Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) has just repainted its Boeing 757-232 registered N608DA (msn 22815) in Atlanta in the “Upright Widget” livery. This color scheme (above) was introduced in 1966 for the fleet and was the longest-running livery for the carrier until the “red dash” color scheme was introduced in 1997.
The aircraft has now been donated to Delta Flight Museum.
Top Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Sister ship Boeing 757-232 N619DL (msn 22909) taxies at Dallas/Fort Worth when it actually wore the 1966 color scheme (slightly altered in 1976). This is the first livery worn by Delta’s Boeing 757-200s.
Delta Air Lines (current livery):ย
Delta Air Lines (historic and all other liveries):ย
Delta’s Route Map in 1966 (it was barely an international airline):
Delta’s current fleet line-up and number of aircraft in service (Delta Air Lines):
Allegiant Air (Las Vegas) has announced the addition of several larger, more comfortable seats, known as “Giant Seats,” to each of its Boeing 757 aircraft. Giving Allegiant travelers a new option when customizing their vacation experience, the company will offer these Giant Seats on flights between Hawaii and several western U.S. cities.
Copyright Photo: Allegiant Air.
Passengers who purchase a Giant Seat when making their reservations will take advantage of a more spacious, wider seat, comfortable headrests and more leg room.
“By adding these new Giant Seats, Allegiant passengers will enjoy the feeling and comfort of a premium seat, while flying to their destination at an affordable cost,” said Jude Bricker, Allegiant Travel Company, Senior Vice President of Planning. “We think the Giant Seats will be a welcome option for travelers, especially on our long-haul flights to Hawaii.”
Located in the first row and the mid-cabin emergency exit row of the aircraft, each of the six Giant Seats will be made available for a seat assignment fee on all flights to and from Hawaii and select flights to Las Vegas.
Allegiant installed the first of these new seats as part of compliance with changes to FAA crew rest rules, which require minimum seat requirements for augmented crews resting in the passenger cabin. A pair of the new seats was installed to comply with these rules, but the company also saw an opportunity to offer these more comfortable seats to passengers in other parts of the cabin and on flights that do not require augmented crew rest.
The new Giant Seats are part of an overall reconfiguration of the Allegiant 757 cabins, which includes creating a new seating option called “Legroom +.” Increasing the amount of leg room by up to six inches, Legroom + seats provide passengers with up to 34 inches between seat rows.
The installation of the new Giant Seats has been completed on all six of the carrier’s 757 aircraft. The new seat configuration will decrease the total number of seats in Allegiant’s Boeing 757s from 223 to 215.
Top Copyright Photo: Eddie Maloney/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-204 N904NV (msn 26967) touches down in Las Vegas.
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) Boeing 757-200 operating flight DL 2412 from Orlando to Atlanta yesterday (March 16) was involved in an incident. An accessย wing panel flew off the right wing while the aircraft was en route. The aircraft landed safely.
Read the full report from CNN (with photo): CLICK HERE
National Airlines (5th) (formerly Murray Air) (Orlando) is celebrating the accomplishment of becoming the latest FAA designated Flag/Domestic Air Carrier. The airline issued this statement:
National Airlines is proud to announce that onย February 28, 2014, the FAA approved National to becomeย the United States’ย newest Flag/Domestic air carrier. ย National Airlines has a long history ofย supporting governments and militariesย around the world — by, among other things, flying ad hoc cargo shipments in and out of crisis areas and also operating charter passenger operations for sports teams inย the United States, visitors to/fromย Cuba, and contractors traveling between theย United Arab Emiratesย andย Afghanistan. ย US Flag/Domestic authority will allow National Airlines to expand its services to include conducting scheduled passenger flights throughoutย the United Statesย and across the globe.ย It also provides an opportunity for National Airlines to continue its support of the US government travelers under the Fly America Act, whereby US government funded travelers fly on US Flag Carriers whenever available.
National Airlines maintains the highest standards of safety, security, and compliance.ย “This is nowhere more important than in theย Middle East, which has been a significant market for National Airlines,” saidย Glen Joerger, National Airlines’ President.ย “This operating authority will further strengthen our position as an emerging passenger carrier of choice for discerning customers seeking US Flag service in the region,” he added. “This tremendous addition to National’s operating certificate reinforces our corporate commitment to serve every facet of transportation and logistics for our key clientele around the globe,” continued Joerger.
Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-28A N176CA (msn 24543) prepares to land at Dubai.
Icelandair Group (Icelandair) (Keflavik) reported its financial results for 2013 (all dollar figures in US dollars):
Profit before taxes amounted to $71.0 million, up by $13.6 million or 24% between years
Income rose between years by 13.8%
EBITDA in the fourth quarter amounted $6.8 million, up by $0.9 million between years
The equity ratio at year-end 2013 was 42%, as compared to 39% at year-end 2012
Net interest-bearing debts were reduced by $95.6 million over the year and were negative at year-end in the amount of $77.5 million
The Board of Directors has proposed a dividend payment of ISK 2,150 million to shareholders in 2014, which corresponds ISK 0.43 per share.
Bjรถrgรณlfur Jรณhannsson, President and CEO
“The Company’s performance in 2013 is good and considerably better than our budget projected in the beginning of the year.ย Profit before taxes amounted to $71.0 million, up by $13.6 million between years. Like recent years, last year was characterised by profitable organic growth, which is in line with our strategy. Capacity in our route network was increased by 16% from last year, and the number of passengers increased by 12%. The Company’s largest market in international flight services is the market between Europe and North-America, which has been the principal driving force of our growth in recent years. The tourist market to Iceland has also shown significant growth, and the demand for domestic tourist services has increased rapidly. Concurrently with this expansion, companies within Icelandair Group have found opportunities for profitable growth.
The rapid growth of recent years has tested the Company’s infrastructure, which is now stronger than ever before. The main reasons for the good performance of the year include favourable external conditions, increase in tourism in Iceland and last but not the least our strong team of employees which are a very important factor in what we have achieved. It is always satisfying when things are going well, but there is no room for complacency. There are various challenges ahead that we need to address.ย The principal challenge is the increasing competition, and in addition our contracts with some of our classes of employees have expired, which creates some uncertainty. Nevertheless, the Company’s business model has proven sound, our finances are solid and our cash position is strong. Icelandair Group is therefore well positioned to take on the future. The Company’s budget for 2014 projects EBITDA at $145-150 million.โ
Trip Report on Icelandair by the Sydney Morning Herald on a London-Halifax trip: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: Stefan Sjogren/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-208 TF-FIJ (msn 25085) lands in Stockholm (Arlanda).
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will add new service from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, including nonstop service to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and seasonal nonstop service toย Palm Springsย International Airport. Delta will also add new and expanded service fromย Seattle/Tacoma to seasonal destinations as it continues building its domestic network.
Delta’s newย Seattle/Tacoma service beginning on December 20, 2014ย includes:
Five daily flights toย Phoenix
One daily seasonal flight toย Palm Springs, California
Saturday seasonal service toย Tucson, Arizona
Saturday seasonal service toย Jackson Hole, Wyoming
One additional nonstop flight toย Honoluluย for a total of two daily flights
Expanded seasonal service beginning in September includes:
One new daily nonstop flight toย Anchorage, Alaskaย for a total of two daily flights in September and three daily flights during the summer
Delta’s new service toย Phoenix,ย Palm Springsย andย Tucsonย will be operated by Delta Connection carrier SkyWest Airlines (St. George, Utah) using two-class, 76-seat aircraft, whileย Jackson Holeย service will be operated with two-class, 65-seat aircraft. The expandedย Honoluluย andย Anchorageย service will be operated by Delta using Boeing 757 (above) and Boeing 737 aircraft, respectively.
By this summer, Delta will offer more than 2,500 daily international seats as part of its 79 peak-day departures to 25 destinations.
In addition to the expanded service, Delta will also adjust current arrival and departure times inย Seattle/Tacoma to offer easier connections for customers traveling through the hub.
Delta recently announced expandedย Seattle/Tacoma service fromย Anchorage;ย Fairbanks, Alaska;ย Juneau, Alaska; Las Vegas;ย Los Angeles;ย Portland, Oregon;ย San Diego;ย San Francisco;ย San Jose, California; andย Vancouverย to support its growing international gateway that currently operates nonstop flights toย Amsterdam,ย Beijing, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Shanghai-Pudong andย Tokyo. The airline will also begin operating new nonstop international service this year toย London-Heathrowย beginning in March as well asย Hong Kongย andย Seoulย in June, pending government approval.
Every long-haul international Delta flight fromย Seattle/Tacoma now features full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite, Economy Comfort seating and entertainment on demand in every seat throughout the aircraft.
Delta currently operates 34 peak-day departures to 15 destinations fromย Seattle/Tacoma, and every flight offers BusinessElite/First Class and Economy Comfort seating as well as domestic Wi-Fi service. The airline has also investedย $14 millionย in its facilities at Sea-Tac, including its recently completed lobby renovations, new Delta Sky Club, Sky Priority services, new gate area power recharging stations and expanded ticket counters.
Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-232 N6716C (msn 30838) pictured at SeaTac is named for Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, Dean of the Civil Rights Movement.
UPS (United Parcel Service) (UPS Airlines) (Atlanta) posted net earnings of $1.2 billion for 2013. The company issued this full financial statement for the fourth quarter and 2013:
UPS released details regarding fourth quarter 2013 results.ย Diluted earnings per share totaled $1.25, a $0.07 decline from 2012 fourth quarter adjusted results. Average daily package volume increased 6.0%, as total deliveries in December surged 20%. Significantly higher than predicted volume and inclement weather contributed to excess operating costs in the U.S., negatively affecting results.
During the fourth quarter 2012, UPS reported a diluted earnings per share loss of $1.83, due to an after-tax, non-cash charge of $3.0 billion to account for a mark-to-market pension adjustment.
“As the retail market shifts to a direct-to-consumer model, more and more companies are leveraging UPS solutions,” said Scott Davis, UPS chairman and CEO. “As a result, we experienced an unprecedented increase in volume, exceeding even our most optimistic plans.
“The increased volume put a strain on our network, causing delays.ย In response, UPS deployed additional people and equipment, placing a greater emphasis on service than cost,” Davis explained.ย “UPS will make the necessary investments and operational improvements to ensure we meet the needs of the marketplace.”
The company expects full-year diluted earnings per share to be within a range of $5.05 to $5.30, an increase of 11%-to-16% over 2013 adjusted results.
UPS delivered 20 million packages per day during the fourth quarter. Total shipments in 2013 increased to 4.3 billion, a 3.9% improvement over 2012.
During the holiday period, global daily deliveries exceeded expectations by surpassing 29 million packages on five days, with peak volume exceeding 31 million on December 23.ย Also during this period, UPS experienced 10 days with delivery volume that exceeded the company’s previous high.
Cash Flow
For the year ended Dec. 31, UPS generated $5.3 billion in free cash flow, producing a net income-to-cash conversion ratio of more than 120%. The company paid dividends of $2.3 billion, an increase of nearly 9% per share over the prior year, and repurchased more than 43 million shares for approximately $3.8 billion.
U.S. Domestic Package
U.S. Domestic fourth quarter revenue improved 4.2% to $9.3 billion.ย Daily package volume increased 5.6% with Deferred and Ground leading the way, up 8.0% and 5.8% respectively.
Total revenue per package declined 1.3%, as lower fuel surcharges, changes in product and customer mix, as well as higher service refunds, contributed to the drop.ย Shippers continue to utilize the UPS portfolio, choosing lower cost over faster delivery, as evidenced by more than 30% growth in UPS SurePost.
Operating profit totaled $1.2 billion as additional costs associated with a greater-than-expected surge in volume and weather led to a $178 million decline from the prior-year adjusted results. Increased compensation and benefit costs reflected the deployment of additional resources in an attempt to meet service commitments.ย During the quarter, UPS exceeded seasonal hiring targets by more than 30,000, deploying a total of 85,000 temporary employees.ย In addition, the company experienced significantly higher purchased transportation expenses.
On a reported basis, the operating loss for the fourth quarter of 2012 totaled $1.8 billion as a result of the mark-to-market pension charge.
International Package
International revenue increased 5.3% to $3.4 billion on 8.8% growth in daily package volume.ย UPS Export products rose 9.5% per day, driven primarily by 13% growth in Europe and significant growth in the Asia-to-Europe trade lane.ย Non-U.S. domestic products were up 8.2% with strong growth in Poland, Italy, and Canada. During December, the segment achieved a peak volume day above four million pieces and exceeded last year’s high on 11 days.
Export yield declined 3.4% on a currency neutral basis, as a result of lower fuel surcharges and customer preference for non-premium products. Double-digit gains in Pan-European shipments also lowered revenue per piece.
Operating profit improved 7.6% to $537 million. Operating margin expanded 30 basis points to 15.9%, compared to last year’s adjusted results.
On a reported basis, the operating loss for the fourth quarter of 2012 totaled $442 million as a result of the mark-to-market pension charge.
Supply Chain & Freight
Revenue in the segment fell 5.8% to $2.3 billion, due to declines in the Freight Forwarding unit.ย Operating profit was flat compared to 2012 adjusted results, as improvements in Distribution offset declines in Forwarding and UPS Freight.
On a reported basis, the operating loss for the fourth quarter of 2012 was $541 million as a result of the mark-to-market pension charge.
The Forwarding unit experienced a revenue decline resulting from decreased tonnage and revenue per kilo, in International Air Freight. The Ocean Freight business reported growth in shipments and operating margin expansion.
Distribution revenue increased over the prior year period. The retail and healthcare sectors contributed to the improved results. Global footprint expanded during the year to 284 facilities, with more than 22 million square feet of space.
UPS Freight LTL revenue increased 2.3% over the prior year driven by LTL tonnage and pricing improvements.
Outlook
The company announced plans to repurchase $2.7 billion of UPS shares during 2014.ย Capital expenditures are anticipated to be approximately $2.5 billion.ย This includes accelerated deployments in operational technologies and over $500 million of increased investments in capacity expansion and hub modernization.
“While the year ended on a challenging note, we are confident in our ability to adapt and we expect much better results in 2014,” said Kurt Kuehn, UPS chief financial officer. “UPS expects balanced profitability growth across all segments in a slightly better economic environment, resulting in full-year guidance of diluted earnings per share of $5.05 to $5.30, an 11%-to-16% increase over our 2013 adjusted results.”
Copyright Photo: Keith Burton/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-24A (PF) N416UP (msn 23903) prepares to arrive in Las Vegas.
UPS Airlines:ย
Bloomberg visits UPS’ sorting hub at UPS Worldport, Louisville, Kentucky:
Allegiant Air‘s (Las Vegas) pilots have issued this statement:
Allegiant Air’s pilots, represented by the Allegiant Air Pilots Executive Council, an employee group of Allegiant Travel Company (Las Vegas) and pilots represented by Teamsters Local Union 1224 inย Wilmington, Ohio, announced plans to begin formal dialogues with Allegiant stakeholders and other influential voices in the financial community, including institutional shareholders, equity analysts, corporate lenders and insurers, in order to address operating and safety concerns that exist at the airline.
“Allegiant management has turned a deaf ear to serious operational concerns raised by the pilots,” said Capt.ย David Bourne, Director of Airline Division at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. “We believe Allegiant’s financial backers have a right to know what is going on and be given a chance to weigh in on vital changes needed for Allegiant’s long-term success before it’s too late.”
“Allegiant’s low-cost model works if it can actually support the growth of the business,” Bourne said, “However, management’s lack of operational know-how and flat-out resistance to put badly needed investments into infrastructure is taking a significant toll on flight operations, which could ultimately jeopardize flight safety. It’s obvious to us that the major service disruptions over the last several months, ranging from multiple fleet shutdowns, chronic staffing and equipment shortages, significant ramp-up in 3rd party contracting for scheduled flights and sub-servicing and the shutdown of the company’s training department, all flow from the short-sighted decisions being made at the top.”
“It is very unusual for a company’s training department to be shut down,” saidย Dan Wells, President of Teamsters Local 1224. “Allegiant has yet to even acknowledge the training shutdown, much less show its pilots a plan for corrective action or indicate if those changes will adequately satisfy Federal Aviation Administration concerns. Many Allegiant pilots have been delayed in training for months, which we believe is driving a major increase in outsourcing due to the shortage of company pilots to fly scheduled flights and re-route equipment back to hubs and maintenance centers.”
“Management has ignored repeated requests for clarity on the training program by both the union and Allegiant’s own pilots,” Bourne said. “We’ve filed a Freedom of Information Act submission with the FAA on the matter, but the agency’s only reply was that there is an ongoing investigation at the company. In the meantime, Allegiant pilots continue to bend over backwards to work with the company to address the very significant issues that are interfering with the ability of Allegiant flight crews to do their jobs properly and service customers effectively. We are hopeful that conversations with investors and other Allegiant stakeholders will lead to a breakthrough on some of the key obstacles affecting the future of the airline.”
Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Allegiant Air’s Boeing 757-204 WL N904NV (msn 26967) arrives at the Las Vegas base.
Finnair (Helsinki) has retired its last Boeing 757. The pictured Boeing 757-2Q8 OH-LBT (msn 28170) (above) has found a new home with Air Contractors (Dublin) as EI-LBT according to Skyliner Aviation. OH-LBT made its final scheduled revenue flight from Fuerteventura to Helsinki on January 19, 2014 according to RVNspotting (see video below).
The first Finnair Boeing 757 aircraft, Boeing 757-2Q8 OH-LBO (msn 28172), was handed over to the company on October 7, 1997 and the second (OH-LBR) on October 16, 1997. The first leisure flight with the new aircraft took place on October 23, 1997 from Helsinki to La Palma and Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands.
Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-2Q8 OH-LBT (msn 28170) is parked at Toronto (Pearson) painted in the 2000 livery.
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) has added flights to support fans traveling to the Bowl Championship Series, including the National Championship Game in Pasadena, California as well as the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl.
A schedule of flights and cities are below:
National Championship, Pasadena, California – January 6, 2014:
Date
Departure
Departure Time
Arrival
Arrival Time
Jan. 4
Tallahassee, Fla.
9:45 a.m.
Los Angeles
11:40 a.m.
Jan. 4
Tampa, Fla.
10 a.m.
Los Angeles
12:28 p.m.
Jan. 4
Birmingham, Ala.
9:45 a.m.
Los Angeles
11:25 a.m.
Jan. 4
Birmingham, Ala.
10:45 a.m.
Los Angeles
12:25 p.m.
Jan. 7
Los Angeles
10:05 a.m.
Tallahassee, Fla.
5:30 p.m.
Jan. 7
Los Angeles
10:55 a.m.
Tampa, Fla.
6:20 p.m.
Jan. 7
Los Angeles
12:55 a.m.
Birmingham, Ala.
6:55 a.m.
Jan. 7
Los Angeles
09:05 a.m.
Huntsville, Ala.
3:05 p.m.
Jan. 7
Los Angeles
10:30 a.m.
Birmingham, Ala.
5:37 p.m.
Jan. 7
Los Angeles
11:30 a.m.
Atlanta
6:44 p.m.
Jan. 7
Los Angeles
11:40 a.m.
Birmingham, Ala.
5:38 p.m.
Jan. 7
Los Angeles
11 a.m.
Atlanta
6:14 p.m.
Jan. 7
Burbank, Calif.
12:20 p.m.
Atlanta
7:32 p.m.
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California – January 1, 2014:
Date
Departure
Departure Time
Arrival
Arrival Time
Dec. 31
Detroit
10 a.m.
Los Angeles
12:11 p.m.
Jan. 2
Los Angeles
10 a.m.
Detroit
5:28 p.m.
Jan. 2
Burbank, Calif.
12:25 p.m.
Detroit
7:30 p.m.
Jan. 2
Los Angeles
12:30 p.m.
Detroit
7:58 p.m.
Sugar Bowl, New Orleans – January 2, 2014:
Date
Departure
Departure Time
Arrival
Arrival Time
Jan. 1
Oklahoma City
10:30 a.m.
New Orleans
12:10 p.m.
Jan. 3
New Orleans
9 a.m.
Oklahoma City
10:50 a.m.
Orange Bowl, Miami, January 3, 2014:
Date
Departure
Departure Time
Arrival
Arrival Time
Jan. 2
Columbus, Ohio
9 a.m.
Miami
11:30 a.m.
Jan. 5
Miami
9 a.m.
Columbus, Ohio
11:45 a.m.
Delta traditionally adds capacity to support the strong demand for nonstop service associated with postseason sporting events.
Copyright Photo: Tony Storck/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-232 N6715C (msn 30486) with the special Grammy Awards logo lands in Baltimore/Washington (BWI).
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