Air Lithuanica (Vilnius) will add seasonal twice-weekly flights to Gothenburg (Gรถteborg) starting on June 15. In addition,ย Malmรถ, the third largest city in Sweden, will be swerved twice-weekly from June 17.
The airline will also offer seasonal service to Billund, Denmark, three days a week, from June 16 through August 28.
Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com.
Air Lithuanica:ย 
Air Lituanica (Vilnius) launched flights to Tallinn on March 12. The number of flights on the Prague route will be increased to 5 times a week, on business days. The flights to Munich will be increased to 4 flights per week; passengers will also have a chance to take a flight on Sundays. The number of flights to Berlin increases to 6 times per week; flights will be operated on a daily basis, excluding Saturdays.
On May 3 the carrier increased the number of flights to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris to 5 times a week.
Air Lituanica also flies to Brussels on a daily basis, excluding Saturdays.
Air Lituanica on March 5 added additional flights to Berlin (Tegel) and Prague on March 15.
Copyright Photo: Karl Cornil/AirlinersGallery.com. Operated by Estonian Air, Embraer ERJ 170-100LR ES-AEB (msn 17000106) has been replaced with an ERJ 175.
Air Lituanica:ย
Route Map:
Alitalia’s (2nd) (Rome) CEO Gabriele Del Torchio stated Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) is doing its due diligence (reviewing all of the data) which will take between three and fours week according to this report by Reuters. After its review, Etihad will then decide whether it will invest in the faltering flag carrier.
Alitalia is facing increased low-fare competition on its home turf and any rescue will face stiff opposition from other carriers and will need European Union approvals. Etihad, if it proceeds with an acquisition, is likely to ask for drastic cuts to personnel and costs (like Air France-KLM did).
Is there Alitalia 3 on the horizon?
Read the full report: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) EI-RDO (msn 17000348) approaches the runway at Zurich.
Alitalia (2nd):ย
Republic Airways Holdings (Indianapolis) and the Teamsters Airline Division have announced they have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract. The more than 2,200 pilots of Republic are represented by Teamsters Local 357 inย Plainfield, Indiana and fly for the Republic’s subsidiaries, namely Chautauqua Airlines, Republic Airlines (2nd) and Shuttle America.
The tentative agreement includes increases in pay that will place Republic pilots at or near the top of its regional airline peers. It also includes improvements in work rules, quality of life enhancements and more flexibility in scheduling as well as a significant signing bonus if ratified.
Bryan Bedford, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Republic Airways offered comment in a press release today.
“At a time when many of our competitors are moving in the opposite direction on pilot compensation, we are thrilled that Republic is able to significantly improve the wages and benefits of the more than 2,200 women and men who safely fly more than 1,300 daily scheduled flights for our major airline partners,” Bedford said.
“This TA reflects the dedication and hard work of the union and the company’s negotiating committees,” said Republic Airways Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officerย Wayne Heller. “We thank the union representatives for their professionalism and commitment in reaching this agreement.”
The agreement will be presented to union members for review and a formal ratification vote, which is expected in March.
Copyright Photo: Keith Burton/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Shuttle America’s Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) N202JQ (msn 17000240) operating as a Delta Connection carrier taxies at Boston’s Logan International Airport.
Delta Connection-Shuttle America:ย
Alitalia (2nd) (Rome) is about to finalize loans of around $270 million with banks that were pledged last year as part of a plan to keep the Italian flag carrier according to Reuters. However the carrier is coming under increasing pressure on its Italian turf from lost cost carriers (especially easyJet and Ryanair) now adding flights in Italy.
Read the full report: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: Rolf Wallner/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) EI-RDF (msn 17000337) taxies at Zurich (ZRH).
Alitalia:ย
Flybe (Exeter) has unveiled a major expansion of its operations at Birmingham Airport with the announcement of seven new routes that includes a six times a week service to Florence, in a first for the airport; daily flights to Cologne; a six times a week service to Toulouse; a five times a week service to Alicante and four times a week to Bordeaux, Palma Mallorca and Porto.
Flybeย is also adding three of its 2×2 seat Embraer 175 jets to the airport thereby creating its biggest ever regional base with 12 aircraft, thereby creating more than 50 new Flybe jobs.
Travel is effective from April 10, 2014 to Alicante, Cologne, Florence and Porto; and from May 13 for the remaining three routes (Bordeaux, Palma and Toulouse), the majority of flights will utilize Flybeโs new 88-seat E175 jet aircraft (see above).
The company last week announced it will be boosting the frequency on three of its most popular European routes from the end of March namely those to Hanover, Milan-Malpensa and Stuttgart.ย
As a result of the seven new destinations, Flybe will now operate 32 routes to and from Birmingham for the Summer of 2014 with a choice of up to 375 return flights a week totalling an impressive 1.7 million seats.
Copyright Photo: Ole Simon/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 170-200STD (ERJ 175) G-FBJA (msn 17000326) taxies at Dusseldorf.
Flybe:ย
Routes from Birmingham:
Alitalia (2nd) (Rome) has reached its goal to obtain $412 million in a cash call from its close investors according to Reuters. This will allow the struggling carrier to keep flying during the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays. The cash call is part of the Italian government’s plan to keep the flag carrier flying while it searches for a new partner to rescue the airline.
Read the full story from Reuters: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: Rolf Wallner/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) EI-RDC (msn 17000333) taxies at Zurich.
Alitalia (2nd):ย
Air Lituanica (Vilnius) is planning to launch a new route to Paris (CDG) starting on February 14, 2014. The new route will initially be an extension of the Prague route four days a week but the destination will become nonstop service after April 27.
Schedule:
All Air Lituanica flights are currently being operated by Estonian Air‘s (Talinn) Embraer 170s but this relationship seems to be unravelling. Estonian Air has cancelled the contract with Air Lituanica and issued this statement:
As part of winding down flight operations in Lithuania connected to the termination of its contractual relationship with Vilnius-based Air Lituanica, Estonian Air has decided to service the Vilnius โ Berlin route only through December 15, 2013 and Vilnius โ Amsterdam through January 6, 2014.
“After Estonian Air was forced to terminate its contractual relationship with Air Lituanica due to repeated breaches by Air Lituanica, we have no intentions to serve these routes independently in long term. We are doing everything to fulfill our obligations to ticket holders and minimize any interruptions related to their travel plans,โ said Jan Palmรฉr, the CEO of Estonian Air.
Only Estonian Air tickets (with number 960 – XXXXXXXXX) and partner airline tickets, such as KLM, Delta, Hahn Air, are be accepted on Estonian Air flights.
Estonian Air flight tickets on Vilnius-Berlin flights after December 15, 2013 and on Vilnius โ Amsterdam flights after January 6, 2014 will be refunded.
Who will replace Estonian Air? Can Air Lituanica survive this cancellation?
Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Operated by Estonian Air for Air Lituanica, Embraer ERJ 170-100LR ES-AEB (msn 17000106) arrives at Brussels.
Air Lituanica:ย
Estonian Air:ย
California Pacific Airlinesย (Carlsbad) is becoming the poster child as the hard-luck airline wannabe that could not fly because ย of the FAA’s inability to review and approve their Part 121 AOC application. The terrible saga continues. The company has suspended operations and furloughed all employees after receiving an official notification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that it cannot review their AOC application until at least next year according to this report by U-T San Diego. The would-be airline had until September 13 to resubmit its application which it did. The dream of CPA’s founder, Ted Vallas, 91, is slowly getting away from him. Vallas proposed the airline in 2010 and had raised at least $11 million from investors.
Read the full report:ย CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: James Helbock/AirlinersGallery.com. Meanwhile the picturedย Embraer ERJ 170-100LR N760CP (msn 17000006)ย arrived in Nashville, TN in late July from Arizona.
California Pacific:ย 
Alitalia (2nd) (Rome) received good news yesterday (October 11)ย when its board of directors (including Air France-KLM) approved a capital increase as part of the Italian government’s sponsored 500 million euro bailout plan according to this report by Reuters. However with the airline losing an estimated 10 million euros a day, this amount will be exhausted in the next two months. Clearly the airline needs another financial overhaul to reduce costs and increase revenue. The Italian government has also called for Alitalia to join an alliance.
Read the full report: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) EI-RDB (msn 17000331) climbs away beautifully from Geneva.
Alitalia:
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