Category: Travel news (Page 16 of 174)

Bell announces delivery of third 429 to Swiss helicopter rescue company Air Zermatt

December 1, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Madrid, Spain – Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced at European Rotors 2023, the delivery of its third Bell 429 to Swiss-based helicopter rescue company, Air Zermatt.

With its 75-person medical personnel and flight crew, Air Zermatt provides transport, tourist flights, and rescue operations in the Swiss Alps and surrounding communities. Each year, Air Zermatt carries out around 2,000 rescue missions, the majority of which are with the Bell 429.

In addition to the delivery of their Bell 429, Air Zermatt has opted to add their entire Bell 429 fleet under Bell’s Customer Advantage Plan (CAP) that protects direct maintenance costs and aircraft value over time and helps to keep aircraft in service longer.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including expected delivery dates. Such statements are based on current expectations and projections about our future results, prospects and opportunities and are not guarantees of future performance. Such statements will not be updated unless required by law. Actual results and performance may differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

United Airlines expands in Houston with $2.6B terminal project

December 1, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Houston, December 1, 2023, PRNewswire – United Airlines Holdings Inc (Nasdaq: UAL) today announced growth plans in Houston that include a $2.6 billion renovation and expansion of Terminal B at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), a new United Club^SM location and Early Bag Storage facility (EBS) as well as a new direct flight to Georgetown, Guyana*.

These investments are part of the airline’s United Next growth plan and include the expansion of 40 gates at IAH to accommodate larger aircraft, resulting in a 40% increase in the overall number of people who can fly on peak travel dates in 2026 compared to 2023.

United’s Terminal B Transformation Program, pending final approval from Houston’s city council, will play an important part in the estimated 54 million future passengers that will annually travel throughout the Houston hub and aims to improve the travel experience from arrival to departure.

Project highlights include:

A three-level, 765,000 sq. ft. Terminal B North Concourse with 22 mainline, narrow-body gates
Converting 30 existing small regional jet gates to 18 gates to accommodate larger, two-class regional jets in the Terminal B South Concourse
Boarding via jet bridge for all flights
Two major concessions hubs with more than 115,000 sq. ft. of food and retail space
A new, state-of-the-art baggage handling system equipped with advanced tracking technology
The largest United Club in our system
Expanded curbside and roadway capacity with a ground-level check-in area, including the addition of a traffic bypass between Terminals B and A to allow Terminal B customers to exit the airport without having to drive past Terminal A as they do today
A new sensory room for passengers with disabilities

*flights subject to government approval.

Forward-Looking Statements

Porter Airlines orders 25 Embraer E195-E2 aircraft

December 1, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Sao Jose Dos Campos, Brazil, 29th November 2023 – Porter Airlines has exercised purchase rights to place a firm order for 25 Embraer SA ADR (NYSE: ERJ) E195-E2 passenger jets, adding to their 50 existing firm orders. Porter will use the new aircraft to extend its award-winning service to destinations throughout North America. The deal, valued at US$2.1bn at list price, will be added to the Q4 backlog, and brings Porter’s orders with Embraer to 75 firm, with 25 purchase rights remaining.

Porter, the North American launch customer for Embraer’s E195-E2, has already taken delivery of 24 E195-E2’s, and recently announced new destinations including Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco, and Los Angeles; with destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean also planned. The aircraft are currently deployed from Eastern Canada, with a focus on Toronto Pearson International Airport and Ottawa. Halifax and Montreal are also seeing new services with the E195-E2. Porter has chosen to configure the 146-seat aircraft in a comfortable 132-seat all-economy configuration, with a variety of seat pitches on offer for their guests: 36, 34, and 30 inches.

About Embraer

A global aerospace company headquartered in Brazil, Embraer has businesses in Commercial and Executive aviation, Defense & Security and Agricultural Aviation. The company designs, develops, manufactures and markets aircraft and systems, providing Services & Support to customers after-sales.

Forward-Looking Statements

Airbus and Norwegian Air Ambulance sign for H135 and H145 helicopters

November 29, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Madrid, Spain – The Norwegian Air Ambulance has ordered three Airbus Group SE (Paris: AIR) H135’s and two five-bladed H145’s that will be used for life-saving missions in Denmark, following a tender the operator recently won in the country. Moreover, the HEMS operator will take delivery of two new H145’s in 2024 to expand their fleet in Norway.

Today, Norwegian Air Ambulance operates all 13 HEMS bases in Norway and all 4 bases in Denmark using a 100% Helionix-equipped fleet of H135’s and H145’s. The organisation’s parent company, the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation, was the first operator in the world to take delivery of a five-bladed H145 in 2020.

The H135 is the market leader in helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) worldwide, followed by the H145. Both helicopters are equipped with Airbus’ Helionix avionics suite, enhancing complementarity and enabling an almost seamless transition from one type to another, while its features increase safety and reduce pilot workload. Their particularly low acoustic footprint makes the H135 and the H145 the quietest helicopters in their class, while their CO2 emissions are the lowest amongst their direct competitors.

Forward-Looking Statements

Air France-KLM and Etihad Airways announce frequent flyer partnership

November 27, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Air France-KLM Group SA (Paris: AIRF) and Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, today announced a new partnership between their respective loyalty programs following the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two airline Groups in September 2023.

As part of this new partnership, members of Flying Blue, Air France and KLM’s loyalty program, and members of Etihad Guest, the loyalty program of Etihad Airways, will now be able to earn and redeem Miles on either loyalty programme when flying on Air France, KLM or Etihad. Reciprocal benefits for elite members will be announced soon.

Following the MoU signed earlier this year, Air France-KLM and Etihad Airways customers now have the opportunity to connect, and therefore to earn and redeem miles, to more than 60 new routes covering destinations worldwide.

The partnership will go live today, on the heels of Air France’s inaugural flight from Paris Charles-de-Gaulle to Abu Dhabi International Airport this past October 29th.

Flying Blue Miles can be redeemed to enjoy a vast range of benefits from flights, worldwide hotel stays, car rentals, or products from the Flying Blue Store. Etihad Guest Miles can be spent on flights, worldwide hotel stays and vacations, or products from the Etihad Guest Reward Shop.

Air France currently operates daily flights between Paris – Charles de Gaulle and Abu Dhabi International Airport while Etihad currently operates daily flights to both Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol from Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Forward-Looking Statements

Air Canada Celebrates the Arrival of its First Airbus A220, Continuing its Fleet Modernization Program (CNW Group/Air Canada)

Canadiens announce Air Canada as official road jersey partner

November 27, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Montreal, Quebec, Canada, November 2023 – The Montreal Canadiens and Air Canada (Toronto: AC) have announced a multi-year jersey partnership agreement, which will see the Air Canada logo featured on Canadiens away jerseys worn on the road throughout the duration of the partnership, starting today. The news deepens a 40-plus year partnership between two brands with one common heritage in Montreal.

The addition of the Air Canada patch comes as part of the NHL’s Jersey Advertising Program, introduced last season, which allows NHL teams to advertise a partner’s logo on their game jerseys. Featuring the Air Canada name and iconic rondelle (the red maple leaf enclosed in a circle), the patch will be displayed on the team’s official away white jerseys and will be stitched in the upper right chest area. It will be worn beginning with tonight’s matchup with the Anaheim Ducks in Anaheim, California.

The partnership will also bring a positive impact to the greater Montreal Community. At the end of each season for the duration of the agreement, The Air Canada Foundation and the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation will auction off a set of game-worn road jerseys, with all proceeds benefiting local children’s charities which aims to inspire access to the game of hockey for young Canadiens fans.

Fans will be able to obtain the Air Canada patch exclusively, and at no additional charge, on official away jerseys sold at Tricolore Sports locations inside the Bell Centre and at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, or via phone at 514-989-2836. More information is available at canadiens.com/jersey.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including expected delivery dates. Such statements are based on current expectations and projections about our future results, prospects and opportunities and are not guarantees of future performance. Such statements will not be updated unless required by law. Actual results and performance may differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Forward-Looking Statements

SBB announces its 2024 timetable so tourist can travel areas more directly

November 27, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

The new timetable brings additional connections where demand is growing the most. Popular tourist destinations such as Valais and Graubünden will be even better connected. There are also further targeted improvements. A lot will also be done in 2024 to maintain and expand the rail network; Accordingly, there are many construction sites across the entire network. SBB does everything it can to ensure that travelers can rely on reliable connections.

National and international passenger transport: More direct connections, additional stops in tourist regions and new seasonal offers

The most important innovations in national long-distance transport:

Since the last timetable change in December 2022, two trains have been running directly from Geneva via Zurich to Chur and vice versa on weekends. Due to high demand, two additional direct trains will be introduced on this line. There are now four attractive direct connections in each direction spread throughout the day on weekends.
From Christmas to Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost and June to October, a direct train connects Zurich (from 7:38 a.m.) with Brig (at 9:38 a.m.) in just 2 hours on Saturdays and in the opposite direction on Sundays (Brig from 4:18 p.m. – Zurich HB 6:32 p.m.). ). The train also stops in Frutigen and takes skiers, hikers and bikers to the Bernese Oberland and the Upper Valais without having to change on Saturday morning and back again on Sunday evening. This will create a half-hourly service during peak times on the Thun-Brig or Brig-Spiez/Thun route.
From January 13th to March 3rd, 2024, there will be two fast and direct connections from Zurich HB (departures at 8:27 a.m. and 9:40 a.m.) to Einsiedeln (arrivals at 9:19 a.m. and 10:24 a.m.) on weekend mornings and back again in the afternoon (departures at 3:32 p.m. and 4:38 p.m.). Clock). This RegioExpress takes cross-country skiers and sun-seekers from Zwinglistadt to the home of the Black Madonna without having to change trains.
From Tuesday to Sunday, commuters and other travelers can get directly to Bern (at 6:24 a.m.) and Basel (at 7:32 a.m.) earlier than before thanks to the IC6 with departure from Brig at 5:16 a.m.; in the evening the last IC6 runs from Basel (from 10:28 p.m.) via Bern (from 11:37 p.m.) to Brig (at 12:41 a.m.) now an hour later than before. Due to maintenance in the Lötschberg Base Tunnel, the last train on Sunday evening or the first on Monday morning continues to run as IC61 from/to Basel via Bern to/from Interlaken (instead of Brig).
The IC3 between Zurich and Chur runs every half hour on weekends all year round.
For night owls, a new express connection runs on Friday and Saturday nights from Olten (from 12:40 a.m.) to Biel/Bienne (at 1:26 a.m.), with stops in Oensingen, Solothurn, and Grenchen Süd.
The original plan was to introduce full half-hourly service through the Gotthard Base Tunnel with this timetable change. Since operations are restricted following the derailment of a freight train on August 10, 2023, the introduction of the half-hourly service will be delayed until the base tunnel can be used normally again. As of the timetable change, 31 fast passenger trains will run through the Gotthard Base Tunnel between Friday and Sunday evenings.

The most important innovations in international passenger transport:

International trips are also popular, for example to the Bavarian capital. In the future, an additional train will run daily in each direction between Zurich and Munich, meaning travelers will have a continuous two-hour service.
Since November 24, 2023, 13 direct IC connections have been running between Zurich and Stuttgart, with no change in Singen.

The most important innovations in rolling stock:

On the RegioExpress between Olten and Lucerne, SBB is expanding the seating capacity by using double-decker trains.
Due to the implementation of the Disability Equality Act (BehiG), there will be a change in the use of rolling stock on some long-distance routes.

airBaltic to become largest Airbus A220 customer in Europe

November 13, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Dubai Air Show, November 13, 2023 – airBaltic will become the largest Airbus Group SE (Paris: AIR) A220 customer in Europe after confirming an incremental order for an additional 30 A220-300s. This new order will take the airline’s total firm orderbook to 80 aircraft.

Already operating a 44 strong fleet of A220-300s, airBaltic is currently the largest A220-300 operator in the world.

The airline’s history with the Airbus A220-300 dates back to 2016 where it was the launch customer, and in 2020, it refreshed its fleet to solely operate this aircraft type.

Forward-Looking Statements

Fiji Airways wins APEX award for best entertainment & best seat comfort in South Pacific

November 12, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

November 10, 2023 – Fiji Airways is closing off the airline award season on a high with two prestigious accolades in the APEX Passenger Choice Awards for 2024.

The National Airline has been honoured with the coveted awards;

Best Entertainment in the South Pacific
Best Seat Comfort in the South Pacific

This is the first time that Fiji Airways’ inflight entertainment offerings have been recognised, while the airline has won Best Seat Comfort for the second year in a row.

The company has recently added award-winning blockbuster titles from Disney and HBO to its inflight entertainment content providing more than 840 hours of content, offering guests the most comprehensive and immersive experience in the South Pacific region.

In addition, Fiji Airways has also introduced wellness content such as meditation and breath work to help guests arrive at their destination relaxed and rejuvenated.

Moreover, the airline also offers complimentary full flight Wi-Fi browsing in Business Class, 15 minutes complimentary text Wi-Fi in Economy Class, and more attractive Wi-Fi purchase plans on their A350 and 737 MAX fleet. Which means that passengers flying between the United States and Australia/New Zealand via Nadi, will have the most comprehensive Inflight Entertainment and Connectivity experience offered by any airline flying the region.

The company attributes its recognition for Best Seat Comfort in the South Pacific for two years running to the fact that it has one of the youngest and most modern fleet in the world.

The four flagship Airbus A350’s, which service medium and long haul flights, feature Collins Aerospace Super Diamond full lie-flat seats, offering extra comfort with generous bedding and amenities for Business Class guests. A turn down service which includes a mattress, duvet, blanket and pillow is a favourite for guests on long haul flights.

The airline remains focused on inspiring and motivating travellers by offering unparalleled service, ensuring passenger satisfaction, and creating unforgettable moments.

Rex Airlines wins APEX Award for best cabin service in the South Pacific

November 12, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Rex Airlines has been recognised as having the South Pacific’s Best Cabin Service in the 2024 Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX) Awards. The award was presented in Singapore last night where Rex’s Executive Chairman, Lim Kim Hai, accepted it on behalf of the airline.

The award ceremony was part of the FTE APEX Asia Expo, the air transport industry’s largest passenger experience and business performance event. APEX said nearly one million flights were anonymously rated by passengers across more than 600 airlines from around the world using a five-star scale.

Rex is Australia’s largest independent regional and domestic airline operating a fleet of 58 Saab 340 and 9 Boeing 737-800NG aircraft to 56 destinations throughout all states in Australia. In addition to the airline Rex, the Rex Group comprises wholly owned subsidiaries Pel-Air Aviation (air freight, aeromedical and charter operator), the Australian Airline Pilot Academy with campuses in Wagga Wagga and Ballarat, and propeller maintenance organisation, Australian Aerospace Propeller Maintenance. Rex is also a 50% shareholder of National Jet Express (NJE), a premier Fly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO), charter and freight operator.

National and international passenger transport: More direct connections, additional stops in tourist regions and new seasonal offers

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