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Airberlin to drop Las Vegas, San Francisco and Vancouver while increasing service to American Airlines hubs

Airberlin (Berlin) is realigning its route map to increase its growing relationship with American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) while dropping non-AA hub destinations like Las Vegas, San Francisco and Vancouver. The German carrier is also increasing its already large presence at Palma de Mallorca in Spain. The airline issued the following statement:

Airberlin has strategically revised its route network for next summer. The timetable modifications have been designed to increase efficiency and mainly refer to the intercontinental routes to the USA as well as the airline’s hubs in Palma de Mallorca and Vienna. The important consideration was not to reduce but to transfer capacities, thereby enhancing the airline’s profile in strategic core markets. In future Airberlin will also be focusing even more on the synergies emerging from its association with its strategic partner Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) and the oneworld_^®carriers, to derive even greater benefit from the potential stemming from the existing alliances and partnership.

The United States are a strategic growth market for airberlin. This will continue to be the case in the future. By restructuring its network in North America, Airberlin has set the course for further growth in this market from summer 2013 onwards. The new nonstop service between Berlin and the American Airlines hub of Chicago (O’Hare) from March 2013 underpins the strategy of the second largest German airline as regards developing the existing synergies from that association.

Against this background, Airberlin will also be increasing its nonstop services to New York (JFK), Los Angeles and Miami from May 2013 onwards, while at the same time cancelling its seasonal nonstop flights from Düsseldorf to Las Vegas, San Francisco and Vancouver.

The restructuring of the North American network is therefore aimed at selectively weeding out low-frequency routes while simultaneously strengthening the strategically important, high-turnover routes and making the best use of a strong network of partners. Consequently both San Francisco and Las Vegas will continue to be available for booking as codeshare flights with American Airlines, since this airline operates a far more frequent service to these destinations than Airberlin – and throughout the year.

The expansion and optimization of services from Berlin and Düsseldorf to the American Airlines hubs of New York (JFK), Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago (O’Hare) is an important element in Airberlin’s network strategy for summer 2013. Consequently Airberlin will be increasing the number of nonstop flights between Düsseldorf and New York (JFK) from seven to ten flights per week, thereby ensuring greater timetable consistency with the same arrival and departure times throughout the year.

The number of flights from Düsseldorf to Miami is also being increased: from May 2013 a daily service will replace the previous five flights a week to this major US destination. Another new feature at Airberlin’s Düsseldorf hub is that the number of nonstop flights to Los Angeles will be increased from three to four per week. The flights are scheduled for Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Since the service from Berlin to Los Angeles will still continue in summer 2013 with three flights a week – on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – Airberlin passengers will be offered a daily flight from Germany to West Coast USA from May 2013 onwards.

The times of the flights between Berlin and Los Angeles, a service that Airberlin has been offering since May 11, 2012, have also been optimized for better connections to and from destinations in Airberlin’s growth markets of Scandinavia and Russia. The service between Berlin and Miami is also being increased from three to five flights a week.

With 7.8 million passengers a year, the Airberlin group has been the carrier with the highest passenger volume at Majorca’s Son Sant Joan airport for nine consecutive years. With the start of its summer timetable, Airberlin will be transferring capacities to achieve a 12 percent increase in its services from Germany, Austria and Switzerland to Majorca, thereby further extending its market leadership on the Balearic Island. This means that in summer 2013 alone, Airberlin will be operating 402 flights a week to this Mediterranean destination. The move represents a 14 per cent increase on the previous summer (summer 2012: 352 nonstop flights a week from Germany). The summer will also see new additional flights to Palma de Mallorca from Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich.

Along with transferring its capacities, airberlin will be reducing the total number of destina-tions on the Spanish mainland available via a connecting flight from Majorca from 16 to 13. From summer 2013 passengers will therefore no longer be able to fly airberlin to Barcelona, Madrid and Santiago de Compostela via Majorca. Instead, airberlin plans to offer the route from Majorca to Madrid in cooperation with its oneworld partners starting in summer 2013. A new interline agreement with Vueling and Air Europa, which is also to come into effect in summer 2013, will allow passengers to carry on booking a connecting flight from Majorca to Barcelona via the airberlin website. Furthermore, airberlin will continue to operate its non-stop services from Berlin, Düsseldorf and Vienna to Barcelona. Both Barcelona and Madrid can also be reached from several German airports via non-stop flights operated by our codeshare partner Iberia.

While remaining at a total of 23 planes, the Niki (Vienna) fleet will be standardized to operate only Airbus aircraft. This total concentration on Airbus will increase the number of seats available on existing routes. The route network from Vienna will be expanded on the one hand by extending the range of services to new tourist destinations in Greece, such as Kalamata, Karpathos, Kavala, Lesbos and Volos, and on the other hand by increasing the frequency of flights to existing destinations in Egypt, Spain or Turkey.

In addition Airberlin is promoting its Eastern European services from its hub in the German capital. As a result, the services from Vienna to Sofia, Bucharest and Belgrade will no longer be offered as nonstop flights from Vienna as of summer 2013, but increasingly transferred to Berlin.

In summer 2013 passengers will have a choice of nine destinations in Eastern Europe (Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Budapest, Sofia, Bucharest) from Berlin. The airline will also be offering nonstop flights to Riga, the Latvian capital, in conjunction with its codeshare partner airBaltic (Riga).

On the financial side, the company issued this statement for its third quarter:

Airberlin, Germany’s second-largest airline company, significantly improved its net income for the traditionally strong third quarter, in comparison with the previous year. At the same time, it was able to offset strongly increasing external cost through the successful efficiency-improvement program “Shape & Size”, which will lead to an improvement of EUR 230 million in operations this year.

In the third quarter, airberlin was able to increase its net income to EUR 66.6 million (2011: EUR 30.2 million), an increase of more than 120 percent over the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The operating result improved by 4.5 percent to EUR 101.2 million (EUR 96.8 million). Revenue increased by 1.4 percent over the previous year, to EUR 1,395.1 million (EUR 1,375.5 million), despite a targeted capacity reduction of 5.4 percent. Capacity utilization increased slightly by 0.4 percentage points to 84.54 percent (84.14 percent). Yield (revenue per passenger) improved by 3.1 percent to EUR 115.84 (EUR 112.39). EBITDAR (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and leasing expenses) increased by 3.8 percent to EUR 279.5 million (EUR 269.3 million). Total equity at the end of the quarter amounted to EUR 186.3 million, which corresponds to an equity ratio of eight percent.

Airberlin recorded a continuing reduction of direct operating costs – excluding fuel costs – as a result of the “Shape & Size” program, which yielded a contribution of EUR 70 million in the third quarter. Over this period, fuel costs increased by EUR 35 million.

Top Copyright Photo: Javier Rodriguez. Airbus A330-223 D-ABXB (msn 322), deployed on long-range and heavy routes, climbs away from the Palma de Mallorca base.

Airberlin:

Niki:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Eurospot. The seven Embraer ERJ 190s will now be phased out at Niki. ERJ 190-100LR OE-IHA (msn 19000285) completes its final approach into Palma de Mallorca.

Hawaiian Airlines and Virgin America move closer together with a new interline and code-sharing agreement

Hawaiian Airlines (Honolulu) and Virgin America (San Francisco) today announced new cooperative marketing agreements that expand the reach of their respective networks and provide a range of new travel benefits for their customers.

The two airlines also announced that Hawaiian Airlines has placed its two-letter HA code on Virgin America flights to Boston, Dallas/Worth, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Washington D.C. (IAD); New York (JFK); Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Chicago; Philadelphia; Portland, Oregon; Seattle/Tacoma and San Francisco.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems. Boeing 767-33A ER WL N582HA (msn 28139) taxies to the runway at Los Angeles International Airport.

Hawaiian Airlines:

Virgin America:

Delta Air Lines completes the flat-bed installations on its Boeing 747-400s

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) has completed the installation of full flat-bed seats in the BusinessElite® cabin of all Boeing 747-400 type aircraft.

The last of 16 Boeing 747 aircraft, each with 48 BusinessElite seats, has been retrofitted with full flat-bed seats. It entered scheduled service this week on a flight between Singapore and Tokyo’s Narita airport, before making its way to Atlanta.

Delta previously completed installation of the full flat-bed modification on its Boeing 777 and 767-400 ER aircraft types. To date, 13 767-300 ER aircraft have received the modification and three more will be complete by month’s end. In total, approximately 50 percent of Delta’s widebody international fleet has received the upgrade. In addition to flat-bed seats in BusinessElite, the cabin overhaul includes upgraded seats in the Economy cabin with personal entertainment at every seat. The airline’s entire widebody international fleet of more than 140 aircraft will receive the full aircraft modification in both cabins by the middle of 2014.

Delta recently announced plans to install full flat-bed seats on its transcontinental flights between New York – JFK and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.

This autumn, Delta announced plans to add Wi-Fi to its entire international fleet. The airline is already the largest operator of Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft on more than 3,000 flights serving more than 400,000 customers every day. When complete, Delta will offer Wi-Fi on more than 950 aircraft, from 747s to two-class regional jets.

Delta Air Lines:

LOT Polish Airlines takes delivery of its first Boeing 787, becomes the first European carrier to fly the Dreamliner

LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw) and Boeing yesterday (November 14) celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Polish carrier is the first European airline to take delivery of the 787.

Senior LOT and Boeing executives, as well as Polish and US government officials, celebrated the historic delivery at an event at the Future of Flight Aviation Center in Mukilteo, Washington, near Boeing’s 787 final assembly plant in Everett.

LOT will operate the 787 on short-haul flights across Europe in December, and will introduce the Dreamliner on its long-haul passenger service from Warsaw to Chicago in January 2013. LOT will also use the 787 to operate routes from Warsaw to New York (JFK), Toronto (Pearson) and Beijing.

The 787 Dreamliner is composed of light-weight composites and features numerous systems, engine and aerodynamic advancements, making it more efficient to operate compared with its competition. It is the first mid-sized airplane capable of flying long-range routes, providing airlines with unprecedented fuel economy and low operating costs and enabling airlines to open new, non-stop routes preferred by passengers.

This delivery is the first of eight Dreamliners that LOT has on order. The cabin is configured with 18 Elite Club seats (Business Class), 21 Premium Club seats (Premium Economy) and 213 seats in Economy Class. Customers will experience unparalleled levels of comfort with the 787’s improved lighting, bigger windows, larger overhead bins, lower cabin altitude and enhanced ventilation systems, among other features.

LOT’s first Dreamliner, the pictured 787-8 SP-LRA (msn 35938, ex N1026G) has landed in Warsaw this morning, Thursday, November 15, where LOT is celebrating the 787’s arrival into its fleet with a reception led by the airline and Poland’s prime minister Donald Tusk.

LOT Polish Airlines:

Video:

EZjet Air Services suspends operations, strands passengers

EZjet Air Services (Georgetown, Guyana) has suspended operations. The charter company was operating flights from Georgetown to New York (JFK), Toronto (Pearson) and Port of Spain, Trinidad since December 2011. Lately a wet leased Boeing 767-238 ER N250MY (msn 23306) operated by Swift Air (USA) (Phoenix) has been flying for EZjet with titles. Swift Air specializes in operating charters, especially sports charters. Swift Air stopped flying for the Guyanese company due to the non payment of the lease charges and the U.S. Department of Transport (DOT) suspended the license for the company to operate in the United States. According to this report by the Stabroek News, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) cancelled the AOC of the company on Friday (November 9). EZjet claims it has not suspended operations but the website is now closed down and the airline issued the following statement:

“The story behind the suspension”

By now rumors are spreading all over the media and social networks about EZjet’s current state of operations. EZjet wishes to present the relevant facts. First and foremost, EZjet has NOT shut down. We were forced to cancel all flights because Swift Air – who owns and operates the aircraft – took off without any notification and left EZjet without a carrier. In response to instructions received from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), EZjet suspended its operations.

Several factors led to the suspension of services. On October 23, 2012 Swift delivered to EZjet a notice of cancellation. EZjet responded to Swift Air disputing the notice of cancellation. The notice of cancellation indicated that EZjet owed Swift Air money, when in fact Swift Air owed EZjet over US$630,000 in open invoices as well as another US$200,000 for amenities provided to passengers such as hotel, meals, and other charges relating to delays that were attributed to Swift Air. EZjet has consistently asked Swift Air to pay these invoices as the funds were needed to pay for EZjet’s continued operations. As of today Swift Air has not paid ANY of EZjet’s invoices nor has it received a response to the dispute relating to the notice of cancellation.

Swift Abandoned Passengers

On Friday November 2 and Saturday November 3, Swift Air abandoned EZjet’s passengers at the JFK airport and then in Georgetown to take another job of flying the Boston Celtics basketball team within the United States using EZjet’s fuel and airport services. No advance notification was provided to EZjet and we could do very little to avoid this action of Swift Air. Swift felt there was no need to inform EZjet and its passengers of its actions. They did not want the DOT to learn of this cancellation and now EZjet is paying the price for Swift Air’s action.

On Wednesday, November 7, Swift Air put out already onboard passengers at Port-of-Spain, and then stranded JKF-bound passengers in Georgetown, in order fly their empty aircraft to Buffalo, New York, again utilizing EZjet’s fuel and airport services to do so. After the aircraft took off, Swift Air contacted the US DOT and TICO (in Canada) and notified that they intend to stop flying. No advance notification was provided to EZjet.

On Thursday November 8, the DOT delivered to EZjet an email indicating that “EZJet Air has failed to act consistently with the requirements of 14 CFR Part 380. In the circumstances presented, we are requiring that EZJet Air Service Express must immediately cease advertising and operating flights filed under PC 12 119.” The DOT issued this after receiving false and misleading information from Swift Air. Swift lied to the DOT in order to protect themselves from the liability of having to return all U.S. passengers that they took to Guyana.

According to the DOT, in accordance with CFR 14 Part 380.12 and 34, they should have also been notified by both parties regarding this cancellation. Consequently, they were consulting with the US DOT General Counsel’s office as to whether this notice will be accepted after the fact.

EZjet has written to the DOT stating the facts and challenging Swift Air and is currently awaiting a reply.

Payment and Financial Differences

The media carried allegations of Swift Air, without any foundation or facts, that EZjet did not pay them. While Swift Air claims it has not been paid, EZjet believes Swift Air owes EZjet over US$800,000+ relating to various charges that remain unpaid. EZjet paid US$89,000 to Swift Air within the past week as the carrier requested, and EZjet offered to pay US$205,000 more to Swift Air on Wednesday of last week, providing only that Swift Air would state whether it planned to continue or stop flying. There was no answer. While Swift Air’s executives, on one hand, were advising EZjet about flying the next flights, on the other hand, Swift Air’s crew quietly deplaned and stranded EZjet’s passengers then flew their empty aircraft to the US on Wednesday. Their action was unknown to EZjet’s management.

Executives’ Bonus

In a similar situation to EZjet, on April 6, 2012, Saipan Air entered into an Aircraft ACMI Charter Agreement with Swift Air relating to the charter of two Boeing 757-200 aircraft and one Boeing 737-400 aircraft. The aircraft were to be delivered to Saipan Air on or before July 1, 2012, to transport tourists from China to various locations in Japan and China to and from the CNMI.

On June 24, 2012, Saipan Air received a letter from a Swift executive – the same who wrote EZjet’s termination letter – dated June 21, 2012, stating that “Swift hereby provides notice to Saipan Air that the agreement is hereby terminated and canceled without further notice or effect.” On June 27, 2012, Swift Air filed for bankruptcy petition. This is the same stunt Swift pulled on EZjet.

It needs to be known that four executives of Swift Air, the supposed partner of Saipan Air Inc., received large bonuses and other payments from Swift Air prior to the company’s filing of bankruptcy protection. Two of these executives were directly overseeing EZjet’s flights. The amended $50-million racketeering lawsuit still named the four executives as defendants along with 10 unnamed co-defendants for allegedly conspiring to obtain money and other property from Saipan Air Inc. The lawyer exposed the alleged large bonuses in the Saipan Air Inc.’s filing in federal court of its first amended complaint against the four executives.

Swift and EZjet show-down at Piarco

There was a show-down in Port-of-Spain on Wednesday November 7. Whist Swift was attempting to fly off with all their crew onboard, EZjet’s management advised the handling company at Piarco not to pushback the aircraft as Swift Air was escaping and leaving our passengers stranded. EZjet’s management gave order to block the aircraft from flying off and told Swift Air that they will not be pushed back until they fly all of our passengers back to Georgetown and complete other obligations to our passengers. Swift managed to utilized another service provider in Trinidad to push back the aircraft and flew off to the US, stealing fuel paid for by EZjet, stranding our passengers and jeopardizing all of our other flights. It was that day that EZjet learnt that Swift Air informed the DOT that that was their last flight. EZjet knew nothing of this. And the DOT took action against EZjet without as much affording us the courtesy to reply to Swift Air’s letters and actions.

Swift Air replaced Dynamic Airways after Dynamic suspended its operations owing EZjet over $1.5 million dollars which includes an $800,000 cash security deposit. EZjet is in the process of seeking legal action against Dynamic Airways for recovery of the sums owing.

The second reason that led us into this situation is poor collection of ticket sales. Currently, over US$2.5 million are held among several travel agencies. These monies were collected from passengers but not yet handed over to the airline. This put a financial strain on the airline that is requested to pre-pay for its flights and fuel.

We want to make it very clear to all of Guyana and our passengers in the US, Canada and Trinidad, that it was not EZjet but Swift Air that led us down this road.

To our passengers, EZjet cares deeply about all of you. We changed the entire landscape just to bring you the best prices and benefits which before you did not enjoy. We are the reason many people flew for the first time and why many of you can fly as many times as you want. We bore all the high prices without any financial assistance from anyone just to make flying affordable to everyone. We never meant for this to happen. We tried our best to avoid it. And we are hurt about the way the situation has turned out.

In order to better serve you and avoid the mistakes of the past, we need time to make changes internally. Regrettably, those changes cannot be made under these present circumstances. We need time to do this. For this reason, we have, most regrettably, suspended the operations. All passengers will be given full refund for the unused portions of their tickets. We know this is an undesirable outcome and we humbly apologise for it. We are asking the passengers to be patient with our staff and bear with us as we process the refunds. To get their refunds, passengers need to contact our Headoffice at 23 Brickdam, Georgetown or call us on 225-7597, 225-9791, 225-7585 or 225-7599 or email us at ezjetairlines@gmail.com

We will take time to regroup and come better. And by this we mean that plans are being explored to recommence operations soon. This is in light of the fact that carriers have already hiked up their airfare prices by some 30% to 50% since EZjet’s suspension. We value you our passengers. We thank you for your loyalty to us and for staying with us even in trying times over the year. Because we value you, we want to continue serving you. We are going to make those changes necessary to serve you better. We are going to come again.

Thank you for choosing EZjet as your preferred carrier. We will see you again and look forward to your continued support.

Read the full report from Stabroek News: CLICK HERE

Delta Air Lines to offer full flat-bed in BusinessElite on transcontinental flights

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will introduce full flat-bed seats in the BusinessElite® cabin of all transcontinental flights operating between New York and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle beginning in March 2013. All of Delta’s Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft serving these transcontinental markets will offer the flatbed seats over approximately the following 24 months.

Transcontinental flying will be operated using a combination of Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft types. The first 767 will begin flying in March of 2013, between New York – JFK and Los Angeles. This flight will be timed to provide seamless connections with Delta’s Los Angeles – Sydney flight in both directions, and offer JFK – Sydney customers a flatbed product and onboard experience throughout their itinerary. By June, four of Delta’s seven daily flights between JFK and LAX, and one of five daily flights between New York and Seattle/Tacoma, will operate with a 767 widebody aircraft featuring the flat-bed product in the BusinessElite cabin.

The 767 transcontinental product features an entirely new interior including 26 full flat-bed BusinessElite seats and direct aisle access at every seat in a 1-2-1 configuration. The 21-inch wide seats offer an average bed length of 79 inches and feature a 10.6-inch video monitor. The 767s are configured with 29 Economy Comfort seats featuring 35″ of pitch and 50 percent more recline, in addition to 171 Economy seats. Every seat in the Economy cabin features a 9-inch video monitor and USB power. Standard 110v power is available in the BusinessElite cabin and Economy Comfort section.

Sixteen full flat-bed seats on the updated transcontinental 757 fleet will be arranged in a 2-2 configuration and offer a 20-inch wide seat and an average bed length of 79 inches. Each BusinessElite seat will feature a high definition 16-inch video monitor. This fleet modification will also include changes to the Economy cabin, with 44 Economy Comfort seats offering 35 inches of pitch and 50 percent more recline, in addition to 108 Economy seats. All seats in the Economy cabin will feature a nine-inch video monitor, with standard 110v and USB power ports available at every seat. Prior to the full cabin modification and by next summer, the transcon 757 fleet will increase the number of Economy Comfort seats to 25, up from 11 today.

The entire transcon fleet will feature in-flight Wi-Fi and industry leading in-flight entertainment with a library of more than 1,000 on-demand options. Additionally, the 757 will feature 18 channels of live satellite TV.

Beginning in May of 2013, transcontinental customers flying into and out of New York’s JFK will experience first hand Delta’s new $1.2 billion expansion of Terminal 4, which will host all flights operating to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. The Concourse B extension will include the largest Delta Sky Club in the system, as well as nine new international gates, for a total of 16 the airline will occupy. The project will improve passenger flow by adding more capacity at check-in areas and security checkpoints. The state-of-the-art facilities also will feature a new automated baggage handling system and larger shopping and dining areas post-security. The project expands baggage claim and Customs and Border Protection areas to speed fliers through the airport. Delta jets will see faster taxi times with the addition of dual taxiways, improving on-time performance.

Summer 2013 flight schedules for transcontinental flights in these markets are below.

July 2013 schedule between New York – JFK and Los Angeles

Departs	Time	Arrives	Time	Aircraft Type
JFK	7 a.m.	LAX	10 a.m.	76Z
JFK	9 a.m.	LAX	Noon	75E
JFK	Noon	LAX	3 p.m.	75E
JFK	3:30 p.m.	LAX	6:45 p.m.	76Z
JFK	5 p.m.	LAX	8:25 p.m.	75E
JFK	6:15 p.m.	LAX	9:35 p.m.	76Z
JFK	9 p.m.	LAX	12:20 a.m.	76Z
LAX	6:30 a.m.	JFK	3:05 p.m.	76Z
LAX	8:30 a.m.	JFK	5:10 p.m.	76Z
LAX	11:15 a.m.	JFK	7:55 p.m.	76Z
LAX	1:30 p.m.	JFK	10:05 p.m.	75E
LAX	4 p.m.	JFK	12:30 a.m.	75E
LAX	9:30 p.m.	JFK	6 a.m.	76Z
LAX	11:30 p.m.	JFK	8 a.m.	75E

July 2013 schedule between on New York’s JFK and Seattle

Departure	Time	Arrival	Time	Aircraft Type
JFK	7:30 a.m.	SEA	10:40 a.m.	75E
JFK	9:30 a.m.	SEA	12:40 a.m.	75E
JFK	3 p.m.	SEA	6:25 p.m.	76L
JFK	5 p.m.	SEA	8:33 p.m.	75E
JFK	7 p.m.	SEA	10:36 p.m.	75E
SEA	7 a.m.	JFK	3:20 p.m.	76L
SEA	9:35 a.m.	JFK	5:55 p.m.	75E
SEA	Noon	JFK	8:25 p.m.	75E
SEA	3 p.m.	JFK	11:15 p.m.	75E
SEA	11:30 p.m.	JFK	7:45 a.m.	75E

July 2013 schedule between New York’s JFK and San Francisco

Departure	Time	Arrival	Time	Aircraft Type
JFK	7 a.m.	SFO	10:25 a.m.	75E
JFK	10 a.m.	SFO	1:25 p.m.	75E
JFK	2 p.m.	SFO	5:30 p.m.	75E
JFK	4 p.m.	SFO	7:45 p.m.	75E
JFK	5:30 p.m.	SFO	9:20 p.m.	75E
JFK	7 p.m.	SFO	10:50 p.m.	75E
SFO	6:15 a.m.	JFK	2:55 p.m.	75E
SFO	8 a.m.	JFK	4:40 p.m.	75E
SFO	11:30 a.m.	JFK	8:10 p.m.	75E
SFO	4 p.m.	JFK	12:35 a.m.	75E
SFO	9:15 p.m.	JFK	5:45 a.m.	75E
SFO	11:15 p.m.	JFK	7:50 a.m.	75E

Transcontinental Business Elite Product

Delta has already transformed coast-to-coast travel with its current transcontinental BusinessElite product, with service elements including a gourmet three-course menu from renowned chef Michael Chiarello paired with a wine menu selected by Delta’s master sommelier Andrea Robinson; an extensive library of on demand movies, TV shows, music and games; and Gogo In-flight Internet access. Premium pillows, quilted duvets, noise-canceling headsets and adjustable winged headrests provide additional comfort.

Delta’s decision to install full flat-bed seats on its transcontinental flights complements the airline’s current investment in full flat-bed seats on its entire international widebody fleet of more than 140 aircraft. To date, 46 percent of aircraft have been modified including all Boeing 747, 767-400ER and 777 fleet types, with the entire widebody fleet scheduled to be complete in early 2014.

The expansion of full flat-bed seats to the transcontinental product is the latest in the airline’s more than $3 billion investment in enhanced global products, services and airport facilities through 2015. In addition to investments in transcon, Delta operates the largest Wi-Fi-enabled fleet in the world, is adding recharging stations at more airports, has added more First Class seats and in-flight entertainment to its domestic product; offers Economy Comfort on all two-class aircraft; is adding personal, in-seat entertainment for both BusinessElite and Economy class customers on all long-haul international flights; has updated Delta Sky Clubs throughout the system; and is overhauling its terminal facility for international customers at its two largest global gateways – the new international terminal in Atlanta now open and the expanded international terminal opening next May at New York-JFK.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing. Boeing 767-332 N126DL (msn 24076) climbs away from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Delta Air Lines:

American Airlines announces new routes to Asia, Europe and Latin America

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) announced today that it will launch service to markets in Asia, Europe and Latin America, delivering on the airline’s business plan and network strategy designed to offer customers more choices to new destinations. Next year, American will begin the following international services: Dallas/Fort Worth – Seoul, South Korea; Dallas/Fort Worth – Lima, Peru; Chicago O’Hare – Dusseldorf, Germany; and New York JFK – Dublin, Ireland. This new service enhances American’s network footprint and will provide more access and choices for customers in key international markets. It will also add domestic service to match customer demand through its Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago hubs.

Last week, American announced that international unit revenue increased 8.0 percent for the first nine months of 2012, driven by increased load factors across all entities and improved yield performance. Unit revenue performance in the Pacific entity for the same period was strong, up 13.3 percent, driven by increased demand for the premium cabins, greater revenues from Asia point-of-sale and joint selling efforts with joint business partner, Japan Airlines. The Latin American entity posted a 7.2 percent unit revenue increase for the first nine months of 2012, including yield improvements in Mexico and Central and South America. The growing strength of American’s enhanced network, together with coordinated selling efforts with joint business partners British Airways and Iberia over the Atlantic, helped drive a 6.5 increase in trans-Atlantic unit revenue improvement for the first nine months of 2012 versus the prior year.

The strengthening of American’s global network is just another example of the company’s progress toward its business plan, which includes focusing its hubs in the most important domestic and international cities, enhancing relationships with the best international alliance partners and creating a pipeline of industry-leading products and services, including a significant renewal and transformation of an aircraft fleet that American expects to be the youngest and most fuel-efficient among its U.S. airline peers by 2017.

New Service to Asia

From its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth, American will launch its first-ever service to Seoul on May 9, 2013. As one of the top 10 premium markets in the world, the new service to Seoul reinforces American’s commitment to customers and the Asia-Pacific region. The new service will be operated as a part of American’s joint business agreement with Japan Airlines and will provide convenient access for customers traveling from South Korea to connect to more than 200 flights from Dallas/Fort Worth to cities in the United States and Latin America.

More Service to Europe

Beginning April 11, 2013, American will add service between Chicago O’Hare and Dusseldorf, Germany. American will code share with oneworld^® alliance partner, airberlin – further reinforcing an already strong relationship and allowing customers to fly not only to Dusseldorf, but also to cities such as Moscow, Tel Aviv, and Nice through airberlin’s extensive network. This route will also operate as part of the joint business agreement with British Airways and Iberia.

In addition, American also will add new service between New York – JFK and Dublin, Ireland, beginning June 12, 2013. These new flights also will be operated in conjunction with American’s Atlantic joint business partners, British Airways and Iberia. From JFK, American flies non-stop to nearly 50 cities throughout Asia, Europe, North America and South America with nearly 90 daily departures.

Increased Service to Latin America

Beginning April 2, 2013, American will add service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Lima, Peru. American provides more service than any other airline between North America and Latin America with more than 900 weekly flights to 49 destinations. With the addition of Dallas/Fort Worth – Lima, customers can access 30 destinations to Central America, Mexico, and South America from the Dallas/Fort Worth hub.

In addition, this added service continues to enhance American’s relationship with oneworld partner, LAN, including reciprocal frequent flyer benefits for American Airlines AAdvantage^® and LANPASS members, and reinforces American’s commitment to the Peruvian market by providing seamless connections to multiple destinations including the Dallas/Fort Worth – Tokyo non-stop.

New Domestic Cities from Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago:

On February 14, 2013, American will also add new domestic service, through its regional affiliates American Eagle and ExpressJet, from Dallas/Fort Worth to the following cities: Beaumont/Port Arthur, Texas, Columbia, Mo., and Fargo, N.D, as well as new Chicago O’Hare – Columbia, Missouri service.

DFW is the largest of American’s five domestic hubs offering more than 740 departures to nearly 170 cities in Asia, Europe, North America and South America.

Below is a summary of the new service:

International

Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) – Lima (LIM)
AA2193 Leave DFW: 5:30 p.m. Arrive LIM: 12:25 a.m. (next day)
AA2194 Leave LIM: 2 a.m. Arrive DFW: 9:15 a.m.
Aircraft Type: Boeing 757
Frequency: Daily service
Start Date: April 2, 2013

Chicago O’Hare (ORD) – Dusseldorf (DUS)
AA242 Leave ORD: 5 p.m. Arrive DUS: 8:15 a.m. (next day)
AA241 Leave DUS: 12:10 p.m. Arrive ORD: 2:20 p.m.
Aircraft Type: Boeing 767-300
Frequency: Daily service
Start Date: April 11, 2013, subject to government approval

Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) – Seoul (ICN)
AA27 Leave DFW: 10:30 a.m. Arrive ICN: 3 p.m. (next day)
AA26 Leave ICN: 5 p.m. Arrive DFW: 4:20 p.m.
Aircraft Type: Boeing 777-200
Frequency: Daily service
Start Date: May 9, 2013, subject to government approval

New York – JFK-Dublin (DUB)
AA290 Leave JFK: 6:55 p.m. Arrive DUB: 6:55 a.m. (next day)
AA291 Leave DUB: 9 a.m. Arrive JFK: 11:30 a.m.
Aircraft Type: Boeing 757-200
Frequency: Daily
Start Date: June 12, 2013, subject to government approval

Domestic

Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) – Beaumont/Port Arthur (BPT)
AA2543 Leave DFW 8:40 a.m. Arrive BPT 9:50 a.m.
AA2521 Leave DFW 11:20 a.m. Arrive BPT 12:35 p.m.
AA2523 Leave DFW 3:10 p.m. Arrive BPT 4:20 p.m.
AA2525 Leave DFW 6:25 p.m. Arrive BPT 7:35 p.m. (except Saturday)
AA2510 Leave BPT 6:30 a.m. Arrive DFW 7:45 a.m.
AA2543 Leave BPT 10:20 a.m. Arrive DFW 11:30 a.m.
AA2521 Leave BPT 1:05 p.m. Arrive DFW 2:15 p.m.
AA2523 Leave BPT 4:50 p.m. Arrive DFW 6 p.m. (except Saturday)
Aircraft Type: CRJ 200
Frequency: All flights are daily except as noted above
Start Date: Feb. 14, 2013

Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) – Columbia, Mo. (COU)
AA3396 Leave DFW Noon Arrive COU 1:25 p.m.
AA3348 Leave DFW 6:55 p.m. Arrive COU 8:25 p.m. (except Saturday)
AA3215 Leave COU 6:45 a.m. Arrive DFW 8:35 a.m.
AA3291 Leave COU 5:40 p.m. Arrive DFW 7:25 p.m. (except Saturday)
Aircraft Type: Embraer 145
Frequency: All flights are daily except as noted above
Start Date: Feb. 14, 2013

Chicago – O’Hare (ORD) -COU
AA3919 Leave ORD 3:55 p.m. Arrive COU 5:10 p.m.
AA3900 Leave COU 1:55 p.m. Arrive ORD 3:20 p.m.
Aircraft Type: Embraer 145
Frequency: Daily
Start Date: Feb. 14, 2013

Dallas/Fort Worth – Fargo (FAR)
AA2537 Leave DFW: 12:05 p.m. Arrive FAR: 2:30 p.m.
AA2537 Leave FAR: 3:05 p.m. Arrive DFW: 5:50 p.m.
Aircraft Type: CRJ 200
Frequency: Daily
Start Date: Feb. 14, 2013

American Airlines:

OpenSkies to launch nonstop New York JFK-Paris Orly flights on March 31

OpenSkies (subsidiary of British Airways) (Paris-Orly) has announced a new daily route, between New York (JFK) and Paris (Orly) beginning on March 31, 2013. This new route compliments the current Newark-Paris Orly service and brings OpenSkies to three daily services between New York area and the Paris area.

The new flight departs New York JFK at 9:00 pm (2100) and arrives at Paris Orly at 10:35 am (1035) local time. Customers have a choice of three cabins, recently introduced in celebration of OpenSkies’ fourth anniversary:

Biz Bed, with a completely flat bed offering the best night’s sleep
Prem Plus, a unique class, offering leather seats in a 2 x 2 configuration
Eco, an economy cabin offering comfort and personalized service

All customers are offered a personal iPad loaded with more than 70 hours of entertainment, including movies, TV shows and games.

At JFK’s Terminal 7, customers traveling in Biz Bed cabin and Executive Club Gold and Silver card members will have access to the British Airways Galleries lounge. This lounge offers a luxurious, private space where passengers can relax in the Elemis(R) spa with complimentary treatments and showers and enjoy snacks and beverages or work before their flight. In addition, Biz Bed passengers can take advantage of pre-flight dining, allowing them to maximize their sleep on board.

OpenSkies is the only airline that flies to the Paris Orly West Terminal nonstop from the U.S. This terminal provides OpenSkies passengers with numerous advantages, such as close proximity to the center of Paris, as well as a more extensive choice of destinations, flights and connections within France. OpenSkies passengers are also able to benefit from a smoother journey through the airport, with the departure gates being located just past the security checks. Premium passengers also have access to Iberia’s VIP lounge, both spacious and recently refurbished.

Members of the British Airways Executive Club loyalty program will benefit from their status while flying with OpenSkies. With each flight, Executive Club members accumulate Avios points that can be converted into flight tickets or upgrades.

OpenSkies Schedule

New York Newark	Paris Orly	18h45	8h40 (+1 day)
New York Newark	Paris Orly	20h25	10h (+1 day)
New York JFK	Paris Orly	21h	10h35 (+1 day)
Paris Orly	New York Newark	10h45	13h20
Paris Orly	New York Newark	13h40	16h15
Paris Orly	New York JFK	14h55	17h25

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough. Boeing 757-236 G-BPEK (msn 25808) takes off from Dulles International Airport near Washington.

OpenSkies:

Air Canada to deploy the Bombardier Q400 on the Toronto – New York JFK route and in Western Canada

Air Canada (Montreal) is adding the Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) on the Toronto (Pearson-New York (JFK) route starting on November 1. In addition, the carrier has announced that it is boosting capacity on regional routes across Western Canada this fall and winter to meet demand. The airline will also be gradually introducing Bombardier Q400 aircraft operated by Jazz Aviation (Halifax) under the Air Canada Express brand on key markets from Calgary and Edmonton beginning next year.

Starting next February, Air Canada will be scheduling new Q400 aircraft on regional routes across Western Canada to replace smaller Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft. Air Canada Express flights are scheduled to enable convenient, point-to-point same day business travel, as well as convenient and easy connections to Air Canada’s extensive domestic, US and international network at Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Increased services this fall and winter compared to last year include:

Calgary-Fort McMurray	7 daily (from 6 daily)	350 daily seats (from 300)
Calgary-Grande Prairie	5 daily (from 4 daily)	250 daily seats (from 200)
Calgary-Yellowknife	2 daily (from 1 daily)	100 daily seats (from 50)
Edmonton-Fort McMurray	7 daily (from 6 daily)	350 daily seats (from 300)
Edmonton-Regina	2 daily (from 1 daily)	100 daily seats (from 50)
Edmonton-Saskatoon	2 daily (from 1 daily)	100 daily seats (from 50)
Vancouver-Fort St. John	5 daily (from 4 daily)	250 daily seats (from 200)
Vancouver-Nanaimo	7 daily (from 6 daily)	350 daily seats (from 300)

As mentioned, in February, 2013, Air Canada will begin gradually deploying 74-seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft on routes within Western Canada, replacing 50-seat CRJ200 aircraft. The Q400s will initially be scheduled on the following routes:

Calgary-Fort McMurray	February, 2013
Calgary-Regina	February, 2013
Calgary-Saskatoon	February, 2013
Calgary-Yellowknife	April, 2013
Calgary-Grande Prairie	March, 2013
Calgary-Victoria	March, 2013
Calgary-Edmonton	March, 2013
Edmonton-Fort McMurray	March, 2013
Edmonton-Yellowknife	April, 2013
Edmonton-Winnipeg	May, 2013

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) C-GGOY (msn 4365) of Jazz Aviation is pictured at the Toronto (YYZ) hub.

Air Canada Express-Jazz Aviation:

Virgin America to offer nonstop New York-Palm Springs weekly flights

Virgin America (San Francisco) has announced new flights to Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) from both San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The airline is expanding its footprint at PSP, with a new 2012-2013 seasonal flight schedule that will include a new weekly Saturday nonstop flight from JFK to PSP – the only nonstop flight offered from the New York City area to Palm Springs. The new nonstop flight will add to Virgin America’s seasonal daily connecting flight schedule from JFK to PSP and its seasonal daily nonstop schedule from SFO to PSP.

Virgin America’s 2012-2013 nonstop PSP flight schedule is as follows:

San Francisco (SFO) – Palm Springs (PSP)				Palm Springs (PSP) – San Francisco (SFO)

Dep	Arr	Freq	Start date	Dep	Arr	Freq	Start date
4:40 PM	6:10 PM	Daily	18-Oct-12	6:55 PM	8:30 PM	Daily	18-Oct-12
9:30 AM	10:50 AM	Sat only	12-Jan-13	6:55 PM	8:30 PM	Daily except Sat	12-Jan-13
				11:35 AM	1:00 PM	Sat only	12-Jan-13
				9:35 AM	10:59 AM	Sun only	13-Jan-13

New York (JFK) – Palm Springs (PSP)				Palm Springs (PSP) – New York (JFK)

Dep	Arr	Freq	Start date	Dep	Arr	Freq	Start date
10:55 AM	2:00 PM	Sat only	22-Dec-12	2:55 PM	10:45 PM	Sat only	22-Dec-12

Connecting flights are also available from PSP to Virgin America’s New York (JFK), Boston (BOS), Philadelphia (PHL), Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Washington D.C. (IAD) cities.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing. Named “Virgin and Tonic”, Airbus A319-112 N525VA (msn 3324) approaches Los Angeles for landing.

Virgin America: