Aer Lingus has announced it will commence Dublin – Seattle/Tacoma nonstop service on May 18, 2018. The new route will operate four days a week.
This is Ireland’s first direct service between Dublin and the Seattle area.
Copyright Photo:ย Aer Lingus Airbus A330-302 EI-FNH (msn 1744) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 937842.
WestJet, Air France and KLM on November 15, 2017 announced the redemption phase of their reciprocal frequent flyer agreement. Flying Blue Miles can now be redeemed for WestJet flights and WestJet dollars can now be redeemed for flights within the Air France and KLM global network.
The announcement comes on the heels of the airlines’ successful launch of the earn phase of the reciprocal frequent flyer agreement and further complements their long-standing code share cooperation.
Members of WestJet Rewards can now redeem WestJet dollars on Air France-KLM destinations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Members of Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program can now redeem their Flying Blue Miles to WestJet destinations throughout Canada, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America.
Copyright Photo:ย WestJet Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 C-FRAX (msn 60510) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 939575.
Sarliaq Aviation, a Nunavut-based company, in partnership with Quebec transporter Nolinor Aviation, has signed a 10-year agreement with Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. to provide air transportation for employees and cargo from Montreal and Abitibi-Temiscamingue to the companyโs mining projects in the Kivalliq region in Nunavut. The contract was secured through a rigorous bidding process, during which the partner companies demonstrated that they met the mining companyโs extensive list of prerequisites for punctual and safe service.
โSarliaq Aviation and Nolinor have worked together since 2010, and we are thrilled to continue our partnership through this new contract,โ said Silu Panniuq, president of Sarliaq Aviation. โThis 10-year agreement will solidify the companyโs future, ensure long-term employment and expand our service offer through Agnico Eagle.โ
โWe already provide employee and cargo transport for Agnico Eagleโs Meadowbank open-pit gold mine, near Baker Lake. The new agreement will add flights to Rankin Inlet for their new mine, Meliadine, currently under construction. In all, Nolinor will provide 416 flights per year, or 8 flights per week, to Nunavut,โ explained Jacques Prudโhomme, president of Nolinor Aviation.
Transportation will be provided using the largest Boeing 737-200 fleet in the world, operated by Nolinor Aviation, a Quebec company based in Mirabel. These airplanes offer the best load capacity, the fastest flights and the most flexible configuration on the market. They can takeoff and land on a gravel strip and are used by most mining projects in Canada. Nolinor can transport passengers, cargo or a combination of the two. Safe, high-quality service is a major factor in Nolinor Aviationโs reputation, and the company has an on-time departure rate of more than 97% year after year.
Agnico Eagle is a senior Canadian gold mining company that has produced precious metals since 1957. Its eight mines are located in Canada, Finland and Mexico, with exploration and development activities in each of these countries as well as in the United States and Sweden. Agnico Eagle employs more than 8,300 people and celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.
Sarliaq Aviation Ltd. was established in 2016 under the Nunavut Business Corporations Act. In early 2017, the company became a certified Inuit firm through Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI). Sarliaq Aviation was created to provide turnkey solutions in air transportation.
Founded in 1992, Nolinor Aviation is an air transportation company specializing in commercial charter flights. With a fleet of aircraft that can be readily configured in numerous ways, Nolinor can meet the needs of clients looking to transport passengers, cargo or both. Nolinor Aviation offers air services across Canada and to the U.S. and many other destinations around the world, and is recognized for the safety of its equipment and its services. The Nolinor team counts 240 employees in 6 Canadian provinces, made up of senior pilots, experienced flight attendants, certified flight dispatchers and the best technicians in the industry. Nolinor Aviation (IATA code N5) is a private company, wholly owned by the Prudโhomme family trust.ย
Top Copyright Photo:ย Nolinor Aviation Boeing 737-2K2C C-GNLK (msn 20836) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 929171.
Air Canada and Air Canada rouge are suspending winter seasonal service to both San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Maarten due to hurricane damage and the long recovery for both islands. The airline was planning to operate to San Juan from both Montreal and Toronto (Pearson) this winter as well as Toronto – St. Maarten.
The airline is planning to resume winter service to both destinations in the winter 2018/19 season according to Airline Route.
Copyright Photo:ย Air Canada Airbus A321-211 C-GJWI (msn 1772) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 937007.
Air Canada and Sky Regional Airlines announced on November 7, 2017 they have concluded a 10-year extension to theirย existing capacity purchase agreement (CPA), effective April 1, 2017.
In addition to Sky Regional, Air Canada has capacity purchase agreements with its other regional airline partners, Jazz, Air Georgian and EVAS, that operate regional Air Canada Express flights on behalf of Air Canada.
Sky Regional Airlines Inc. is a Canadian company that operates regional routes on behalf of Air Canada under the Air Canada Express banner. Since its inception in 2010, and its first commercial flight on May 1, 2011, Sky Regional has operated a fleet of Bombardier Q400 aircraft offering service to such markets as Toronto, Montreal and Moncton.
In 2013, the airline expanded, adding 15 Embraer E175 series aircraft serving the Northeastern United States, flying in excess of 100 flights per day into cities including Boston, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Washington, Dallas, and Chicago. In 2016, Sky Regional expanded its fleet with an additional five E175 aircraft serving such markets as Jacksonville, Houston, Denver and Atlanta.
On February 23, 2017, the airline saw the departure of the Bombardier Q400s and now the entire fleet is comprised of 25 Embraer E175 series aircraft.
Copyright Photo:ย Air Canada Express (Sky Regional Airlines) Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) C-FRQN (msn 17000147) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 937582.
Route Map:
WestJet on October 31, 2017 announced its third quarter results for 2017, with record net earnings of $138.4 million, or $1.18 per fully diluted share, as compared with the net earnings of $116.0 million, or $0.97 per fully diluted share reported in the third quarter of 2016, up 19.4 per cent and 21.6 per cent, respectively. WestJet achieved its 50th consecutive quarter of profitability and flew an all-time quarterly record of 6.5 million guests. Based on the trailing twelve months, the airline achieved a return on invested capital of 10.2 per cent, up compared to the 9.8 per cent reported in the previous quarter.
“Today we reported our 50th consecutive profitable quarter, which included record earnings, margin expansion, positive year over year RASM growth, and improved return on invested capital, as we achieved the highest ever quarterly load factor in our 21-year history and flew an all-time quarterly record number of guests. Our business fundamentals continue to strengthen, which combined with new strategic initiatives, including the launching of Swoop in the summer of 2018 and Boeing Dreamliner service starting in 2019, gives us great confidence in our ability to deliver sustainable profitable growth and earnings expansion,” said WestJet President and CEO Gregg Saretsky. “I want to thank our more than 13,000 WestJetters for their dedication and energy in delivering our award-winning brand of friendly caring service, and I especially look forward to celebrating our success at the November profit share event.”
Operating highlights (stated in Canadian dollars)
| Q3 2017 | Q3 2016 | Change | Year-to-date 2017 | Year-to-date 2016 | Change | |
| Net earnings (millions) | $138.4 | $116.0 | 19.4% | $235.1 | $240.3 | (2.1%) |
| Diluted earnings per share | $1.18 | $0.97 | 21.6% | $2.00 | $1.98 | 1.0% |
| Total revenue (millions) | $1,215.6 | $1,124.3 | 8.1% | $3,384.9 | $3,105.1 | 9.0% |
| Operating margin | 16.6% | 15.1% | 1.5 pts | 10.7% | 11.4% | (0.7 pts) |
| ASMs (available seat miles) (billions) | 8.077 | 7.635 | 5.8% | 23.339 | 22.045 | 5.9% |
| RPMs (revenue passenger miles) (billions) | 6.922 | 6.414 | 7.9% | 19.575 | 18.152 | 7.8% |
| Load factor | 85.7% | 84.0% | 1.7 pts | 83.9% | 82.3% | 1.6 pts |
| Segment guests | 6,530,873 | 5,900,967 | 10.7% | 18,127,408 | 16,527,411 | 9.7% |
| Yield (revenue per revenue passenger mile) (cents) | 17.56 | 17.53 | 0.2% | 17.29 | 17.11 | 1.1% |
| RASM (revenue per available seat mile) (cents) | 15.05 | 14.73 | 2.2% | 14.50 | 14.09 | 2.9% |
| CASM (cost per available seat mile) (cents) | 12.55 | 12.50 | 0.4% | 12.96 | 12.48 | 3.8% |
| Fuel costs per litre (cents) | 62 | 57 | 8.8% | 63 | 53 | 18.9% |
| CASM, excluding fuel and employee profit share (cents)* | 9.26 | 9.38 | (1.3%) | 9.78 | 9.72 | 0.6% |
| ย *Refer to reconciliations in the accompanying tables for further information regarding calculations. |
Copyright Photo:ย WestJet Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX 8 C-FRAX (msn 60510) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 939575.
LATAM Airlines Group has announced plans to offer three new international routes in 2018 โBoston (United States), Rome (Italy), and Lisbon (Portugal) โ all to its Sรฃo Paulo/Guarulhos hub in Brazil, increasing connectivity from North America and Europe to Latin America.
The city of Boston will be the sixth addition to LATAMโs offer in the United States.
Sรฃo Paulo-Rome service
Starting on March 16, 2018, LATAM Airlines Brazil flight JJ8180 will depart Sรฃo Paulo/Guarulhos at 15:55 on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, arriving in Rome (Leonardo da Vinci International Airport) at 07:55 the next day, with a travel time of 12 hours. The return flight, JJ8181, will depart Rome at 10:00 on Monday, Thursday and Saturday, arriving in Sรฃo Paulo at 18:35 the same day, with a flight time of 12 hours and 35 minutes (all times local).
LATAM Airlines Brazil will operate the route with Boeing 767 aircraft, offering 191 seats in Economy and 30 seats in Premium Business. There will be three weekly flights (increasing to five weekly flights in July 2018) from Sรฃo Paulo to Rome, which will become the groupโs second destination in Italy, after Milan.
LATAM Airlines Group and its affiliates currently serve five cities in the United States (Miami, Orlando, New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles) and six destinations in Europe (Madrid, Barcelona, Paris, London, Frankfurt and Milan).
With these three new routes, the airline group will operate flights to 143 destinations in 26 countries. Since the beginning of 2016, LATAM has announced and/or launched 25 new international routes, including Sรฃo Paulo-Johannesburg, Lima-Barcelona, Lima Washington D.C., Santiago-Melbourne and Lima-San Josรฉ, Costa Rica.
Copyright Photo:ย LATAM Airlines (Brazil) Boeing 767-316 ER WL PT-MSY (msn 42214) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 933943.
Transat A.T. Inc. has announced the signing of a seven-year agreement with Thomas Cook Group Airlines for the exchange of aircraft on a seasonal basis. Under the terms of the agreement, Thomas Cook will make available every winter to Airย Transat a number of narrow body Airbus A321s and will receive at least one wide-body Airbus A330-200 in return. This will enable both companies to manage and utilize their fleet more efficiently.
The agreement takes advantage of the different seasonality of the two companies: Air Transat uses a greater number of smaller aircraft in winter to serve its destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and Florida, and larger aircraft in summer to serve the transatlantic market. In contrast, Thomas Cook uses smaller aircraft in summertime to fly to destinations around the Mediterranean Sea and larger wide-body aircraft in the winter to fly to the long-haul destinations like Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
In the past few years, Air Transat has implemented a flexible-fleet model, through agreements with various carriers, enabling it each winter to increase the number of narrow-body aircraft it operates and to reduce the number of wide-body aircraft. For example, in the winter 2016โ2017, the Company operated 20ย narrow-body aircraft (Boeing 737) and 12 wide-body aircraft (Airbus A310 and A330), while in the summer 2017, it used 7 narrow-body aircraft and 25 wide-body aircraft.
“This agreement marks a new step in the reconfiguration of our fleet,” says Jean-Marc Eustache, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transat. “It allows us to improve our flexible-fleet model, making it even more efficient. Our fleet will eventually consist solely of Airbus A330 and aircraft from the A320 family, such asย the A321, which will mean a more harmonized travel experience for our customers as well as lower operating costs,”.
Optimization of the Air Transat flexible fleet began with the recent announcement that its A310s would be replaced, beginning in early 2019, by A321neo LR aircraft, which have a range well-suited for operations in both of the carrier’s markets. This agreement is the second step in that optimization, and will see Air Transat’s seasonal Boeing 737s replaced by A321s. The third step will be the replacement of the Boeing 737s in its core fleet, which today number 7, also by A321s. At the same time, Air Transat has endeavoured to extend the leases on a large number of its A330 aircraft, thus taking advantage of lower leasing costs and ensuring stability for the years to come.
Above Copyright Photo: All Air Transat Boeing 737s will be replaced with Airbus A321s.ย Air Transat (Transavia France) Boeing 737-8GJ WL F-GZHA (msn 34901) FLL (Tony Storck). Image: 925674.
All of the A321s from the Thomas Cook fleet will be recent aircraft, and will have the same cabin configuration as Air Transat’s coming fleet of A321neo LRs: 199 seats, 12 of which will be Club Class. This means Transat customers will enjoy a more comparable in-flight experience regardless of destination.
In addition, once the optimization is complete, Air Transat will operate only two types of aircraft, and reap the benefits of the Airbus shared-cockpit philosophy and so-called mixed-fleet flying (i.e., pilots can be rated to fly more than one type of aircraft). This will enable the company to reduce costs (for example in maintenance and training) and considerably simplify its operations.
Aircraft Endangered Species List:
Top Copyright Photo: All of the Airbus A310s will be replaced with newer A321neo LRs by 2020.ย Air Transat Airbus A310-304 C-GTSW (msn 483) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 928787.
Air Transat:
Air Lease Corporation (AL) has announced long term lease agreements with Aer Lingus for seven new Airbus A321neo LR aircraft to operate on transatlantic and other routes. The aircraft are from ALCโs order book with Airbus.
The A321neo LR aircraft leased from ALC will allow Aer Lingus to eventually replace four Boeing 757-200s (below), and add more nonstop routes and frequencies to U.S. and Canadian cities.
Delivery of the aircraft is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2019, with three deliveries in 2019 and four deliveries in 2020.
Top Copyright Photo:ย Airbus A321-271N D-AVXA (msn 6673) (Airbus A321 NEO – New Engine Option) TLS (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 933316.
Aer Lingus Slide Show:
Bottom Copyright Photo:ย Aer Lingus (Aero Contractors) Boeing 757-2Q8 WL EI-LBR (msn 28167) YYZ (TMK Photography). Image: 933185.
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