Tag Archives: Los Angeles

American Airlines announces Los Angeles – Havana charter flights

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) and Cuba Travel Services plan to operate the first charter flights between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Jose Marti International Airport (HAV) in Havana later this year, providing travelers the only nonstop service connecting the West Coast to Cuba since travel restrictions were eased.

American’s new charter service between Los Angeles and Havana will be sold by Cuba Travel Services and will operate on Saturdays beginning on nDecember 12 with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

In addition, American will operate a Saturday flight between Miami International Airport and Havana, also sold by Cuba Travel Services.

American has operated charter flights to Cuba since 1991. With these additions, American will offer 22 weekly flights from Miami, Tampa and Los Angeles to five destinations in the country: Camaguey, Cienfuegos, Havana, Holguin and Santa Clara. This year, American will operate approximately 1,200 charter flights to Cuba, more than any other airline. American also is the leading carrier to the Caribbean with up to 150 daily flights to more than 30 destinations.

With the addition of Havana, American will have launched nine international flights from its LAX hub this year. Additions include a second daily flight to London’s Heathrow Airport; Vancouver, Canada; Belize City, Belize; Guadalajara, Mexico City and Mazatlan, Mexico; Sydney (pending regulatory approvals) and Tokyo-Haneda (pending Japanese government approval).

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-823 N823NN (msn 29560) departs from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

American Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

Emirates to launch the world’s longest air route

Emirates (Dubai) has announced plans to launch services to Panama City, beginning February 1, 2016.

The new service will be the longest nonstop flight in the world (17 hours 35 minutes in the westbound direction) and will be Emirates’ first gateway destination in Central America.

Service to Panama City, Panama’s capital and largest city by population, will commence with a daily flight operated by a Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft in a 3-class layout – 8 in First, 42 in Business, and 216 in Economy. The aircraft can carry up to 15 tons of cargo. Key imports to the country include pharmaceuticals, machinery products, iron/steel rods, and electronics. Service to Panama City will operate through Tocumen International Airport (PTY).

Later this year, Emirates will be adding four additional routes to its global network including Mashhad, Iran and Orlando in September; Bamako, Mali in October; and Bologna in November.
Service to Panama City to begin on February 1, 2016

Emirates flight EK251 will depart Dubai at 08:05 and arrive in Panama City at 16:40 daily. The return flight EK252 will leave Panama City at 22:10, arriving in Dubai at 22:55 the next day.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-21H LR (Longer Range) A6-EWH (msn 35587) departs from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Emirates aircraft slide show:

Copa Holdings reports a larger second quarter net profit

Copa Holdings, S.A. (Copa Airlines) (Panama City) has its announced financial results for the second quarter of 2015 (2Q15).

OPERATING AND FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS:

Copa Holdings reported net income of $64.1 million (all amounts are in US dollars) for 2Q15, or diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.46. Excluding special items, Copa Holdings would have reported an adjusted net income of $41.0 million, or $0.93 per share, a 64.7% decrease over adjusted net income of $115.9 million and $2.61 per share for 2Q14.

Operating income for 2Q15 came in at $49.2 million, a 62.5% decrease over operating income of $131.2 million in 2Q14. Operating margin for the period came in at 9.1%, compared to 19.5% in 2Q14, as a result of lower unit revenues partially offset by lower unit costs.

Total revenues decreased 20.1% to $538.4 million. Yield per passenger mile decreased 20.4% to 13.2 cents and operating revenue per available seat mile (RASM) decreased 24.4% to 10.0 cents.

For 2Q15, passenger traffic (RPMs) decreased 0.2% on a 5.8% capacity expansion. As a result, consolidated load factor came in at 72.9%, or 4.3 percentage points below 2Q14.

Operating cost per available seat mile (CASM) decreased 14.7%, from 10.7 cents in 2Q14 to 9.1 cents in 2Q15, mainly due to lower jet fuel costs. CASM excluding fuel decreased 6.3% to 6.2 cents mainly due to lower sales related expenses and lower overhead expenses.

Cash, short-term and long-term investments ended 2Q15 at $1.15 billion, representing 46% of the last twelve months’ revenues. Of this amount, 39%, or $452.2 million, is in Venezuela pending repatriation due to government currency controls.

During the second quarter, Copa Airlines took delivery of two Boeing 737-800 aircraft, and returned a leased Boeing 737-700.

Furthermore, the Company subleased one of its Boeing 737-700s to United Airlines. As a result, Copa Holdings ended the quarter with a consolidated fleet of 98 aircraft.

For 2Q15, Copa Holdings reported consolidated on-time performance of 90.4% and a flight-completion factor of 99.7%, maintaining its position among the best in the industry.

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

During July 2015, Copa Holdings subleased one more of its Boeing 737-700s to United Airlines.

Copa Holdings will pay its third quarter dividend of US$0.84 per share on September 15, 2015, on all outstanding Class A and Class B shares, to stockholders of record as of August 31, 2015.

Note:

(1) Breakeven Load Factor, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS for 2Q15, 2Q14, and 1Q15 exclude non-cash charges/gains associated with the mark-to-market of fuel hedges, and also exclude charges/gains related to the Venezuelan currency.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Copa Airlines Boeing 737-86N HP-1726CMP (msn 38024) departs from Los Angeles.

Copa Airlines aircraft slide show:

United to add new routes from Chicago O’Hare this winter

United Airlines (Chicago) is adding three new routes this winter from its Chicago O’Hare hub. According to Airline Route, the carrier will add daily United Express service to Kalamazoo on December 9 and winter seasonal United Express service to Tucson on December 17 followed by weekend mainline Boeing 737 service to Vail/Eagle, Colorado (ski destination) on December 19.

In addition, United is adding weekly Boeing 737-800 (Saturday only) seasonal service to the Caribbean island of St. Kitts from its Newark hub on December 19.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. United Airlines’ Boeing 737-824 N78509 (msn 31638) with Split Scimitar Winglets arrives at Los Angeles International Airport.

United Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

Philippine Airlines to start nonstop Cebu – Los Angeles service

Philippines (Philippine Airlines) (Manila) on March 15, 2016, will launch three weekly flights from Cebu, the capital city of Cebu Province in the Philippines, and Los Angeles. The new service will be operated with Airbus A340-300s per Airline Route.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A340-313 RP-C3435 (msn 302) approaches the runway at Los Angeles International Airport.

Philippines aircraft slide show:

American to increase Embraer 175 operations from Los Angeles

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) is assigning more routes to Compass Airlines (Minneapolis/St. Paul) from Los Angeles International Airport. Starting On September 9, Compass will operate its Embraer 175s on American Eagle flights from LAX to Fayetteville (Northwest Arkansas), Fresno, Oklahoma City and Reno.

This will be followed on November 5 with the Los Angeles – El Paso route.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Operated by Compass Airlines, Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) N202NN (msn 17000467) approaches the runway at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

American Eagle-Compass aircraft slide show:

https://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/American-Eagle-Compass

Delta set new records in July, upgrades its Airbus A319 and A320 fleets

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) issued this report on its busy summer season:

July is the only month in which each day is a part of Delta’s busy summer schedule. So as July wraps up – and with 17 days remaining in the summer schedule – here are nine amazing facts to keep in mind the next time you see a Widget-branded aircraft soaring overhead.

Delta’s summer schedule begins in early June and runs through mid-August.

1. July 31 set an all-time single-day bookings record of more than 620,000 customers. That’s as if the entire population of Portland, Oregon, booked to fly Delta in one day.

2. Nearly 2,200 more flights are scheduled so far in summer 2015 than the same period in summer 2014, a 0.7 percent increase.

3. Reliability on Delta Connection – the airline’s group of regional carriers – is dramatically improving: there have been 1,400 fewer Delta Connection cancellations this summer compared to the same period last summer.

4. The Delta system’s “completion factor” – days without any canceled flights – is 99.02%, 0.44 percentage points better than the same period last summer. That’s an amazing 1,308 fewer cancels than in summer 2014. And it includes both mainline flights and Delta Connection.

5. In June, Delta went 139.2 consecutive hours without a mainline cancellation; the closest streak during a summer schedule was June 2014 – 80.3 consecutive hours

6. Twenty-one days of 100 percent mainline completion factor so far in summer 2015, compared with 12 during the same time period in 2014.

7. Delta’s mainline aircraft numbers nearly 800 for the summer operation, including 41 737-900 ERs and 71 Boeing 717-200s.

8. TechOps is moving maintenance performance to new heights:

Mainline maintenance “completion factor” of 99.97 percent.
Maintenance on-time departure performance of 96.70 percent, best-ever for a summer schedule.

9. Year-to-date, Delta mainline has transported more than 2.2 billion pounds of checked bags and 987 million pounds of cargo freight.

In other news, Delta is revamping its Airbus A319 (above) and A320 fleets:

Delta will debut its latest single-aisle jet to receive a nose-to-tail interior modification this week—the first of 57 Airbus A319s to receive the state of the art upgrade.

The 132-seat aircraft is the latest in a series of upgrades coming to Delta’s domestic narrowbody fleet and follows just a few short months after Ship 3235 rejoined the flight line.

Airbus A320 interior

Panasonic in-flight entertainment at every seat (above), large pivoting overhead bins capable of accommodating 60 percent more carry-on bags (below), new galleys and an innovative, pod-like overhead passenger service unit highlight just a few of the new amenities designed by Zodiac Aerospace that Delta customers will enjoy. The 9 inch high definition seat-back entertainment screens offer more content than any other domestic carrier. Each seat also as 110v and USB power to plug in electronics in flight.

The airline is the first in the world to receive the interior modifications on both Airbus fleets.

All 126 A320 and A319 aircraft will be retrofitted with the new interior by summer 2017. The larger of the two jets, the A320, will also receive in-flight entertainment, though not initially, through 2018.

Many of Delta’s Boeing 757 jets are receiving interior enhancements as part of the airline’s more than $770 million investment in the domestic fleet to provide a more consistent customer experience.

Fleet:

Photos: Delta Air Lines. All 126 of Delta’s Airbus A319 and A320s are undergoing interior upgrades.

Copyright Photo below: Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-114 N330NB (msn 1549) departs from Los Angeles International Airport.

Delta aircraft slide show (current livery only):

British Airways to bring the Airbus A380 to Vancouver

British Airways (London) has announced that from May 1, 2016 it will begin flying its Airbus A380 Super Jumbo daily between Vancouver International Airport, Canada and London (Heathrow). This marks the first A380 for the city of Vancouver and will be the only scheduled A380 service in western Canada.

All four Canadian cities that British Airways serves will now have the latest aircraft in British Airways’ fleet, with Toronto, Montreal and Calgary operating the 787 Dreamliner.

British Airways aircraft slide show:

Cathay Pacific flight CX884 to Los Angeles diverts to Shemya Island in the Aleutians with smoke in the aircraft

Cathay Pacific Airways (Hong Kong) flight CX884 has made a safe emergency landing on Shemya Island in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska after smoke was detected in the aircraft. The airline issued this statement:

Cathay Pacific is making special arrangements to help passengers affected by the precautionary diversion of flight CX884 to Shemya military airport in the Aleutians Island near Alaska get to their intended destination of Los Angeles.

Flight CX884 made a precautionary diversion at around 21.30 Hong Kong time on its way from Hong Kong to Los Angeles on July 29 when smoke was detected in the aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER. There were 276 passengers and 18 crew on the flight.

The airline is mounting a relief flight, operating as CX884D, which departed from Hong Kong International Airport at 03.45 local time this morning and will form part of the effort to help those affected by the diversion of CX884 to fly to Los Angeles.

Cathay Pacific Director Service Delivery James Ginns said: “Safety is always our top priority at Cathay Pacific and the Captain of CX884 made exactly the right decision to divert the flight as a precautionary measure. We understand that this action resulted in a long and arduous journey for those onboard the diverted flight and we apologise for the inconvenience caused. We will launch a thorough investigation into what caused the smoke that was detected on the aircraft operating CX884.”

Flight CX884 was operated as a codeshare flight with American Airlines AA8937 and Lan LA6082.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. The aircraft involved is the pictured Boeing 777-367 ER B-KPQ (msn 36162) arriving previously at Los Angeles International Airport.

Cathay Pacific aircraft slide show:

JetBlue Airways reports second quarter net income of $152 million

JetBlue Airways Corporation (New York) today reported its results for the second quarter 2015:

Operating income of $282 million in the second quarter. This compares to operating income of $141 million in the second quarter of 2014.
Pre-tax income of $250 million in the second quarter. This compares to pre-tax income excluding special items1 of $103 million in the second quarter of 2014. On a GAAP basis, pre-tax income was $345 million in the second quarter of 2014, which included the gain on sale of JetBlue’s wholly-owned subsidiary LiveTV.
Net income of $152 million, or $0.44 per diluted share. This compares to JetBlue’s second quarter 2014 net income excluding special items1 of $61 million, or $0.19 per diluted share. On a GAAP basis, JetBlue’s second quarter 2014 net income was $230 million, or $0.68 per diluted share.
Financial Performance

JetBlue reported record second quarter operating revenues of $1.6 billion. Revenue passenger miles for the second quarter increased 8.7% to 10.5 billion on a capacity increase of 7.5%, resulting in a second quarter load factor of 85.6%, an increase of 1.0 points year over year.

Yield per passenger mile in the second quarter was 14.28 cents, up 0.2% compared to the second quarter of 2014. Passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) for the second quarter 2015 increased 1.4% year over year to 12.22 cents and operating revenue per available seat mile (RASM) increased 0.4% year over year to 13.17 cents.

Operating expenses for the quarter decreased 1.7%, or $22 million, over the prior year period. Interest expense for the quarter declined 15.8%, or $7 million, as JetBlue continues to reduce its debt. JetBlue’s operating expense per available seat mile (CASM) for the second quarter decreased 8.6% year over year to 10.86 cents. Excluding fuel and profit sharing, second quarter CASM2 increased 0.6% to 7.56 cents.

Operational Performance

System on time departures, or D0, improved 1.7 points year-over-year in the second quarter. System arrival performance, or A14, also improved 3.3 points.

“We are very pleased to report strong second quarter results based on solid demand across our network, safe and efficient operations, and good cost control. I would like to thank our 17,000 crewmembers who continue to inspire humanity on a daily basis.” said Robin Hayes, JetBlue’s President and CEO.

Fuel Expense and Hedging

In the second quarter JetBlue had hedges in place for approximately 19% of its fuel consumption. This resulted in a realized fuel price of $2.13 per gallon, a 31% decrease versus second quarter 2014 realized fuel price of $3.09. JetBlue recorded $30 million in losses on fuel hedges settling during the second quarter.

JetBlue has hedged approximately 14% of its third quarter 2015 projected fuel requirements using a combination of jet fuel swaps and collars. Based on the fuel curve as of July 17th, JetBlue expects an average price per gallon of fuel, including the impact of hedges and fuel taxes, of $1.95 in the third quarter. For the fourth quarter, JetBlue has hedged approximately 15% of projected fuel consumption.

Liquidity and Cash Flow

JetBlue ended the quarter with $915 million in unrestricted cash and short term investments, or about 15% of trailing twelve month revenue. In addition, JetBlue maintains approximately $600 million in undrawn lines of credit.

During the second quarter, JetBlue repaid $39 million in regularly scheduled debt and capital lease obligations and prepaid $84 million in additional debt. JetBlue anticipates paying approximately $145 million in regularly scheduled debt and capital lease obligations during the remainder of 2015 and plans to continue to opportunistically prepay other debt. JetBlue expects to pay approximately $54 million in regularly scheduled debt and capital lease obligations in the third quarter of 2015.

In addition, on June 16 JetBlue entered into an Accelerated Share Repurchase program. JetBlue paid $150 million and received 6.1 million shares at the start of the program, with a subsequent adjustment upon close of the transaction. Ultimately, the total shares purchased by JetBlue will be based on the volume weighted average prices of JetBlue’s common stock during the term of the program.

“We posted another good quarter and continue to make progress strengthening our balance sheet.” said Mark Powers, JetBlue’s Chief Financial Officer. “Looking forward, the execution of the initiatives described at Investor Day last November will increase free cash flow and improve our return on invested capital.”

Third Quarter and Full Year Outlook

CASM excluding fuel and profit sharing is expected to increase between 1.0% and 3.0% in the third quarter 2015 and between zero and 1.5% percent for the full year. This represents a 0.5% reduction to the top end of our CASM excluding fuel and profit sharing guidance range.

Capacity is expected to increase between 8.5% and 10.5% in the third quarter 2015 and between 7.0% and 9.0% for the full year, consistent with prior guidance. At present, we anticipate ending the year at the higher end of our annual capacity guidance.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A321-231 N929JB (msn 6031), operating Mint service, arrives at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

JetBlue Airways aircraft slide show: