Tag Archives: DHC-8-400

Horizon Air’s aircraft technicians and fleet service agents ratify a new six-year contract

Horizon Air’s (Alaska Horizon) (Seattle/Tacoma) aircraft technicians and fleet service agents have ratified a new six-year contract.

About 94 percent of members participated, and 53 percent of those voted in favor of the agreement.

The contract, ratified well ahead of the amendable date of December 16, 2014, includes a ratification bonus, annual wage increases and contract language enhancements. Horizon Air and IBT reached tentative agreement on the new contract in May 2014.

Under the Railway Labor Act, which governs collective bargaining agreements in the airline industry, contracts do not expire. Instead they become amendable. The ratified agreement for Horizon’s technicians becomes amendable in 2020.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded Horizon its highest honor, the Diamond Certificate of Excellence, 13 times since 1999 in recognition of the airline’s safety training efforts.

Horizon Air is a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group and flies to 44 cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Copyright Photo: Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) N401QX (msn 4031) taxies across the airfield at Los Angeles in the WSU Cougars university colors.

Alaska Horizon:

Horizon Air:

Flybe introduces “FlyShuttle” starting on October 26

Flybe (Exeter) starting on October 26 will introduce a new “FlyShuttle” service with Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) turboprop aircraft. The first route will be the Jersey-Southampton-Leeds/Bradford-Aberdeen route and return.

The airline unveiled this new concept with this announcement:

Jump on board FlyShuttle, an innovative, seamless and convenient way to travel around the UK! Just like a bus, you can hop on and off to destinations of your choice – without the hassle of traffic along the way!

Our first route from Jersey spans the length of the country with brief touch downs in Southampton and Leeds/Bradford before travelling on to Aberdeen. Here, you will turn around and head back down south.

With the first flight starting on October 26 this fast, multi-stop travel service provides increased frequency to some of our top UK destinations. The best bit? On UK flights you can continue to relax on board the plane between landing and take-off, avoiding the trouble of changing aircrafts.*

*Passengers arriving from the Channel Islands will be required to disembark to clear customs before connecting onwards.

Copyright Photo: Nik French/AirlinersGallery.com. Painted in the new purple look, Bombardier DHC-8-402 (marketed as the Q400) registered G-JECY (msn 4157) taxies at Manchester.

Flybe:

WestJet Encore celebrates its first birthday, gets ready to launch its East operation

WestJet Encore (Calgary) yesterday (June 24) celebrated its first birthday, just days before the eastern operations launch with flights between Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Toronto (Pearson).

The regional airline, which took to the skies on June 24, 2013, has enjoyed tremendous support from the many communities that now have regular air service, and the many more that now boast better schedules, more frequency, and more options with respect to carriers and destinations.

In the twelve months since WestJet Encore took to the skies, it has added 12 destinations to the original six, which included Calgary, Alberta, Fort St. John, Nanaimo, Vancouver, and Victoria, British Columbia and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The fleet of Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft will have grown from two to 13 by the end of June.

On Friday, June 27, WestJet Encore will officially launch east-bound service with four daily, nonstop flights between Thunder Bay and Toronto.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) C-FIWE (msn 4466) sits on the ramp at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport (YYZ).

Flybe to restore the Inverness-Dublin route and open the Southampton-Hamburg route

Flybe (Exeter) will restore the Inverness-Dublin route on October 26 with Bombardier DHC-8-402s (Q400s). The airline issued this statement:

Flybe has confirmed its commitment to the Highlands and Islands this winter with the announcement of a brand new daily service from Inverness to Dublin. The new route starts on October 26. The airline has also confirmed extra flights on its popular Birmingham and Belfast City routes (increasing to six times a week), and to Manchester (to three flights a day). This news follows its announcement last month of a new twice daily service to London City which also starts on the same day.

In other news, Flybe has also has also confirmed its commitment to growth this winter announcing a brand new daily service between Southampton and Hamburg. The route starts on October 26, 2014.

In addition, the airline has also confirmed its popular sun routes from Southampton to Alicante, Malaga and Faro have been extended to operate through early November to accommodate half-term travel. The services to the two Spanish destinations will continue on as part of Flybe’s extensive 2014-15 winter schedule out of the south coast airport. All these flights will be operated by Flybe’s 118-seat Embraer 195 jet aircraft.

Increased flights to Dublin will operate during winter up to four times a day, and routes to regional France will also receive a winter boost with the addition of a twice weekly service to La Rochelle complementing Flybe’s existing winter routes to Bergerac, Nantes, Rennes and Limoges. Those looking to visit some of Europe’s best ski slopes will be pleased to hear of the return of Flybe’s flights to Grenoble, Geneva and Chambery.

Flybe’s 2014-15 Winter Schedule from Southampton features a total of 23 routes with a choice of up to 558 flights a week.

Copyright Photo: Antony J. Best/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) G-JECJ (msn 4110) lands at Southampton in the old 2002 livery.

Flybe:

Horizon Air starts seasonal Portland-Kalispell, Montana flights

Alaska Airlines (Seattle/Tacoma) yesterday (June 9) launched seasonal daily service between Portland, Oregon, and Kalispell, Montana.

The flights will operate seasonally between Portland and Kalispell through August 23, connecting Portland-area residents to the natural beauty of northwest Montana, and Flathead Valley residents to the Rose City.

Kalispell is located in northwest Montana’s Flathead Valley, which encompasses the gateway to Glacier National Park, Whitefish Mountain Resort and Flathead Lake — the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. Alaska Airlines also operates daily year-round service between Kalispell and Seattle/Tacoma.

Alaska Airlines’ sister carrier, Horizon Air (Alaska Horizon) (Seattle/Tacoma), will operate the flights with the Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) aircraft.

Alaska Airlines:

Alaska Horizon:

Horizon Air:

Eznis Airways suspends all operations in Mongolia

Eznis Airways (Ulaanbaatar) suspended operations on May 22. The airline blamed the stoppage on “financial difficulties”. The company at the end was using two Bombardier DHC-8-402s (Q400s) and one SAAB 340B. Eznis was operating from its Ulaanbaatar base mainly to Choibalsan, Moron, Ulaangom, and Ulgi in Mongolia at the end.

The company issued this statement:

This is to inform that Eznis Airways LLC is stopping its operation from May 22nd for an uncertain period of time due to the financial difficulties and the current situation at the airline industry. Eznis Airways LLC is a national airline that had been operating since 2006, constantly and reliably carrying thousands of passengers

We thank everyone who chose our airline, our regular passengers, our partners and our suppliers, for cooperation and support.

The management of the company and the shareholders had done everything during the last two years to survive, to keep positions of our employees and most importantly, to serve the public, but they cannot subsidize the financial losses any longer.

We bring our apologies for all our customers, passengers, employees, engineers, flight operation staff and the crew.

We wish you all the best in your future.

Copyright Photos: Eznis Airways. Top: Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) YU-9919 (msn 4106) sits outside the Eznis hangar. Below: The two Q400s (JU-9917 and JU-9919) at the snowbound Chinggis Khan International Airport base.

Route Map:

WestJet Encore starts two new routes to Fort McMurray today

WestJet (Calgary) today inaugurated new nonstop daily service between Kelowna, B.C., and Fort McMurray and between Vancouver and Fort McMurray. Both services are offered by WestJet Encore using its fleet of Canadian-made Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) NextGen aircraft.

Today, WestJet also launched a third daily flight between Calgary and Fort McMurray using the same type of aircraft.

In other news, WestJet has retrofitted the first Boeing 737-800 (below) with new Aviation Partners Boeing Split Scimitar winglets. The pictured Boeing 737-8CT C-GWRG (msn 39071) is now flying throughout the WestJet network.

Top Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) C-FIWE (msn 4466) is pictured at the Toronto (Pearson) hub.

WestJet:

Bottom Copyright Photo: WestJet.

WestJet Encore to replace WestJet on the Toronto-Quebec City route

WestJet (Calgary) has announced the launch of new, nonstop twice-daily service between Toronto (Pearson) and Quebec City, Quebec, effective on March 15, 2015. Using WestJet Encore‘s fleet of Canadian-made Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) NextGen aircraft, the new service will replace WestJet’s current daily service on board its Boeing Next-Generations 737s.

On the financial side, WestJet announced its first quarter results for 2014, with net earnings of $89.3 million (all amounts in Canadian dollars), or $0.69 per diluted share. This compares with the net earnings of $91.1 million, or $0.68 per diluted share reported in the first quarter of 2013. Based on the trailing twelve months, the airline achieved a return on invested capital of 13.7 per cent, compared with the 13.9 per cent reported in the previous quarter. These results include pre-tax recoveries of value added taxes of $17.6 million associated with fuel costs and $2.5 million associated with airport costs incurred from 2009 to 2013.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Newly-built Bombardier DHC-8-402 (marketed as the Q400) C-FIWE (msn 4466) of WestJet Encore sits idle on the ramp at Lester B. Pearson International Airport (YYZ) in Toronto.

WestJet:

Alaska Air Group reports GAAP net income of $94 million for the first quarter

Alaska Air Group, Inc. (Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air – Alaska Horizon) (Seattle/Tacoma) today reported first quarter 2014 GAAP net income of $94 million, or $1.35 per diluted share, compared to $37 million, or $0.51 per diluted share in the first quarter of 2013. Excluding the impact of mark-to-market fuel hedge adjustments of $8 million ($5 million after tax, or $0.07 per diluted share), the company reported record adjusted net income of $89 million, or $1.28 per diluted share, compared to adjusted net income of $44 million, or $0.62 per diluted share, in 2013.

“Our record first quarter results reflect strong demand for our service and the efforts we’ve taken to improve the value we bring to our customers,” CEO Brad Tilden said. “Our solid foundation of award-winning service, excellent operational performance, low costs and low fares, and the best employees in the business will help us sustain our success in the face of increasing competition.”

Financial Highlights:

Reported record first quarter net income, excluding special items, of $89 million, or $1.28 per diluted share, compared to adjusted net income of $44 million, or $0.62 per diluted share in the prior-year quarter. This quarter’s results compare to a First Call analyst consensus estimate of $1.24 per share.

Recorded net income for the first quarter under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) of $94 million or $1.35 per diluted share, compared to net income of $37 million, or $0.51 per diluted share in 2013.

Reported record adjusted pretax margin for the first quarter of 11.8%.

Achieved trailing 12-month return on invested capital of 14.8% compared to 13.4% in the 12 months ended March 31, 2013.

Paid a $0.25 per-share quarterly cash dividend on March 11 totaling $17 million. This is a 25% increase from the previous cash dividend payment of $0.20 per-share.

Repurchased 352,851 shares of common stock for $30 million in the first quarter of 2014.

Lowered adjusted debt-to-total-capitalization ratio by 3%, to 32%, from December 31, 2013.

Held $1.4 billion in unrestricted cash and marketable securities as of March 31, 2014.

Top Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Dedicated freighter operations at Alaska Air Cargo becomes very active in Alaska this time of the year. Boeing 737-490 (F) N709AS (msn 28896) touches down at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC).

Alaska Airlines:

Alaska Horizon:

Horizon Air:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Horizon Air’s (Alaska Horizon) Bombardier DHC-8-402 (marketed as the “Q400”) N440QX (msn 4347) in the special Oregon State University-OSU Beavers color scheme taxies to the runway at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) hub.

Flybe expands operations at Birmingham to become the largest base

Flybe (Exeter) on April 10 celebrated the inaugural flight of eight new routes to operate from Birmingham Airport with passengers taking off to Cologne/Bonn on the carrier’s distinctive Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) signature purple aircraft (above).

On the same day, Flybe also took off on the first of its daily flights to Florence – the first time ever this route has been offered out of Birmingham. This was followed on April 11 with the airline’s inaugural flight to Porto (four days a week) and its four-days weekly service to Alicante (started on April 12).

The remaining four of Flybe’s new routes from Birmingham will take off in May, with Bordeaux, Palma de Mallorca and Toulouse starting on May 13 and Newquay on May 16.

The airline will also operate nonstop service from Birmingham to Ibiza (three days a week) and Keflavik (three days a week) from June 29 through September 7.

With a record 12 aircraft based at the airport, Birmingham has become Flybe’s largest base. This summer, it will be operating 32 routes to and from Birmingham with a total choice of up to 381 return flights a week.

Copyright Photo: Nik French/AirlinersGallery.com. The “Purple Plane”, namely Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) G-JECY (msn 4157), completes its final approach into Manchester International Airport (MAN).

Flybe:

Routes from Birmingham: