Tag: houston (Page 1 of 4)

Southwest Airlines expand technical operations facility In Phoenix

February 19, 2024 / WIL BALDWIN

Dallas, Texas, February, 2024 – Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) is celebrating the completion of a multi-year, $100 million project, which nearly doubles the size of the airline’s maintenance hangar at Phoenix Sky Harbor. The 90,000-square foot expansion adds three new aircraft bays to the facility, allowing the airline to work on up to five aircraft simultaneously and brings more maintenance shops to support the nearly 500 Southwest® Technical Operations Employees based at Sky Harbor. The project also included a larger facility for members of the airline’s Provisioning and Ground Support Equipment Maintenance Teams that opened in 2020.

The expanded hangar has also achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. The expansion incorporated sustainable design features including the use of recycled content in over 30% of the building materials; the installation of high-reflectance roof and surrounding paving materials to reduce heat island effect; and the selection of building products from manufacturers with verified environmental performance.

Southwest Airlines® first opened a Technical Operations base at Sky Harbor in 1986. In 1993, the airline moved into a new maintenance hangar facility to support its growth throughout the western half of the United States. Today, the carrier’s Phoenix-based Technical Operations Teams accept new aircraft deliveries to prepare them to enter revenue service and maintain aircraft as part of daily and scheduled maintenance programs.

In addition to Phoenix, Southwest operates hangar facilities in Atlanta, Chicago (Midway), Dallas (Love Field), Denver, Houston (Hobby), and Orlando. Construction is underway on a new hangar facility at Baltimore/Washington International Airport, which is anticipated to open in 2025.

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.

Maersk & Kodiak Robotics launch commercial autonomous trucking lane between Houston and Oklahoma City

October 6, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Florham Park, New Jersey/Mountain View, California — A.P. Moller – Maersk AS (OTC: AMKBY) and Kodiak Robotics, Inc., have launched the first commercial autonomous trucking lane between Houston and Oklahoma City. The freight lane marks an expansion of the collaboration between Kodiak and Maersk, which began with their first autonomous freight deliveries together in November 2022 as part of Maersk’s Global Innovation Center Program. Kodiak has been delivering eight loads per week, with a safety driver behind the wheel, for Maersk customers since August.

Kodiak and Maersk are completing four round trips per week on a 24-hour-a-day, four-day-a-week basis between a Houston facility, where consumer products are loaded onto 53-foot trailers, to a distribution center in Oklahoma City. Operational learnings gained from the activity are captured and documented as part of the Kodiak Partner Deployment Program, which is designed to help companies learn how Kodiak’s self-driving trucks can become an integral part of their overall logistics strategy and offerings.

Autonomous trucking solutions have the potential to address long-term challenges faced by the trucking industry. According to the American Trucking Association, the trucking industry faces a shortage of roughly 78,000 drivers. The ATA estimates that, based on current driver demographic trends, as well as projected growth in freight demand, the shortage could swell to more than 160,000 over the next decade.

Safety continues to be a perennial challenge for the trucking industry as well. U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research also estimates that 94% of crashes occur due to human error. For Kodiak, safety and performance are foundational to its autonomous trucking solution. Each vehicle is equipped with 18 different sensors, including cameras, radar, and lidar, that provide the platform with a 360-degree view around the truck. Every tenth of a second, the truck evaluates the performance of more than 1,000 safety-critical processes and components in both the self-driving stack and the underlying truck platform. The trucks learn in parallel, with system upgrades shared to the entire fleet simultaneously, and are not subject to environmental distractions.

Southwest Airlines Announces New Crew Base for Pilots and Flight Attendants at Nashville International Airport

August 15, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Dallas, Texas, August 14, 2023 – Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV) today furthered its commitment to Music City by announcing the addition of a Crew Base at Nashville International Airport (BNA) in the second quarter of 2024. Nashville will become the 12th Crew Base in the Southwest® system with approximately 150-250 Pilots, growing to 500-600 Pilots, and an estimated 500-700 Flight Attendants based in the new Crew location beginning in 2024, with continued growth planned.

Southwest Airlines® began service to BNA on March 18, 1986, with eight daily nonstop departures to Chicago (Midway) and Houston (Hobby). Since then, it’s grown to operate more flights and serve more air Passengers as the largest carrier at BNA, offering up to 166 departures a day to 57 cities nonstop, and currently housing nearly 1,000 Southwest Employees. To support the carrier’s commitment to Nashville, the airline is striving to add four gates in the fourth quarter of 2023 to support its operation with a goal of 20 gates total by the end of the year to serve future Customers flying in and out of Nashville.

In 2016, the airline unveiled Tennessee One, a specialty aircraft emblazoned with an artist’s rendition of the Tennessee State flag, as a tribute to the state of Tennessee. Southwest additionally started service to Memphis International Airport on Nov. 3, 2013, and now offers up to 14 departures a day to 10 cities nonstop.

Texas Central and Amtrak Seek to Explore High-Speed Rail Service Opportunities

August 9, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Washington, D.C. – Texas Central Partners (“Texas Central”) and Amtrak are seeking opportunities to advance planning and analysis work associated with the proposed Dallas-Houston 205-mph high-speed rail project to further determine its viability. Amtrak has cooperated with Texas Central on various initiatives since 2016 and the two entities are currently evaluating a potential partnership to further study and potentially advance the project.

The proposed approximately 240-mile route would offer a total travel time of less than 90 minutes between two of the top five major U.S. metropolitan areas and would complement future, new and improved corridor and long-distance service in the southern region.

Texas Central and Amtrak have submitted applications to several federal programs in connection with further study and design work for the potential Dallas to Houston segment, including the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure Safety and Improvements (CRISI) grant program, the Corridor Identification and Development program, and the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP-National) grant program.

Amtrak has worked with Texas Central since 2016 when it entered into agreements to provide through-ticketing using the Amtrak reservation system and other support services for the planned high-speed rail line.

In addition to current Amtrak service in Texas and planned station improvements, Amtrak submitted grant applications for daily Sunset Limited service and the extension of the Crescentfrom Mississippi through Louisiana and Texas. Amtrak supports Kansas DOT’s Heartland FlyerExtension Corridor Identification and Development (Corridor ID) application that will connect Wichita and communities across Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas to the Amtrak network. Amtrak also supports Texas DOT’s applications for the Texas Triangle (Dallas – Fort Worth – Houston – San Antonio) routes.

Embraer Signs Heavy Maintenance Services Agreement with CommutAir

April 28, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Orlando, FL, April 28, 2021 – Today at MRO Americas, a leading aeronautical maintenance event, Embraer announced that CommutAir, a United Express carrier, has selected Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services (EAMS) in Macon, Georgia, as one of its primary heavy maintenance providers for the airline’s fleet of ERJ 145 aircraft. The multi-year agreement includes airframe maintenance, modifications and repair services provided by Embraer’s portfolio of solutions.

In July 2020, CommutAir became the sole regional partner to operate the ERJ 145 for United Airlines. CommutAir maintains the largest ERJ 145 fleet in the world with 168 aircraft.

CommutAir is a regional airline operating flights on behalf of United Airlines as United Express. With our fleet of Embraer 145 aircraft, we operate roughly 200 daily flights, connecting people and communities to the world via United’s global network. Headquartered in Cleveland, we have hubs in Denver, Houston, Washington Dulles, and Newark, with a maintenance base in Albany, New York. We are looking for individuals to join our 1,300 diverse professionals who work together to deliver safe, caring, dependable, and efficient service.

Vonlane’s Comeback Continues With More Routes Opening Up on May 1, 2021

April 27, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Vonlane, The Texas private jet on wheels bus service provider, has announced the resumption of 2 more routes! Service between San Antonio and Houston will resume starting on May 1, 2021. Service between Fort Worth and Austin will resume starting May 2, 2021.

Be sure to check out all of Vonlane’s routes and make your reservations by clicking the link below!

https://vonlane.com

Aeromexico and Delta Resume Austin and Dallas Service, Increase Flights to Houston

April 9, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Effective July 1, Aeromexico and its partner Delta Air Lines will resume daily service from Mexico City to Austin and Dallas, Texas, adding to their current weekly service from Mexico City to Houston and San Antonio, Texas. Additionally, starting next week, both carriers announce an increase in their service to Houston.

With these resumptions, the airlines will offer a total of 47 routes between the United States and Mexico, increasing connectivity to benefit their joint customers.

Austin offers cultural attractions for all types of visitors, such as the impressive Texas State Capitol, Zilker Metropolitan Park, Lady Bird Lake, and the SoCo District, renowned for its art galleries, restaurants, and music venues. It’s also home to a thriving technology community and the University of Texas at Austin.

Further north, Dallas is a great business and leisure destination, featuring the largest urban art district in the United States, more than 160 museums in the metropolitan area, and the biggest and oldest zoo in Texas. It’s also home to companies from important sectors such as telecommunications, information technology, financial services, and transportation.

During April, both airlines will offer approximately 3,600 flights between the U.S. and Mexico, a seven-fold increase compared to the same period in 2020.

Both airlines offer the highest standards in safety and cleanliness protocols meant to protect their customers and employees. Delta offers the Delta CareStandard, while its main partner Aeromexico offers the Health and Sanitization Management System (HSMS).

Emirates Restarts Flights to Newark, New Jersey Via Athens, Greece

February 22, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Dubai, UAE, 22 February 2021 –Emirates has announced it will resume daily services to Newark via Athens from 1^stJune 2021. The resumed flight will provide global travellers with another access point to the popular New York Metropolitan area, serving the large Greek-American community in the United States while offering a convenient connection to travellers headed towards the Middle East, West Asia, and Africa via Dubai.

The addition of Newark via Athens will take Emirates’ US network to 10 destinations following the resumption of services to Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Washington DC, Dallas and San Francisco (to resume on 2^nd March).

The Dubai-Athens-Newark flight will operate daily with a three-class Boeing 777-300ER, complementing Emirates’ double daily flights to New York (JFK) as the airline continues to expand across North America. The resumed link between Greece and the US will open up year round connectivity, facilitate trade, boost tourism and benefit consumers by providing them with choice and convenience. Emirates will also increase its flights to the Greek capital, Athens, flying daily to support the newly resumed service.

Emirates flight EK209 will depart Dubai at 1050hrs, arriving in Athens at 1500hrs before departing again at 1735hrs and arriving into Newark Liberty International Airport at 2120hrs on the same day. The return flight EK210 will depart Newark at 2355 hrs, arriving in Athens at 1605hrs the next day. EK210 will depart once again from Athens the next day at 1805hrs bound for Dubai where it will arrive at 2335 hrs (all times are local).

Emirates has safely and gradually restarted operations across its network. Since it safely resumed tourism activity in July, Dubai remains one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, especially during the winter season. The city is open for international business and leisure visitors. From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences. It was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.

Emirates Expanding Operations in Americas Due to Increased Passenger Demand

January 15, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Emirates has announced it will resume non-stop services to Seattle (from 1^st February), Dallas and San Francisco (from 2nd March), offering its customers seamless connectivity via Dubai to and from popular destinations in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

The addition of these three destinations will take Emirates’ North American network to 10 destinations following the resumption of services to Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York JFK, Toronto and Washington DC.

Flights to/from San Francisco will operate four times weekly on Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER while flights to/from Seattle (operating four times weekly) and Dallas (three times weekly) will be operated with the two-class Boeing 777-200LR, offering 38 lie-flat seats in Business and 264 ergonomically designed seats in Economy class.

The airline will also be providing its customers more options and choice with additional flights to New York , Los Angeles and São Paulo. Effective 1st February, Emirates will be operating double daily flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and a daily flight to Los Angeles (LAX). Emirates customers also have seamless access to other US cities via the airline’s codeshare agreements with Jetblue and Alaskan Airlines.

In South America, Emirates will be introducing a fifth weekly flight to São Paulo (from February 5th), offering customers in Brazil even more travel options with greater access to its expanding network. Beyond São Paulo, Emirates customers can enjoy seamless connectivity and access to 24 other cities in Brazil via the airline’s codeshare partnership with GOL and its interline agreements with Azul and LATAM.

Emirates has safely and gradually restarted operations across its network and currently serves 114 destinations on six continents.

Since it safely resumed tourism activity in July, Dubai remains one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, especially during the winter season. The city is open for international business and leisure visitors. From sun-soaked beaches and heritage activities to world class hospitality and leisure facilities, Dubai offers a variety of world-class experiences. It was one of the world’s first cities to obtain Safe Travels stamp from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – which endorses Dubai’s comprehensive and effective measures to ensure guest health and safety.

Southwest Airlines to Resume San Diego – Hawaii Service on November 4, 2020

November 6, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Southwest Airlines will begin flying to Hawaii from a fourth city in California next spring, the airline announced.

Flights between San Diego and Kahului start on April 14, 2020, and San Diego and Honolulu flights will begin April 20, 2020.

More than a year after starting its Hawaii service in March, Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) will finally meet its original stated Hawaiian goal of flying from each of its four California gateways.

Southwest currently flies to Hawaii from both Oakland and San Jose. The Dallas-based airline will begin flying out of Sacramento November 10.

Southwest Chief Executive Gary Kelly has also stated that Las Vegas is a possible Hawaii gateway, but the airline’s expansion has been slowed down by the grounding of its 737 Max fleet.

Hawaii flights have been operating above company expectations. Southwest is keen on keeping its existing market share and capturing more, which is why Hawaii flights were excluded from a recent system fare increase.

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