Tag Archives: US Airways

US Airways to retire the last Boeing 767-200 ER on February 11

US Airways (Phoenix) is planning to operate the last Boeing 767-200 ER revenue flight on February 11 per Airline Route. The aging type currently operates from the Charlotte hub to Cancun, Orlando, Philadelphia and St. Thomas.

Piedmont Airlines (1st) took delivery of the first 767-200 ER, specifically 767-201 ER N603P (msn 23897), named “The Pride of Piedmont”, on May 21, 1987. The type entered service on June 15, 1987 on the Charlotte – London (Gatwick) route. The type migrated to USAir (later US Airways) with the merger.

Top Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. US Airways’ Boeing 767-2B7 ER N255AY (msn 25257) arrives back at the Charlotte hub.

US Airways aircraft slide show:

Below Copyright Photo: Christian Volpati/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-2B7 N656US (msn 26847) taxies in Paris (CDG) painted in the 1997 livery.

Below Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-2B7 ER N651US (msn 24764) taxies in the 1989 USAir color scheme.

Allied Pilots Association union agrees to put the latest AAG contract offer to a ratification vote

Allied Pilots Association-APA (Dallas/Fort Worth), representing the 10,000 pilots of American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) and 5,000 pilots US Airways (Phoenix), agreed late Saturday (January 3) to put the latest offer from the American Airlines Group (Dallas/Fort Worth) to a ratification vote. The AAG was threatening to pull the offer. The AAG is not offering a profit sharing program unlike the pilots at Delta.

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), “the company is offering the pilots a more than 18% pay increase retroactive to December 2, 2014 plus a 4% boost that it announced late last month for most nonunion employees and any unions that reach joint postmerger contracts. Moreover, the pilots are in line to receive an additional 3% raise retroactive to the start of 2015, the first of four annual pay increases.”

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. American Airlines Boeing 737-823 N831NN (msn 33211) taxies at the O’Hare International Airport hub in Chicago.

American Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

Joel’s Airline Corner (December 2014)

Guest Editor Joel Chusid

From Buffalos to Birds

Guest Editor Joel Chusid

Once again, airplanes and animals have crossed paths, and not always in a good way. From large to small, here we go… A dangerous situation occurred when a fully loaded Spicejet Boeing 737 took off from the Indian city of Surat and struck a buffalo grazing on the runway. There were no serious injuries, although the buffalo didn’t make it, and the plane was damaged. Then there was the incredible story about the woman on the day before Thanksgiving who was permitted to board a US Airways flight at Hartford with her large pig, which she claimed was needed for emotional support. Passengers thought she was carrying a duffel bag on her shoulders as she proceeded down the aisle. But the animal immediately began doing its “business”, to put it nicely, causing a big stink. It got worse as the woman tried to clean up the mess, and both she and the pig became vocal. They were both ordered off, since airlines can reject emotional support animals if they believe they could be disruptive. A few weeks earlier, a shipment of crabs got loose in the cargo hold of another US Airways flight at New York’s LaGuardia Airport bound for Charlotte causing a thirty minute delay. It took five hours for crews to find a stowaway mouse in the cockpit on a Norwegian Air flight ready to depart Oslo for New York. That could have been more serious since rodents can chew through wires. As they say on TV, “on a lighter note”, a woman who was booked to travel for Christmas from Seattle to Phoenix on US Airways (sorry, US Airways again) was informed she could not travel with her lovebirds even though she’d been booked for months. The airline had changed its policy and could only offer a refund. Alaska Airlines came to the rescue after the story aired on local TV news and offered the woman and her lovebirds free tickets to Phoenix. Nice job, Alaska.

Passengers Behaving Badly, Again

The same week as the famous “Korean Air nut” incident (it got wide publicity, so I won’t go into it here), some Chinese passengers on a flight from Bangkok to Nanging were upset at not being seated together. They proceeded to throw hot water and noodles at a flight attendant, and the plane returned to Bangkok. Many passengers filmed the incident, which escalated beyond just noodles. The Chinese government was not amused, and they threatened to “severely punish” the offending Chinese nationals. Good!

Crews Behaving Badly, Sadly

It’s sad when crews can’t get along. In fact, it can be downright dangerous. In Cairo, 150 passengers were evacuated from a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight when a pilot and steward got into a fight which resulted in both being injured. The flight was delayed six hours. A Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Dubai was delayed ninety minutes when both pilots got into a heated argument. No injuries on this one. It’s good that these disagreements, sad as they are, occurred prior to the flights becoming airborne.

ANA Takeoff Mode

Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) has introduced a “takeoff mode” app to calm passengers who get apprehensive on takeoff. The app features a game to keep the user involved, and it changes based on the ambient noise inside the aircraft. New US DOT regulations allowing the use of cell phones, at the airline’s discretion, during takeoff make this app possible. It’s available for i-Phones only at this time.

Airports as Gyms

As airlines squeeze more and more seats onto airplanes, personal space has shrunk. One can barely open a laptop “safely” or stretch out normally without going into contortions. Taking a stroll around the cabin to “stretch one’s legs” is limited to a trip to the lav, so you’re pretty close to remaining stationary for the duration. A good idea is to try and get some exercise before, after or during a connection, at the airport. There are certainly enough concourses to walk, some by necessity if you’re changing planes. But Phoenix, Philadelphia, DFW and Boston Logan, among others, have risen to the occasion to address the sedentary life of a passenger. Philadelphia Airport has replaced rocking chairs with 30 stationary bikes in the waiting areas of the airport. Reaction has been very positive. San Francisco has yoga facilities and Milwaukee table tennis. In Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport, a two mile fitness trail, with nice views of the surrounding area, has been marked out through the concourses, complete with water bottle filling stations. (I’ve seen the latter in several airports as drinking fountains go the way of pay phones.) DFW also has a marked path, with long staircases in Terminal D in place for some step exercises as well as a yoga location. Boston’s Logan Airport has walking paths marked, along with stations where passengers can check their weight, height and even body mass index. More airports are expected to follow.

American Airlines preserves the US Airways livery on Airbus A321-231 N578UW

US Airways (Phoenix) will not be repainting the pictured Airbus A321-231 N578UW (msn 6035) in full American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) colors as the two carriers march towards a single operating certificate. Instead the new American, under the leadership of former America West/US Airways CEO Doug Parker, is preserving the memory of US Airways with this preserved legacy livery. N578UW will continue to wear US’ 2005 livery albeit now with small American titles like the previous America West Airbus A320s. As previously reported, TWA will also be preserved in an upcoming legacy scheme with an undetermined historic livery.

Photo: American Airlines.

American Airlines-US Airways aircraft slide show (American livery only):

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/American-Airlines-US-Airways

American Airlines rewards its loyal passenger with a bonus mileage promotion in 2015

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) is rewarding its loyal passengers with this bonus mileage announcement for 2015:

American Airlines will reward its customers with a bonus mile promotion in 2015, making the AAdvantage program the most generous in the industry. The promotion will offer AAdvantage® and Dividend Miles® members more miles based on the distance flown, the fare purchased and the member’s elite status level.

Beginning January 1, 2015 American will reward customers that are members of either the AAdvantage or Dividend Miles programs with bonus miles for purchased First or Business Class tickets on all eligible flights marketed or operated by American or US Airways. The promotion applies to all travel between January 1 and December 31, 2015.

Eligible flights for AAdvantage members include all AA and US-marketed and operated flights (including codeshare flights between the two carriers), and AA or US-marketed, partner-operated flights, including British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, Japan Airlines and Qantas. Until the company merges the frequent flyer programs in the second quarter 2015, eligible flights for Dividend Miles members will include all AA and US-marketed and operated flights (including codeshare flights between the two carriers).

The airline’s promotion provides bonus miles in addition to base mileage and elite status/class of service bonuses that customers normally earn. The amount of bonus miles earned will depend on the customer’s elite status level and the length of the flight.

Copyright Photo: Fred Freketic/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-323 ER N394AN (msn 29431) prepares to depart from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

American Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

The arbitration board issues its final decision for a joint American-US Airways flight attendant contract

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) and US Airways (Phoenix) flight attendants will now have a joint collective bargaining agreement and contract. The dispute went to arbitration and the arbitration board issued its decision.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) issued this statement about the decision:

On December 13, the seven member Arbitration Panel, established in accordance with the Negotiations Protocol Agreement, issued its decision on the terms of the Joint Collective Bargaining Agreement. The JCBA will consist of the pay, work rules, and benefits outlined in the APFA arbitration proposal. Unfortunately, the award does not include the “me too” clauses for health plans and profit sharing for which APFA argued. The award also does not provide retroactive pay raises for Flight Attendants. APFA had argued for the wage increases to take effect December 2, 2014. Instead, the increases will take effect on January 1, 2015. The effective date of the JCBA is December 13, 2014.

First, APFA proposed that the value of $112 million is the amount that the arbitrators must add to our combined contracts to equal market based in the aggregate, which is the standard provided for in the NPA. AA stipulated to this value.

Second, APFA argued for a “me too” for health insurance, meaning that if the company were to offer another work group health insurance that differs from the health insurance in our JCBA, APFA would have the option of replacing our current insurance with such other health insurance beginning the following year. The company argued against a “me too” for health insurance.

Third, APFA argued for a “me too” for profit sharing, meaning that if another workgroup on AA’s property were given a profit sharing plan, APFA would have the option of reducing the wage rates by $50 million per year (the value allotted for profit sharing in our proposal) and adopting such profit sharing plan. The company argued against a “me too” for Profit Sharing.

Finally, APFA asked for pay rates retroactive to December 2, 2014. The company argued against retroactive pay rates.

A majority of the Panel denied APFA’s request that the JCBA contain “me-toos” regarding the medical plan and profit sharing. In both cases the Panel found that the inclusion of these provisions would push the added value of the JCBA beyond the market-based aggregate of $112 million.

A majority of the Panel also rejected APFA’s argument that the new wage rates of the JCBA be retroactive to December 2, 2014. It held that starting the pay increases prior to the effective date of the JCBA would result in its value exceeding the $112 million cap.

The two union-appointed members of the Arbitration Panel dissented from the Panel’s decision denying the “me-toos” and the retroactivity of the new wage rates.

The effective date of the JCBA is December 13, 2014, the day the decision was issued. A link to the updated contract language including the implementation letter will be uploaded to apfa.org in the next several days. The new pay rates will go into effect on January 1, 2015.

In other news, American Airlines issued this statement today about a mileage promotion:

President, AAdvantage Loyalty Program Suzanne Rubin said: “As the largest airline in the world, with a global network that spans 54 countries, our frequent flyer program must also be the best in the business. A mile flown continues to be a mile earned in AAdvantage, and now we’re going to reward customers even more when they purchase a First or Business Class ticket.”

Registration for the promotion is not necessary, as all bonus miles will be automatically added to members’ accounts after the eligible flight is complete. Additional details about the 2015 AAdvantage bonus mile offer are available at aa.com/moremiles.

As previously announced, also beginning January 1, bonus miles for AAdvantage members on Business Class tickets on American and US Airways will increase from 25 to 50 percent to align with what Dividend Miles members receive today.

Over the past year, American has rolled out enhanced benefits to members flying on either airline, including:

The opportunity to earn and redeem miles on American or US Airways, with all eligible travel on either airline counting toward elite status qualification in the program of that member’s choice

Reciprocal benefits for elite status members when flying either airline, including First and Business Class check-in, complimentary checked bags and priority security and boarding

More lounge access, with reciprocal club access for Admirals Club® and US Airways Club members

Easy access to the combined company’s expanded network through the codeshare between American and US Airways, which allows the ability to sell seats on both airlines’ flights

Bringing US Airways into the award-winning oneworld® alliance, offering more options across the Atlantic and an easier and more rewarding global travel experience to Europe and beyond

The ability to easily stay connected while customers fly with Monthly Traveler and Daily Wi-Fi passes, valid on both American and US Airways

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. US Airways’ Boeing 757-23N N204UW (msn 30886), now in American colors, exits the runway at Amsterdam.

American Airlines aircraft slide show:

American Airlines-US Airways aircraft slide show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/Airlines-UnitedStates-1/American-Airlines-US-Airways

American celebrates its first anniversary with US Airways, outlines an upgraded travel experience going forward

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) and US Airways (Phoenix) are celebrating one year under the same American Airlines Group ownership group as they continue the merger process towards a single operating certificate. Meanwhile US Airways continues to paint its fleet in the new American brand. American Airlines has outlined its plans to upgrade the travel experience for its passengers in 2015 with this report:

One year after closing its merger, American Airlines is looking ahead to 2015 and beyond with more than $2 billion in investments to give its customers a world-class travel experience.

“Now that we have the network to compete globally, we’re going to deliver a product that’s better than our competitors,” said Doug Parker, American Airlines chairman and CEO. “Refreshed cabins and clubs, modernized ticket counters, improved technology and new aircraft are further examples of how American is ‘going for great’ – providing our outstanding team members the tools they need to deliver a great experience for our customers.”

These capital investments include fully lie-flat seats; international Wi-Fi; more in-flight entertainment options; a new, modern design for Admirals Club lounges worldwide; and an upgraded assortment of complimentary healthy food, cocktails and more.

American closed the merger with US Airways on December 9, 2013, and has made significant progress in combining the two airlines.

Customers now have full access to the combined network thanks to the world’s largest codeshare. They can also earn and redeem miles on flights operated by American and US Airways and receive reciprocal access to clubs and upgrades. American’s cargo operation now functions as a single airline and planning is well underway for the major projects that will make American one airline during 2015. Meanwhile, American has posted consistent profits and has begun returning cash to shareholders through a stock buyback and dividend program implemented earlier this year.

Fleet

American Airlines is taking delivery of nearly 100 aircraft in 2014, giving it the youngest fleet of any U.S.-based network carrier, with an average aircraft age of 12.3 years. In addition, American will take delivery of 112 aircraft next year and 84 in 2016. Orders include the Airbus A320 family, A350-900s, Boeing 737 MAX, 777-300ERs and 787s, which will make American’s fleet even younger, more modern and fuel efficient. The airline continues to see success with its unmatched transcontinental service on the award-winning “A321T” (officially A321-231), which has the only true First Class service between the West Coast and New York.

Seats

American is upgrading the customer experience on several aircraft types that customers already fly today. Whether flying domestic or international, customers want recharging capabilities, comfort, and more modern features. American is delivering this to them with a new cabin environment onboard certain Boeing 757s and 767-300s, and a complete nose-to-tail overhaul on more than 90 Airbus A319s and all Boeing 777-200s. The investments mean that every First Class and Business Class seat on nearly every American Airlines widebody jet will feature fully lie-flat and direct aisle access seats.

Boeing 777-200 – The first refurbished 777-200 is already in service, featuring a Business Class seat designed especially for American Airlines customers, with direct aisle access and a private flying experience. The plane will have a modern interior – including a walk-up bar – with unique lighting, a dramatic archway and a spacious look. Main Cabin Extra will be added and all Main Cabin seats will have in-seat entertainment systems. All 47 aircraft are scheduled to be retrofitted by the end of 2016.

Boeing 757 – Aircraft used on trans-Atlantic and Latin America flights will get fully lie-flat seats in Business Class. Customers flying in the Main Cabin will also benefit from a refreshed cabin, power ports and in-flight connectivity.

Airbus A319 – One of the workhorses of the legacy US Airways fleet is scheduled for all new seats. Planned improvements include new seats throughout First Class and Main Cabin, and adding 24 Main Cabin Extra seats and power outlets throughout the cabin to charge personal electronic devices. All 93 A319s will be retrofitted and in service by the end of 2016.

Boeing 767-300 – Eleven refurbished aircraft are already in service and 14 more will be complete in 2015. The cabin will feature fully lie-flat seats with direct aisle access in Business Class and a refreshed Main Cabin. In addition, these aircraft will receive satellite in-flight connectivity.

Entertainment, W-Fi and Power

These investments also will include expanding in-flight entertainment and connectivity.

New Boeing 737-800s, nearly all new Airbus A321s, as well as retrofitted Airbus A319s will have power ports in every row. All new widebody deliveries, including Boeing 777-300 ERs and 787s, come with power at every seat, allowing customers to charge their laptops and their personal electronic devices from gate to gate.

In premium cabins, American is upgrading to the latest Bose® headset, the QC®25, on all flights to South America, Europe and Asia, as well as transcontinental flights.

Customers’ access to the Internet will soon extend around the globe. American is adding satellite-based Internet access on all 777s and A330s, as well as all of the retrofitted 767-300s and 757s, and all 787s, providing connectivity for international flights.

Admirals Club lounges

This year American Airlines celebrated the 75th anniversary of the industry’s first VIP lounge, the Admirals Club lounge in New York, which forever changed the air travel experience. In 2015, American will begin rolling out a modern design across its global network of lounges.

Admirals Club customers will see new and expanded complimentary food options, refurbished restroom and shower facilities, toiletry amenities, and improved technology for customers to use before flights. Additional healthy food items include Greek yogurt and oatmeal for breakfast, hearty soup offerings in every club, crudites and desserts. Additional improvements will continue to roll out in the coming months.

“We invented the airport lounge and in 2015 customers can expect us to reinvent the lounge experience,” said Fernand Fernandez, vice president of Global Marketing. “The same way we transformed transcontinental travel with the award-winning A321T, we will transform every aspect of our clubs with a remodeled design and furnishings, new food choices, and a first class assortment of wines and cocktails.”

Airport experience

American is also improving the customer’s passage through the airport by removing barriers between customers and agents, reducing queues and congestion, and keeping tech-savvy customers connected with charging stations for their devices. With the help of updated lobby designs, newer, faster and more reliable kiosks at check-in counters, and 400 additional kiosks in gate areas, customers will enjoy a faster, more streamlined experience.

Customers will also see 500 worktables with 12 power outlets each and seating for eight people near gates at all hub and gateway airports so they can charge their devices before their flight.

Premium services

American’s partnership with Cadillac improves the travel experience for the most loyal customers with tight transfer times as they are escorted to their next gate in luxury vehicles. The exclusive service is available now at Los Angeles International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and New York’s LaGuardia and Kennedy airports.

For customers who desire a private check-in experience, American will continue to offer exclusive service with Flagship Check-In at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Miami International Airport, and New York Kennedy.

Copyright Photo: Fred Freketic/AirlinersGallery.com. American Airlines’ Airbus A321-231 N112AN (msn 5991) taxies at the New York (JFK) hub.

American Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

American Airlines-US Airways aircraft slide show:

American counters Delta’s Philadelphia announcement, will start daytime Philadelphia-London Heathrow flights

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) on the heels of the Delta PHL-LHR announcement, has announced it will start new daily daytime service from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on March 29, 2015.

The new flight complements American’s existing overnight PHL-LHR service.

The new flight will be operated with a US Airways Boeing 757-200 on the following schedule:

PHL–LHR (all times local)
Departs PHL at 9:55 a.m.
Arrives at LHR at 10:10 p.m.

Departs LHR at 8:20 a.m.
Arrives at PHL at 11:35 a.m.

American’s PHL-LHR service will continue to be operated as part of the airline’s joint business agreement with fellow oneworld® member British Airways. Together, the two airlines offer customers four daily flights year-round between Philadelphia and London. From London, American’s customers have access to more than 70 destinations in Europe on British Airways.

The largest airline in the world also is the airline with the most extensive network out of Philadelphia.

American offers more than 475 daily flights to 124 destinations from its PHL hub.

Copyright Photo: Michael Kelly/AirlinersGallery.com. American’s Boeing 757-223 N174AA (msn 31308) in the oneworld livery departs from Dublin.

American Airlines (current livery) aircraft slide show:

American Airlines-US Airways aircraft slide show:

American Airlines (classic liveries) aircraft slide show:

American Airlines shifts the Edinburgh-Philadelphia route to New York JFK

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) is planning to shift US Airways‘ Edinburgh-Philadelphia route next summer to an Edinburgh-New York (JFK) routing according to the Scotsman city American sources. AA will operate the seasonal flight between May and September.

Copyright Photo: Karl Cornil/AirlinersGallery.com. US Airways’ Boeing 757-23N N203UW (msn 30548) in American colors departs from Brussels.

American Airlines (current livery):

American Airlines-US Airways:

American Airlines management and Allied Pilots Association search for agreement on a new contract

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) has offered its pilots, represented by the Allied Pilots Association, a reported “industry leading contract” according to Terry Maxon of the Dallas News. The two negotiation groups are facing a deadline of Saturday to resolve their outstanding issues with a new tentative agreement. The two parties started talking on July 8. The new contract would not impact the pilots of American Eagle-branded operations.

Read the full article: CLICK HERE

However despite this optimism, the union’s president issued this statement:

Since I forwarded management’s initial joint collective bargaining agreement economic proposals to you yesterday, the feedback we have received on the proposals has been overwhelmingly negative. No disagreement here. Management’s initial proposals are seriously lacking on various fronts.

After reading the letter from American Airlines President Scott Kirby yesterday morning addressed to the APA board of directors, your APA leadership expected something a lot different from what we received. Mr. Kirby noted that issues regarding Scope bring with them “a lot of history and skepticism,” and he’s right. The contrast between Mr. Kirby’s letter and the proposals that followed will only add to that baggage. While there was no call for an increase from 76 seats to 81 seats on commuter aircraft, management instead simply shifted their aim with a Scope proposal to add five seats to the medium-sized (up to 70 seats) regional jets. Moving this limitation would be well outside the industry standard. When compared to the industry standard, what management has proposed would dramatically increase the number of 70-seat commuter aircraft and related capacity flown by regional affiliates.

In addition, management does not appear to be interested in providing our pilots with a compensation package comparable to industry leader Delta Air Lines. While initially proposed pay rates are fractionally higher than Delta’s current pilot pay rates, there’s little adjustment for the absence of profit-sharing, which this year will equal 15 percent of annual earnings for Delta pilots. This means that American Airlines pilots’ compensation would continue to trail industry leader Delta by a significant margin. Meanwhile, our airline is producing its best-ever financial results, with forecasts of industry-leading profits and margins going forward. What’s wrong with this picture?

Delta’s CEO recently addressed the importance of a “positive employee culture” and “rewarding employees with pay for performance through profit sharing,” adding that it “drives revenue growth and better financial returns.” American Airlines management evidently believes otherwise. With the exception of Spirit Airlines, American Airlines is the only other airline that does not provide profit-sharing to its pilots.

Management’s initial proposals would have American Airlines pilots remaining under bankruptcy-era work rules and likewise do not address length-of-service credit and numerous other important quality-of-life issues that we have raised in bargaining. Additionally, their initial proposals fail to recognize that Delta pilots are on the cusp of negotiating a new contract that will likely lead to pay rate increases that will surpass management’s proposed pay rates in quick fashion.

During a recent conference, Mr. Kirby stated that better labor relations “lead to better financial results and better customer service.” Management’s initial proposals are inconsistent with that virtuous cycle and with the positive employee culture that has made this merger so successful thus far.

Where do we go from here? The APA board of directors convened at 1 p.m. today (November 12) to discuss management’s proposals and determine our next steps. The APA Negotiating Committee, Scope Committee, Industry Analysis Committee and director of economic and financial analysis addressed the board this afternoon.

Our goal remains a negotiated agreement reached at the bargaining table. Management’s latest proposals have made attaining our goal more challenging.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-823 N964AN (msn 30093) completes its final approach to the runway at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA).

American Airlines (current livery) aircraft slide show: