Tag Archives: Dulles

BizCharters starts scheduled charter flights from the Chicago area to the New York and Washington areas

BizCharters, Inc. (DuPage County, IL) is a new charter operator that provides public charter flights operated by FAA certified direct air carriers under the terms of DOT Public Charter Regulations. According to the carrier, “based in West Chicago, IL at the DuPage County Airport, BizCharterโ€™s main objective is to serve the business traveler, providing convenient, healthy, stress-free and exceptional business class jet charter service eliminating all the hassles commonly found in airline travel.”

The BizCharters management team has analyzed US Department of Transportation (DOT) data to identify markets with high airline traffic and to serve those markets with public jet charter flights between DuPage Airport (DPA) in West Chicago, IL, Morristown, NJ (New York City area) and Washington DC (Dulles) area airports. The company also serves Midway Airport in Chicago.

Read the article by Chicago Business: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. EMB-135LR (ERJ 135) N234BZ (msn 145388) rests at the FBO at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) on August 15 in full company colors.

Video: Company video:

Biz Charters logo

Current Schedule:

Biz Charters 8.2014 Schedule

Ethiopian Airlines and United Airlines to start a codeshare agreement on August 30

Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa) has announced that it has entered into a codeshare agreement with United Airlines (Chicago), effective on August 30, 2014.
๏ฟผ
Ethiopian, the biggest airline in Africa, currently flies to 82 international destinationsย across five continents operating a young and modern fleet, such as Boeing 787 and 777ย aircraft. The carrier provides daily services to Washington Dulles Airport (IAD) usingย the Boeing 777 or Boeing 787 aircraft with convenient and easy connections through its main hub inย Addis Ababa (ADD) to 49 cities across Africa.

The new codeshare agreement between the two Star Alliance member airlines coversย the Addis Ababaโ€“Washington, D.C. trunk route, as well as points in Africa and the U.S.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-260 LR ET-ANO (msn 40771) of Ethiopian Airlines lands at Washington’s Dulles International Airport (IAD).

Ethiopian Airlines:ย AG Slide Show

United Airlines (current):ย AG Slide Show

Delta to move its Boston Delta Shuttle flights to Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will move New York operations of its Delta Shuttle between Boston-Logan International Airport and New York’s LaGuardia Airport from the Marine Air Terminal to Terminal C beginning on November 2.

Boston Shuttle customers will enjoy new departure and arrival facilities at LaGuardia in Terminal C as well as upgraded service to Boeing 717 aircraft. The move is part of Delta’s strategy of adding bigger aircraft on more routes.

In 2012, Delta completed renovations to Terminal C as part of its $160 million investment to modernize and connect Terminals C and D at LaGuardia and opened a new 7,600 square foot Delta Sky Club featuring a full wall of windows with runway views. Customers will also have access to Delta’s five new restaurants with menus led by celebrity chefs, an expansive food hall and fresh markets.

Weekday flights depart near the top of the hour from 6 a.m. through 8 p.m. and will be operated by Delta using Boeing 717 aircraft which accommodates 110 passengers including 12 First Class seats in a two by two configuration, 15 Economy Comfort and 83 economy seats in a two by three configuration. Boston-based customers will now be able connect through Delta’s LaGuardia hub for access to 64 additional cities.

Delta Shuttle service began on its Boston to New York and Washington, D.C. to New York routes on September 1, 1991 after Delta completed the purchase of the Pan Am Shuttle. For nearly a quarter century the Delta Shuttle has been a core part of its New York operations. In June 2010, Delta added New York to Chicago-O’Hare service to the Shuttle operation.

Customers flying the Delta Shuttle between New York-LaGuardia and Boston will enjoy:

Convenient, top of the hour schedule for Delta Shuttle customers including 15 weekday departures

Check-in as close as 15 minutes prior to departure without bags or 30 with checked bags

Dedicated check-in counters exclusively for Shuttle customers

Expedited security screening with nearby access to TSA Pre-Check lanes for eligible passengers

Dedicated gates โ€“ located near the Delta Sky Club in LaGuardia’s Terminal C โ€“ with access to complimentary coffee and newspapers for all customers including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Financial Times and power at the gate

Advanced seat selection on all Delta Shuttle flights and complimentary access to Economy Comfort seats for SkyMiles Gold, Platinum and Diamond Medallion members at the time of booking

Two classes of service with complimentary upgrades for SkyMiles Medallion members when available.
Complimentary onboard snacks including bagels in the morning before 10:30 a.m. or gourmet nut mix for flights after 10:30 a.m.

Complimentary beverages in-flight including craft beer and wine in all classes of service

Cocktails available for purchase in economy

Access to in-flight Wi-Fi on all Shuttle flights

Access to power from every seat on the Boeing 717 aircraft

The November 2014 schedule between New Yorkโ€“LaGuardia and Boston is below.

Delta Shuttle LGA-BOS Schedule (LRW)

 

 

Delta Shuttle flights between New York and Chicago-O’Hare International Airport or Washington Reagan-National Airport will continue to operate from LaGuardia’s Marine Air Terminal operated by Delta Connection partner, Shuttle America using Embraer E175 aircraft.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Ex-AirTran Airways Boeing 717-2BD N995AT (msn 55139), now with Delta, arrives at Washington (Dulles).

Delta Air Lines (current):ย AG Slide Show

Virgin America’s flight attendants vote to be represented by the TWU

Virgin America (San Francisco) flight attendants have voted to represented by the TWU. The TWU issued this statement:

A majority of flight attendants at Virgin America has voted in favor of union representation by the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), the federal National Mediation Board reported today. This is the first work group at the airline to vote for a union. TWU received 430 votes, 58 percent of those voting, compared with 307 who voted against forming a union. The election was conducted between July 16 and August 13 by telephone and Internet and 828 Inflight Team Members (ITMs) were eligible to vote.

โ€œWeโ€™re excited about what this election means for Inflight Team Members,โ€ said Adam Croteau, a Los Angeles-based ITM, a term the airline uses to describe its flight attendants. โ€œWe ran a very positive campaign and we believe that we can make positive changes at the airline by giving flight attendants a voice.โ€

Many ITMs at Virgin America were drawn to the Transport Workers Union because of TWUโ€™s success in bargaining contracts for 11,000 flight attendants at Southwest Airlines.

โ€œPart of Southwest Airlineโ€™s success is due to the airlineโ€™s flight attendants, all of whom are TWU members. Having a union behind them gives Southwest flight attendants the comfort and freedom to do their jobs well,โ€ said Armando Fierros, a Los Angeles-based ITM. โ€œTWU also fosters autonomy for its local unions, unlike some labor organizations. We want to run our own union and create a union culture that is uniquely suited to meet the needs of ITMs employed at this award-winning airline.โ€

โ€œVirgin America bills itself as an โ€˜upscaleโ€™ airline and prides itself on that service that โ€˜team membersโ€™ offer,โ€ said TWUโ€™s International Executive Vice President John Samuelsen, who attended the vote count at the National Mediation Board in Washington, DC with a group of Virgin flight attendants, โ€œWith this vote, flight attendants will have a say on how to further improve Virgin along with their own work lives. This is a chance to make the airline better for both customers and workers.โ€

In July, the privately held company filed for an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Only yesterday, Virgin America Inc. reported that its second-quarter profit and revenue increased, largely due to the airline filling more seats.

โ€œWe want to see Virgin America prosper,โ€ said TWU International President Harry Lombardo. โ€œAs the airline grows and becomes an increasingly profitable and larger public company, we also want our members to be recognized for their contribution to the airlineโ€™s success. We will now focus on gaining a contract thatโ€™s fair for our new members.โ€

Negotiations for a first contract will begin in the fall.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-112 N525VA (msn 3324) approaches the runway at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).

Virgin America:

Elite Airways to fly from Melbourne, Florida to Washington Dulles starting on September 8

Elite Airways CRJ200 (Tko)(Elite)(LR)

Elite Airways (Portland, ME and Melbourne, FL) wants to get into the scheduled airline business. The company was founded on October 30, 2012 and received its FAA Part 121 AOC also in 2012. The airline wants to begin scheduled passenger flights to and from Melbourne International Airport in Florida. The airline has announced it wants to fly from Melbourne to Washington (Dulles) starting on September 8. Fares will start at $199 one-way (see below). The carrier intends to also operate from Portland in the near future.

The airline currently operates 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 regional jets but is considering larger aircraft.

Read the full story from the Portland Press Herald:ย CLICK HERE

All images by Elite Airways.

Elite Airways logo

Elite Airways 7.2014 Route Map

Air France-KLM reduces its first half net loss to $824.6 million

Air France (Paris) and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) reported a net loss of โ‚ฌ614 million ($824.6 million), an improvement of โ‚ฌ185 million ($248.4 million).

As part of the expanding Transavia lower-fare operations the Group issued this statement:

In the Second Quarter of 2014, Transavia capacity was up 4.8%, reflecting the accelerated development of Transavia France (up 10%) and the repositioning of Transavia Netherlands (up 3% including a 6% reduction in charter capacity). Traffic rose 6.0%, leading to a record high load factor of 90.7% (up 0.9 point). Unit revenue was down 1.7%. Transaviaโ€™s total revenue stood at 296 million euros, up 5.0%. The operating result was -6 million euros, down 3 million euros year-on-year.

In the First Half of 2014, Transavia traffic increased by 6.9% for capacity up 5.8%, leading to a 0.9 point increase in load factor to 89.2%. Unit revenue was down 2.6%. Total revenue stood at 435 million euros, up 4.5%, while the unit cost per ASK decreased by 0.8%, but increased by 0.5% on a constant currency basis. The operating result decreased by 10 million euros to -64 million euros, mainly due to the ramp up of Transavia France.

Overall the Group issued this outlook:

Delivery on the Transform 2015 plan is fully on track. However, as indicated at the beginning of the month, the operating environment remains tough, with industry overcapacity on certain long-haul routes, notably North America and Asia, impacting yields. This trend comes on top of the persistently weak cargo demand and the challenging situation in Venezuela already identified in the First Quarter.

Under these conditions, as indicated at the beginning of the month, 2014 EBITDA is expected to be between 2.2 and 2.3 billion euros. Strong capital discipline will enable the group to remain on track in terms of debt reduction and achieve its objective of 4.5 billion euros in net debt in 2015.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Air France’s Airbus A380-861 F-HPJE (msn 052) with the special logo to celebrate 50 years of France-China diplomatic relations.

Air France:ย AG Slide Show

KLM:ย AG Slide Show

Transavia (Netherlands):ย AG Slide Show

Transavia (France):ย AG Slide Show

Hop!:ย AG Slide Show

Fleet Information:

Air France 6.30.14 Fleet (LRW)

KLM 6.30.14 Fleet (LRW)

Bottom Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-406 PH-BFF (msn 24202) completes its final approach to the runway at Toronto (Pearson).

South African and JetBlue Airways begin code sharing on the Washington Dulles-Dakar, Senegal route

South African Airways (SAA) (Johannesburg) and JetBlue Airways (New York) have begun code share operations on SAA’s flights between Washington, DC-Dulles Airport and Dakar, Senegal.

JetBlue is now placing its “B6” code on SAA-operated flights between Washington, DC-Dulles Airport and Dakar, Senegal in West Africa. Customers purchasing a code share itinerary will benefit from having a single ticket combining JetBlue and SAA-operated flights, as well as the conveniences on their day of travel of one-stop check-in and baggage transfer. SAA offers the only daily nonstop service between the U.S. and Dakar with departures from Washington, DC-Dulles Airport aboard Airbus A340s.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A340-313 ZS-SXH (msn 197) climbs away from the runway at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).

JetBlue Airways:ย AG Slide Show

South African Airways:ย AG Slide Show

United to add three seasonal ski routes next winter

United Airlines (Chicago) is adding three winter seasonal flights to some of the more popular ski destinations. The company will add weekly Denver-Mammoth Lakes, California service with United Express CRJ700s from December 20, 2014 through March 28, 2015 per Airline Route.

The company will also operate weekly Airbus A319 flights between the Washington (Dulles) hub and Hayden (Yampa Valley Airport – near Steamboat Springs), Colorado from December 14 through April 10, 2015.

Finally United will also operate weekly Washington (Dulles)-Jackson Hole, Wyoming Boeing 737-700 flights from December 20 through March 27, 2015.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-131 N840UA (msn 1522) departs from the Washington (Dulles) hub.

United Airlines:ย AG Slide Show

Should United Airlines de-hub Washington Dulles?

United Airlines (Chicago) operates a large international and domestic hub at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). The carrier recently de-hub its mainly domestic hub at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) in an attempt to reduces its loses at CLE. United is trying to cut $2 billion in costs.

This article by Bloomberg Businessweek explores the question of whether United should de-hub Dulles as it too loses money at IAD according to Imperial Capital analyst Bob McAdoo. The Dulles hub competes to a certain degree with its larger (former Continental) hub at Newark International Airport near New York. Ironically United built up the Dulles hub as a competitive move against the Continental hub at Newark and US Airways’ hub at Philadelphia.

Read the full article: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-222 N779UA (msn 26941) climbs away from the runway at Washington Dulles International Airport.

United Airlines (current):ย AG Slide Show

Frontier adds three new routes from growing Cleveland

Frontier Airlines (2nd) (Denver) is again adding more routes from its new and growing Cleveland mini hub. Frontier isย adding three new mainline routes from Cleveland to Chicago O’Hare (starting on October 1), Washington-Dulles (October 1) and New York-LaGuardia (October 26).

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-214 N209FR (msn 4641) approaches the runway at Washington (Reagan National).

Frontier Airlines (2nd):ย AG Slide Show

Frontier CLE Ad