Tag Archives: Chicago

Allied Pilots Association union agrees to put the latest AAG contract offer to a ratification vote

Allied Pilots Association-APA (Dallas/Fort Worth), representing the 10,000 pilots of American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) and 5,000 pilots US Airways (Phoenix), agreed late Saturday (January 3) to put the latest offer from the American Airlines Group (Dallas/Fort Worth) to a ratification vote. The AAG was threatening to pull the offer. The AAG is not offering a profit sharing program unlike the pilots at Delta.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), “the company is offering the pilots a more than 18% pay increase retroactive to December 2, 2014 plus a 4% boost that it announced late last month for most nonunion employees and any unions that reach joint postmerger contracts. Moreover, the pilots are in line to receive an additional 3% raise retroactive to the start of 2015, the first of four annual pay increases.”

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Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. American Airlines Boeing 737-823 N831NN (msn 33211) taxies at the O’Hare International Airport hub in Chicago.

American Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

United Airlines to add seasonal service from Chicago O’Hare to Rome next summer

United Airlines (Chicago) next summer from May 16 (changed from June 4) to September 23, 2015 will operate a Chicago (O’Hare) – Rome (Fiumicino) service. The seasonal route will operate with Boeing 777-200 ER equipment.

On December 22 confirmed the seasonal route:

United Airlines will launch new nonstop flights between its Chicago hub at O’Hare International Airport and Rome on May 16, 2015, subject to government approval. The summer-season service will operate five-times-weekly through June 3, daily from June 4 to August 17, and six-times-weekly from August 18 through September 23, 2015.

Flight UA 970 will depart Chicago at 6:00 p.m. (1800), arriving at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci -Fiumicino Airport at 10:30 a.m. (1030) the following day (all times local). On the return, flight UA 971 will depart Rome at 12:45 p.m. (1245), arriving in Chicago at 4:20 p.m. (1620) the same day.

Schedules may vary slightly on some days. Flight times will be nine hours 30 minutes eastbound and 10 hours 35 minutes westbound.

United will operate the flights using Boeing 777 aircraft with a total of 269 seats – eight flat-bed seats in United Global First, 40 flat-bed seats in United BusinessFirst and 221 seats in United Economy, including 104 Economy Plus extra-legroom seats.

Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinesGallery.com. Former Continental Airlines Boeing 777-224 ER N77006 (msn 29476) climbs away from Heathrow Airport.

Video: Fantasy Flights 2014:

United Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

Envoy Air pilots are now at a critical decision point

Envoy Air (formerly American Eagle Airlines) (Dallas/Fort Worth) is at a critical point in its history. The subsidiary of the American Airlines Group (AAG) has been shrinking as the pilots of Envoy Air continue their often tense negotiations with AAG management. The AAG has been reassigning Envoy aircraft as the Envoy pilot base shrinks.

Now the Envoy MEC, representing the pilots of Envoy, has reached another tentative agreement (TA) with AAG management. This TA will now go to the pilots for their vote. It is likely to be the final vote on a new contract. Sam Pool, Envoy MEC Chairman, has sent this message to the Envoy pilots:

December 7, 2014

Fellow Envoy Pilots,

The Envoy MEC reconvened early this morning in Washington, DC to consider a final proposal from company representatives. After another full day of intense negotiations and discussions, late tonight the MEC approved a tentative agreement (TA), endorsing and supporting its ratification by the membership. The MEC believes this TA is the best obtainable agreement, and provides the best path forward for Envoy pilots given our circumstances.

To say this has been a difficult process is an understatement. All quadrants of our diverse pilot group will be affected by some factors of this agreement, and our reps have not taken this decision lightly. It has been one year since this process began, and to this end, our negotiators, officers and the entire ALPA leadership have ensured that they have achieved as much as possible in return for the re-fleeting of our airline.

We’ve reached a point where the final decision rests with you, and a ratification vote will be conducted in the near future. The MEC is planning roadshows beginning this week, and will conduct several all pilot conference calls. We will provide you a list of specific times and locations for all roadshows and pilot conference calls in a future email.

Thank you for your continued professionalism and support.

In Unity
Sam Pool
Envoy MEC Chairman

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier CRJ700 (CL-600-2C10) N534AE (msn 10312) of Envoy Air awaits its next assignment from the Chicago O’Hare Airport hub.

American Eagle-Envoy Air aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/American-Eagle-Envoy

United details its new Newark-Venice flights and seasonal Chicago O’Hare-Dublin summer service

United Airlines (Chicago) today announced new trans-Atlantic summer-season service between Newark and Venice, Italy, along with new service between Chicago (O’Hare) and Dublin, both subject to government approval.

In addition, the airline will offer a second daily nonstop flight between Washington (Dulles) and Paris (CDG) for the summer season.

Newark to Venice

Flight UA 170 will depart United’s New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport daily at 6:45 p.m. (1845), arriving in Venice at 9:05 a.m. (0905) the following day (all times local). On the return, flight UA 169 will depart Venice Marco Polo Airport daily at 10:55 a.m. (1055), arriving at Newark at 2:25 p.m. (1425) the same day. Flight times will be eight hours 20 minutes eastbound and nine hours 30 minutes westbound.

The flights will operate with Boeing 767-400 ER aircraft with a total of 242 seats – 39 flat-bed seats in United BusinessFirst and 203 in United Economy, including 70 Economy Plus seats with added legroom and increased personal space.

United has served Italy since 1992. The airline currently operates nonstop flights from New York/Newark to Milan and, on a seasonal basis, New York/Newark and Washington Dulles to Rome.

The new Venice flights will operate seasonally from June 4, 2015, through Sept. 23, 2015.

Chicago O’Hare to Dublin

Flight UA 152 will depart United’s Chicago hub at O’Hare International Airport daily at 6:05 p.m. (1805), arriving in Dublin at 7:35 a.m. (0735) the following day (all times local). On the return, flight UA 153 will depart Dublin Airport daily at 9:50 a.m. (0950), arriving in Chicago O’Hare at 12:15 p.m. (1215) the same day. Flight times will be seven hours 30 minutes eastbound and eight hours 25 minutes westbound.

The flights will operate using Boeing 757-200 aircraft with a total of 169 seats – 16 flat-bed seats in United BusinessFirst and 153 in United Economy, including 45 Economy Plus seats.

Chicago O’Hare will be the third United hub with nonstop service to Dublin, after Newark and Washington Dulles.

The Chicago O’Hare-Dublin service will operate seasonally from June 4, 2015 through Aug. 17, 2015.

Washington Dulles to Paris CDG

Flight UA 140 will depart United’s hub at Washington Dulles International Airport daily at 10:10 p.m. (2210), arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris at 12:20 p.m. (1220) the following day (all times local). The return flight UA 141 will depart Paris CDG daily at 4:30 p.m. (1630), arriving at Washington Dulles at 7:30 p.m. (1930) the same day. Flight times will be eight hours 10 minutes eastbound and nine hours westbound.

United will operate the flights with Boeing 757-200 aircraft with a total of 169 seats – 16 flat-bed seats in United BusinessFirst and 153 in United Economy, including 45 Economy Plus seats.

United’s current service between Washington and Paris departs Washington Dulles daily at 5:20 p.m., arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport at 6:55 a.m. the following day (all times local). The return flight, 914, departs Paris daily at 11:55 a.m., arriving at Washington Dulles at 3 p.m. the same day. The current flights operate with 214-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

United has served France since 1987. The airline operates nonstop flights to Paris from its Chicago O’Hare, Newark and San Francisco hubs, in addition to the Washington Dulles service.

The second Washington-Paris frequency will operate seasonally from June 4, 2015 through August 17, 2015.

United Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

Finnair is coming to Chicago O’Hare for next summer

Finnair (Helsinki) will start flying to Chicago (O’Hare) next summer, from June 13 to October 17, 2015. Flights will be operated three times a week with Airbus A330 aircraft. Departures from Helsinki and Chicago are on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 17:25 and arrive in Chicago (ORD) at 18:40 local time. Return flights to Helsinki depart at 22:00 and arrive the following day at 14:50.

Finnair’s Chicago service is included in the joint business on trans-Atlantic traffic with fellow oneworld alliance partners British Airways, Iberia, American Airlines and American’s merger partner US Airways. Chicago is a hub for American, which allows Finnair’s customers quick codeshare connections to destinations throughout the United States, including San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The joint business between the cooperating airlines also gives customers the possibility to mix and match flights on different carriers for the best pricing and scheduling. For example, an itinerary could include a nonstop flight to Chicago in one direction, but a return flight connecting through another transatlantic hub if the timing is more convenient.

Due to opening the Chicago route, Finnair’s seasonal summer service to Hanoi will be discontinued. Finnair’s previously announced new summer destinations in 2015 include Athens, Dublin, Malta and Split.

Finnair aircraft slide show:

United Airlines to leave Atlantic City, NJ on December 3

United Airlines (Chicago) has announced it will end all United Express flights to Atlantic City, New Jersey (ACY) on December 3. The airline currently serves ACY from both the Chicago (O’Hare) (ORD) and Houston (Bush Intercontinental) (IAH) hubs. ACY will continue to be served by Spirit Airlines.

All images by Atlantic City International Airport (ACY). The new routes to ORD and IAH were highly touted by the airport and state officials to promote the gambling destination. However the number of passengers did not meet the expectations of United Airlines according to the Wall Street Journal.

Porter Airlines to resume seasonal service to Burlington, Vermont

Porter Airlines (Toronto-Billy Bishop Toronto City) is resuming seasonal service between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Burlington, Vermont mainly for the upcoming ski season.

Flights begin this year on December 14, continuing until April 5, 2015. The schedule peaks with five weekly flights during the March Break, and ranges from two to four weekly flights during the rest of the season. Porter continues to be the only airline offering direct scheduled flights to Vermont from Toronto.

Top Copyright Photo: Steve Bailey/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) C-GKQA (msn 4357) arrives in Chicago (Midway).

Porter Airlines:

All images below from Porter Airlines.

American Airlines to introduce Bombardier CRJ900 to the DFW hub on November 6

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) will introduce the Bombardier CRJ900 to the Dallas/Fort Worth hub starting on November 6. Mesa Airlines (Phoenix) will operate the type initially on American Eagle services to Albuquerque, El Paso, Fayetteville and Greenville/Spartanburg per Airline Route. On November 16 this operation will expand with a Huntsville, AL route. Colorado Springs, Little Rock, Louisville, Lubbock, Oklahoma City and Wichita will be added from DFW on December 2. Finally Montrose, CO will be added on December 18.

In May 2014 Mesa Airlines announced they had reached an agreement with American Airlines to operate six more CRJ900s for American bringing the total CRJ900s to 51 aircraft.

In other news, American is also introducing the Embraer ERJ 175 on additional routes. Effective November 6 the Embraer 175 will be operated from the Chicago (O’Hare) hub to Columbus, OH. On the same date from the Miami hub, the E175 will operate to Louisville, Nashville, New Orleans and Pittsburgh. From New York (JFK) the E175 will be assigned to the Pittsburgh route also starting on November 6.

Finally on December 18, the Embraer 175 will be added on additional routes from the Miami hub to Cleveland, Key West and Nassau.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Mesa Airlines’ Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) N944LR (msn 15075) is pictured at Long Beach, California.

American Airlines (current) Aircraft Slide Show:

American Eagle-Mesa Aircraft Slide Show:

Envoy Air’s Embraer ERJ 145 operations continue to shrink, the Miami pilot and FA base to be phased down by April 2015

Envoy Air (formerly American Eagle Airlines 2nd) (part of American Airlines Group) (Dallas/Fort Worth) continues to shrink its Embraer ERJ 145 operations as its parent continues to replace its flying with larger aircraft from other associated AE carriers..

Pedro Fábregas, President and CEO of Envoy, has informed its employees that the parent American Airlines Group has decided to phase down and finally close the Miami pilot and flight attendant base in April 2015.

According to the memo, with the December 18 schedule, Envoy will operate 37 daily departures from Miami International Airport (MIA), using 12 50-seat Embraer ERJ 145 (EMB-145) regional jets. This is a big drop off from the 60 flights operated at the hub on October 1, 2014 with its 23 ERJs. The ERJ 145 aircraft and crews that will no longer be needed in MIA will be assigned to replace Envoy operations in other locations for the planned retirement of the 44-seat ERJ 140 (EMB-140) aircraft.

No Envoy pilots or flight attendants will be furloughed as a result of the schedule change.

Envoy is phasing out its pilot and flight attendant base in MIA. This will begin in January 2015 and will be completed by April 2015.

Republic Airlines will replace the smaller Envoy ERJ 145s with its newer and larger Embraer ERJ 175s.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Envoy Air’s Embraer ERJ 145LR (EMB-145LR) N697AB (msn 14500875) taxies to the runway at the Chicago O’Hare hub.

American Eagle-Envoy Air:

Spirit Airlines announces two additional routes from Chicago O’Hare to Philadelphia and San Diego

Spirit Airlines (Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood) has announced two more new nonstop routes from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, increasing the number of cities it serves nonstop from Chicago to 23. New daily nonstop service to San Diego and Philadelphia will begin on April 16, 2015, with one daily flight to each city.

In addition to this new service to San Diego and Philadelphia, Spirit previously announced that it will begin new service between Chicago O’Hare and Atlanta on October 24, and between Chicago O’Hare and New Orleans on October 31.

In all, Spirit will operate to 23 cities nonstop from Chicago, including Atlanta (starting October 24), Atlantic City, Baltimore/Washington DC, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Fort Myers, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Myrtle Beach, New Orleans (starting October 31), New York (LaGuardia), Oakland, Orlando, Philadelphia (starting April 16, 2015), Phoenix, Portland, Oregon, San Diego (starting April 16, 2015) and Tampa.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-232 N602NK (msn 4264) taxies at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD). Spirit currently has three aircraft brands in service.

Spirit Airlines: