Tag Archives: Embraer ERJ 170

Delta to expand Seattle/Tacoma operations with new flights to Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) despite having a close relationship with Alaska Airlines (Seattle/Tacoma), will offer new daily nonstop service to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport from San Francisco International Airport as well as increased service from Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, beginning next year. The new service is designed to provide customers access to the airline’s growing trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific network from its global gateway in Seattle/Tacoma.

Details of Delta’s new and expanded Seattle/Tacoma service include:

Six new daily nonstop flights from San Francisco beginning March 29, 2014, increasing to seven daily flights on June 5, 2014.
Two additional flights from Las Vegas for a total of three daily nonstop flights beginning Jan. 6, 2014, increasing to five daily nonstop flights on April 1, 2014.
Two additional flights from Los Angeles for a total of seven daily nonstop flights beginning June 5, 2014.

The Seattle area is one of Delta’s fastest-growing international gateways. The airline currently operates nonstop service to six international markets including Amsterdam, Beijing, Osaka, Paris, Shanghai-Pudong and Tokyo, and recently announced additional service in 2014 to London-Heathrow, Hong Kong and Seoul, pending government approval. The new and additional flights will allow for convenient connections to all of Seattle’s international Delta flights.

As of January 1, 2014, every international Delta flight from Seattle/Tacoma will feature full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite, Economy Comfort seating and entertainment on demand in every seat throughout the aircraft.

Delta’s service from San Francisco and Los Angeles will be operated by Delta Connection carrier Compass Airlines (Delta Connection) using two-class Embraer ERJ 175s, with the exception of one daily mainline flight from Los Angeles. Additionally, Delta’s Las Vegas-Seattle/Tacoma service will be operated by Delta Connection carrier SkyWest Airlines (Delta Connection) (St. George) using two-class Canadair CRJ700s and CRJ900s. Each aircraft is equipped with First Class and Economy Comfort seating as well as onboard Wi-Fi.

Copyright Photo: Tony Storck/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) N613CZ (msn 17000203) prepares to land at Washington (Reagan National).

Delta Air Lines:

Delta Connection-SkyWest Airlines:

Delta Connection-Compass Airlines:

Air Canada completes the transfer of Embraer 175s to Sky Regional Airlines

Air Canada (Montreal) announced it has successfully completed the transfer of all 15 of its Embraer 175 aircraft, the smallest jet aircraft in Air Canada’s fleet, to Sky Regional Airlines (Air Canada Regional) (Montreal-Trudeau) to operate the aircraft on behalf of Air Canada under the capacity purchase agreement between the parties. Sky Regional now operates 20 aircraft on behalf of Air Canada , under this agreement.

Sky Regional has been an Air Canada Express partner since May 2011 , operating service between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Montreal Trudeau Airport with a fleet of Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) turboprop aircraft. Since March 2013 , Sky Regional has been phasing in the operation of a fleet of Embraer 175 regional jet aircraft on existing Air Canada short-haul regional routes, primarily from Toronto and Montreal to destinations in the northeast United States including New York (La Guardia), Newark, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago (O’Hare) and Dallas/Fort Worth, under the Air Canada Express banner. Sky Regional currently employs approximately 550 people and is the sole Air Canada Express operator serving Billy Bishop Toronto City, Philadelphia, Chicago (O’Hare) and Dallas/Fort Worth airports.

In addition to Sky Regional, Air Canada has capacity purchase agreements with its other regional airline partners, Jazz, Air Georgian and EVAS, that operate regional Air Canada Express flights on behalf of Air Canada.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Formerly operated by Air Canada, Embraer ERJ 170-200SU (ERJ 175) C-FEKI (msn 1700103) completes the River Approach into Washington’s Reagan National Airport.

Air Canada:

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Air Canada Express-Sky Regional Airlines:

Air Lituanica to add both Prague and Munich in September

Air Lituanica (Vilnius) will add two new routes next month. The new carrier will add a new route to Prague, Czech Republic on September 20 and another to Munich, Germany on the following day. Both new routes will be served with the second Air Lituanica Embraer 175. The 86-seater is being leased from the manufacturer’s subsidiary ECC Leasing. Also from September 15, the company‘s aircraft will fly to Amsterdam not once but twice a day.

Air Lituanica:

Route Map:

California Pacific is again rejected by the FAA for an AOC

California Pacific Airlines (Carlsbad) will not fly, at least not for now. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and this report by U-T San Diego, the FAA has again rejected the scheduled passenger airline application for the paper airline. The FAA cited various deficiencies in the application relating to safety, maintenance and inspections. The would-be airline has until September 13 to resubmit its application. CP Air remains confident it can correct the errors in its resubmission. The founder, Ted Vallas, is 91.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: James Helbock/AirlinersGallery.com. Meanwhile the pictured Embraer ERJ 170-100LR N760CP (msn 17000006) arrived in Nashville, TN in late July from Arizona.

California Pacific:

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Air Lituanica starts its third route to Berlin

Air Lituanica (Vilnius) on August 5 started its the third route to Berlin (Tegel), following new service to Brussels and Amsterdam.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Operated by Estonian Air, Embraer ERJ 170-100LR ES-AEB (msn 17000106) approaches Brussels for landing on its flight from Vilnius.

Air Lituanica:

Flybe attempts to turn around the company after losing $63.2 million in its fiscal year

Flybe (Exeter) is struggling to turn things around financially after reporting a loss of $63.2 million in the past fiscal year. The past year, according to the carrier, has been the most challenging year in its 10-year history. A new CEO, former easyJet executive Saad Hammad, is now closely looking at the company in great detail and bringing in new people to fill resignations.

According to its annual report, Flybe has removed 13 aircraft from the fleet and deferred another 16 aircraft. 75 percent of the fleet is now deployed on lower-risk contract flying, especially at Flybe Finland. The company is targeting a goal of over $77 million in long-term yearly cost reductions.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 170-200STD (ERJ 175) G-FBJC (msn 17000328) taxies to the runway at Amsterdam.

Flybe:

Current routes from Southampton:

Delta to launch its Los Angeles-San Francisco hourly shuttle on September 3

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) has confirmed our previous report. Delta will begin hourly, nonstop Delta Shuttle service between Los Angeles International and San Francisco International airports on September 3, 2013. The Delta Shuttle introduces 14 daily flights and a product tailored to business travelers while adding a California perspective to its popular New York-based shuttle.

Flights depart at the top of the hour beginning at 7 a.m. Monday through Friday and will be operated by Delta Connection partner, Compass Airlines (Delta Connection) (Minneapolis/St. Paul) using Embraer ERJ 175 aircraft which accommodate 76 passengers in 12 First Class, 12 Economy Comfort and 52 Economy seats.

Customers flying the Delta Shuttle between Los Angeles and San Francisco will enjoy:

Check-in as close as 30 minutes prior to departure
Dedicated check-in counters exclusively for Shuttle customers
Gates located near security
Complimentary newspapers for all customers including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Financial Times and more
Assigned seating
Two classes of service with complimentary upgrades for SkyMiles Medallion members when available.
Complimentary onboard snacks provided by LYFE Kitchen, a California-based lifestyle food brand, offering great-tasting, good-for-you food
Complimentary beverages in-flight including Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. craft beer, Starbucks coffee and wine from Wente Vineyards in all classes of service
Cocktails available for purchase in Economy
Access to in-flight Wi-Fi on all Shuttle flights

Delta has partnered with the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles World Airports to invest $229 million to overhaul Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport. The construction project has already begun and will be complete in 2015. Highlights of the project include doubling the size of the ticketing lobby and federal security screening checkpoints; an exclusive Sky Priority experience with a separate lobby and checkpoint; a renovation of the Delta Sky Club; new baggage carousels; upgraded facilities to improve international baggage recheck; and new finishes providing a cleaner, brighter customer experience. All Delta and Delta Connection flights serving Los Angeles offer customers the option of First Class, Economy Comfort or Economy seating, along with in-flight Wi-Fi. Delta operates the largest Wi-Fi-equipped fleet in the world, including all Delta Connection two-class regional jets.

In other news, Delta is also adding weekly Delta Connection Bombardier CRJ900 service from both Orlando and Raleigh/Durham to Nassau in the Bahamas beginning on December 21 per Airline Route. The carrier will also launch seasonal CRJ900 service between Fargo, North Dakota and the Atlanta hub also on December 21.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Compass Airlines’ Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) N612CZ (msn 17000201) arrives at Washington’s Dulles International Airport.

Delta Air Lines:

Delta Connection-Compass Airlines:

Republic Airways Holdings’ second quarter net income increases 23% to $24.6 million, Frontier Airlines reports pre-tax 2Q income of $13.7 million

Republic Airways Holdings Inc. (Republic Airlines 2nd) (Indianapolis) reported diluted earnings per share of $0.46, which is a 15.0% increase from the $0.40 per diluted share result in the second quarter of 2012. Net income increased 23.0% to $24.6 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2013, compared to net income of $20.0 million for the same period last year. Operating revenues totaled $664.4 million, a decrease of 8.7%, compared to $728.1 million for the second quarter of 2012.

“We are pleased to report improved financial results for the second quarter, driven primarily by the year over year improvement in our small regional jet operations at Chautauqua,” said Republic Chairman, President and CEO Bryan Bedford. “Our process to sell Frontier continues and I am very pleased that we were able to reach tentative labor agreements with both our Flight Dispatchers and Flight Attendants, which remain subject to membership ratification. I am thankful for the continued professionalism and dedication of my 10,000 co-workers on behalf of our passengers.”

Republic Segment Summary

Republic’s pre-tax income improved 45.8% to $27.7 million from $19.0 million in the prior year’s second quarter, due mainly to the redeployment of idled 50-seat aircraft and the successful completion of our Chautauqua restructuring efforts in late 2012.

Total Republic revenues decreased $20.6 million, or 5.8%, from the second quarter of 2012 to $336.8 million in the second quarter of 2013. Fixed-fee service revenue increased $34.9 million, or 12.4%, to $316.9 million, despite the removal of fuel expense and related reimbursement on our United E170 fixed-fee agreement, which accounted for $25.1 million of revenues in the prior year’s second quarter. The majority of the increase in fixed-fee revenues relates to Republic’s Q400 agreement with United that began in the second half of 2012 and Republic’s E190 charter agreement, which began in January 2013. Republic passenger service revenue decreased $56.1 million due to a reduction of pro-rate operations with Frontier, as aircraft previously operating in pro-rate service were either transitioned to other fixed-fee agreements or sold.

Fuel costs for Republic decreased $42.3 million to $12.1 million for the quarter, due mainly to the removal of fuel expense on our United agreement as noted above. The fuel cost per gallon, including into-plane taxes and fees, increased to $3.34 per gallon in the second quarter of 2013, compared to $3.26 per gallon in the prior year’s second quarter. The fuel cost per gallon related to our fixed-fee charter agreement is generally higher than our pro-rate operations with Frontier and is treated as a pass through cost under the agreement.

As of June 30, 2013, Republic operated a fleet of 232 aircraft. Within our fixed-fee commercial and charter agreements, Republic operated 70 aircraft with 44-50 seats and 157 aircraft with 69-99 seats. In addition, Republic operated five 99-seat aircraft under the pro-rate agreement with Frontier, down from seventeen, 99-seat aircraft operated in pro-rate service during the second quarter of 2012.

The Company expects to take delivery of 18 Embraer ERJ 175 aircraft to operate under its American capacity purchase agreement by the end of 2013. Additionally, the Company expects to place into service the final six Q400 aircraft under its United capacity purchase agreement over the next two quarters.

Frontier Segment Summary

For the quarter ended June 30, 2013, Frontier Airlines (2nd) (Denver) posted pre-tax income of $13.7 million, which is down slightly from $14.1 million of pre-tax income for the quarter ended June 30, 2012.

Frontier’s capacity, as measured by available seat miles (ASMs), was down 10.1% from the prior year’s second quarter, as a result of operating fewer Airbus aircraft. Frontier’s total revenues decreased 11.6% to $327.6 million for the quarter, compared to $370.7 million for the same period in 2012. Total revenue per ASM (TRASM) decreased 1.6% to 11.98 cents in the second quarter of 2013 from 12.18 cents in the second quarter of 2012.

Fuel costs decreased from the prior year’s second quarter by $22.6 million to $114.2 million for the quarter. The fuel cost per gallon, including into-plane taxes and fees, decreased to $3.14 per gallon in the second quarter of 2013, compared to $3.35 per gallon in the prior year’s second quarter. The second quarter of 2013 results included a loss on fuel hedges of $1.7 million, or $0.05 per gallon.

The operating unit cost for Frontier, excluding fuel, was 7.27 cents per ASM for the second quarter of 2013, a 1.3% increase compared to 7.18 cents per ASM for the same quarter of 2012.

As of June 30, 2013, Frontier operated 52 Airbus aircraft, compared to 58 Airbus aircraft as of June 30, 2012. All six aircraft removed were returned to lessors.

Recent Business Developments

On June 17, 2013, the Company announced it had reached a tentative agreement (TA) on a new five-year contract with the Transportation Workers Union (TWU) Local 540 Dispatchers. This TA is currently being voted on by union membership and we expect the voting results on August 1, 2013.

On June 24, 2013, the Company announced it had reached a TA on a new five-year contract with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Local 135 Flight Attendants. This TA is currently being voted on by union membership and we expect the voting results on July 29, 2013.

On July 15, 2013, the Company announced that it had entered into an agreement with an affiliate of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) for the financing of 47 Embraer E175 aircraft. These aircraft will provide service under the terms of the capacity purchase agreement with American Airlines announced in January. The first aircraft was delivered on July 15, 2013, and is scheduled to go into service with American on August 1, 2013.

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

The Company’s total cash balance increased $44.8 million to $439.1 million as of June 30, 2013, compared to December 31, 2012. Restricted cash increased $53.2 million, to $200.3 million, from December 31, 2012. The Company’s unrestricted cash balance decreased $8.4 million, to $238.8 million, from December 31, 2012. A condensed consolidated balance sheet and cash flow statement have been included in the tables section of this release.

The Company’s debt decreased to $1.98 billion as of June 30, 2013, compared to $2.12 billion at December 31, 2012. As of June 30, 2013, approximately 90% of the debt is at a fixed interest rate. The Company has significant long-term lease obligations for aircraft that are classified as operating leases and are not reflected as liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet. At a 6% discount factor, the present value of these lease obligations was approximately $0.9 billion and $1.0 billion as of June 30, 2013, and December 31, 2012, respectively.

Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Republic Airways (Republic Airlines 2nd) Embraer ERJ 170-100SU N821MD (msn 17000042) departs from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Frontier Airlines (2nd):

Republic Airways (Republic Airlines 2nd):

Air Lituanica launches scheduled passenger operations

Air Lituanica (Vilnius) as planned, commenced scheduled passenger operations with an Embraer 170 leased from Estonian Air. The new airline launched its first route on June 30 to Brussels. On July 8 the second route to Amsterdam will be started. The airline intends to expand later to Berlin, Prague, Munich, and Moscow.

Top Copyright Photo: Karl Cornil/AirlinersGallery.com (all other images by Air Lituanica). Embraer ERJ 170-100LR ES-AEB (msn 17000106) arrives at Brussels on the inaugural flight.

Bottom Copyright Photo: Air Lituanica. The formal ribbon cutting ceremony at Vilnius for the first departure to Brussels.

Finnair to continue to fly to Tel Aviv year-round, rumors of a possible merger with SAS

Finnair (Helsinki) will continue to operate its new route to Tel Aviv also during the winter season. As of November 1, Finnair will continue to fly to Tel Aviv with the similar frequency as during the on-going summer season, twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, but with new timetables that better fit Finnair’s Asian and European connections.

Finnair flights arriving from Asia on Mondays will have a good connection to Tel Aviv. The connecting flight from Helsinki departs at 3.40 p.m. (1540) and arrives in Tel Aviv at 8.05 p.m.(2005) The return flight from Tel Aviv departs at 8.55 p.m. (2055) and arrives in Helsinki at 1.35 a.m. (0135) the next day.

On Fridays the flight departs from Helsinki at 6 a.m. (0600) and arrives in Tel Aviv at 10.25 a.m. (1025). The return flight from Tel Aviv is well connected to Finnair’s Asian flights in the afternoon.

The flights to Tel Aviv are operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft.

Finnair will also operate five scheduled flights a week from Helsinki to Dubai during the winter season. In addition, a charter service is provided on Tuesdays.

In other news, there are media reports of a possible merger with Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm). According to this report by Reuters, new Finnair CEO Pekka Vauramo sees both advantages and disadvantages with a possible merger. other than that, both airlines are not commenting on the reports.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Finally, Finnair has leased three Embraer ERJ 170s to AeroMexico Connect.

Top Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Finnair’s Airbus A320-214 OH-LXF (msn 1712) arrives at Amsterdam.

Finnair:

Bottom Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Finnair’s Embraer ERJ 170-100STD OH-LEL (msn 17000139) in now dressed in full AeroMexico connect colors. The airliner is pictured passing through Toronto (Pearson) on June 15 and will become XA-SAC with the Mexican carrier.