Air Moldova (Chisinau) has announced the launch of a new route between Chisinau and Barcelona starting on June 3, 2014.
The twice-weekly flight will be operated on Embraer 190 aircraft.
In other news, despite the tension in neighboring Ukraine, all flights to Russia are operating normally.
Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 190-100LR ER-ECB (msn 19000325) exits the runway at Antalya, Turkey.
Air Moldova:ย 
Route Map:
JetBlue Airways (New York) hasย announced Hyannis, Massachusetts as the 86th BlueCity. Hyannis/Cape Cod marks JetBlue’s 64th nonstop route from New York (JFK), where the airline will offer seasonal service with one daily flight between June 26 and September 9, 2014.
Hyannis, referred by many as the โCapital of the Cape,โ is the largest of the seven villages in the city of Barnstable, Massachusetts, and the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod.
JetBlue’s new route will follow the schedule below:
JFK-HYA
Depart: 11:59 a.m. / Arrive 1:05 p.m.
HYA-JFK
Depart: 1:45 p.m. / 2:53 p.m.
In other news, JetBlue hasย announced an agreement to sell LiveTV to the Thales Group.
According to the carrier, “the relationship with LiveTV is not going away. Rather, this important customer relationship is expanding. JetBlue will continue to benefit from having access to current and future LiveTV IFE and connectivity products. Specifically, with the sale of LiveTV, we entered into two long-term agreements with LiveTV to continue and enhance both Fly-Fi connectivity and the IFE experience for Customers.”
Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 190-100 IGW N249JB (msn 19000045) in the Dots tail design arrives at the JFK hub.
JetBlue Airways:ย
JetBlue Airways (New York) yesterday (March 10) added Detroit, Michigan to its route map from Boston. The airline issued this report on its Blue Tales blog:
JetBlue launched Detroit as its 85 BlueCity and our 51 nonstop destination from Boston. JetBlue is entering the market with three daily Embraer 190 flights between BOS and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW).
Weโre really excited to give the business communities within the two cities a new comfortable (and affordable!) option for travel. And with one of the largest Arab American communities in our country the greater Detroit area we know our code-share withย Emirates will be of great interest to many as Emirates also began their nonstop ย BOS –ย Dubai (DXB) flights today.
Here are some photos from our inaugural flight:
All photos by JetBlue Airways.
JetBlue Airways:ย
JetBlue Airwaysย (New York)ย today announced details of its upcoming expansion at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) with new low-fare service to three destinations beginningย June 19, 2014: Charleston, South Carolina; Hartford, Connecticut; and Nassau, Bahamas (subject to receipt of government operating authority).
JetBlue plans to offer twice-daily service to both Charleston and Hartford/Springfield, as well as once-daily year-round service to Nassau. In addition to these three new destinations from Washington, JetBlue will boost its existing service to Tampa, Florida, with a second daily flight effectiveย July 2, 2014.
Together, these six new daily departures represent half the new flights JetBlue has earned the right to operate by acquiring slots as a result of the recent American Airlines-US Airways divestiture proceedings. More details of JetBlue’s DCA expansion, which will bring the airline’s daily departure count to 30, will be announced later this year.
This summer JetBlue will offer customers 24 daily roundtrip flights from DCA to eight cities: Boston, Charleston, Hartford/Springfield, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Nassau, Orlando, and Tampa, as well as the only nonstop service to San Juan, Puerto Rico from Washington’s popular downtown airport.
JetBlue’s three newest Reagan National destinations will be served with 100-seat Embraer ERJ 190 jets, featuring spacious two-by-two seating, the most legroom in coach (c), seatback entertainment including 36 channels of free DIRECTVยฎ programming and more than 100 channels of free SiriusXMยฎ satellite radio (d), unlimited free snacks and soft drinks, and JetBlue’s acclaimed in-flight customer service. With JetBlue, customers can also enjoy a first checked bag free of charge (e).
Schedules for JetBlue’s New Reagan National Destinations
| Charleston (CHS) | |
| DCA – CHS | CHS – DCA |
| 12:20 p.m. – 01:53 p.m. | 07:25 a.m. – 08:52 a.m. |
| 06:30 p.m. – 08:06 p.m. | 02:35 p.m. – 04:04 p.m. |
| Saturdayย schedule varies slightly | |
| Hartford (BDL) | |
| DCA – BDL | BDL – DCA |
| 09:25 a.m. – 10:46 a.m. | 06:35 a.m. – 07:59 a.m. |
| 07:25 p.m. – 08:50 p.m. | 06:30 p.m. – 07:54 p.m. |
| Nassau (NAS)* | |
| DCA – NAS | NAS – DCA |
| 09:55 a.m. – 12:29 p.m. | 01:55 – 04:30 p.m. |
| Saturdayย schedule variesย slightly. *Subject to receipt of government operating authority | |
In addition to its presence at Reagan National, JetBlue also serves the National Capital Region with daily flights from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.
Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 190-100 IGW N258JB (msn 19000047) in the Windowpane tail design arrives at Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA).
JetBlue Airways:ย
Virgin Australia Airlines (Brisbane) meanwhileย posted a half year loss of A$83.7 million ($75 million US). The carrier blamed the loss on too much capacity.
Read the full report: CLICK HERE
Meanwhile Virgin Australia has responded back to QANTAS, claiming the airline is flooding the market so that both carriers lose money. Read the response and video from the Sydney Morning Herald: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: Micheil Keegan/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 190-100 IGW VH-ZPR (msn 19000424) arrives in Perth in Western Australia.
Virgin Australia:ย
Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) (Kiev) has decreased the number of flights operated each week from 343 to 305 due to the on-going political crisis in the Ukraine. The country is split along east (pro Russian) and west (pro European Union) areas of the country and whether it wants the country to be aligned with the European Union or the Russian Federation (the Ukraine was once part of the old Soviet Union). The two groups have been clashing in often violent rallies in various parts of the country. Now Russian President Vladimir Putin has put its armed forces in western Russia “on alert” according to the The Telegraph (so much for the recent “Olympic Spirit”). Despite this background of violence and tension, Ukraine International Airlines is planning to expand operations on April 1.
Read the full story from The Telegraph: CLICK HERE
The airline issued this statement:
As a result of social and political crisis in Ukraine the travel activity to/from Ukraine has leveled off.
Decline in demand for business and tourist trips affected advanced ticket reservations to Ukraine in February and March. This fact forces the airline to optimize flight program by decreasing frequency on certain routes within the period of February 24 โthrough March 29, 2014. Thus, the number of UIA-coded services is decreased from 343 to 305 scheduled flights per week. Due to well-developed partner network, UIA clients are offered alternative routes both on UIA-coded and partner airlines` flights.
As soon as the demand for air transportation is back to normal, UIA will increase the flight frequency quickly and efficiently to regenerate the previously scheduled traffic performance.
Starting on April 1, 2014, UIA plans to increase frequencies, offer new routes, and operate seasonal flights. Ticket sales for UIA new routes: Kiev โ Chisinau, Kiev โ Minsk, Kiev โ Dushanbe, Kiev โ New York, as well as additional flights to London, Barcelona and summer seasonal flights to Nice are already open.
Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 190-100LR UE-EME (msn 19000614) of Ukraine International Airlines arrives in Geneva.
Ukraine International Airlines:ย
JetBlue Airwaysย (New York)ย has been informed that its bid for 12 slot pairs atย Ronald Reagan Washington National Airportย (DCA) has been provisionally accepted. These assets became available as a result of divestitures mandated by theย U.S. Department of Justiceย (DOJ) in theย American Airlines-US Airwaysย merger.
Once approved by DOJ,ย JetBlueย expects to add 12 new roundtrip flights atย Washington’sย popular, close-in airport. The airline plans to introduce nonstop service to cities it does not currently serve from DCA, expanding the benefits of its award-winning service to more communities, as well as add more flights on some existing routes.
JetBlueย first entered the Reagan National market in 2010 and today offers 18 daily roundtrip flights toย Boston,ย Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood,ย Orlando,ย Tampa, as well as the airport’s only nonstop service toย San Juan, Puerto Rico. With its new slots,ย JetBlueย will operate up to 30 roundtrips per day at DCA.
On the financial side, JetBlue Airway Corporation issued its financial report for the fourth quarter and the entire year of 2013:
JetBlue Airways Corporation reported its results for the fourth quarter and full year 2013:
Operational Performance
JetBlueย reported record fourth quarter operating revenues ofย $1.4 billion. Revenue passenger miles for the fourth quarter increased 7.1% to 8.7 billion on a capacity increase of 8.3%, resulting in a fourth quarter load factor of 80.9%, a decrease of 1.0 point year over year.
Yield per passenger mile in the fourth quarter wasย 14.35 cents, up 6.5% compared to the fourth quarter of 2012. Passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) for the fourth quarter 2013 increased 5.3% year over year toย 11.62 centsย and operating revenue per available seat mile (RASM) increased 5.6% year over year toย 12.77 cents.
Operating expenses for the quarter increased 8.7%, orย $100 million, over the prior year period. Interest expense for the quarter declined 8.4%, orย $5 millionย as a result ofย JetBlue’sย debt reduction strategy.ย JetBlue’sย operating expense per available seat mile (CASM) for the fourth quarter increased 0.4% year over year toย 11.70 cents. Excluding fuel and profit sharing, CASM increased 0.6% toย 7.30 cents.
Over the course of 2013,ย JetBlueย improved its return on invested capital (ROIC) to 5.3%. “We remain committed to improving ROIC by one percentage point per year on average,” saidย Mark Powers,ย JetBlue’sย Chief Financial Officer. “We recognize that while we have more work to do to improve returns, we believe we have a plan in place to achieve these goals in 2014.”
Fuel Expense and Hedging
JetBlueย continued to hedge fuel to manage price volatility. Specifically, during the fourth quarterJetBlueย hedged approximately 28% of its fuel consumption and managed approximately 12% of its fuel consumption using fixed forward price agreements (FFPs). This resulted in a realized fuel price ofย $3.10ย per gallon, a 3.1% decrease over fourth quarter 2012 realized fuel price ofย $3.20.ย JetBluerecordedย $3 millionย in losses on fuel hedges that settled during the fourth quarter.
JetBlueย has managed approximately 24% of its first quarter projected fuel requirements using a combination of FFPs, jet fuel swaps and caps. Based on the fuel curve as ofย January 23rd,ย JetBlueexpects an average price per gallon of fuel, including the impact of hedges, FFPs and fuel taxes, of$3.13ย in the first quarter.
Liquidity and Cash Flow
JetBlueย ended the year with approximatelyย $627 millionย in unrestricted cash and short term investments. In addition,ย JetBlueย maintainsย $550 millionย in undrawn lines of credit. For the full year 2013,ย JetBlueย generatedย $758 millionย of operating cash flow and had capital expenditures ofย $637 million, includingย $453 millionย of aircraft investments. As a result,ย JetBlueย generatedย $121 millionย in free cash flow in 2013.
During 2013,ย JetBlueย repaidย $510 millionย in debt and capital lease obligations, including approximatelyย $248 millionย in the fourth quarter. In addition,ย JetBlueย prepaid approximatelyย $94 millionย of aircraft related debt in December.ย JetBlueย recorded aย $3 millionย loss in non-operating income during the quarter in connection with this prepayment.ย JetBlueย expects this transaction will generateย $25 millionย in interest expense savings over the next six years.ย JetBlueย plans to repay approximatelyย $470 millionย in debt and capital lease obligations in 2014, including approximately$235 millionย in the first quarter.
JetBlueย has increased its pool of unencumbered aircraft from one to 23 and decreased its total debt balance by approximatelyย $550 millionย since 2011, thereby decreasing the financial risk in the business. “We remain focused on continuing to strengthen our balance sheet as we expect to continue to generate free cash flow and purchase aircraft with cash in 2014,” said Mr. Powers.
First Quarter and Full Year Outlook
JetBlueย expects first quarter results to be adversely impacted by severe weather in the Northeast during the beginning of January, which resulted in the cancellation of approximately 1,800 flights. The severe weather reducedย JetBlue’sย total revenue by an estimatedย $45 millionย and reduced operating income for the first quarter by approximatelyย $30 million.
For the first quarter of 2014, CASM is expected to be increase between 0.0% and 2.0% versus the year-ago period. Excluding fuel and profit sharing, CASM in the first quarter is expected to increase between 3.0% and 5.0% year over year.
CASM for the full year is expected to increase between 1.0% and 3.0% over full year 2013. Excluding fuel and profit sharing, CASM in 2014 is expected to increase between 3.0% and 5.0% year over year.
Capacity is expected to increase between 2.5% and 4.5% in the first quarter. For the full year, capacity is expected to increase between 5.0% and 7.0%.
Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 190-100 IGW N316JB (msn 19000291) completes the River Approach into Reagan National Airport on the Virginia side of the Potomac River.
JetBlue Airways:ย
GE Capital Aviation Services Limited (GECAS), the commercial aircraft leasing and financing arm of GE, today announced delivery of two new leased Embraer ERJ 190 aircraft to Air Costa, a new Indian airline focused on regional operations.
Air Costa (Vijayawada) is promoted by the LEPL Group – a major urban infrastructure player in India. Air Costa started operations on October 14, 2013 and currently flies to six destinations in India (see route map below).
All Images: Embraer and Air Costa.
Route Map:
JetBlue Airways (New York) shut down its entire New York and Boston operations yesterday afternoon (January 6) due to an on-going winter storm and continued delayed and cancelled flights. The airline was purposely shutting down these these two major hubs in order for its crews to get the required amount of rest and for its aircraft and other assets to be repositioned. Like other carriers, the carrier is also under new mandatory FAA rules on pilot duty hours. The airline hopes to restart operations today with full operations expected by 3:00 pm (1500).
JetBlue issued this statement yesterday:
The new year began with the winter storm some called Hercules, is shutting down the heaviest trafficked air corridor in the world during one of the heaviest travel periods of the year. Mother Nature then followed that up with icing conditions over the weekend, causing even more issues and ground stops at the airports. Even as airports began to reopen though, newly launched FAA regulations on pilot duty times caused delayed flights to quickly turn into canceled ones. Now today, less than a week into the year, weโre watching aย polar vortexย wreak havoc on flight schedules across the industry, as rainy weather prepares to turn airports in the Northeast into ice rinks once again.
More than 3,000 flights across the industry have been cancelled today, and roughly 300 of those will be JetBlueโs. Beginning at 1 p.m. ET today, weโll reduce operations at JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, and Boston through 10 a.m. ET Tuesday. At that time, weโll gradually ramp up again โ we intend to be 100% operational by 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday. This plan allows for 17 hours of rest for crews, and time for Tech Ops to service the aircraft.
These industry wide cancellations, on top of the previous daysโ cancellations, have now left millions of air travelers displaced, struggling to find any available seat to get to their destinations. With planes already full with previously booked holiday travelers, remaining seats are quickly filled, (for some of the other guys, even overbooked), and some customers arenโt seeing available seats for nearly a week. If your flight has been canceled,ย you canย rebook travel or request a refund online. More information on current travel alerts and fee waivers can be found on ourย Travel Alerts page. We also still request customers are encouraged toย check the statusย of their flight online prior to leaving for the airport.
For our part, this isnโt the sort of operation weโre happy about, and have stood up every available resource throughout the last week to work with customers and adjust our schedules to minimize impact. While we have to reduce operations in our Northeast cities today, weโll take the opportunity to use some of those planes and crews for extra sections between cities where we theyโre most needed and move crews in preparation for starting back up on Tuesday.ย Our first priority is to support the operation and assist customers with immediate travel needs, but will be reaching out to any impacted customer we have contact information to offer compensation.
Read the full story from CNN: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 190-100 IGW N206JB (msn 19000025) arrives in New York (JFK).
JetBlue Airways:ย
LAM’s (Linhas Aereas de Mocambique)ย (Luanda) Embraer ERJ 190-100 IGW C9-EMC (msn 19000581) on November 29, 2013 was operating flight TM 470 from Maputo, Mozambique to the Luanda, Angola. The airliner never arrived. The aircraft crashed in a Namibian game park, killing the 27 passengers and six crew members on board.
According to Reuters, citing a preliminary report released to the media by Namibia’s Transport Ministry, the crew was “flying in normal conditions and no mechanical deficiency was detected when it suddenly began a descent from its normal cruising altitudeย with its automatic pilot on and its altitude selector set to below ground level.”
According to Reuters, “the aircraft made the descent on autopilot, and after actions that would have required knowledge of its systems, denoted a “clear intention”. The aircraft was under the command of the captain,ย Herminio dos Santos, who “was alone in the cockpit at the time of the crash, after his co-pilot had gone to the bathroom. Alarms going off could be heard on the flight recordings, and also the sound of someone beating on the cockpit door “as if asking to be let in”.
Read the full report: CLICK HERE
LAM:ย
Video:
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