 square foot (14,772 square meters) Cooler and 391,000 square foot (36,325 square meters) Dry Cargo Area, the Centurion Cargo Center is by far the largest privately owned all cargo airline facility in North America, and operates a fleet of ten MD-11Fs and three 747-400ERFs.
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