Tag Archives: Pearson

UPS’ pilots issue this statement regarding its unresolved contract and the upcoming holiday rush

UPS Airlines’ (United Parcel Service) (Atlanta and Louisville) pilots, represented by the Independent Pilots Association, have issued this statement:

“Will United Parcel Service deliver this Christmas? That’s the question that manufactures, shippers, retailers and consumers have been asking. While we can’t speak to all aspects of UPS’s operations we can say that despite UPS not finalizing our contract we remain committed to delivering this Christmas season,” said Independent Pilots Association spokesperson Brian Gaudet.

Gaudet went on to say, “UPS has done a lot to avoid a repeat of last year’s holiday delivery troubles: it developed and funded a $175 million Peak Plan; finalized its labor contract with the Teamsters; increased its seasonal hires by seventy-three percent. But UPS didn’t do everything it needed to; UPS neglected its air operations by not finalizing the contract with its pilots. We are now in our fourth-year of contract talks with UPS. In spite of this drawn out negotiation, the IPA remains committed to delivering this holiday season. But we encourage UPS, for the benefit of its customers, to close out this critical unfinished business.”

To help make this point the IPA has taken out full-page ads in the Asian, European and Eastern U.S. editions of the October 24 issue of the Wall Street Journal (below).

The Independent Pilots Association represents the professional pilots flying for United Parcel Service.

Top Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A300F4-622R N164UP (msn 853) completes its final approach to the runway at Toronto (Pearson).

UPS:

Ad appearing in the Wall Street Journal:

Air Transat to fly to Budapest, Hungary next summer

Air Transat (Montreal) (website) has announced it is adding a new destination, Budapest, Hungary, to its trans-Atlantic program for 2015, as well as increasing seats and frequencies on many of its European routes, including Paris, London, Barcelona, Athens, Lisbon, Marseille, Nantes, Rome and Venice.

The new route will be routed from Toronto (Pearson) to Montreal (Trudeau) and finally to Budapest with Airbus A330s from June 17 through October 8, 2015.

Besides service to secondary cities in France, the carrier is now offering twice-daily flights to Paris from Montreal and six a week from Toronto. Air Transat also remains the only airline offering direct flights to Paris from Quebec City, Calgary and Vancouver.

In addition, Air Transat announced a new connection between Halifax, Nova Scotia) to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and finally to London (Gatwick), with two weekly Boeing 737-800 flights in the high season, in response to strong demand from travellers in the region. The route will be operated from June 17 through September 3, 2015.

Elsewhere in Canada, the carrier will increase flight frequencies on its London routes as well, offering 10 weekly departures from Toronto, two each from Montreal and Halifax, six from Vancouver, and three from Calgary.

Flights will also be added to Athens and Barcelona from Montreal and Toronto, and to Lisbon from Montreal.

In 2015, Air Transat will no longer offer flights to Germany from Western Canada, and will no longer fly to Turkey. Although the airline is eliminating service between Montreal and Istanbul, Air Transat will continue to market that destination, with land tours sold under the Transat Holidays and Transat Discoveries brands.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330-243 C-GTSZ (msn 971) of Air Transat departs from Toronto (Pearson).

Air Transat:

Air Transat Aircraft Slide Show:

Ethiopian Airlines is bringing the Boeing 787 to Dublin and Los Angeles starting in June

Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa) has announced it has finalized preparations to start flights to Dublin and Los Angeles starting in June 2015.

Ethiopian flights from Addis Ababa to Dublin and continuing on to Los Angeles will be operated three times a week with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The flights will be the only direct service connecting Africa with Ireland and the West Coast of the United States.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner ET-AOS (msn 34747) is pictured at Toronto (Pearson).

Ethiopian Airlines:

Emirates to help manage TAAG Linhas Aereas de Angola

Emirates (Dubai) has issued this statement:

Emirates and the Republic of Angola, in its capacity as the majority shareholder of TAAG Linhas Aéreas De Angola (TAAG Angola Airlines) (Luanda), announced the signing of a Management Concession Agreement* which will see Emirates take a role in the management of TAAG. The agreement lays the foundation for both airlines to jointly leverage commercial opportunities in Africa and beyond.

The ten year Management Concession Agreement* was signed by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group and H.E. Augusto da Silva Tomás, the Minister of Transport for Government of Angola.

This initiative is to further the Republic of Angola’s vision to create a world class Angolan carrier with the support of Emirates. As part of the agreement*, Emirates will work closely with the Angolan government and TAAG Linhas Aéreas De Angola to formulate and implement a business plan, provide management support and devise fleet and route network strategies, whilst bringing synergy through the complementary networks. Emirates will not contribute equity under this agreement* but appoint four senior managers to work for TAAG Linhas Aéreas De Angola.

Both airlines will also cooperate across a wide range of areas including bilateral code-sharing on cargo and passenger services, participation of customers in both airlines’ frequent flyer programmes and passenger and cargo handling. Emirates has also committed to allocate its resources to staff and crew training on best-in-class business and operational processes and systems.

TAAG Linhas Aéreas De Angola will additionally explore business opportunities with DNATA, in particular its passenger and cargo handling, flight catering and travel services. dnata, part of the Emirates Group, is the largest provider of air travel services in the Middle East and employs about 23,000 staff in 38 countries.

Angola is Africa’s second largest oil producer with a strong mining sector, and is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, making it an attractive business destination.

Emirates’ first point in Africa was Cairo, launched in 1986, and the airline has since grown a strong presence on the African continent, serving 22 passenger destinations today: Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cairo, Cape Town, Casablanca, Dakar, Dar el Salaam, Durban, Entebbe, Johannesburg, Khartoum, Lagos, Luanda, Nairobi, Tripoli, Tunis, Harare, Lusaka, Conakry, Algiers and Abuja.

Emirates currently flies daily to Luanda, Angola’s capitol. EK 793 leaves Dubai at 1005hrs and arrives in Luanda at 1500hrs. The return flight, EK 794, departs Luanda at 1800, touching down in Dubai eight hours later at 0510.

* The agreement will only take effect after a number of conditions have been satisfied, including the receipt of various government and regulatory approvals.

Top Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Emirates Airline Boeing 777-36N ER A6-ECO (msn 37706) taxies at Toronto (Pearson).

Emirates:

TAAG:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Marcelo F. De Biasi/AirlinersGallery.com. TAAG’s Boeing 777-3M2 ER D2-TEG (msn 40805) arrives in Sao Paulo (Guarulhos).

KLM to retire its last McDonnell Douglas MD-11 on November 11 with a special “farewell flight”

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) is the last passenger operator of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11. KLM operated 10 285-seat MD-11s. Each MD-11 was named after famous women in history.

The airline will operate its last regularly scheduled revenue passenger flight on October 25 between Montreal (Trudeau) and Amsterdam. KLM has also announced an one hour farewell flight for $139 on November 11 from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.

More form KLM: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. The MD-11s are currently being operated to both Toronto and Montreal. MD-11 PH-KCB (msn 48556) departs from Toronto (Pearson) bound for the Amsterdam hub.

KLM:

WestJet to charge $25 for the first checked bag for Econo fares for domestic and U.S. flights

WestJet (Calgary) today announced it will charge a $25 fee for a first checked bag on Econo fares for travel within Canada and between Canada and the U.S. The new fee will only apply to bookings made today onward, for travel on or after October 29, 2014. Guests flying to any of WestJet’s international destinations including Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and Europe may continue to check a first bag at no charge.

This change, which will apply to Econo fares only, is expected to affect approximately one in five WestJet guests. Guests who select a Flex fare will receive one free checked bag while guests choosing a Plus fare will enjoy two complimentary checked bags in addition to waived fees, seat selection, more legroom and many other amenities. For more information on WestJet baggage fees, please visit westjet.com/baggage.

The baggage allowances for military personnel (with identification), infant and child equipment, mobility devices and code-share and interline guests are not impacted.

WestJet also today launched its new WestJet Rewards tiers program featuring three levels – Teal, Silver and Gold. Guests who qualify for the Silver tier will be able to check a first bag at no cost. Guests who qualify for the Gold tier will get two free checked bags. For more information on all the significant benefits offered with the new WestJet Rewards tiers, please visit westjet.com/tiers. In addition, we have added a free first bag as an enhanced benefit to our WestJet RBC World Elite MasterCard credit card program.

Along with the launch of WestJet Rewards tiers, the airline also introduced a price-drop guarantee today on WestJet flights and WestJet Vacations packages. Guests who see that the price of their flight or their vacation package has dropped since their original purchase can receive the difference in WestJet dollars.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. WestJet Airlines’ Boeing 737-8CT WL C-GWRG (msn 39071) with the Split Scimitar Winglets arrives at the Toronto (Pearson) hub.

WestJet:

AG:

Air Canada to add the Boeing 787 from Vancouver for its Asian routes

Air Canada (Montreal) is gradually introducing the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Vancouver, replacing its older Boeing 767-300 ERs on some of its long-range routes. The carrier will introduce the 787 on the Vancouver-Shanghai (Pudong) route on October 26, Vancouver-Tokyo (Narita) on December 15, Vancouver-Beijing on February 1, 2015 and Vancouver-Seoul (Incheon) on March 1, 2015 per Airline Route.

In addition, Air Canada plans to operate Boeing 787 on the Vancouver-Toronto (Pearson) route at least once a day during the winter season effective October 26.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner C-GHPQ (msn 35257) departs from Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

Air Canada:

Air Transat’s parent reports adjusted 3Q net income of C$26.7 million

Air Transat‘s (Montreal) (website) parent, Transat A.T., Inc. issued this quarterly financial statement for the fiscal third quarter (all amounts in Canadian dollars):

Transat A.T. Inc., one of the largest integrated tourism companies in the world and Canada’s holiday travel leader, posted revenues of $941.7 million for the quarter ended July 31, 2014, compared with $927.0 million in 2013, an increase of $14.7 million, or 1.6%. The Corporation recorded adjusted operating income of $46.8 million, compared with $54.4 million in 2013, and net income of $25.8 million ($0.66 per share on a diluted basis), compared with $41.1 million ($1.07 per share on a diluted basis) in 2013. Before non-operating items, Transat reported adjusted net income of $26.7 million in 2014 ($0.69 per share on a diluted basis), compared with $30.8 million ($0.80 per share on a diluted basis) in 2013.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Air Transat’s Boeing 737-8Q8 C-GTQB (msn 30696) in the Split Scimitar Wingslets is resting between flights at Toronto (Pearson).

Air Transat

LOT Polish Airlines returns to the black

LOT Polish Airlines (Warsaw) is enjoying a financial turnaround, especially with the help of its new Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. The airline issued this statement:

LOT Polish Airlines has consistently improved its financial standing and is now in the black. At the end of August, the airline exceeded the cumulative breakeven point, thus making a profit on its core business of flying following years of losses. This is in line with the assumptions of the restructuring plan.

Sebastian Mikosz, CEO of LOT Polish Airlines said, “Compared to the corresponding period of 2013, we have attained a better result of PLN 100M ($30,934,000). LOT is seeking to achieve sustainable profitability and we have consistently pursued our goals to meet our annual financial forecast. According to the Restructuring Plan, approved by the European Commission, we are expected to achieve a return of approximately PLN 70M ($21,654,000) in 2014. Our improved effectiveness is marked in all aspects of our operations. Reaching the breakeven point is the exclusive success of the company’s activities. There are no market-specific factors, such as aviation fuel prices or currency exchange rates that helped us achieve these results, as was the case partially last year.”

LOT began to improve its financial results in 2013. Last year closed with a slight loss on the core business of PLN 4M ($1,237,360). This result was still better than assumed in the Restructuring Plan. Last year was also the first year of many in which LOT recorded a net profit. It amounted to PLN 26M ($8,042.840).

LOT continues to finance the difficult restructuring process exclusively with its own resources. By the end of September, the airline will not apply for the second tranche of public aid, which will be smaller than assumed.

LOT owes its positive results to continuous transitions. The carrier continues to improve the quality of services, launch new products, expand its portfolio and approach new passenger groups.

LOT has also increased its transit capacities by as much as 40%, meaning passengers travelling via Warsaw are able to change more comfortably on their way to other cities in Poland and destinations in Central and Eastern Europe.

2014 marks the first year of the “Dreamliner’s effect”. The first LOT Boeing 787 jets started flying in June with now all long-haul flights operated with Dreamliners since August. This aircraft is not only popular among the passengers, but brings tangible benefits, such as fuel savings.

In July 2014, the European Commission made a positive decision about LOT. The Restructuring Plan was approved and public aid was granted. The restructuring process of the company will end at the end of 2015. Until that time, LOT may not operate new flights. However, the first new flights are to be announced at the beginning of 2015.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. The restructuring program and the new Boeing 787s are game changers for LOT. The 787s have also changed the way people think of the airline. Boeing 787-8 SP-LRC (msn 35940) arrives in Toronto (Pearson).

LOT Polish Airlines:

Sunwing Airlines to operate weekly New Orleans-Punta Cana charters

Sunwing Airlines (flysunwing.com) (Toronto) starting on May 14, 2015 will operate weekly charter flights from New Orleans to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on behalf of Vacation Express per Airline Route.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-86J C-GOWG (msn 37757) with Aviation Partners Boeing Split Scimitar Winglets taxies at Toronto (Pearson).

Sunwing Airlines: