Airbus has signed a contract to deliver 38 new Eurofighter aircraft to the German Air Force. This makes Germany the largest ordering nation in Europe’s biggest defence programme. The order, also known by its project name Quadriga, covers the delivery of 30 single-seater and 8 twin-seater Eurofighters. Three of the aircraft will be equipped with additional test installations as Instrumented Test Aircraft for the further development of the Eurofighter programme.
Dirk Hoke, CEO Airbus Defence and Space, said: “The new Tranche 4 Eurofighter is currently the most modern European-built combat aircraft with a service life well beyond 2060. Its technical capabilities will allow full integration into the European Future Combat Air System FCAS”.
The renewed order from Germany secures production until 2030 and comes at a strategically important time for the programme. In addition to an expected Eurofighter order from Spain to replace its legacy F-18s, procurement decisions in Switzerland and Finland are imminent in 2021.
The variant offered in Switzerland corresponds to the configuration of the German Quadriga order. The equipment includes the world’s latest electronic radar, future-proof hardware and software and unlimited multi-role capability for engaging air and ground targets.
Eurofighter is Europe’s largest defence programme, in which the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy are involved alongside Germany. In addition to technological capabilities, it secures more than 100,000 jobs in Europe.
Qantas is making it easier for Frequent Flyers to use their points on domestic and Trans-Tasman flights, as more travellers look closer to home for their next holiday.
For the rest of 2020, Classic Flight Reward seat availability will be increased by up to 50 per cent to the most popular destinations in Australia and New Zealand including Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Queenstown and Auckland (when flights recommence).
To help regular flyers maintain their travel benefits, Qantas Frequent Flyer will also be giving tiered members Silver and above a one-off Status Credits bonus to compensate for reduced flying activity.
The increased availability and status support are part of a raft of initiatives from the loyalty program designed to give members more value from their upcoming holidays and the broader program.
Other program improvements include:
Extra Status Credits: To help our most frequent flyers maintain their benefits throughout travel restrictions, eligible Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One members will automatically receive 50 per cent of the Status Credits they need annually to keep their tier. Members most impacted, such as those whose membership year started at the peak of travel restrictions, will also be eligible for additional monthly Status Credits support. Loyalty Bonus’ for members will now also count towards reaching or retaining Platinum One until 31 December 2021.
Better value on accommodation: The number of points required for Points Plus Pay Qantas Hotels bookings will decrease by 20 per cent effective immediately. For a limited time only members will also receive 5,000 points back when they book a minimum of 3 nights and on selected Qantas Luxury offers earn up to 125 bonus Status Credits when they book before Monday 31 August 2020.
Greater flexibility: To enable members to plan their holidays with more confidence, bookings made using points on Qantas Group flights will have any change or cancellation fees waived until 31 October 2020.
More Points Planes: Qantas Frequent Flyer will launch more Points Planes – exclusive flights for frequent flyer redemptions – to meet the pent-up travel demand of members and boost Australian tourism. Timings and destinations of the flights will be released over the coming months.
Improved digital experience: Qantas Frequent Flyers will soon have a new way to plan their holidays with points. ‘Dream Planner’, launching on 28 July 2020, uses real time data and notifications to keep members informed on reward seat availability and special offers to their preferred destinations.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the changes were good news for members and for tourism.
“Australia is home to world-class destinations and Qantas is making it easier for frequent flyers to visit them,” Mr Joyce said.
“We’re adding more Points Planes and more reward seats to our most popular domestic destinations, because that’s where people will be holidaying for the rest of the year.
“We’re also helping our most loyal flyers maintain their travel benefits by giving them extra Status Credits in recognition of their long-term loyalty.”
Qantas Loyalty CEO, Olivia Wirth said Qantas Frequent Flyer is one of the most attractive loyalty programs in the world because it’s always evolving and innovating to meet the needs of its 13 million members.
“We’ve been listening to our Frequent Flyers closely over the last few months about how they feel about travel, where they want to go and how they want to use their points,” Ms Wirth said.
“What emerged was that despite what’s going on around the world, the notion of the dream trip is well and truly alive, they’re just looking a little closer to home.
“Qantas Frequent Flyers are some of the country’s biggest advocates for travel and this has been reflected in the number of bookings we’re seeing as travel restrictions ease.
“That’s why we’re continuing to invest in making our members’ travel dreams a reality with more choice, better value and greater flexibility.”
Fast facts:
Intention to travel for Frequent Flyers remains high at 90 per cent.
Majority of Qantas Points in the program are earned on the ground, this hasn’t changed.
Qantas Frequent Flyers typically save points over a long period of time for a big dream trip – travel still remains the number one preference to redeem points.
Qantas’ latest nationwide sale shows that Sydney-Brisbane, Melbourne-Sydney, Perth-Broome, Sydney-Cairns, Brisbane-Cairns as the most popular routes.
Panasonic Corporation (OTC: PCRFY) is looking to restart production at Tesla Inc.’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) New York manufacturing plant on Wednesday, the Verge reported Tuesday.
What Happened
The Japanese electronics giant will spend the first two days performing equipment checks, and standard manufacturing will start Friday, Panasonic North America Solar Energy Division President Mark Shima said in an internal email accessed by the Verge.
Shima told the employees that the company has “completed preparations under close collaboration with Tesla, such as preparation of masks, sanitizers and wipes, set new protocol for entrance, new rules in cafeteria and production floor, new seat assignment in the office area in order to keep 6′ to the next person.”
It isn’t immediately clear if Tesla is also restarting production at the solar panel manufacturing facility.
Why It Matters
A majority of manufacturing at the New York gigafactory has…
SEOUL, March 26 (Reuters) – South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) will vote for Hanjin Group chairman Walter Cho to keep his board seat in Korean Air’s parent firm Hanjin Kal at a shareholders’ meeting on Friday, the fund said.
In a statement on Thursday, NPS said it would also approve a board seat for telecoms industry veteran Kim Shin-bae, who was nominated by Cho’s sister and an activist fund that opposed Walter Cho.
Hanjin Kal’s annual general meeting is expected to be the culmination of an intense proxy fight to decide the group’s leader.
NPS, the world’s third-largest pension fund, had a stake of 2.9% stake in Hanjin Kal by the end of 2019.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
New service to Dallas/Fort Worth and Columbus, Ohio, on fuel-efficient Airbus A220s.
Expanded service to 12 U.S. cities.
Delta will operate daily service to London-Heathrow, Europe’s top international market, in 2021.
70% of flights on larger, mainline aircraft, enhancing customer comfort and experience with seat-back entertainment and WiFi.
Upgraded, next-generation aircraft in top business and leisure markets.
Delta is committed to offering Seattle customers more options for summer travel than ever before with the launch of new, three-times daily service to Dallas/Fort Worth, new nonstop service to Columbus, Ohio, and expanded service to 12 popular destinations: Anchorage; Atlanta; Austin; Boise, Idaho; Boston; Bozeman, Mont.; Kansas City; Las Vegas; Orlando; Spokane, Wash.; Tampa; and Washington-Dulles.
These additions mean Delta will offer 190 daily departures to 56 destinations this summer from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Dallas/Fort Worth marks Delta’s second Texas destination from Sea-Tac, building on the Austin service launched in 2017.
As Seattle’s global carrier, Delta plans to launch nonstop service to London-Heathrow in 2021. The route expands the airline’s lead of offering the most global destinations from Seattle than any other airline, with London joining Delta’s existing nine international markets. The service also complements partner Virgin Atlantic’s twice-daily service and offers customers the choice of three daily flights.
“Our customers’ demand for new destinations, award-winning service, commitment to seat-back entertainment and superior reliability are what drives Delta’s continued growth in Seattle,” said Tony Gonchar, Delta’s Vice President — Seattle. “With our extensive partner service from Seattle on Virgin Atlantic, Air France, Korean Air and Aeromexico, customers can expect a seamless journey across the globe.”
New summer destinations and expanded service for Seattleites
Delta’s overall domestic summer service from Seattle includes top leisure and business destinations.
Starting June 8, Delta will launch:
Three daily flights to Dallas/Fort Worth
New daily flight to Columbus, Ohio
A second flight to Austin
A second flight to Orlando
These flights to Dallas, Columbus and Austin will operate on Airbus A220 aircraft; the Orlando service will operate on a Boeing 737-900. The schedules will operate as follows:
Flight
Departs
Arrives
Dallas/Fort Worth-Seattle (new service)
7:15 a.m.
9:30 a.m.
Dallas/Fort Worth-Seattle (new service)
2 p.m.
4:15 p.m.
Dallas/Fort Worth-Seattle (new service)
5:30 p.m.
7:45 p.m.
Seattle-Dallas/Fort Worth (new service)
7:30 a.m.
1:30 p.m.
Seattle-Dallas/Fort Worth (new service)
10:45 a.m.
4:45 p.m.
Seattle-Dallas/Fort Worth (new service)
5:30 p.m.
11:30 p.m.
Columbus-Seattle (new service)
7:15 a.m.
9:25 a.m.
Seattle-Columbus (new service)
10:30 p.m.
6 a.m.
Austin-Seattle (existing flight)
6:30 a.m.
8:57 a.m.
Austin-Seattle (added frequency)
3:20 p.m.
5:45 p.m.
Seattle-Austin (added frequency)
8:30 a.m.
2:40 p.m.
Seattle-Austin (existing flight)
6:20 p.m.
0:24 a.m.
Orlando-Seattle (existing flight)
7 a.m.
10:27 a.m.
Orlando-Seattle (added frequency)
7 p.m.
10:10 p.m.
Seattle-Orlando (existing flight)
9:30 a.m.
5:49 p.m.
Seattle-Orlando (added frequency)
10:30 p.m.
6:55 a.m.
These new offerings join more service expansions previously announced, including:
Tampa service beginning in March
A fourth daily flight to Boston
A second flight to Kansas City and Washington, D.C. (IAD) beginning this summer
Twice daily flights to Bozeman, Mont.
More flights and seats to Anchorage, Atlanta, Boise, Las Vegas, and Spokane, Wash., including a convenient evening service for Atlanta business travelers
On March 1, 2020, Amtrak is launching a series of updates to provide customers more options for savings. Amtrak is offering deeply discounted tickets and reduced fares. Keep an eye out for a variety of new, ultra-low Saver Fares in cities including Orlando, Tampa and South Florida —making travel a breeze in the Sunshine State. Discounted Coach fares start at just $9 – a savings of up to 50% off the base fare. Look for more of these offers on March 2!
To make these lowered fares feasible, Amtrak is implementing a few more restrictions on tickets. In an effort to better fit each customer’s need, Amtrak is revising the following:
Saver Fares: Our most discounted fares offered with the most restrictions – including no changes, upgrades or cancelations 24 hours after purchase.
Value Fares: Our standard fare offered with some restrictions – a fee may apply for cancelations or changes made within 14 days of departure.*
Flexible Fares: Our fare with the most flexibility built-in – including the ability to make no-fee changes and receive a full refund up to the moment of departure.
All fares include an array of amenities that come with Amtrak – including downtown-to-downtown service, no middle seat, ample legroom, the ability to earn Amtrak Guest Rewards points and one of the most generous baggage policies in travel. The change fee will not be applied to multiride, Rail Pass, pass riders, group reservations, sleeping accommodations, Acela First Class/non-Acela Business class, Flexible Fares, Unreserved Coach, corporate, Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Executive members, government fare plans and the first change to a reservation made prior to March 1, 2020.
*The change fee will not apply to Value fares if the customer is adding to an existing reservation (booked prior to March 1) or upgrading on the same train and day as the original reservation.
SWISS took delivery today of the first of 25 new aircraft of the Airbus A320neo family. The new arrival was formally welcomed to the fleet and named “Engelberg” in a ceremony at Zurich Airport. In acquiring these advanced and efficient short- and medium-haul aircraft, SWISS is further underlining its commitment to resource-friendly aviation. With its innovative engine technologies, the Airbus A320neo consumes some 20 per cent less fuel than comparable aircraft of the older generation. SWISS’s new Airbus A320neo also features a newly developed seat that tangibly enhances its passengers’ travel comfort.
The first Airbus A320neo of Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) landed in Zurich at 10:57 today. The aircraft, which bears the registration HB-JDA, arrived directly from Airbus’s Hamburg-Finkenwerder works airport in northern Germany. SWISS will be receiving a total of 25 new aircraft of the Airbus A320neo family (the “neo” stands for “New Engine Option”) between now and the end of 2024: seventeen A320neos and eight of the larger A321neo version. The new twinjets will replace older Airbus A320 family aircraft in the SWISS fleet’s ranks and, with their innovative powerplant technology, will help substantially further enhance SWISS’s environmental efficiency.
After arriving in Zurich, the latest member of the SWISS aircraft fleet was formally welcomed in the hangar area by a delegation of invitees from the political, business and media worlds, and was also named “Engelberg”. The naming was jointly performed by Alex Höchli, the mayor of the Central Swiss mountain resort, and Brother Meinrad Haberl of Engelberg Monastery.
Lower fuel consumption and lower noise emissions
Thanks to the advanced technology of its Pratt & Whitney engines and its aerodynamic “sharklet” wingtip extensions, the Airbus A320neo consumes up to 20 per cent less fuel than comparable aircraft types. The new twinjets are also equipped as standard with noise-reducing vortex generators. As a result, a departing Airbus A320neo has a noise footprint on takeoff which is around half the size of the footprint produced by a comparable aircraft type.
“Our new Airbus A320neo family aircraft will substantially further reduce the average age of the SWISS aircraft fleet,” says SWISS CEO Thomas Klühr. “Once they are all delivered, our aircraft’s average age will be one of the youngest in Europe at around nine years. These billion-franc investments will further enhance our environmental credentials, too,” Klühr continues, “because operating an advanced and fuel-efficient aircraft fleet is one of the most effective means of all of reducing the ecological impact of aviation activities.”
An innovative seat for greater travel comfort
The new SWISS Airbus A320neo also offers substantially more travel comfort to both Business and Economy Class passengers, thanks to its newly-developed seats from Italian manufacturer Geven. With their ergonomic pressure distribution over the backrest and the seat cushion, the new seats deliver a tangibly pleasanter sitting experience. And the innovative horizontal placement of the literature pocket above the seat table also provides more personal space.
It’s not just aloft, either, that passengers will enjoy an even more comfortable flight: the new seats can be reclined to 20 degrees (instead of the previous 12) during the taxi, takeoff and landing phases. And Business Class travellers can even recline their seat to a full 26 degrees during the cruise phase of flight.
SWISS will be deploying its Airbus A320neos on its short- and medium-haul routes of up to 4,200 kilometres within Europe and to and from destinations in North Africa and the Middle East. The Airbus A320neo accommodates 180 passengers in Business and Economy Class.
The aircraft is the first of 13 ordered and will allow the company to simultaneously grow its high-density domestic routes and reduce seat-cost
SÃO PAULO, Nov. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Azul S.A., “Azul”, (AZUL), the largest airline in Brazil by number of cities served and daily departures, receives today the first Airbus A321neo ever delivered in Brazil. Configured in a 214 seat layout and powered by CFM International’s Leap-1A engines, the aircraft is the first of 13 ordered. The airline has chosen the A321neo to fly its high-density domestic routes and will provide customers with an industry leading inflight experience, including larger overhead bins, mood-lighting and individual touch-screen inflight entertainment.
“The A321neo is an important milestone for Azul once it will allow the company to simultaneously grow its route network and become more efficient. Customers will enjoy the extra legroom of our Espaco Azul product as well as free unlimited snacks and drinks. The new Airbus will also feature individual seat-back touch screen entertainment with stored content and soon to come streaming live-TV and Wifi”, says John Rodgerson, CEO of Azul.
About Azul Azul S.A., the largest airline in Brazil by number of flight departures and cities served, offers 910 daily flights to 114 destinations. With an operating fleet of 133 aircraft and more than 12,000 crewmembers, the Company has a network of 237 non-stop routes as of September 30, 2019. In 2019, Azul was awarded best airline in Latin America by TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice and also best regional carrier in South America for the ninth consecutive time by Skytrax. In 2018, the Company was elected best airline by Kayak’s Flight Hacker Guide. Azul also ranked as most on-time airline in Brazil in 2018 according to FlightStats. For more information visit www.voeazul.com.br/ir
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”.
Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (27 Sept) celebrated the opening of its new Toulouse base (its 3rd in France) and the launch of its new summer 2020 schedule, with 2 based aircraft and 23 routes (13 new), connecting Toulouse to Athens, Brest, Budapest, Dublin, Lille, Luxembourg, Marseille, Oujda, Palermo, Palma, Porto, Tangier and Valencia, which will deliver 1.4m customers p.a. at Toulouse.
Ryanair’s new Toulouse base will deliver:
2 based aircraft
23 routes in total
13 new routes to/from Athens (2), Brest (3), Budapest (2), Dublin (daily), Lille (daily), Luxembourg
More frequencies on 2 other routes to/from Fez (3) & Seville (4)
4 million customers p.a. (+33%)
1,000* “on-site” jobs p.a.
Toulouse consumers and visitors can now book their holidays for summer 2020 enjoying the lowest fares and Ryanair’s industry leading on-time performance and customer care improvements.
To celebrate the launch of its new base, Ryanair has launched a seat sale with fares on its new Toulouse routes available from just €9.99, for travel until November, which must be booked by midnight Sunday (29 Sept) on the Ryanair.com website.
In Toulouse, Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said:
“We are pleased to open our third French base in Toulouse, with 2 based aircraft and 23 routes, delivering 1.4m customers p.a., supporting over 1,000* airport jobs.
We are also pleased to announce our biggest ever Toulouse S2020 schedule, with 23 routes, including 13 new routes to and from exciting cities such as Athens, Dublin, and Tangier. To celebrate we are releasing seats for sale on these new routes from €9.99 for travel until November, available for booking until midnight on Sunday (29 Sept) Since these amazing low fares will be snapped up quickly, customers should log onto www.ryanair.com to avoid missing out.”
Philippe Crébassa, Chairman of the Board of Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, said:
“After arriving in 2016, Ryanair strengthens its local presence with the opening of an operational base at our airport. Ryanair’s presence will generate local jobs and offer 13 additional destinations to France and Europe this autumn to our passengers. Our region is thereby even more connected internationally and will welcome new customers in the coming weeks from Luxembourg, Budapest or Tangiers.”
