Aerolineas Argentinas (Buenos Aires) , the flag carrier of Argentina, and Boeing (Chicago) have completed an agreement for 20 Next-Generation 737-800 airplanes.
At a signing ceremony in Buenos Aires, Dr. Mariano Recalde, president of Aerolineas Argentinas and Austral Lineas Aereas, and Van Rex Gallard, vice president of Sales, Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, formalized the agreement, which will help Aerolineas build on a fleet of 26 Next-Generation 737s currently operated by the Argentine carrier.
Gallard noted that the agreement extends a long legacy of partnership between Boeing and Aerolineas Argentinas. “Our partnership with Aerolineas extends back to the days of the Douglas DC-3”.
Copyright Photo: Malcolm Nason/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured former Airberlin Boeing 737-86J D-ABBA (msn 30570) became LV-CTC with Aerolineas Argentinas.
British Airways (London) is premiering its “Red Carpet Route” between Los Angeles and London today, the inaugural flight for the airline’s first Airbus A380. The City of Angels is the first of the airline’s more than 150 destinations to receive the super jumbo, offering a premium experience to customers who want to travel in style to the U.K. and beyond.
Scheduled to touch down at Los Angeles International Airport this evening, the new British Airways aircraft offers customers a superior travel experience, including:
Spacious interiors, featuring 469 seats across four cabins, 14 First, 97 Club World (business class), 55 World Traveler Plus (premium economy) and 303 World Traveler (economy)
First ‘suites’ with 30 percent more space, turndown service, a la carte dining and champagne supper
Full-flat beds in business class with new 2:3:2 configurations on the upper deck, designed for maximum personal space and comfort
State-of-the-art in-flight entertainment with 1,600 hours of programming, including more than 130 of the latest Hollywood blockbusters and classic movies and 650 TV shows from around the world
Complimentary bar, three course meals, amenity kits and blankets for all customers
Cleaner air, as a result of advanced filters and a system that allows 15 different temperature control zones with cabin air refreshed every three minutes.
The British Airways A380 also features a new menu designed by The Langham, London, for customers travelling in First and Club World. This includes an elegant five-course tasting menu and afternoon tea, inspired by the range of indulgent treats offered at The Langham, London โ famed as the birthplace of Afternoon Tea over 140 years ago.
New aircraft are part of British Airways ยฃ5 billion investment in products and services to benefit customers. The airline has ordered 12 A380s and 24 Boeing 787s.
Red Carpet Route Premiere, Hollywood Style
Celebrating the connection between two entertainment capitals of the world, British Airways has partnered withย Varietyย magazine to present “10 Brits to Watch”. The best emerging U.K. talent in Hollywood will be recognized at a red carpet event on September 25.
At the premiere party, guests will experience signature elements of the A380 while honoring the magazine’s “10 Brits to Watch.”ย These up-and-coming actors, writers, directors and musicians include Sam Claflin, Tuppence Middleton, Harry Treadaway, Sally El Housani, Gugu Mbatha Raw, Georgia King, Ed Whitworth, George Blagden, Alexandra McGuiness and Lauren Harris.
“London and Hollywood have been productively-linked entertainment business hubs for all of Variety’s 108 years as the pre-eminent source of industry news, so the chance to partner on the Brits to Watch project with an esteemed global brand like the U.K’s British Airways was irresistible,” said Steve Gaydos, Executive Editor, Variety. “Business travelers and business readers both have high expectations due to their fast-paced careers and sophisticated lifestyles, so this is a partnership born out of our mutual strengths of experience and dedication to delivering on those daily demands, 24/7.”
Tweetliner Race
To further celebrate the launch of the A380, British Airways is staging the world’s first-ever social race between a virtual plane and real plane.ย The competition invites British Airways fans and followers to ‘tweet’ a message using #racetheplane @British Airways.ย Each tweet will fuel the ‘tweetliner” and move it nearer to its destination โ LA. Three lucky winners will receive a pair of tickets to fly to London.
The 5,454-mile race begins when BA 269 takes off from London Heathrow at 4:15pm BST and will culminate when the inaugural flight touches down at LAX at approximately 7:15pm PST. Visitย http://racetheplane.ba.com/ย for additional information, including terms and conditions.
Copyright Photo: SM Fitzwilliams Collection/AirlinersGallery.com. A beautiful landing photo of the first British Airways Airbus A380-841 G-XLEA (msn 095) arriving at Shannon on a training and photo flight.
British Airways:ย
Videos: British Airways is using social media to promote this inaugural flight:
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) is one of the U.S. airlines leading the stampede to find new revenue sources to “enhance the travel experience”.
According to the airline, Delta will begin offering a new travel option for SkyMiles customers which provides access to some of the airline’s most popular enhanced travel extras such as checked bags, priority boarding and seat selection for $199. The new package, called Smart Travel Pack, introduces a practical and affordable way for customers to add a suite of extra services and additional comfort for their upcoming business or personal travel.
An eligible SkyMiles member who purchases the Smart Travel Pack will receive:
Free first checked bagย for each passenger traveling in the same reservation
Priority Boardingย to give the entire party more time to get onboard and get settled in their seats with carry-on baggage stowed
Access to Preferred Seatsย to allow selection of bulkhead or exit row seats or access aisle or window seat toward the front of the plane at no additional charge
Discounted Economy Comfortย which gives customers the option to upgrade to Economy Comfort for 50 percent less on domestic flights and 25 percent less on international flights
20 percent more bonus milesย for the SkyMiles member who purchases the Smart Travel Pack to get them to their next Award Ticket faster
Package features are valid for the SkyMiles member who purchases the Smart Travel Pack during the promotion period and up to eight friends or family members traveling with them with the exception of bonus miles which are only awarded to the primary purchaser’s SkyMiles account.
Copyright Photo: SM Fitzwilliams Collection/AirlinersGallery.com. Former TWA/American Airlines Boeing 757-231 N709TW (msn 28479) in the SkyTeam alliance color scheme, taxies at Shannon.
Nok Air (Bangkok-Don Mueang) flight DD 7411 operating from Trang to Bangkok (Don Mueang) veered and skid off the runway on takeoff at Trang Airport on August 6. The 142 passengers and crew members were uninjured. The flight was being operated with former Ryanair Boeing ย 737-8AS HS-DBM (msn 33594, ex EI-DLM). The incident closed the airport.
Aer Lingus (Dublin) record a first half 2013 pre-tax loss of $21.7 million, an increase of ย 272.7 percent from the smaller loss in the first half of 2012. However the flag carrier was able to record a pre-tax profit of $38.6 million in the second quarter but it was not enough to offset the larger loss in the first quarter.
The airline put a positive spin of the second quarter:
Christoph Mueller, Aer Lingusโ CEO, commented:
โAer Lingus is pleased to report an excellent business performance for the first half of 2013. All key revenue metrics have trended positively with passenger numbers up 1.3%, load factor up 2.0 points and growth in fare revenue per seat across short and long haul.
Our Q2 2013 revenue performance was particularly strong. We expanded long haul capacity by 16.3% in the quarter and successfully sold the additional seats, achieving a load factor of almost 95% in June. Short haul continues to trade positively. However, the weakness in UK routes identified in our Q1 results has continued in Q2. The first half of our financial year is seasonally loss making and we are reporting an operating lossย (before exceptional items) which is โฌ12.0 million higher than the prior year. This performance reflects the impact of a number of one-off factors including the start up of our contract flying operations and planned changes to our long haul fleet.
We continue to focus on our cost base and are conscious that certain planned cost saving initiatives have not had effect as quickly as we had initially hoped. However, the voluntary severance program we outlined atย Q1 seeking a headcount reduction of 100 has been oversubscribed with expressions of interest. We expect the benefits of this programme will start to take effect towards the end of the current year with full year effect in 2014.
Bookings for the remainder of the year at 30 June 2013 were ahead of prior year with Q3 long haul looking particularly positive. However, this booking profile has somewhat eroded over July due to the good weather. Nonetheless, we maintain our guidance that 2013 operating profit, before net exceptional items, will be broadly in line with 2012.โ
Virgin Atlantic Airways (London) is preparing to launch its new UK feeder service called “Little Red” on Sunday, March 31. The first route will be London (Heathrow)-Manchester. London (Heathrow)-Edinburgh will follow on April 5 and finally London (Heathrow)-Aberdeen will be launched on April 9. The new service will be operated with four Aer Lingus A320s now being painted in the Virgin Atlantic brand.
Copyright Photo: Malcolm Nason. Aer Lingus’ A320-214 EI-DEO (msn 2486) “Queen of the Cobbles” poses for the camera at Shannon on March 28 after the repainting was finished.
Air Mekong (2nd) (Phu Quoc, Vietnam) at the end of business today (February 28) suspended all operations as it restructures its fleet. The airline is planning to remove its Bombardier CRJ900s (above) and add two Airbus A321s.
Copyright Photo: Trevor Mulkerrins. Air Mekong leases four Bombardier CRJ900s from partner SkyWest Airlines.ย Air Mekong’s aircraft are painted with the image of the Sarus Crane, a precious bird in Vietnam which symbolizes peace. Former MyAir CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) EI-DUY (msn 15112) at Shannon became VN-A804 with Air Mekong.
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