United Airlines (Chicago) will drop the Washington (Dulles)-New York (JFK) route on October 26. ExpressJet Airlines (Atlanta) currently operates the United Express route with CRJ200s per Airline Route.
Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. ExpressJet Airlines’ Bombardier CRJ200 (CL-600-2B19) N877AS (msn 7579) arrives at the Washington Dulles hub.
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National Airlines (5th) (formerly Murray Air) (Orlando) is helping in the Ebola relief efforts in Liberia. In cooperation with the United States Government, National Airlines, using one of its Boeing 747-400 Freighters, carried a planeload of medical and other relief supplies from New York to the Monrovia Airport.
Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Formerly operated by Air France, Boeing 747-428 (F) N952CA (msn 25238) arrives at Washington’s Dulles International Airport (IAD).
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CDC Map of affected Ebola areas in West Africa:
British Airways (London) yesterday (October 2) began flying its new 469-seat Airbus A380 aircraft between London Heathrow and Washington Dulles International Airport. This marks the first and only nonstop A380 service between the two nationsโ capitals. The airline also officially unveiled its new, improved business and first class lounge for customers departing from Washington D.C.
British Airways will initially operate five A380 services a week from Washington Dulles. This will increase from the end of October to a daily A380 service, in conjunction with the daily flight BA 292, operated by a Boeing 747-400 and the thrice weekly flight BA 264, operated by a Boeing 777.
British Airways has ordered 12 A380s for delivery by 2016. The airline currently has six A380s in service. The first flight was operated with the pictured Airbus A380-841 G-XLEB.
British Airways currently flies its A380 aircraft from Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Johannesburg, with Singapore beginning on October 28 and San Francisco in April 2015.
In other news, British Airways has added another three new routes to its 2015 London Gatwick schedule. Seville in Spain, Funchal in Madeira and Las Palmas in Gran Canaria with the first flights from March 29, 2015.
The news follows announcements on eight other new London Gatwick routes, taking the total number of destinations British Airways flies to from London Gatwick to over 50 for Summer 2015.
From December this year, new winter sun and ski destinations will include Fuerteventura, Friedrichshafen and Grenoble.
Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands will operate from December 13 this year and other sunshine routes launching for summer 2015, will include Cagliari in Sardinia, Heraklion in Crete, Rhodes in Greece and Bodrum and Dalaman in Turkey.
The services to all three destinations will be served by a mixture of Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft from London Gatwick.
Top Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.comย (all others by BA). Airbus A380-841 G-XLEB (msn 121) taxies at Los Angeles to the gate.
Below Photo: The cabin of the Airbus A380:
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Lufthansa (Frankfurt) has issued this statement today:
Lufthansa regrets the announcement of strike action by the Vereinigung Cockpit pilotsโ union (VC) for tomorrow (Friday). This morning โ and therefore just a few hours before the start of talks that had been agreed for today โ the union announced that there would be a strike at Germanwings if agreement wasnโt reached today (Thursday) on the issue of transitional benefits for pilots.
In a letter on Monday, Lufthansa had proposed todayโs talks in order to resume negotiations and had prepared a suggestion on what form further negotiations should take. As per Lufthansaโs invitation, the aim of these talks would primarily have been to specify an orderly process and a timetable for further negotiations.
Dr Bettina Volkens, Chief Officer Human Resources and Legal at Deutsche Lufthansa AG, says: โWe are very disappointed that we cannot avert strike action. The impression given is that the Vereinigung Cockpit pilotsโ union had already decided to strike. It is unrealistic to expect to reach agreement on a new model for sustainable transitional benefits in the course of a single day. The fact that an ultimatum for concluding a wage agreement was issued on the morning of negotiations โ even though we made it clear that the talks would initially have to be about what form the further negotiation process should take โ is very unusual and incomprehensible.โ
Lufthansa and Germanwings will now be primarily focusing on limiting the impact of the strike. The strike action announced for Friday will coincide with the end of school holidays in Thuringia and Saxony. Dr Bettina Volkens says: โWe will do everything to provide the best-possible service to Germanwings passengers and, if possible, to get them to their destination in spite of the strike.โ
Prior to the strike, Lufthansa had already made an offer to the Vereinigung Cockpit pilotsโ union at the start of April concerning future early retirement from flight service and had therefore created a basis for further negotiations. This offer would provide all cockpit staff with the option of early retirement from flight service, including in the future.
In concrete terms, Lufthansaโs offer on transitional benefits provides for the following:
โข For employees who have been working at Lufthansa since before 1 January 2014, Lufthansa will bear the costs of early retirement, including in the future. This means that employer-financed transitional benefits will be maintained for several decades.
โข For employees who start or have started work at Lufthansa after 1 January 2014, it will still be possible to retire early from flight service. However, the costs of this will no longer be borne by Lufthansa, but rather by the employees. In the event of incapacity for flight service, a purely employer-financed insurance policy will still be included for all employees.
โข The individual age for retiring from flight service will be raised, depending on the length of service, from 55 for more senior up to 60 for younger employees. The longer employees have already been in the company, the less affected they will be by the increase in the earliest possible individual retirement age. Employees who have been with the company for a very long time are not affected at all by the changes.
โข Today, on average, cockpit crew leave Lufthansa German Airlines at the age of 59. In future, the average age for employer-financed retirement from flight service at Lufthansa German Airlines is intended to go up gradually over several years to 61. The average age of 61 reflects an overall trend in society towards a longer working life.
Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-830 D-ABYP (msn 37839) with the special 1500th Boeing 747 markings departs from Washington (Reagan).
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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, BizCharterโs 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:
Current Schedule:
Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa) has announced that it has entered into a codeshare agreement with United Airlines (Chicago), effective on August 30, 2014.
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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 AbabaโWashington, 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).
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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 YorkโLaGuardia and Boston is below.
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).
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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.
โWeโre 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. โWe 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 TWUโs success in bargaining contracts for 11,000 flight attendants at Southwest Airlines.
โPart of Southwest Airlineโs success is due to the airlineโs 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. โTWU 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
โVirgin America bills itself as an โupscaleโ airline and prides itself on that service that โteam membersโ offer,โ said TWUโs 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, โWith 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.
โWe want to see Virgin America prosper,โ said TWU International President Harry Lombardo. โAs 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 airlineโs success. We will now focus on gaining a contract thatโs 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).
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Air France (Paris) and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) reported a net loss of โฌ614 million ($824.6 million), an improvement of โฌ185 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%. Transaviaโs 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.
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Fleet Information:
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 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).
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