QANTAS Airways (Sydney) and China Eastern Airlines (Shanghai) today (November 17) announced a new joint venture, marking the start of a deeper level of commercial cooperation on flights between Australia and China.
The airlines will now submit an application for authorization to Australian and Chinese regulators. Subject to regulatory approval, it is anticipated that the joint agreement will commence in mid-2015.
The five year agreement was signed today by QANTAS Group CEO Alan Joyce and China Eastern Chairman Liu Shaoyong at Parliament House, in a ceremony attended by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and President of the Peopleโs Republic of China Xi Jinping.
Under the agreement, the airlines will deliver substantial benefits for customers and support the growing trade, tourism and corporate travel links between Australia and China. It is designed to complement the QANTAS-Emirates partnership for Europe, Middle East and North Africa and the QANTAS-American Airlines partnership for the US.
Through the new partnership, the airlines hope to ultimately open up new routes between Australia and mainland China, such as between Brisbane and Perth to Shanghai.
A key benefit of the agreement will be the co-location of both carriersโ operations in Terminal 1 at Shanghai International Airport, which will cut transit times by about an hour, open up a better range of onward connections and provide more choice for customers.
Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/Blue Wave Group/AirlinersGallery.com. The first Boeing 737-800 to wear the new 2014 China Eastern brand is this 737-89P registered as B-5689 (msn 41512) passing through Honolulu on delivery on November 7, 2014.
Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu) yesterday (November 11) celebrating its 85th anniversary of continuous service for the Hawaiian islands and 85 years of flying as an airline.
Hawai’i’s first interisland passenger service was launched on November 11, 1929 as Inter-Island Airways (see video above), with a flight from Honolulu to Hilo, which took a total of one hour and 40 minutes. The first flight to Kaua’i was made the following day and all the Hawaiian Islands were soon receiving air service on a regular basis. During this time, the first inflight treat offered to passengers was a stick of Wrigley gum to relieve ear pressure. The 85-year-old airline is reviving that in-flight amenity by handing out Wrigley’s Doublemintยฎ gum, which is also celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, along with a commemorative postcard and historic logo stickers to more than 12,000 passengers on all of its neighbor island flights.
Additionally, Hawaiian Airlines has also published a special commemorative book highlighting 85 years of its history and legacy which will be available for sale online at Shop.HawaiianAirlines.com in late November.
Winners of Hawaiian Airlines’ social media contest series were given free rides throughout the day on the airline’s original airplane, a 1929 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker (above), which was restored in 2009 in celebration of the company’s 80th anniversary.
Hawaiian Airlines’ 85th anniversary has been devoted to giving back to the community. In September, the airline unveiled a memorial wall at Kahului Airport honoring Capt. James Bertram Hogg, the pilot whose name was used for the airport’s three-letter code (OGG) (see video below). The event kicked off a three-month-long celebration that continued with an all-day community event in early October at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii in Hilo, the airline’s first destination. On November 8, Hawaiian Airlines also showcased all of its flight attendant uniforms dating back to 1943 with a fashion show at Honolulu Fashion Week.
Throughout the month of November, Hawaiian Airlines Team Kลkua will be participating in statewide community service projects on the islands of Hawai’i, Maui, O’ahu and Kaua’i, restoring agricultural and historical sites.
Looking Back at Hawaiian Airlines’ 85-Year History:
On November 11, 1929, Inter-Island Airways (the company changed its name to Hawaiian Airlines in 1941) launched Hawai’i’s first-ever scheduled interisland air passenger service using two Sikorsky S-38 amphibian propeller planes that carried eight passengers and two crewmembers, and had a top cruising speed of 110 MPH.
Along with being Hawai’i’s first commercial airline, Hawaiian Airlines’ 85-year history of service has featured several other notable achievements, including:
Introducing airmail and air cargo service to the Hawaiian Islands in 1934.
Becoming America’s first federally certified air cargo carrier in 1942.
Introducing Hawai’i’s first aircraft with pressurized passenger cabins in 1952.
Introducing Hawai’i’s first interisland jet aircraft in 1966.
Becoming the nation’s first airline to operate a commercial flight with an all-female flight crew in 1979.
Being the first Hawai’i-based airline to offer scheduled service between Hawai’i and the U.S. Mainland in 1985.
Today, Hawaiian Airlines’ route network encompasses six of the eight Hawaiian Islands, as well as 11 International and 11 U.S. Mainland destinations. Hawaiian Airlines operates a fleet of 51 aircraft โ 18 Boeing 717-200 jets for interisland flights in Hawai’i; 11 Boeing 767-300 and 19 Airbus 330-200 wide-body jets for transpacific and international service; and three ATR 42 for its new turbo prop service ‘Ohana by Hawaiian that launched earlier this year.
Hawaiian Airlines will have three more A330s joining the fleet by the end of 2015. By the end of year 2020, the airline plans to have 22 A330s total and 16 new narrow body A321neo aircraft. The airline will begin taking delivery of six new A330-800neo aircraft in 2019.
Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu) which is currently preparing to celebrate 85 years of flying on November 11, has answered the riddle for travelers to Maui; Why does the Kulului Airport use the three-letter code of OGG? Hawaiian issued this statement about the new wall at OGG:
Travelers to Maui will no longer have to puzzle over why Kahului Airport’s three-letter airport code is OGG. They need only spend a few minutes at a new wall paying tribute to Capt. Jimmy Hogg, the Hawaiian Airlines pilot and aviation pioneer for whom the airport is named.
The 8-foot tall, 42-foot wide wall at Gate 19 was presented on September 15 by Hawaiian Airlines, the State Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
“We were approached with the idea of sharing the story of Captain Hogg’s life and career by TSA employees in Kahului, who are asked questions everyday about the origin of OGG,” said Mark Dunkerley, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, Hawai’i’s oldest and largest commercial airline. “Kahului Airport officials offered to provide us with the space and we were delighted to design this fitting tribute to Jimmy, whose epic career ran from the earliest days of commercial aviation in Hawai’i to the dawn of the jet age.”
Born and raised in Lฤซhu’e, Kaua’i on a sugar plantation, Hogg grew up watching airplanes land at Nฤwiliwili and decided at the age of 12 that he was destined to become a pilot. He started his aviation career on January 1, 1930 at Inter-island Airways as a mechanic’s helper. He became a co-pilot in 1936, and captain the following year. He went on to achieve a series of “firsts” with the airline, which was renamed Hawaiian Airlines in October 1941. Hogg made the first commercial flight after the attack on Pearl Harbor, coming under ground fire from those mistaking his plane for an enemy aircraft. On January 14, 1958, he flew Hawaiian Airlines’ first trans-Pacific flight, delivering a DC-6 from the West Coast to Honolulu.
When the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) began to standardize airport navigational beacons after World War II, it turned to Hogg for assistance. In 1957, when it was decided that Kahului Airport needed a three-letter code, the CAA took the opportunity to honor one of the pioneers of Hawai’i aviation. Hogg retired from Hawaiian Airlines in 1968 and passed away at the age of 84 in 1992. A video recap of his life is located at the bottom of this story.
Anniversary Activities
The dedication of the Capt. Jimmy Hogg Memorial Wall at Kahului Airport kicks off a series of celebrations leading up to Hawaiian Airlines’ 85th anniversary on November 11, 2014.
On October 4, 2014, Hawaiian Airlines will host an all-day community event at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii in Hilo, the airline’s first destination. Residents of Hawai’i Island are invited to enjoy the museum as well as live entertainment and exhibits. Weather permitting, free rides will be offered on the airline’s original aircraft, a 1929 Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker.
Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/Blue Wave Group/AirlinersGallery.com. Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker NC251M (msn 154) is pictured at Honolulu.
Hawaiian Airlines Aircraft Slide Show:ย
Trivia contests via Hawaiian Airlines social media channels will offer prizes throughout the months of October and November, including drawings for free sightseeing rides on the historic Bellanca.
On November 11, 2014, Hawaiian Airlines’ Team Kลkua of employees will be participating in simultaneous community service projects on the islands of Kaua’i and Hawai’i.
“Hawaiian Airlines has been flying almost as long as the advent of commercial aviation, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this yearโboth of which are remarkable achievements,” said Dunkerley. “We thank our dedicated employees and our loyal customers, whom both are key reasons why Hawaiian Airlines is able to celebrate a successful and rich 85-year history of service to the Hawaiian Islands and the world.”
Celebrating 85 Years of Service
On November 11, 1929, Inter-Island Airways (the company changed its name to Hawaiian Airlines in 1941) launched Hawai’i’s first-ever scheduled interisland air service using two Sikorsky S-38 amphibian propeller planes that carried eight passengers and two crewmembers, and had a top cruising speed of 110 MPH.
The company’s inaugural flight 85 years ago from Honolulu to Hilo, with a stop on Maui, took one hour and 50 minutes. The first flight to Kaua’i was made the following day and all the Hawaiian Islands were soon receiving air service on a regular basis.
Along with being Hawai’i’s first commercial airline, Hawaiian Airlines’ 85-year history of service has featured several other notable achievements, including:
Introducing airmail and air cargo service to the Hawaiian Islands in 1934.
Becoming America’s first federally certified air cargo carrier in 1942.
Introducing Hawai’i’s first aircraft with pressurized passenger cabins in 1952.
Introducing Hawai’i’s first inter-island jet aircraft in 1966.
Becoming the nation’s first airline to operate a commercial flight with an all-female flight crew in 1979.
Being the first Hawai’i-based airline to offer scheduled service between Hawai’i and the U.S. Mainland in 1985.
Today, Hawaiian Airlines has a fleet of 50 aircraft โ 18 Boeing 717-200 jets for interisland flights in Hawai’i; 11 Boeing 767-300 and 18 Airbus 330-200 wide-body jets for transpacific and international service; and three ATR-42 for its new turbo prop service that launched earlier this year, ‘Ohana by Hawaiian.
Hawaiian Airlines will have four more A330s joining the fleet by the end of 2015. By the end of year 2020, the airline plans to have 22 A330s total and 16 new narrow body A321neo aircraft, along with six new A330-800neo aircraft starting in 2019.
Video:ย Do you know why the Kahului Airport code is OGG? The code of this Hawaiian Airlines station is named after Captain Jimmy Hogg, an accomplished pilot who started his career as a mechanicโs helper with Inter-Island Airways of Hawaii then later became the Captain of Flight Operation for Hawaiian Airlines.
Air China (Beijing) and Kunming Airlines (Kunming) signed a codeshare cooperation agreement in the city of Kunming on September 3, 2014, and the two carriers will start code share in the form of free marketing on each other’s selected domestic flights from September 15, 2014.
According to the agreement, the two carriers will connect the city of Kunming to their respective route networks. With the cooperation, Air China will put its code CA on the nearly 500 weekly flights of 26 routes operated by Kunming Airlines, which will extend its route network to the cities of Yunnan province and other neighboring cities. At the same time, Kunming Airlines will put its code KY on about 210 weekly flights of 9 routes operated by Air China, which will extend its network to most of China’s big and medium-sized cities.
In financial news,ย Air China reported a first half net profit of CNY 510 million ($82.8 million), down 55% for the same period a year ago.
Top Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-89L B-5425 (msn 36743) of Air China arrives at the Beijing (Capital) hub.
Bottom Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/AirlinersGallery.com. Kunming Airlines’ Boeing 737-87L B-1926 (msn 41111) passed through Honolulu on delivery.
9 air (9air.com) (Nine Star Airways) (Guangzhou and Bangkok) as we previously reported is a new budget airline in China. On August 27 the new company took delivery of its first Boeing 737-800, the pictured 737-8GP B-1715 (msn 39819). The company hopes to launch scheduled passenger operations next month when a second aircraft is delivered.
According to Reuters, 9 Air finalized its order for 50 Boeing 737 jets, becoming the second Chinese carrier which operates an all-Boeing fleet.
The order includes a mix of Boeing Next-Generation 737 jets and 737 MAX aircraft.
9 air is owned by privately held Juneyao Airlines which is an Airbus A320 operator.
Nine Star Airways also intends to operate Airbus A320s from Bangkok.
Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/Blue Wave Group/AirlinersGallery.com. B-1715 passes through Honolulu. B-1715 is one of three 737-800s leased fromย Transportation Partners (Lion Air) which are being leased in order to start operations.
Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur) continues to be in a crisis mode. Based on some recent online photos showing many open seats on its flights, The Mirror is reporting the airline is dispatching flights with rows of empty seats as it struggles in the wake of two highly-reported accidents.
Meanwhile a restructuring plan for the beleaguered company is expected to be announced soon.
Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/AirlinersGallery.com. Both Airbus and Boeing could suffer if the airline is downsized. Malaysia has been loyal to both manufacturers. Brand new Boeing 737-8H6 9M-MSJ (msn 40152) passes through Honolulu on delivery.
Skymark Airlines (Tokyo-Haneda) has been retrenching. Besides the cancellation of its Airbus A380 order by Airbus, the low-fare carrier has also announced it will leave Tokyo Narita and concentrate its flights at Tokyo (Haneda). Now according to ZipanguFlyer, there may be a new development:
“On August 19, the Nikkei Shimbun reported that the AirAsia Group has started considering an investment in ailing Skymark Airlines (BC/SKY), including a possible takeover. It said that the Malaysian LCC, a very important customer for Airbus, is also talking with the European manufacturer to reduce the penalties they are seeking with Skymark for the canceled Airbus A380 order.”
AirAsia is currently working with new Japanese partners to launch the second version of AirAsia (Japan) next year. If this report is correct and it is consummated, it would probably be the end of Skymark Airlines and Boeing would lose a loyal Japanese customer.
Stay tuned.
Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/Blue Wave Group. Boeing 737-81D JA73NN (man 39422) passes through Honolulu on its delivery flight.
Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu) has announced it will offer nonstop service between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Kahului Airport (OGG) beginning November 20, 2014.
The nonstop service between San Francisco and Maui will begin with flights four times a week from November 20, 2014 before moving into daily service beginning December 17, 2014. The new daily service will add a total of more than 210,000 seats to both San Francisco and Maui travel markets per year, and will be operated by Hawaiian Airlines’ wide-body, twin-aisle Airbus A330-200 aircraft, which seats 294 passengers, with 18 in First Class and 276 in the Main Cabin.
Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/Blue Wave Group/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330-243 N395HA (msn 1469) departs from the Honolulu base.
Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur), owned by a majority share by a holding company of the Malaysian government, is considering changes in the the wake of the two tragic accidents this year.
According to RT.com, the government is considering a rebrand, a different ownership restructure, a possible new name and an adjustment of its route network.
Malaysia Airlines is very likely to change.
As far as the livery, the two ill-fated Boeing 777-200 ERs wore the older 1987 livery (above) which features the red and blue Kelantan Wau Bulan (Moon Dragon Kite) tail logo which has been seen in the headlines over and over, especially with the debris in eastern Ukraine. Any brand refresh would probably retire this iconic and historic logo.
Top Copyright Photo: Richard Vandervord/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-8FZ 9M-MLH (msn 31723) is pictured in action at Phuket, Thailand in the 1987 color scheme.
Malaysia Airlines:ย
Below Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/AirlinersGallery.com. Malaysia refreshed the red and blue Kelantan Wau Bulan (kite) livery in 2010 with this new twin arc look while retaining the kite tail logo. Boeing 737-8H6 9M-MSE (msn 40147) passes through Honolulu on delivery.
Below Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. When Malaysia introduced the new Airbus A380, the airline unveiled this special A380 livery (for only the A380s) in 2012. The red and blue kite morphed into a blue kite for the A380s. Is this enough of a change? Probably not. Airbus A380-841 9M-MNB (msn 081) departs from London (Heathrow).
Bottom Copyright Photo: Christian Volpati/AirlinersGallery.com. When MSA was split into Malaysian Airline System (MAS) and Singapore Airlines, Malaysian (later Malaysia Airlines) originally introduced this livery in 1972. As you will note, the original livery featured a red and white kite tail logo. Dropping this historic logo will be a tough decision for the airline but unfortunately it is now a tarnished logo. Boeing 737-2H6 9M-MBH (msn 20926) prepares to depart from the gate at Kuala Lumpur.
Island Air (Honolulu) and American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) are commencing interline e-ticket sales and airport through check-in for customers of both carriers. The new agreement allows both airlines to sell each otherโs seats and place all flight segments on a single ticket. The agreement provides customers access to a larger route system to enhance their travel options.
At the airport, this relationship means boarding passes can be issued by either Island Air or American all the way through to the guestsโ final destination without having to re-check in with the next carrier. The interline relationship relieves passengers holding a through, interline ticket of transferring baggage at the connecting airport.
โWe continue to improve Island Air, and with this interline agreement with American Airlines, we will expand our customer base and offer even more value,โ said Island Air CEO Paul Casey.
Island Air interline e-ticketing with American became available in all major computer reservations systems on June 27, 2014.
Copyright Photo: Ivan K. Nishimura/Blue Wave Group/AirlinersGallery.com. Former American Eagle-Executive Airlines ATR 72-210 N342AT (msn 345) sports the new 2014 livery at the Honolulu base.
You must be logged in to post a comment.