The first A220-300 for Air Canada has successfully completed its inaugural test flight from the Mirabel A220 final assembly line in Canada. The first of 45 aircraft for Air Canada is scheduled to be delivered to the Montreal-based airline in the coming weeks.
With its first A220 commercial flight in early 2020, Canada’s flag carrier will become the first airline in Canada to operate the Canadian-designed and -built A220. It will also become the first carrier in North America to fly the A220-300 variant.
Air Canada is planning to use the A220 on various domestic routes in Canada as well as to the United States. The A220’s unequalled performance and range capability will enable the airline to serve new markets, such as Montreal to Seattle and Toronto to San Jose, connecting the carrier’s main hubs to the West Coast, as of Spring 2020.
Benefitting from the latest technologies, the A220 is the quietest, cleanest and most eco-friendly aircraft in its category. Featuring a 50% reduced noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft, 20% lower fuel burn per seat and 50% lower NOx emissions than industry standards, the A220 is a great aircraft for neighbourhood airports.
Around 100 A220s are currently flying with six operators on routes in Asia, America, Europe and Africa, proving the great versatility of Airbus’ latest family member.
Flag carrier of Kazakhstan intends to order the 737 MAX for its new low-cost airline FlyArystan
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Air Astana intends to order 30 Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes to serve as the backbone of its new low-cost airline FlyArystan, the Kazakh flag carrier and Boeing announced at the Dubai Airshow. The companies today signed a letter of intent for the 30 airplanes with a list price value of $3.6 billion.
Since beginning operations in May 2002, Air Astana has steadily grown its business from its hubs in Almaty and Nur-Sultan (formerly Astana), sprouting a network that serves major cities across Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Asia, China, Europe and Russia. It operates a growing fleet that includes the Boeing 757, 767 and the Airbus A320 family.
In May, Air Astana launched FlyArystan to better compete in the growing low-cost segment. The company says the new airline has seen strong ticket sales in just the first few months of operation. The plan is to expand the fast growing domestic network, with international services to Moscow commencing next month.
“Since its launch in May this year, FlyArystan has exceeded all expectations and it is clear that low cost air travel has a great future in Kazakhstan and Central Asia,” said Peter Foster, President and CEO of Air Astana. “Air Astana has had a strong relationship with Boeing ever since the airline started flying in 2002 with a pair of 737NGs. Today we operate both 757s and 767s and we believe that the MAX will provide a solid platform for the growth of FlyArystan throughout our region, once the aircraft has successfully returned to service”.
“Air Astana has become one of the leading airlines in Central Asia with its deep focus on safety, reliability, efficiency and customer service. At Boeing, we share those same values and are honored to expand our partnership with the 737 MAX,” said Stan Deal, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We believe the efficiency and reliability built into the 737 MAX will be a great fit for FlyArystan. We look forward to working with Peter and his team finalize an agreement that meets their fleet and operational requirements.”
The 737 MAX 8 is part of a family of airplanes that offer 130 to 230 seats and the ability to fly up to 3,850 nautical miles (7,130 kilometers). With improvements such as the CFM International LEAP-1B engine and Advanced Technology winglets, the 737 MAX provides operators a 14% improvement over today’s most efficient single-aisle airplanes and extended range to open up new destinations.
3D imagery, 737 MAX, MAX, 737 MAX 7, 737 MAX8, 737 MAX 9
First flight on the world’s only two-cabin, 50-seat aircraft starts Oct. 27 from Chicago O’Hare to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
CHICAGO, Oct. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — United Airlines today announced tickets for its newest regional fleet member, the Bombardier CRJ-550, will be available for purchase starting Saturday, October 12 for travel beginning Sunday, October 27. The initial schedule includes 15 cities from Chicago O’Hare.
The CRJ-550 is the world’s only 50-seat regional aircraft to offer true first-class seating and other premium amenities, including:
Space for every customer to bring a roller bag on board.
A self-serve refreshment center for United First customers featuring a wide assortment of snacks and beverages.
More overall legroom per seat than any other 50-seat aircraft flown by a U.S. airline.
The ability to stay connected while in flight with United Wi-Fi.
Additional cities will be added over the coming weeks from United hubs in Chicago, New York/Newark and Washington Dulles.
Every customer. Every flight. Every day.
In 2019, United is focusing more than ever on its commitment to its customers, looking at every aspect of its business to ensure that the carrier keeps customers’ best interests at the heart of its service. In addition to today’s news, Unitedrecently announced that MileagePlus miles will now never expire, giving members a lifetime to use miles on flights and experiences. Customers now have more free on board snack options as well, with a choice of Lotus Biscoff cookies, pretzels and the Stroopwafel. The airline also recently released a re-imagined version of the most downloaded app in the airline industry, introduced ConnectionSaver – a tool dedicated to improving the experience for customers connecting from one United flight to the next – and launched PlusPoints, a new upgrade benefit for MileagePlus premier members.
About United
United’s shared purpose is “Connecting People. Uniting the World.” We are more focused than ever on our commitment to customers through a series of innovations and improvements designed to help build a great experience: Every customer. Every flight. Every day. Together, United and United Express operate approximately 4,900 flights a day to 356 airports across five continents. In 2018, United and United Express operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 158 million customers. United is proud to have the world’s most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.United operates 788 mainline aircraft and the airline’s United Express partners operate 560 regional aircraft. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 27 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “UAL”.
Alaska Airlines is adding new routes and additional frequencies.
SEATTLE, Aug. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Alaska Airlines reaffirms its commitment to the West Coast with new, nonstop service from the Pacific Northwest and the state of Alaska in the north, and from San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego in the south.
Starting in early January, guests will be able to travel eight new routes, which will appeal to both leisure travelers and those flying for business. Tickets are now on sale. The new scheduled service will link these destinations:
Spokane to Los Angeles (two daily departures)
Spokane to San Francisco (two daily departures)
Redmond / Bend, Oregon to Los Angeles
Redmond / Bend, Oregon to San Diego
Redmond / Bend, Oregon to San Francisco
Boise to Los Angeles (two daily departures)
Missoula, Montana to Los Angeles
Anchorage to San Francisco
“We’re excited to offer even more nonstops between vibrant Pacific Northwest communities and our growing hubs in California,” said Brett Catlin, Alaska Airlines managing director of capacity planning and alliances. “Whether it’s travel for a weekend getaway to Missoula or a day trip to San Francisco, we’re proud to offer nearly 600 daily flights between West Coast cities.”
Alaska is also increasing the frequency of flights between certain markets:
Beginning Jan. 7, there will be an additional flight between San Francisco and Orange County, California, for a total of seven daily nonstops. On March 19, there will be the addition of a second daily flight between San Francisco and Chicago O’Hare.
On Jan. 7, the flight between San Diego and Orlando, which is currently flown five times a week, becomes daily nonstop service. Starting March 19, second daily flights will begin between San Diego and Boise, and San Diego and Santa Rosa, California. Also on March 19, nonstop service between San Diego and San Jose, California, increases from four to six flights daily. On May 21, a second daily flight between San Diego and Boston goes into service.
Alaska’s guests can connect with the airline’s Global Partners at gateway airports on the West Coast – such as Los Angeles and San Francisco – to fly to more than 900 destinations around the globe. Flyers can also earn and redeem miles with the airline’s highly-acclaimed Mileage Plan program.
A majority of the new routes will be served by the Embraer 175 jet, an aircraft with only window and aisle seating – no middle seats. On all of the new routes, guests will enjoy award-winning service in a three-class cabin that includes First Class and Premium Class; a fresh, seasonal food and beverage menu; Most Free Movies in the Sky with hundreds of movies and TV shows available for viewing on personal devices; free texting on most flights; and Wi-Fi connectivity for purchase.
Alaska has also renovated its airport lounges in Anchorage, Los Angeles and Seattle, with a brand-new lounge in San Francisco scheduled to open in 2020.
Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 46 million guests a year to more than 115 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. Alaska Airlines ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America” in the J.D. Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study for 12 consecutive years from 2008 to 2019. Learn about Alaska’s award-winning service at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
27 August 2019 – Alstom has delivered the first five Coradia Polyvalent Léman Express trains for the cross-border CEVA[1] line to the SNCF Technicentre in Annemasse. Five trains will now be delivered each month until the end of November, with entry into commercial service scheduled for 15 December 2019. Since mid-August, Alstom’s teams have been supporting SNCF in training drivers for these new trains.
A total of 17 trains from Alstom’s Coradia Polyvalent range have been ordered[2] by SNCF, financed entirely by the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, to run on the Léman Express, Europe’s largest cross-border rail network (45 stations, 230 km). The Coradia Polyvalent Léman Express trains contribute to providing a sustainable alternative to the car for the daily commutes of Greater Geneva’s residents, as well as a better service to the economic and tourist hubs of the entire region. Today, just 16% of the 550,000 daily cross-border trips are made on public transport.
The Coradia Polyvalent Léman Express trains belong to Alstom’s Coradia range, of which 348 trains have been sold to 9 French regions[3] as part of the contract awarded to Alstom by SNCF in October 2009. The fleet has already covered more than 50 million kilometres in commercial service.
The trains have been adapted to the specific characteristics of the Franco-Swiss cross-border CEVA line: configured in their suburban version, each 72-metre train can carry up to 204 seated passengers at speeds of up to 140 km/h, in accordance with Swiss certification. Designed to ensure cross-border connections with ERTMS technology[4], Coradia Polyvalent Léman Express trains can run on several types of network voltages[5].
To optimise the fluidity of passenger exchanges and reduce stopping time in stations, the Coradia Polyvalent Léman Express trains are equipped with a full low floor, seven doors on each side, all with bridge plates, and a large reception area on the platforms. Coradia Polyvalent is the first train to comply with the PRM-TSI standard[6]. The interior offers increased comfort thanks to the seats equipped with individual reading lights and electrical sockets and the spaces dedicated to bicycles and luggage. Large windows and reduced noise levels also improve the quality of the journey.
The manufacturing of Coradia Polyvalent involves more than 4,000 jobs in France at Alstom and its suppliers. Six of Alstom’s 13 sites in France are involved in the project: Reichshoffen for the design and assembly, Ornans for the engines, Le Creusot for the bogies, Tarbes for the traction chains, Villeurbanne for the on-board computerised systems and signalling products, and Saint-Ouen for the design.
CHICAGO, Aug. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — United Airlines today announced it will begin service between four of its U.S. hubs and Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport, located approximately 15 minutes from downtown Tokyo. United will begin operating nonstop service between Chicago, Los Angeles, New York/Newark and Washington, D.C. and Haneda on March 28, 2020, subject to government approval. United currently offers daily nonstop service between San Francisco and Haneda. Tickets for United’s new Haneda flights will be available for purchase starting Saturday, August 17.
In addition to United’s new Haneda flights, Tokyo’s Narita International airport will continue to be a hub for United with nonstop daily service between Narita and Denver, Guam, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark and San Francisco. With the start of these new routes, United will no longer serve Narita from its Chicago and Washington D.C. hubs, and will shift these flights from Narita to Haneda.
“Our new service to Haneda gives our customers more choice and connections to more than 65 destinations throughout Asia. With service beginning next spring, we look forward to providing convenient service for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and beyond,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s vice president of International Network. “United has offered nonstop service between the U.S. and Japan for more than 40 years and we are excited to expand our Japan network at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and continue to be the largest U.S. carrier to Japan.”
United commends the efforts of Secretary Elaine Chao, her team at the U.S. Department of Transportation and officials at the U.S. State Department in making additional services at Tokyo Haneda a reality starting spring 2020.
Every customer. Every flight. Every day.
In 2019, United is focusing more than ever on its commitment to its customers, looking at every aspect of its business to ensure that the carrier keeps customers’ best interests at the heart of its service. In addition to today’s announcement, United recently announced that customers on all domestic flights can now choose from three complimentary inflight snack items, announced that luxury skincare line Sunday Riley will make products exclusively for United customers to experience in amenity kits, released a re-imagined version of the most downloaded app in the airline industry, introduced ConnectionSaver, a new tool dedicated to improving the experience for customers connecting from one United flight to the next and made DIRECTV free for every passenger on 211 aircraft, offering more than 100 channels on seat back monitors on more than 30,000 seats.
About United
United’s shared purpose is “Connecting People. Uniting the World.” We are more focused than ever on our commitment to customers through a series of innovations and improvements designed to help build a great experience: Every customer. Every flight. Every day. Together, United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,900 flights a day to 356 airports across five continents. In 2018, United and United Express operated more than 1.7 million flights carrying more than 158 million customers. United is proud to have the world’s most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 783 mainline aircraft and the airline’s United Express carriers operate 561 regional aircraft. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “UAL”.
