Tag: London (Page 12 of 13)
(Reuters) – Air Canada said on Tuesday it would delay the launch of certain seasonal flights this spring, as the carrier wrestles with the challenge of servicing routes previously flown by its grounded Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Canada’s largest carrier said it would put off the launch of at least five seasonal routes, including delaying its Vancouver to Boston service to June 16 from June 1.
Montreal-based Air Canada said a previously-announced halting of flights from two Eastern Canadian cities to London’s Heathrow airport would now remain suspended until May 31.
Air Canada, which previously suspended its 2019 financial forecasts, has removed 24 MAX jets from its flight schedule until July 1, following grounding of the Boeing jets after two recent crashes involving the model.
The global grounding, following the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight in March, has left U.S. and Canadian airlines with the logistical challenge of replacing the popular roughly 175-seat MAX on certain routes, at a time of rising passenger demand.
The Canadian carrier has been flying alternative planes or consolidating flights into larger jets that were previous flown more frequently on smaller aircraft.
Air Canada has also said it is speeding up the integration of four Airbus A321 aircraft it acquired in late December from Iceland’s cash-strapped WOW air.
Air Canada is “accommodating as best as they can,” said AltaCorp analyst Chris Murray. “At the same time, there is still some uncertainty about when the MAX grounding notice is going to be lifted.”
On Monday, Boeing said it planned to submit a proposed software enhancement package for the grounded 737 MAX in “the coming weeks” after the company had previously said it planned to deliver the fix for government approval by last week.
Anglo-German tour operator TUI said last week that its profit would fall by at least 200 million euros ($223.96 million) this year due to the cost of substituting for the MAX planes, along with loss of business and lower fuel efficiency from the replacement aircraft.
(Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Bill Berkrot)
(Reuters) – Iceland’s WOW air became the latest budget airline casualty on Thursday, halting operations and cancelling all future flights after efforts to raise more funds failed.
WOW, which focussed on low-cost travel across the Atlantic, advised stranded travellers to seek flights with other airlines. It flew a total of 3.5 million passengers last year.
“This is probably the hardest thing I have ever done but the reality is that we have run out of time and have unfortunately not been able to secure the funding of the company,” WOW CEO and founder Skuli Mogensen wrote in a letter to the company’s 1,000 employees.
“I will never be able to forgive myself for not taking action sooner,” he added.
WOW had earlier postponed flights on Thursday as it entered what it had hoped were the final stages of an equity raising with a group of investors.
“My flight from Boston has been cancelled. Having a hard time getting through to anyone on the phone. Can you help me at all?” Twitter user Marc Solari wrote.
WOW replied with an apology and offer of further assistance.
WOW is the latest budget airline to collapse as the European airline sector grapples with over-capacity and high fuel costs. Recent failures include Britain’s Flybmi, Nordic budget airline Primera Air and Cypriot counterpart Cobalt.
“RESCUE FARES”
Other airlines including, Icelandair, Easyjet and Norwegian stepped in offering discounted ‘rescue fares’ to stranded passengers, according to the Icelandic Transport Authority
WOW has been pursuing different avenues to raise money over the past few months.
It ended talks with rival Icelandair last Sunday while veteran low-cost airline investor Bill Franke also had cancelled a proposed investment through private equity fund Indigo Partners.
Icelandair shares traded up 13 percent percent at 1215 GMT after the failure of a competitor.
Founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Mogensen, WOW used smaller single-aisle planes to fly between Iceland and many destinations in the United States and Europe.
Its website had advertised flights from London to cities such as New York and Boston for as little as 150 pounds, although the journey went via the Icelandic capital Reykjavik.
Norwegian Air has a little over half of the market share in the fast-growing, low-cost, long-haul transatlantic market, while WOW controlled a quarter in 2018.
There are fears of a knock-on effect on Iceland’s important tourism industry.
Around 30 percent of tourists visiting Iceland last year flew with WOW and the collapse could trigger a 16 percent drop in tourists this year, research from Icelandic bank Arion showed.
( By Stine Jacobsen and Tommy Lund; editing by Darren Schuettler/Keith Weir)
LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – British Airways owner IAG said it expected earnings in 2019 to be flat after it weathered the impact of rising fuel costs and air traffic control disruption to meet expectations for its 2018 results on Thursday.
IAG reported a 9.5 percent rise in operating profit before exceptional items for the year to December 31 to 3.23 billion euros, but said there would be no growth in 2019 as earnings would be in line with the previous year’s results.
“This was a very good performance despite three significant challenges: fuel prices increasing 30 percent, considerable Air Traffic Control disruption and an adverse foreign exchange impact of 129 million euros,” Chief Executive Willie Walsh said.
IAG said that passenger revenue rose 6.2 percent across the group, with passenger unit revenue up 2.4 percent.
In a separate statement, IAG said it would order 18 Boeing 777-9s and options for 24 more for British Airways to replace 14 747-400s and four 777-200s between 2022 and 2025.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout, editing by James Davey)
International Consolidated Airlines Group, S.A., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of passenger and cargo transportation services in the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, the United States, and rest of the world. The company operates under the British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, LEVEL, IAG Cargo, Avios, and Aer Lingus brands.
SAVANNAH, Ga., Feb. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. today announced it will showcase the clean-sheet, record-breaking Gulfstream G500 along with the class-leading, super-midsize Gulfstream G280 at the 2019 Aviation Africa Summit & Exhibition from Feb. 27-28 in Kigali, Rwanda. Gulfstream’s exhibition will be at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, and the aircraft will be on static display at Kigali International Airport.
“Gulfstream is committed to customers in sub-Saharan Africa and growing business aviation in the region,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “Rwanda has made great investments in business aviation, and we are proud to support those efforts with our presence and static display in Kigali. Whether flying from country to country or intercontinentally, the G500 and G280 offer operators ideal options for this region.”
The award-winning G500 can fly 5,200 nautical miles/9,630 kilometers at its long-range cruise speed of Mach 0.85 and can easily connect Kigali to London at Mach 0.90 or Kigali to Singapore at Mach 0.87. When it entered service in September 2018, the G500 had already achieved 22 city-pair records around the world and currently holds a total of 32 city-pair records. The G500 that will be on display at Aviation Africa is in service with Qatar Airways’ Qatar Executive fleet.
The high-performing and agile G280 can fly 3,600 nm/6,667 km at Mach 0.80, and can travel nonstop from Kigali to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, at Mach 0.84 or Kigali to Bangalore, India, at Mach 0.80. The aircraft can easily access smaller airports, reach high altitudes quickly and offers excellent takeoff and landing performance.
NOTE TO EDITORS
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (GD), designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world’s most technologically advanced business-jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced more than 2,800 aircraft for customers around the world since 1958. To meet the diverse transportation needs of the future, Gulfstream offers a comprehensive fleet of aircraft, comprising the Gulfstream G280™, the Gulfstream G550™, the Gulfstream G500™, the Gulfstream G600™, the Gulfstream G650™ and the Gulfstream G650ER™. We invite you to visit our website for more information and photos at www.gulfstreamnews.com.
More information about General Dynamics is available at www.generaldynamics.com.
LONDON (Reuters) – British regional airline Flybmi has gone into administration and has cancelled all flights with immediate effect, the company said in a statement on Saturday, blaming Brexit uncertainty as one of the reasons for its collapse.
A spokesperson for British Midland Regional Ltd said the company had taken the decision due to increased fuel and carbon costs and to uncertainty arising from Britain’s plans to leave the European Union on March 29.
The airline, based in the English East Midlands, operates 17 planes flying to 25 European cities. It employs 376 people in Britain, Germany, Sweden and Belgium.
“We sincerely regret that this course of action has become the only option open to us, but the challenges, particularly those created by Brexit, have proven to be insurmountable,” the company said.
Spikes in fuel and carbon costs had undermined efforts to move the airline into profit.
It added: “Current trading and future prospects have also been seriously affected by the uncertainty created by the Brexit process, which has led to our inability to secure valuable flying contracts in Europe and lack of confidence around bmi’s ability to continue flying between destinations in Europe.”
The airline, which said it carried 522,000 passengers on 29,000 flights in 2018, advised customers with bookings to contact their bank or payment card issuer to obtain refunds.
British Airways’ new year’s resolution is to provide its customers with even more quality and choice in every cabin on every route – with a £6.5bn investment and 18 great reasons to look forward to flying with the airline in 2019.
Here are some of the reasons to fly with British Airways this year:
- New routes. Customers can try out the airline’s new routes to Charleston y’all, with Pittsburgh, Osaka, Kos and Corsica, Ljubljana, Montpellier, among others. It’s the airline’s most extensive route network in more than a decade.
- New aircraft. Customers can fly on one of the carrier’s 15 plush new aircraft being delivered this year – including four fabulous A350 aircraft.
- A brand-new Club World seat, featuring on the new A350 aircraft, and two 777 aircraft by the end of the year.
- WiFi. The best, live streaming WiFi on all short-haul flights and the vast majority of long-haul flights so customers can sit back and enjoy films and TV shows from their favourite streaming service.
- A new look for First. New first-class dining, bedding and amenity kits from one of the UK’s best-loved designers.
- An industry-leading makeover for World Traveller Plus. Look out for new bedding and new dining in this intimate and exclusive cabin.
- New lounges for customers to relax and enjoy ahead of their flight, in San Francisco, Johannesburg, Geneva and JFK.
- An extended partnership with premium dining supremo Do&Co, the airline’s new in-flight caterer from Heathrow and already providing meals in Club Europe.
- A new ba.com homepage, making booking with British Airways even easier and more intuitive.
- New partners for the British Airways Executive Club, offering even more ways to collect and spend Avios.
- Digital bag tags. A UK airline first. Sync your personal baggage tag with the BA app, drop your luggage at the airport, and fly.
- Self-service baggage drops at Heathrow T3 offering customers the same service as T5.
- Facial recognition technology. More biometric technology at Heathrow, London City and Gatwick, New York JFK, Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami and many more. The system makes boarding faster and more convenient, helping British Airways depart flights on, or ahead of time.
- New emissions-free, remote-controlled pushback vehicles for long-haul aircraft to continue to improve punctuality. Short-haul versions reduced pushback delays by more than 70 per cent.
- New winter equipment – helping British Airways safely de-ice its fleet of almost 300 aircraft quicker than ever during the frosty winter months.
- Hotel reservations. Investment in new technology will see rooms automatically booked for customers who miss their flights due to disruption.
- Enhanced customer service. Almost 30,000 staff will receive the airline’s all-new customer service training. At T5 – more airport hosts than ever before are being re-trained to manage any customer issue, from re-booking to upgrades, lounge access, baggage and transfer queries and flight information.
- And last but not least – look out for British Airways’ Centenary celebrations. It’s going to be 100 years’ old this year, and will be celebrating in style, sharing its heritage and looking at what to expect from flying in the future.
Story and image from http://www.britishairways.com
Boeing today delivered the first of ten 787 Dreamliners to WestJet, marking the start of the airline’s global expansion. Having long operated a fleet of Boeing single-aisle jets, WestJet will use the super-efficient, long-range 787-9 Dreamliner to profitably serve new international routes.”Today’s delivery marks a new chapter for WestJet,” said Ed Sims, president and CEO of Calgary-based WestJet. “Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is one of the most technologically advanced aircraft ever flown and is the perfect platform for our transition to a global network carrier. We look forward to bringing Canadians to the world and the world to Canada in comfort and style.”
This spring, WestJet will use the 787-9 – the longest-range Dreamliner that can fly 7,635 nautical miles (14,140km) – to offer the first-ever flight connecting Calgary and Dublin. The airline will also offer non-stop Dreamliner service between Calgary and London Gatwick and Calgary and Paris.
The 787 Dreamliner – the fastest-selling widebody jet in history with about 1,400 orders – allows airlines to reduce fuel use and emissions by 20 to 25 percent and serve far-away destinations. The combination of super fuel efficiency and long range has helped airlines save more than 30 billion pounds of fuel and open more than 210 non-stop routes.
WestJet’s 787-9 will accommodate 320 passengers in a three-class configuration. The Dreamliner’s passenger-pleasing interior, which includes large windows, lower-cabin altitude and smooth-ride technology, complements WestJet’s all-new business cabin featuring the carrier’s first lie-flat seats.
“We are excited to welcome our friends at WestJet to the Dreamliner family. The airline has achieved impressive growth with the Boeing 737 and will now use the 787’s unmatched performance and passenger comforts to profitably launch a new ‘global era’,” said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Commercial Sales & Marketing for The Boeing Company.
In preparation for its new Dreamliners, WestJet recently added digital solutions powered by Boeing AnalytX, to optimize its operations. These include Airplane Health Management, which provides predictive analytics to optimize WestJet’s 787 fleet operations, as well as Toolbox, which delivers real-time information for technicians to quickly resolve maintenance issues and keep airlines on schedule.
Story and image from http://www.boeing.com
From BBC News
A group of lucky Cathay Pacific customers have scored first-class seats at economy prices, in the second fare blunder by the airline this month.
Tickets on trips from Hong Kong to Portugal were sold on the airline’s website for $1,512, instead of $16,000 usually charged for a similar journey.
The carrier said it would honour the tickets as it investigates the cause of the error.
It extends a recent run of blows to the firm including a huge data breach.
The mispriced fares were available on Cathay Pacific’s website on Sunday.
First-class flights from Lisbon to Hong Kong – via London with a connecting flight – were offered for $1,512 (£1,177), according to the South China Morning Post.
A similar first-class journey through Frankfurt would cost $16,000.
In a statement, the Hong Kong carrier said it would honour the tickets.
“We are looking into the root cause of this incident both internally and externally with our vendors,” it said.
“For the very small number of customers who have purchased these tickets, we look forward to welcoming you on board to enjoy our premium services.”
Just two weeks ago the airline made the same blunder.
Lucky flyers made off with business-class seats on flights from Vietnam to New York for about $675 return. They should have cost $16,000.
At the time, the carrier acknowledged its “mistake” and again, said it would welcome the passengers onboard.
Cathay Pacific to honour $16,000 fares sold for $675
Airlines have a mixed history of honouring tickets sold in error.
Singapore Airlines, for example, honoured tickets sold for less than half price in 2014. But United Airlines cancelled transatlantic tickets sold for less than $100 by a “third party software provider” the following year.
A challenging year
The latest stumble extends a bad run for Cathay Pacific.
In October, the firm was the subject of a data breach in its IT systems, jeopardising the personal information of up to 9.4 million passengers.
Huge data hack hits Cathay Pacific
A month earlier, it had to send one of its planes back to the paint shop after spelling the airline’s name “Cathay Paciic” on the side of a jet.
Those missteps come as the airline tries to return to profitability after posting its first ever back-to-back annual loss in March.
Cathay Pacific has struggled against competition, particularly from low-cost Chinese carriers covering Hong Kong, mainland China and South East Asia.
Image from http://www.cathaypacific.com
ABU DHABI (Reuters) – Indian airline IndiGo on Sunday said wide-bodied aircraft are an “aspiration” and talks with manufacturers are ongoing but there is no firm timeline amid difficult market conditions in the Indian market.
The budget airline, owned by InterGlobe Aviation <INGL.NS>, faces fierce competition in the very price sensitive Indian market where carriers are struggling to remain profitable despite filling 90 percent of their seats and rising demand.
IndiGo recently reported a steep fall in quarterly profit due to higher fuel prices and continued pressure on yields reflecting price competition.
“Wide-bodied aircraft are an aspiration, we have talked to manufacturers. We are looking at A330neo and Boeing 787,” Chief Commercial Officer Willy Boulter told Reuters in Abu Dhabi, declining to go into details.
IndiGo, India’s biggest low-cost carrier by market share, announced direct flights, starting Monday from two south Indian cities, Kochi and Kozhikode to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
In the Gulf, the airline has direct flights to Dubai and Sharjah in the UAE as well as to Doha and Muscat. Flights to Kuwait will be launched this week, to Saudi Arabia in November and Hong Kong in December, Boulter said.
In early 2019, IndiGo plans to start flights to London with an Airbus A321 aircraft stopping at a mid-point that is yet to be selected, he said. Other international destinations for launch include Kuala Lumpur and Phuket, Thailand, in November.
IndiGo is working closely with the Indian government to take advantage of opportunities under bilateral agreements where travel rights will become available for additional markets, he said, adding that IndiGo has applied for rights to Europe and Asia.
“We are confident of bilaterals being expanded further,” he said.
IndiGo has a fleet of 192 aircraft and more than 400 aircraft on order. The first batch of Airbus A321neo aircraft with 222 seats will be delivered next month, he said.
(Reporting By Stanley Carvalho)
