Spirit Airlines (Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood) has announced two more new nonstop routes from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, increasing the number of cities it serves nonstop from Chicago to 23. New daily nonstop service to San Diego and Philadelphia will begin on April 16, 2015, with one daily flight to each city.
In addition to this new service to San Diego and Philadelphia, Spirit previously announced that it will begin new service between Chicago O’Hare and Atlanta on October 24, and between Chicago O’Hare and New Orleans on October 31.
In all, Spirit will operate to 23 cities nonstop from Chicago, including Atlanta (starting October 24), Atlantic City, Baltimore/Washington DC, Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Fort Myers, Houston, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Myrtle Beach, New Orleans (starting October 31), New York (LaGuardia), Oakland, Orlando, Philadelphia (starting April 16, 2015), Phoenix, Portland, Oregon, San Diego (starting April 16, 2015) and Tampa.
Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-232 N602NK (msn 4264) taxies at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD). Spirit currently has three aircraft brands in service.
Air traffic in the United States today is being affected by a fire in the FAA air traffic control facility in Aurora, Illinois. Flights were halted at both O’Hare and Midway airports affecting hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers. The ripple affect will affect the entire country and some international flights.
Frontier Airlines (2nd) (Denver) is again adding more routes from its new and growing Cleveland mini hub. Frontier isย adding three new mainline routes from Cleveland to Chicago O’Hare (starting on October 1), Washington-Dulles (October 1) and New York-LaGuardia (October 26).
Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-214 N209FR (msn 4641) approaches the runway at Washington (Reagan National).
United Airlines (Chicago) today announced the airline will inaugurate service at Atlantic City International Airport, offering customers daily nonstop flights to United’s hubs at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport beginning on April 1, 2014..
From Chicago, United’s flight to Atlantic City will depart at 8:10 a.m. (0810) daily, arriving at 11:17 a.m. (1117). The return flight will depart Atlantic City at 11:52 a.m. (1152) and arrive in Chicago at 1:10 p.m. (1310).
From Houston, United’s flight to Atlantic City will depart at 7 p.m. (1900) daily, arriving at 11:20 p.m. (2320). The return flight will depart Atlantic City at 6 a.m. (0600) and arrive in Houston at 8:49 a.m. (0849).
United Express carrier ExpressJet Airlines (Atlanta) will operate the Atlantic City flights with 50-seat Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com.ย ExpressJet Airlines’ Embraer ERJ 145XR (EMB-145XR) N12136 (msn 145719) arrives at the Chicago O’Hare hub.
United Airlines (Chicago) is being fined $1.1 million by the Department of Transportation (DOT) for ramp delays at the Chicago O’Hare hub.
The DOT issued this statement:
The U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) fined United Airlines $1.1 million for lengthy tarmac delays that took place at Chicago-OโHare International Airport on July 13, 2012. ย ย The airline was ordered to cease and desist from future violations of the tarmac-delay rule.
This is the largest fine assessed for a tarmac-delay violation since the rule limiting long tarmac delays first took effect in April 2010.ย Of the $1.1 million, United will pay the United States $475,000; the remainder covers mitigation measures for affected passengers and significant corrective actions by United to enhance future compliance with tarmac delay requirements.
โIt is unacceptable for passengers to be stranded in planes on the tarmac for hours on end,โ said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.ย โWe will continue to require airlines to adopt workable plans to protect passengers from lengthy tarmac delays and carry out these plans when necessary.โ
United is being fined for 13 lengthy tarmac delays that took place on a day when severe thunderstorms and lightning caused several ramp closures and disrupted the movement of aircraft at OโHare.ย Delays by United and its United Express code-share affiliates exceeded the three-hour limit for tarmac delays by as little as two minutes and as much as 77 minutes.ย Although United had a contingency plan for tarmac delays, DOTโs Aviation Enforcement Office found that the airline did not implement the plan during these delays, and that the plan was inadequate to cover foreseeable weather emergencies in which there were more planes on the ground than space at gates.ย ย ย The Enforcement Office also found that United did not contact airport personnel or other airlines for assistance during the tarmac delays. Additionally, on two United Express flights, the lavatories were inoperable during part of the delays.
Under DOT rules, U.S. airlines operating aircraft with 30 or more passenger seats are prohibited from allowing their domestic flights to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours at U.S. airports without giving passengers an opportunity to leave the plane.ย Exceptions to the time limits are allowed only for safety, security or air traffic control-related reasons.ย ย The rules also require airlines to provide adequate food and water, ensure that lavatories are working and, if necessary, provide medical attention to passengers during long tarmac delays.
Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-232 N405UA (msn 452) arrives at the Chicago (O’Hare) hub.
Flying the Dreamliner #06JUL13 – Welcome to tomorrow
Guest Editor Marcelo F. De Biasi
This is a special one. ย As most out there, having seen the Dreamliner take shape all the way from the very beginning when the airplane was still dubbed 7E7 and looked more like a shark than an actual bird, being able to actually try out the plane that in a sense โweโ got to build (remember when Boeing had extensive surveys in place online asking for customer/passenger feedback?) is nothing short of a dream come true. ย Itโs only been a couple of months since I had the chance to see a Dreamliner live โ years after its roll-out โ and it certainly wasnโt easy finding a good and โcheapโ flight that I could book without having to fly abroad. ย Nevertheless, it required some doing as I had to make my way all the way down to Houston (IAH) in order to see this through. ย Since the 787 was grounded at the beginning of the year, United Airlines (UA) stopped serving Newark (EWR) with the Dreamliner and didnโt reinstate the flight once the plane was put back into service in June. ย My options were to fly from IAH to either Denver (DEN), Los Angeles (LAX) or Chicago (ORD). ย Chicago was the โcheaperโ option I also wanted to connect at OโHare International Airport and finally get to know Unitedโs largest hub. ย And so my itinerary for a day and half of flying developed into LaGuardia (LGA)-Charlotte (CLT)-IAH (on US Airways on Friday evening), IAH-ORD (the actual Dreamliner flight on United) and finally, ORD-Washington Dulles (IAD)-New York (JFK) (also on United) โ the last three flights all on Saturday. ย Quite an ordeal โjustโ to try out the Dreamliner. ย Iโm sure a number of people think Iโm nuts for doing this (admittedly, sometimes I am).
So, was it worth it? ย The answer is big fat YES. ย I would do it all over again. ย The Dreamliner sets new standards in flying. ย From a financial/operational efficiency standpoint there is little doubt that the 787 is a game changer and will remain largely unchallenged for some time โ yes, the A350-900 has initiated its test flying program, but it is also slightly larger than the 787 and is in fact more in the size category of the 777-200/200ER (where the 787-10 will probably also steal the show now that it has been officially launched). ย
From a customer perspective, I can tell you that 787 is by far the best airplane in existence today. Its cabin is spacious, elegant, functional, and modern. ย The windows are larger in area than any other civil aircraft in-service or in development. ย Window shades no longer exist, these have been replaced with electrochromism-based smart glass that allow passengers (and flight attendants alike) to dim the light to their liking (five levels in total) – and this really works like a charm.
As if the extra spacious feeling in the cabin โ unlike anything Iโve experienced on any other plane Iโve flown on so far โ wasnโt enough, the more humid cabin is simply perfect. ย While you might not sense any immediate difference to another airplane, itโs when you connect onto another โnormalโ airplane afterwards that it hits you and you realize what a difference the cabin of the 787 makes. ย Quite astonishing. ย Now, I know that pretty much all of you have at least read about these advanced features โ and some of you have already tried the Dreamliner out yourselves and will know what Iโm talking about here โ but, trust me when I say that Boeing and 787 customers are not exaggerating when they claim that the Dreamliner is tomorrowโs airplane, today.
Setting my โavgeekโ mentality aside for a moment, as a regular passenger I would certainly opt for a Dreamliner flight in the future whenever an option is available, particularly if flying long-haul. ย It sounds a bit extreme, but in all fairness, this is how good of a passenger experience the Dreamliner offers its customers (of course, provided the airline which chooses to operate the 787 doesnโt fit the plane with a 28 inch pitch in Economy Class).
Last but not least, the Dreamliner is also incredibly quiet โ almost as silent as the A380 (credit where itโs due). ย
I also need to say a little something about United. ย On my 787 flight between IAH and ORD, the onboard service was very good โ it was noticeable that the crew was excited about their new โtoyโ. ย Nevertheless, only serving beverages (no spirits) on a 2 and a half hour flight in Economy Class (not even peanuts) is not really what you would expect of a traditional legacy carrier.ย In any case, overall it was a top notch job by the enthusiastic โDreamliner crewโ.
Please enjoy a few photos of the flight โ and of that INCREDIBLE looking wing, truly a work of art โ and a short video I took of the final approach into Chicago OโHare Airport.
Video: Landing in ORD
By the way, in case any of you were wondering, the registration of the plane I flew was N27903 (msn 34823), delivered factory fresh to United on December 20, 2012.
Copyright Photos: Marcelo F. De Biasi. All rights reserved.
About the Guest Editor:
ABOUT
What’s there to say about me? I’m just your average โAvGeekโ. Having been bitten by the aviation bug shortly after I was born – the first words to come out of my mouth were apparently “VARIG” -, some 11 years ago I decided to make the leap to aviation photography. Occasionally, I’ve also been known to write an article or two about aviation. Aside for my obvious love for aviation, I’m also a regular amateur photographer with a nag for history, international politics, branding & marketing, social media, philosophical questions, Formula 1 and quality hard & heavy rock. ย Last but not least, I also work for a major network carrier in Network Planning.
IN A NUTSHELL
I’m from:ย Sรฃo Paulo, Brazil, currently residing in New York, United States Favorite Airliner:ย Boeing 737 Series, Boeing 777 Series, Embraer 190 and 195, MD-11, Lockheed Electra II Fascinating Airlines:ย Azul, AirAsia X, Copa Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Emirates, Lufthansa Memorable Airports:ย SDU, CGH, HKG, ZRH, DCA, SSA
United Airlines (Chicago) today will celebrate the 25thanniversary of the airline’s Terminal C hub facility atย Newark Liberty International Airport.
Travelers arriving and departing at Newark Liberty today will joinย Unitedย employees in an anniversary celebrationbetween 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.ย at the upper levelย United Airlinesย ticket counter, where customers will have opportunities to earn prizes, travel discounts and bonusย MileagePlusย miles, and see the airline’s new uniforms for the first time. The airline is also setting up a temporary exhibit during the two-hour period demonstrating how air travel has evolved since 1988.
Map of Terminal C at Newark Liberty International Airport (Port Authority of New York and New Jersey).
“We are pleased to celebrateย United’s long history at ourย Newarkย hubย – a premier global gateway and a powerful economic engine,” saidย Jeff Smisek,ย United’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “We continue to make investments in our terminal facilities, our services and our people to ensureย United’s Terminal C remains a great place for our customers and co-workers.”ย
“Thanks to theย Port Authority’s strong partnership withย United, Newark Liberty has become not only a world-class airport but also an important driver of economic growth, jobs and development for the entire region,” saidย Port AuthorityChairmanย David Samson. “The continued investment in Newark Liberty’s facilities will ensure that the airport, and Terminal C specifically, remains a modern, premier gateway for travelers.”
As part of the event, Smisek will outline the airline’s plans for further investments at Terminal C, including:
a redesign of the airline’s check-in facilities
installation in gate areas of flight-information displays that offer customers more detailed information about their flights
construction of a widebody maintenance hangar that economic development officials anticipate will driveย $52 millionย in economic activity in the region
a new checked-baggage screening system.
In addition:ย
Nearly two dozenย Unitedย pilots, flight attendants, customer service agents and ramp workers will participate in an in-terminal fashion show that will debut the new uniforms thatย Unitedย employees worldwide will wear beginning onJune 25. This is the first time that all employees at the newย Unitedย will wear the same uniforms.
Buddy Valastro, co-owner of theย Hoboken, N.J.ย bakery Carlo’s Bakery and star of the TLC program “Cake Boss,” will join the program to present a cake made specifically for the occasion.
Atย 1:15 p.m., the firstย Boeingย 787 Dreamliner to fly from any of the threeย New York-area airports since the aircraft re-entered service will depart forย Houston.
This afternoon,ย Unitedย will send photos of iconic locations throughoutย Manhattanย via Twitter,ย Facebookย and Instagram, meeting up with the company’s friends and followers in social media.
Unitedย inย New York/Newark: The Hub forย Wall Street
With more than 13,000 local employees,ย Unitedย is theย New Yorkย area’s largest airline, offering more flights and more seats from the region to more destinations around the world than any other airline in history.
Since the first flight from Terminal Cย – theย 6:15 a.m.ย departure ofย Continentalย flight 839 toย Denverย from gate 72 on the morning ofย May 22, 1988ย – flights to and from the facility have enabled investment and economic development for theNew Yorkย metropolitan area, includingย Newark. In 1988,ย Continentalย offered service to 57 airports fromย Newark Airport.Unitedย today offers more than 400 flights each day from Newark Liberty to more than 150 destinations in North andSouth America,ย Europe, theย Middle Eastย andย Asia, givingย New York-area travelers more flights and more destinations viaย Unitedย andย United Expressย than any other airline.
Newark Liberty’s location and rail links make it the most convenient hub airport for travelers originating in north and centralย New Jersey, parts ofย New York Cityย includingย Wall Street, and southernย New York State.
The airline also offersย New York-area travelers more flat beds in premium cabins and more extra-legroom economy seats than any other airline. In addition, the airline boasts:
the most saver-styleย award seatsย for frequent flyers among the largest U.S. global carriers, according to the 4thannualย Switchfly Reward Seat Availability Surveyย published this month by IdeaWorksCompany.
more aircraft offeringย satellite Wi-Fiย andย live televisionย than any other U.S. airline.
Terminal C History
Copyright Photo: Dave Campbell/AirlinersGallery.com. The Boeing 737 and the pictured 727-200 were the mainstay aircraft in the PEOPLExpress fleet. Former Braniff Boeing 727-227 N553PE (msn 20774) poses for the camera at Chicago (O’Hare).
In 1985,ย People Express Airlines (PEOPLExpress) and theย Port Authorityย agreed to remodel the existing Terminal C facility. After its 1987 mergers with Peoplexpress andย New York Air (New York), which itself had a largeย Newarkย presence,ย Continental Airlines completed the terminal redevelopment project in conjunction with theย Port Authority.
Copyright Photo: Fernandez Imaging/AirlinersGallery.com. The New York Air operation is pictured at nearby LaGuardia Airport.
In 2001,ย Continental Airlines (Houston) opened the Global Gateway, aย $3.8 billionย public-private partnership. The centerpiece of that project was the third concourse in Terminal C, “C-3,”ย designed to be bright and airy with gates constructed to enable international travelers to arrive at Terminal Cย – rather than solely at Terminal Bย – adding convenience and quicker connections.
Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Continental’sย McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 N68046 (msn 47800) in the 1984 livery.
The Global Gateway also introduced the only rail station at aย New York-area airport located in close proximity to the terminals, enabling Newark Liberty travelers direct AirTrain rail access toย New York City’sย Pennsylvania Station,ย New York State,ย New Jersey,ย Connecticutย andย Philadelphia.
Continentalย and theย Port Authorityย also outfitted Terminal C with new roadways, parking garages, expanded electronic ticketing facilities, new terminal designs to facilitate more efficient security screening and an automated baggage handling system.
Top Copyright Photo: United Airlines. Crew members showcase the new uniforms.
United Airlines:ย
Continental Airlines:ย
Peoplexpress:ย
New York Air:ย
Route Map: How the Newark Hub has grown (click on the map for the full-size view):
Etihad Airways' Airbus A340-642X A6-EHJ (msn 933) landed at Chicago's O'Hare Airport on September 2, 2009, marking the start of non-stop service from the United Arab Emirates' capital of Abu Dhabi to the Midwest. The aircraft is painted with Formula 1 race car livery to denote Etihad's title sponsorship of the first-ever Abu Dhabi Grand Prix taking place on November 1. Copyright Photo: Business Wire.
Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) yesterday (September 2) added Chicago (O’Hare) as its second destination in the United States.
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