SkyGreece Airlines (Athens) on May 23 started twice-weekly service to Montreal (Trudeau) and Toronto (Pearson) from Athens. The airline is also serving Canada from Budapest.
The new Greek trans-Atlantic Airline was founded by Greek expatriates from Canada and the USA. Operations commenced in 2014.
Above Photo: SkyGreece Airlines.
Copyright Photo below: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-31A ER SX-BPN (msn 26470) arrives at Toronto (Pearson).
Video:
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) has filed for regulatory approval to offer new nonstop flights between Orlando, Florida, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, beginning December 19, 2015. Delta expects to serve the two cities with four (4) weekly flights. The airline’s strategic alliance with Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes (Sao Paulo) extends the reach of this service to 20 interior Brazil destinations and provides seamless connections at Guarulhos International Airport.
The proposed service would be operated using a Boeing 767-300 aircraft, with 35 seats in Delta One, 32 seats in Delta Comfort+ and 143 seats in the Main Cabin.
Delta’s proposed schedule between Orlando (MCO) and Sao Paulo (GRU) is as follows:
Copyright Photo below: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-332 ER N180DN (msn 25985) climbs away from Los Angeles International Airport.
Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show (current livery):ย 
Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu) on October 1 is dropping all service to Sendai, Japan. The airline is currently servicing the destination three days a week with Boeing 767-300 ERs per Airline Route.
Copyright Photo below: Brandon Farris/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-3CB ER N590HA (msn 33467) departs from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
Hawaiian Airlines aircraft slide show:ย
Air Canada rouge (Toronto) touched down at Venice Marco Polo Airport on May 15, marking the start of new nonstop seasonal service from Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.
Service between Montreal and Venice will be operated by Air Canada rouge twice weekly through October 11, 2015 with a 280-seat Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft offering a choice of premium and economy cabins.
Air Canada rouge now serves Venice from both Montreal and Toronto during summer 2015 and offers the most seats of any airline between Canada and Venice during the peak summer season this year.
In other news, parent Air Canada, Air Canada rouge and Air Canada Express alsoย inaugurated new services between Vancouver-Osaka, Vancouver-Comox, Calgary-Nanaimo and Calgary-Halifax.
Up to five times weekly Vancouver-Osaka flights are operated by Air Canada rouge this summer with 280-seat Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft offering a choice of premium and economy cabins. Up to ten weekly, seasonal Halifax-Calgary flights are operated by Air Canada rouge with 136-seat Airbus A319 offering a choice of premium and economy cabins.
Daily Nanaimo-Calgary and twice daily Comox-Vancouver flights are operated by Jazz Aviation LP under the Air Canada Express brand with 74-seat Bombardier Q400 and 50-seat Bombardier DHC-8-300 aircraft respectively.
Upcoming new routes which will be launching by this summer’s peak include: Toronto-Amsterdam, Toronto-Austin, Toronto-Atlantic City, Toronto-Abbotsford, Montreal-Mexico City and Calgary-Terrace.
Copyright Photo below: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-333 ER C-FMXC (msn 25588) taxies at Toronto (Pearson).
Air Canada rouge aircraft slide show:ย
United Airlines (Chicago) according to Fortune, “is now offering free frequent flier miles to would-be hackers who can crack the airline’s various websites and mobile apps as part of a bug bounty program”.
Read the full article: CLICK HERE
Additionally, according to Reuters, United will lease 11 used Airbus A319s from AerCap Holdings NV over the next two years in order to reduce the number of 50-seat regional jets operated. The airline also has the right to lease 14 additional A319s over the next five years.
In other news, United will also offer two new twice-daily United Express Embraer 175 flights from Denver to both Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham starting on September 13 per Airline Route.
In addition, United will start summer seasonal twice-weekly United Express Bombardier CRJ700 service from Denver to Coos Bay/North Bend, Oregon (Southwest Oregon Regional Airport) starting on July 1.
Copyright Photo above: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. Still active and going strong, Boeing 767-322 ER N662UA (msn 27159) climbs away from London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR).
Finally, the Boeing 767-300s of United still are in demand by passengers. According to The Street, the 30 remodeled 767-300s are the second most favored wide-body aircraft (after the new Boeing 787) in the UA fleet according to passengers after-flight surveys.
Read the full report: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo below: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Mesa Airlines‘ Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) N85320 (msn 17000454) completes the approach to Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA).
United Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):ย
United Express-Mesa Airlines aircraft slide show:ย
Air Canada (Montreal) on May 1 inaugurated new Air Canada rouge and Air Canada Express services between Vancouver-Osaka, Vancouver-Comox, Calgary-Nanaimo and Calgary-Halifax.
The up to five times weekly Vancouver-Osaka flights are operated by Air Canada rouge this summer with 280-seat Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft offering a choice of premium and economy cabins. Up to ten weekly, seasonal Halifax-Calgary flights are operated by Air Canada rouge with 136-seat Airbus A319 offering a choice of premium and economy cabins.
The daily Nanaimo-Calgary and twice daily Comox-Vancouver flights are operated by Jazz Aviation LP under the Air Canada Express brand with 74-seat Bombardier Q400 and 50-seat Bombardier DHC-8-300 aircraft respectively.
Upcoming new routes which will be launching by this summer’s peak include: Toronto-Amsterdam, Toronto-Austin, Toronto-Atlantic City, Toronto-Abbotsford, Montreal-Venice, Montreal-Mexico City and Calgary-Terrace.
Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Air Canada rouge (Air Canada) Boeing 767-333 ER WL C-GHLQ (msn 30846) taxies at the Toronto (Pearson) base.
Air Canada aircraft slide show:ย
Air Canada rouge aircraft slide show:ย
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will add summer seasonal to Amsterdam from Salt Lake City International Airport. The nonstop daily flight to Amsterdamโs Schiphol Airport launches on May 2, 2015.
According to the airline, this summer Delta has increased its network out of Schiphol, adding extra services to New York-JFK, Detroit and Minneapolis/St Paul in March, with an additional frequency to Seattle/Tacoma starting on May 4. The airline will operate up to 19 peak-day nonstop flights, responding to increased demand for service between the U.S. and the Netherlands during the peak summer travel period.
Delta is also increasing travel options for customers flying between Italy and the United States this summer. The U.S. airline will be restarting numerous seasonal services throughout May and June 2015. Flights will operate from four Italian cities – Rome, Milan, Pisa and Venice โ to Deltaโs hubs in New York-JFK, Atlanta and Detroit.
Expanded service at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, Rome
In addition to restarting its seasonal service to Detroit Metropolitan-Wayne County Airport on May 2, 2015, Delta will launch a second frequency to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, effective May 23. The extra services complement Deltaโs existing daily flights to Atlanta and New York-JFK, and take the total number of weekly seats on offer between Rome and the U.S. to over 14,000.
The seasonal flight from Rome to Detroit will operate daily using a Boeing 767-400 and the second Atlanta flight will operate up to six times weekly using a Boeing 767-300 aircraft.
Seasonal flights return to Venice and Pisa
Delta will restart a daily nonstop flight between Venice Marco Polo Airport and its Atlanta hub, effective June 2 using a Boeing 767-300 aircraft. The flight complements the existing daily New York-JFK service that was restarted at the end of March, meaning that Delta will operate two daily flights to the U.S. from Venice during the summer.
From Pisa, Delta will operate nonstop service to New York-JFK six times weekly using a Boeing 757-200 aircraft, effective June 16.
Extra service added at Milan Malpensa
Customers flying from Milan Malpensa Airport will benefit from a daily flight to Atlanta, effective June 17, complementing Deltaโs existing daily service to New York-JFK. Operated using a Boeing 767-300 aircraft, the flight will add a further 3,150 weekly seats between Milan and the U.S..
Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-332 ER N176DZ (msn 29697) approaches the runway at Zurich.
Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show (current livery only):ย
United Parcel Service-UPS (UPS Airlines) (Atlanta and Louisville) reported first quarter net income of $1.03 billion.
Here is the full financial announcement:
UPS announced first quarter 2015 diluted earnings per share of $1.12, a 14% increase over the prior year period. Operating profit increased 11% to $1.7 billion, with all three segments contributing. Revenue management actions and robust International shipment growth drove the operating profit improvement.
Total reported revenue of $14.0 billion was up 1.4% over the same quarter last year. Revenue growth was 3.6% after adjusting for foreign currency changes.
“The first quarter results were favorably impacted by our continued investments and revenue management initiatives,” said David Abney, UPS chief executive officer. “These actions delivered high value to our customers and shareowners. We are on track to achieve the company’s long-term financial targets.”
Total company shipments increased 2.8% to 1.1 billion packages, led by European export growth of 9.4%.
Cash Flow
For the three months ended March 31, UPS generated $2.4 billion in free cash flow. The company paid dividends of $636 million, an increase of 9.0% per share over the prior year. The company also repurchased more than 6.7 million shares for approximately $680 million.
U.S. Domestic Package
U.S. Domestic first quarter revenue increased 3.8% to $8.8 billion. Daily package volume improved 2.4%, lifted by growth in Deferred Air, up 12% and UPS SurePost, up 7.0%. Shipment growth rates slowed, as the company chose not to pursue some lower-yielding contract renewals.
Total revenue per package was up 1.3% primarily due to UPS Ground yield increasing 3.1%. Base rate improvements more than offset an approximately 200 basis point drag from lower fuel surcharges. The expansion of dim-weight pricing, implemented last December 29, also contributed to higher yields.
Operating profit increased to $1.0 billion, an 11% improvement from the prior-year period. Operating margin expanded 70 basis points, driven by productivity gains.
International Package
International operating profit was $498 million, up 14% over the prior-year period. Volume growth, pricing initiatives and lower fuel expense all contributed to improved profitability. Operating margin expanded 280 basis points to 16.8%.
Total International revenue of $3.0 billion, increased 2.4% for the quarter on a currency-neutral basis, compared to the reported decline of 5.0%. Lower fuel surcharges also weighed on revenue growth.
Worldwide Export yield contracted 5.2% on a currency-neutral basis, with the majority of the decline due to an approximately 300 basis point reduction in fuel surcharge revenue. Product mix changes and stronger intra-regional shipment growth also contributed to the lower yield.
Export shipments jumped 6.7% led by European growth of 9.4%. In Europe, UPS Export volume has grown at an annual rate of approximately 9% over the past 10 years.
Supply Chain & Freight
Revenue in the segment increased 1.3% to $2.2 billion, driven by growth in Distribution and UPS Freight. Revenue growth was lowered by currency exchange rates and reduced fuel surcharge revenue. Operating margin expanded to 6.9%, generating operating profit of $151 million.
Although Forwarding revenue declined due to currency changes and revenue management actions, profitability was improved over the same period last year. Congestion at the West Coast port terminals created challenges for many Ocean Freight customers. The flexibility of the UPS portfolio allowed customers to accelerate their ocean freight or reroute to non-affected ports.
The Distribution business delivered solid top-line growth as more customers in the Healthcare and Retail industries realized the benefits of UPS supply-chain expertise. Operating profit and margin was limited by continued investments in technology and infrastructure.
UPS Freight revenue was up 2.3% resulting from gains in LTL and Ground Freight Pricing products. Lower fuel surcharges weighed on the revenue growth rate. LTL shipments per day increased 3.5% over the prior-year period.
Outlook
“Solid performance across all three business segments was led by positive momentum in International, gains from revenue management and productivity improvements in the U.S.,” said Kurt Kuehn, UPS chief financial officer. “We remain on plan to meet our guidance for full-year 2015 diluted earnings per share of $5.05 to $5.30, a 6%-to-12% increase over our 2014 adjusted results.”
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-34AF N346UP (msn 37868) approaches the runway at Anchorage.
UPS Airlines aircraft slide show:ย
United Airlines (UAL) (United Continental Holdings, Inc.) (Chicago) today reported first-quarter 2015 net income of $582 million, or $1.52 per diluted share, excluding $74 million of special items. Including special items, UAL reported first-quarter net income of $508 million, or $1.32 per diluted share. These results are a record first-quarter profit for the company.
UAL earned a 17.1 percent return on invested capital for the 12 months ended March 31, 2015.
UAL’s consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) increased 0.4 percent for first-quarter 2015 compared to first-quarter 2014.
First-quarter 2015 consolidated unit costs (CASM), excluding special charges, third-party business expenses, fuel and profit sharing, decreased 1.5 percent year-over-year on a consolidated capacity increase of 0.1 percent. First-quarter 2015 CASM, including those items, decreased 13.1 percent year-over-year.
In the quarter, UAL returned approximately $200 million to shareholders as part of its previously announced $1 billion share buyback program.
In the quarter, UAL prepaid approximately $120 million of debt and announced its intention, in the second quarter, to prepay $601 million of its 6 percent notes due 2026 and 2028.
“This quarter we reported a profit of nearly $600 million, excluding special items, a $1 billion improvement compared to the first quarter of 2014, and I’d like to thank the United team for all their great work,” said Jeff Smisek, UAL’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “We continued to improve our operational reliability and deliver products that enhance our customers’ experience, including new aircraft, improved food, new inflight entertainment options and modern facilities. We are making significant progress on our long-term plan to reduce costs, improve our margins and grow our earnings, and expect our second quarter pre-tax margin to be between 12 and 14 percent, excluding special items.”
First-Quarter Revenue and Capacity
For the first quarter of 2015, total revenue was $8.6 billion, a decrease of 1.0 percent year-over-year. First-quarter consolidated passenger revenue increased 0.5 percent to $7.4 billion, compared to the same period in 2014. Ancillary revenue per passenger in the first quarter increased 8.6 percent year-over-year to more than $23 per passenger. First-quarter cargo revenue grew 15.8 percent year-over-year to $242 million. Other revenue in the first quarter decreased 14.2 percent year-over-year, mostly due to the reduction in sales of fuel to a third party. The corresponding expense decline from this reduction appears in third-party business expense.
Consolidated revenue passenger miles increased 0.1 percent and consolidated available seat miles increased 0.1 percent year-over-year for the first quarter, resulting in a first-quarter consolidated load factor of 81.1 percent.
First-quarter 2015 consolidated PRASM increased 0.4 percent and consolidated yield increased 0.4 percent compared to the first quarter of 2014.
“This quarter our PRASM performance reflected good progress on our revenue initiatives,” said Jim Compton, UAL’s vice chairman and chief revenue officer. “We will continue to match capacity with demand while making the appropriate network, fleet and product decisions to enhance revenue and margin performance, while improving our customers’ experience.”
First-Quarter Costs
First-quarter consolidated CASM, excluding special charges, third-party business expense, fuel and profit sharing, decreased 1.5 percent compared to the first quarter of 2014. The improved cost performance was driven by the better-than-expected performance from the company’s Project Quality efficiency program and strong U.S. dollar. First-quarter consolidated CASM including those items decreased 13.1 percent.
First-quarter total operating expenses, excluding special charges, decreased $1.19 billion, or 13.2 percent, year-over-year. Including special charges, total operating expenses decreased $1.18 billion, or 13.0 percent, in the first quarter versus the same period in 2014.
First-Quarter Liquidity and Cash Flow
In the first quarter, UAL generated over $1 billion in free cash flow, and ended the quarter with $7.0 billion in unrestricted liquidity, including $1.35 billion of undrawn commitments under its revolving credit facility. During the first quarter, the company had gross capital expenditures of $794 million, excluding fully reimbursable projects. The company contributed approximately $180 million to its pension plans and made debt and capital lease principal payments of $320 million in the first quarter, including approximately $120 million of prepayments. UAL also announced its intention to prepay the remaining $303 million of 6 percent notes due 2026 on April 1, 2015 and to prepay $298 million of 6 percent notes due 2028 on May 1, 2015.
As part of UAL’s $1 billion share buyback program, the company spent approximately $200 million in share repurchases in the first quarter. Through the first quarter, UAL has returned a total of approximately $520 million to shareholders under the program.
For the 12 months ended March 31, 2015, the company’s return on invested capital was 17.1 percent.
For more information on UAL’s second-quarter 2015 guidance, please visit ir.united.com for the company’s investor update.
Fleet Updates
Today, UAL announced refinements to its fleet plan, which will allow the company to achieve longer-term network needs without increasing its outlook for capacity or gross capital expenditures over the next several years. These adjustments will accelerate the company’s network initiatives as it transitions flying into the mainline operation from the regional operation, increases average gauge and reduces reliance on 50-seat aircraft. As part of this effort, the company will:
Complete the removal of more than 130 50-seat aircraft from its schedule by the end of 2015. UAL will remove additional 50-seat aircraft in 2016 and beyond as aircraft come off lease.
Above Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. United is removing rapidly its smaller regional jets. Operated by ExpressJet Airlines, Embraer ERJ 145XR (EMB-145XR) N12166 (msn 145831) approaches the runway at Baltimore/Washington (BWI).
Exchange 10 787 orders with Boeing for 10 777-300 ERs for delivery beginning in 2016. The new 777-300 ER aircraft will provide attractive upgauge and range opportunities to the company at competitive economics.
Extend the life of 11 additional 767-300 ER aircraft. The company now plans to extend the life of all 21 767-300 ER through investments in winglets, reliability improvements and interior modifications, which will improve financial performance and make the aircraft more customer pleasing.
Above Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. United has made the decision to extend the operating life of all 21 Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft. United is also inserting some international Boeing 777-200 and 757-200 aircraft back into the domestic market.
Reconfigure and transition 10 777-200 aircraft currently used in international markets into the domestic network, and position a number of its trans-Atlantic 757-200 fleet into the domestic and Latin markets, with the extension of the 767-300 ER aircraft.
Acquire additional used narrowbody aircraft. The company is in final negotiations regarding the lease of 10 to 20 used narrowbody aircraft for delivery over the next few years. In addition, the company plans to continue to seek other opportunities to acquire used aircraft to meet its needs as market conditions allow.
These changes will not impact the company’s current 2015 capacity guidance, and are consistent with the company’s focus on capacity discipline, and will not alter the company’s current gross annual capital expenditure guidance of $2.7 billion to $2.9 billion over the next three to four years.
“These changes are part of our strategy to improve operational reliability, grow capacity with demand, and enable us to achieve our long-term goal to improve margins and return on invested capital,” said John Rainey, UAL’s executive vice president and chief financial officer. “Customers tell us they prefer larger aircraft, and these fleet modifications will provide more opportunity for our customers to travel on the type of aircraft they prefer.”
Top Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. United will exchange 10 Boeing 787 orders with Boeing for 10 777-300 ERs for delivery beginning in 2016. According to the carrier, “the new 777-300 ER aircraft will provide attractive upgauge and range opportunities to the company at competitive economics.” Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner N26910 (msn 34826) climbs away from London (Heathrow).
United Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery only):ย
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will restart its seasonal nonstop flight between Dublin International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, effective March 30, 2015. The daily flight will complement Deltaโs existing daily nonstop service between Dublin and New York-JFK.
Deltaโs seasonal Atlanta service will be operated in conjunction with joint venture partner, Air France-KLM and Delta will fly a 225-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft on the route.
Deltaโs nonstop flight between Dublin and Atlanta will operate until October 24.
In other news, Delta will restartย Athens to New York-JFK five times weekly service from March 30, 2015 increasing to a daily operation from May 2, 2015. An additional flight will then be added five times a week from June 2, 2015, bringing the number of weekly services to 12 in the peak summer months.
Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-332 ER N1611B (msn 30595) approaches the runway at London’s Heathrow Airport.
Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show (current livery):ย
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