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JetBlue in Talks With Airbus on A321XLR Airplane

June 3, 2019 /

SEOUL (Reuters) – JetBlue Airways Corp is in discussions with Airbus SE about the European planemaker’s plans for a longer-range version of its A321neo family as it prepares to jump into the transatlantic market, Chief Executive Robin Hayes said on Monday.

The sixth-largest U.S. carrier has 85 A321neo aircraft on order, of which it has already decided to convert 13 into a longer-range version called the A321LR for its planned launch of daily flights from New York and Boston to London in 2021.

But if the low-cost carrier decides to fly to other European cities such as Brussels or Amsterdam, it will need a plane with more stamina. It is studying the A321XLR, which Airbus has been promoting ahead of a formal product announcement in June.

“London is the biggest opportunity because it has the highest fares, but there would be other opportunities if we had an airplane that had more range. The XLR gives us more range,” Hayes said on the sidelines of a global airlines meeting in Seoul.

“We’re still working through how many aircraft it would be (but) any XLRs would be linked to the planes we have on order today,” he told Reuters in an interview, adding any purchases would be converted from existing orders rather than generating completely new ones. No decision has yet been taken.

JetBlue is betting on its Mint business class product for narrowbody aircraft to succeed in the highly competitive premium transatlantic market. As of now, its U.S. customers have to fly to London on rival carriers where business class seats can cost as much as $12,000.

In the United States, JetBlue has argued that its Mint seats have driven a 50 percent decline in premium fares on some competing routes, and by sticking with narrowbody jets Hayes believes seats will be full.

U.S. carriers like American Airlines Group Inc and United Airlines service London with widebody aircraft that Hayes said can be tough to fill during off-peak travel.

“The transatlantic market is very seasonal. In the summer you tend to do very well but in the winter you’re flying a bunch of empty seats, so the LR helps us manage significantly the risk of the winter because we’re not flying such an expensive airplane.”

A handful of Europe-based budget carriers have tried to penetrate the transatlantic market in recent years, but only cash-strapped Norwegian Air is still standing.

Hayes said he expects to work on code-share agreements with partners that have a strong presence in Europe, where the airline wants to eventually build up its brand.

A number of JetBlue’s 50 airline partners have already reached out, he said.

(Reporting by Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Tim Hepher, Christopher Cushing)

WestJet To Be Taken Private In C$3.5 Billion Cash Deal

May 13, 2019 /

(Reuters) – Canada’s WestJet Airlines Ltd said on Monday it will be acquired by private equity firm Onex Corp in an all-cash deal for C$3.53 billion ($2.63 billion).

Including debt, the deal is valued at about C$5 billion.

As part of the deal, WestJet shareholders will receive C$31 for each share held, representing an about 67% premium to its closing price on Friday.

The investment will be led by Onex Partners, Onex’s private equity platform focused on larger investment opportunities and WestJet’s board has recommended that its shareholders vote in favor of the deal.

The private equity fund has a history of investing in aerospace, having previously held a major stake in Boeing supplier Spirit Aerosystems.

The deal is expected to close in the latter part of this year or early next year, the company said.

CIBC Capital Markets and B of A Merrill Lynch were the financial advisers to WestJet, while Barclays, Morgan Stanley and RBC Capital Markets advised Onex.

(Reporting by Debroop Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)

United Airlines Planning to Reveal New Airplane Livery

April 16, 2019 /

United Airlines is planning to reveal its long-awaited new livery on April 24th at a United maintenance hangar at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Little is known so far about the details of United’s new paint job, except that it will display a new and expanded brand color palette the carrier introduced in August of 2018.

United stated at the time that the unifying brand color going forward would be “Rhapsody Blue,” a dark navy color named in honor of United’s longstanding signature brand music, George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”

The color details revealed also specified a lighter “United Blue”, even lighter “Sky Blue,” and a “Premium Purple,” shade currently being used in United’s new Premium Plus international premium economy cabin.

The new United livery is one of several major brand changes the airline has been making in recent years, along with a new Polaris International business class, Polaris lounges, uniforms with new color palettes, and a redesigned mobile app.

The moves in a new direction have come after the infamous incidents of a man being dragged from his seat two years ago, and a pet being forced into the overhead luggage bin where it died in-flight tarnished United’s brand image.

Delta’s First A330-900neo Rolls Out of Paint Shop

January 25, 2019 /

Delta’s first A330-900neo left the Airbus paint shop in Toulouse, France, this weekend, sporting its signature Delta livery. Though at first glance, the aircraft might look ready for takeoff –​​ a closer look reveals something major still missing: the plane’s engines, which will be painted separately and mounted in the coming days.

Once the finishing touches are complete, the A330-900neo will take to the skies for testing before being delivered to Delta later this year.

Delta will be the first North American operator of the A330-900neo, which will offer the latest in innovative design and technology for customers. Delta’s A330-900neo will feature all four branded seat products – Delta One suites, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin – a move Delta is making across its widebody fleet to give customers greater choice than ever before.

The jet will also feature memory foam cushions throughout the aircraft and will be the first Delta widebody to feature the new wireless IFE system developed by Delta Flight Products, the airline’s wholly owned cabin interiors start up.

This aircraft is the first of 35 next-generation A330-900neos on order by Delta and is expected to begin service later in 2019.​

Story from http://www.delta.com Images from http://www.airbus.com

United Airlines Reports Full-Year and Fourth-Quarter 2018 Performance

January 15, 2019 /


PR Newswire – January 15, 2019

Q4 unit revenue up 5.0% year-over-year; full-year diluted 2018 EPS of $7.70; adjusted diluted EPS of $9.13

CHICAGO, Jan. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — In a departure from industry trends, United (UAL) announced today that its fourth-quarter unit revenue came in at the high end of its guidance range and also exceeded its full-year adjusted diluted earnings per share target laid out last January. UAL reported full-year net income of $2.1 billion, diluted earnings per share of $7.70 (a 9.1 percent increase year-over-year), pre-tax earnings of $2.7 billion and pre-tax margin of 6.4 percent. UAL reported adjusted full-year net income of $2.5 billion, adjusted pre-tax earnings of $3.2 billion and adjusted pre-tax margin of 7.7 percent.1 UAL increased its full-year 2018 adjusted diluted earnings per share outlook three times during the year despite a $2.4 billion year-over-year headwind from fuel. Full-year adjusted diluted earnings per share increased 33.5 percent year-over-year to $9.13, above the high end of the company’s most recent guidance range.

“United’s financial performance is a testament to the successful implementation of the first year of our strategic plan and to the record-setting operational performance powered by the more than 90,000 airline professionals who work at United,” said Oscar Munoz, chief executive officer of United Airlines. “United delivered proof, not just promises in 2018 – even in the face of significant headwinds from higher than expected fuel costs. It’s why I couldn’t be more proud of our winning culture and customer-focused team and continue to be enthusiastic about United’s bright future.”

For 2019, UAL expects adjusted diluted earnings per share to again grow year-over-year to between $10.00 to $12.00.2

  • UAL reported fourth-quarter net income of $462 million, diluted earnings per share of $1.70, pre-tax earnings of $556 million and pre-tax margin of 5.3 percent.
  • UAL reported fourth-quarter adjusted net income of $657 million, adjusted diluted earnings per share of $2.41 and adjusted pre-tax earnings of $814 million.
  • UAL reported fourth-quarter adjusted pre-tax margin of 7.8 percent,1 expanding margin on an adjusted basis of 0.9 points versus the fourth-quarter of 2017.
  • UAL recovered 98% percent of the year-over-year increase in fuel prices in 2018.
  • Consolidated fourth-quarter passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) increased 5 percent year-over-year, at the high end of the company’s fourth-quarter 2018 guidance range.
  • Consolidated fourth-quarter unit cost per available seat mile (CASM) increased 7.0 percent year-over-year.
  • Consolidated fourth-quarter CASM, excluding special charges, third-party business expenses, fuel and profit sharing, decreased 0.7 percent year-over-year.
  • Employees earned $334 million in profit sharing for 2018.

For more information on UAL’s first-quarter and full-year 2019 guidance, please visit ir.united.com for the company’s investor update.

2018 Highlights

Record-Setting Operational Performance3

  • Set new UAL records by flying the most revenue passengers ever, operating the most mainline departures and achieving the fewest cancellations ever in a year, resulting in more UAL customers departing on-time in 2018 than ever before.
  • For the year, achieved the best completion rate in company history with more than 1.7 million flights.
  • In 2018, achieved the best ever company STAR performance (first departures of the day), with nearly 250,000 flights leaving on time.
  • In the fourth quarter, the company achieved top-tier performance in on-time departures among its largest competitors. For the December holiday season, UAL had its best-ever on-time departure performance while flying the most revenue customers it had ever flown during the holiday period.

Customer Experience

  • Opened three new United Polaris lounges located in San Francisco International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
  • Announced UAL’s newest premium seating, United® Premium Plus, which will provide more space, comfort and amenities on select international flights starting later this year.
  • Introduced a new boarding process designed to reduce customers’ stress by reducing time spent waiting in line and providing them with improved boarding information.
  • Expanded personal device entertainment option to all aircraft, providing at least one free entertainment option on all Wi-Fi equipped aircraft.
  • MileagePlus loyalty program voted Best Overall Frequent-Flyer Program in the world for the 15th consecutive year by readers of Global Traveler, and voted Favorite Frequent-Flyer Program in the Trazee Awards.

Employees

  • Employees earned incentive payments totaling approximately $14 million for achieving operational performance goals in the quarter, marking a full year of earned incentive payments totaling $55 million.
  • Introduced and trained over 90,000 team members on UAL’s new customer service decision framework, the core4, which focuses on the principles of safe, caring, dependable and efficient.
  • Deployed 6,000 iPads to maintenance employees, improving reliability and efficiency.
  • Unveiled a state-of-the-art flight training center in Denver, Colorado – the largest in the world and home to the company’s more than 30 full flight simulators representing all of UAL’s fleet types.
  • Successfully completed the full implementation of the flight attendant joint collective bargaining agreement, allowing the company to operate more efficiently and reliably.
  • Achieved the top score of 100 percent on the 2018 Disability Equality Index (DEI), a prominent benchmarking metric that rates U.S. companies on their disability inclusion policies and practices, also earning UAL a place on DEI’s 2018 “Best Places to Work” list.
  • Received “Best-of-the-Best” Award from the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce and National Business Inclusion Consortium for commitment to diversity and inclusion across all communities.

Network

  • Introduced 93 new routes, adding more flights in 2018 than any other U.S. airline.
  • Announced new international service including Washington-Dulles to Tel Aviv, Israel; San Francisco to Amsterdam, Netherlands; Newark/New York to Naples, Italy; as well as Newark/New York to Prague, Czech Republic and Denver to Frankfurt, Germany, all subject to government approval.
  • Launched several exciting new international routes including Houston to Sydney, San Francisco to Tahiti and Denver to London.
  • Announced schedule expansion at East Coast hubs in Newark/New York and Washington-Dulles to offer more nonstop flights to destinations popular with New York-area customers while reallocating largely connecting passenger flights to Washington-Dulles.
  • Announced a joint business agreement with Compañía Panameña de Aviación S.A. (Copa), Aerovías del Continente Americano S.A. (Avianca) and many of Avianca’s affiliates, pending government approval.

Fleet

  • Took delivery of 21 new Boeing aircraft, including four 777-300ER, four 787-9, three 787-10 and ten 737 MAX 9 aircraft.
  • In December 2018, ordered an additional four Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and 24 737 MAX aircraft.

Community and Environment

  • Pledged to reduce the company’s greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2050, the only U.S. airline to commit to emissions reductions, further strengthening UAL’s ambition to be the world’s most environmentally conscious airline.
  • Announced a total of $8 million in grants to benefit organizations in each of UAL’s domestic hub communities.
  • Announced new global partnership with the Special Olympics and flew hundreds of Team USA Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2018 athletes, coaches and family members to PyeongChang, South Korea, continuing the 38-year relationship between UAL and the United States Olympic Committee.
  • Ranked No. 1 among global carriers in Newsweek’s 2017 Global 500 Green Rankings, one of the most recognized environmental performance assessments of the world’s largest publicly traded companies.
  • Launched a Crowdrise fundraising campaign to support those affected by Hurricane Florence, Typhoon Mangkhut, flooding in Western Japan, wildfires in California and other disasters.

Earnings Call

UAL will hold a conference call to discuss its fourth-quarter and full-year 2018 financial results and its financial and operational outlook for the first quarter and full year of 2019 on Wednesday, January 16, at 9:30 a.m. Central time /10:30 a.m. Eastern time. A live, listen-only webcast of the conference call will be available at ir.united.com. The webcast will be available for replay within 24 hours of the conference call and then archived on the website for three months.

United Airlines’ First 787-10 Begins Regular Service

January 7, 2019 /

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Today, United Airlines’ first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner began regular service as UA2418, departing from Los Angeles International Airport traveling to Newark Liberty International Airport. United is the first carrier in the world to operate all three Dreamliner models, including the 787-8, 787-9 and now the longest model, the 787-10.

The Dreamliner’s entry into scheduled service continues United’s comprehensive fleet plan, while providing an improved experience for customers. The aircraft is United’s first Dreamliner model delivered with the airline’s signature Polaris business class seats, and new United® Premium Plus seats. Boeing’s Dreamliners are known for dramatically improving the on board experience for customers with lower cabin altitude, better humidity, cleaner air, smoother ride and better sound quality. Additionally, the new Dreamliner provides better fuel efficiency than older aircraft, contributing to United’s commitment to reducing emissions by 50 percent by 2050.

As previously announced, United expects its second Dreamliner to enter service between its hubs in San Francisco and New York/Newark in February, and begin international service in March.

For more information on United’s 787-10, and other fleet updates visit United’s Fleet Newsroom.

Story and image from http://www.united.com

United Airlines Announces Boeing 787-10 Aircraft Operations

November 14, 2018 /

CHICAGO, Nov. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — United Airlines today announced it will operate its newest Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner on six trans-Atlantic routes from its New York/Newark hub beginning in March 2019. United was the first North American airline to take delivery of the 787-10, and is also the first airline in the world to have the entire family of Boeing’s 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10 Dreamliners in its fleet. United’s 787-10 features 44 United Polaris® business class seats, 21 United® Premium Plus seats, 54 Economy Plus seats and 199 standard Economy seats. Tickets will be available for purchase on Dec. 3, for travel beginning March 30.

“United is proud to offer more seats between New York and Europe than any other carrier and our Boeing 787-10 aircraft based in New York/Newark will enable us to connect even more New York City customers to Europe and beyond,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s Vice President of International Network. “We are thrilled to announce six international cities that will be served with this aircraft and we look forward to offering our customers all of the comforts and services of our most advanced aircraft.”

Offering more service than any other U.S. airline from New York to Germany and Israel, United currently offers daily nonstop service to Frankfurt and twice-daily nonstop service to Tel Aviv. United also operates daily service from New York/Newark to Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin and Paris.

Investing in customer-friendly advancements onboard

In addition to United’s signature all aisle access Polaris business class and United Premium Plus seats, United is investing in several customer-friendly advancements onboard. The aircraft features updated lighting patterns that mimic sunrise and sunset and are designed to help customers in each cabin fall asleep and wake up more adjusted to new time zones. A brand new seatback entertainment system is also available at every seat, which includes:

  • Split screen capabilities allowing customers to watch a movie and view the flight map simultaneously.
  • A relax mode for customers who want to customize a selection of soothing videos and relaxing audio playlists.
  • The world’s most extensive suite of accessibility features on a seatback entertainment system, which accommodates any level of vision, as well as provides support for customers with hearing and mobility issues.
  • Movie and television recommendations based on remaining flight time and previously watched content.

United previously announced its first 787-10 aircraft will begin operating between New York/Newark and Los Angeles and San Francisco in January 2019.

The Boeing 787-10 is 18 feet longer than the 787-9 and can carry more passengers and more cargo. The -10 aircraft can fly up to 6,430 nautical miles, while using 20 percent less fuel than older generation airplanes. United currently operates 25 787-9 and 12 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft. The airline expects to take delivery of 14 787-10 aircraft over the next two years. For more information on United’s 787-10, and other fleet updates visit United’s Fleet Newsroom.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,700 flights a day to 356 airports across five continents. In 2017, United and United Express operated more than 1.6 million flights carrying more than 148 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, Newark/New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 760 mainline aircraft and the airline’s United Express carriers operate 546 regional aircraft. The airline 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 or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol “UAL”.

For further information: United Airlines Worldwide Media Relations, +1-872-825-8640, media.relations@united.com

Story and image from www.united.com

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