Three Italian cities, Cagliari, Naples and Palermo have placed their trust in CAF to make resolute progress in their sustainable urban transport transformation initiatives. The CAF Group will supply electric buses to Cagliari in Sardinia, metro units to Naples and tram units to Palermo, the capital of Sicily. These contracts are testament to CAF’s strong value offer as a supplier of a wide range of zero-emission urban transport solutions. The total of the three aforementioned contracts amounts to a value of over 150 million euros.
Boeing [NYSE: BA] will build six more MH-47G Block II Chinooks for the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command as part of a $246.48 million contract.
Delivery of these aircraft are scheduled to start in 2023. With this additional order, Boeing is now under contract for 30 MH-47G Block II Chinooks, four of which have been delivered to date.
These aircraft will be the first to include the new Active Parallel Actuator Subsystem (APAS), a mission system that helps pilots execute more difficult maneuvers while improving safety and reliability of flight.
The MH-47G Block II Chinook also features improved structure and weight reduction initiatives like new lighter weight fuel pods that increase performance and efficiency.
Boeing has more than 4,600 Boeing employees in Pennsylvania supporting H-47 Chinook, V-22 Osprey, MH-139A Grey Wolf and a number of services and engineering efforts. Boeing’s presence, including suppliers and vendors, supports an estimated 16,000 total jobs in Pennsylvania.
To commemorate 20 years of Acela service throughout the Northeast Corridor (NEC),Amtrak is Acela-celebrating by offering customers the opportunity to travel on its premium product one way in Business class for only $20 from anywhere between Boston and Washington, D.C. The sale is available for purchase from Tuesday, Nov. 10, to Thursday, Nov. 12 and is valid for travel between Nov. 16 through Dec. 17 with blackout dates during Thanksgiving week (Nov. 24, 25, and 28 through 30) and on Fridays and Sundays. Other restrictions may apply and the fare may not be available on all departures.
As part of its partnership with experts from the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Amtrak’s new, enhanced safety initiatives and amenities, including the recently introduced Reserved Seating offering, will continue to be in effect for customers and employees on our trains and at our stations.
“Celebrating 20 years of Acela service is an incredible milestone that we are proud to celebrate. We would like to thank our customers and give them a chance to see the changes we’ve made to the experience by offering an exceptionally low fare of only $20,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer Roger Harris. “For anyone who has been curious about the premium travel experience on our flagship product, this is your chance to ride Acela for a special, low fare that is only available for two days.”
– Loyalty programme’s strong and active global membership has been built on continuous innovation and value-driven initiatives for members
Emirates Skywards, the award-winning loyalty programme of Emirates and flydubai, has marked 20 years of excellence, innovation and unmatched rewards. Over the past two decades, the loyalty programme has continued to grow its membership base by offering value and rich, personalised experiences to its members around the world.
The programme has continually invested to diversify its brand partnerships, and utilise innovative digital technology, so that it can offer its members across the globe with more ways to earn and enjoy rewards, conveniently and via new touchpoints.
From a million members in 2005, to 27 million members in 2020
The loyalty programme has 27 million members worldwide, of which, more than 32,000 are founding members who joined the programme in 2000 and are still active. In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Emirates Skywards is offering members double Tier Miles on any flight booked by 10 December, for travel until 31 March 2021,* while founding members can earn double Tier Miles and double Skywards Miles on any flight booked by 10 December, for travel until 31 August 2021*
Emirates Skywards members come from more than 180 countries, including: 3.5 million members in the United Kingdom, 2.7 million in the United States, 2 million in Australia, 1.9 million in India, and 1.9 million in the United Arab Emirates.
Offering more flexibility, choice, and ways to earn on the ground
Emirates Skywards has expanded its range of partners over the past 20 years to create new, exciting and exceptional value offerings for its diverse membership base. The loyalty programme currently has nearly 200 partners, including: 16 airline partners; more than 100 hotel partners; 33 financial partners, 22 retail and lifestyle partners, 7 car rental partners.
Earlier this year, the loyalty programme launched skywardsmilesmall.com – introducing over a thousand new ways to earn Miles while shopping online with popular UK and US brands. Expanding its financial partnerships, the loyalty programme has launched the Emirates Skywards Mastercard® in partnership with Barclays – its first Emirates branded credit card in the U.S allowing customers to accumulate even more Skywards Miles on their everyday spend and travel purchases.
‘My Family’ programme, which launched in 2018, has enhanced its features to now accept family members pooling up to 100% of all Skywards Miles earned, not just on Emirates flights – allowing customers to redeem rewards even faster than before.
Members can also earn thousands of Miles with Emirates Skywards Hotels at over 400,000 hotels, in over 900 destinations worldwide – and up to 2,500 bonus Miles per night, when using a co-branded Emirates Skywards credit card for payment.
Emirates Skywards’ introduction of personalised offers integrated within the booking flow is an industry-first loyalty benefit, whereby logged-in members can avail enhanced Cash+Miles redemption rates and discounted Miles Upgrades when booking flights directly on emirates.com and the Emirates app. These exclusive offers are tailored to suit each member’s preference – offering vast opportunities to save on travel costs.
Reassuring members during COVID-19
With continued travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, Emirates Skywards is offering its members reassurance and flexibility during this difficult time.
Emirates Skywards Silver, Gold and Platinum members have had their tier review dates extended to enable an additional 12 months at their current status.
New safety initiatives will continue to be in effect for customers and employees
In coordination with state partners at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, beginning Monday, July 6, Amtrak is partially restoring full-lengthKeystone Service (New York – Philadelphia – Harrisburg) with one roundtrip between Harrisburg and New York in response to anticipated increased demand. Keystone Service train 640 will operate through to New York and train 653 will originate in New York and operate through to Harrisburg.
Modified Keystone Service includes nine weekday roundtrips and six roundtrips on weekends. Aside from the one additional roundtrip being added to New York, other Keystone Service trains will continue to temporarily operate between Philadelphia and Harrisburg only. Pennsylvanian (Pittsburgh – Philadelphia – New York) service was previously fully restored in June and includes one daily roundtrip operating normally between New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Amtrak continues to take extra steps to keep train travel safe, including limiting bookings to less than half of capacity to maintain ample space for physical distancing onboard trains. All trains will be reserved to allow for physical distancing. Ticketing is now available on Amtrak.com, on Amtrak mobile apps or by calling 800-USA-RAIL.
“We are dedicated to doing everything possible to return service safely. We want everyone to feel comfortable as they navigate this new normal,” said Amtrak President and CEO Bill Flynn.
In addition to aggressive steps to disinfect stations and trains, additional Amtrak measures deliver a New Standard of Travel by including the following:
Face coverings: As part of Amtrak’s ongoing commitment to protect customers and front-line employees in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Amtrak is requiring that all customers in stations, on trains and Thruway Buses wear face coverings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the use of simple cloth face coverings or masks to slow the spread of the virus and prevent transmission.
Limiting bookings: We are limiting bookings on most trains to allow for more physical distancing in seating areas. Individuals traveling alone may use the seat next to them for personal belongings, while friends and family members will easily find seats together.
Air quality: All Amtrak trains are equipped with onboard filtration systems with a fresh air exchange rate every 4-5 minutes.
Cashless service: As an added measure to ensure the health and safety of our customers and employees, we are temporarily accepting only cashless payments in stations and on trains.
Physical distancing: Signage has been displayed at our busiest stations to indicate safe distances in high customer traffic areas such as waiting rooms, ticket offices, base/top of escalators, lounge entrances, etc. In addition, clear protective barriers have been installed at stations where there were no barriers.
Production system enhanced through factory initiatives
Boeing [NYSE: BA] has resumed production of the 737 MAX at the company’s Renton, Washington factory. The 737 program began building airplanes at a low rate as it implements more than a dozen initiatives focused on enhancing workplace safety and product quality.
“We’ve been on a continuous journey to evolve our production system and make it even stronger,” said Walt Odisho, vice president and general manager of the 737 program. “These initiatives are the next step in creating the optimal build environment for the 737 MAX.”
During the temporary suspension of production that began in January, mechanics and engineers collaborated to refine and standardize work packages in each position of the factory. New kitting processes will also ensure that employees have everything they need at their fingertips to build the airplane.
“The steps we’ve taken in the factory will help drive our goal of 100 percent quality for our customers while supporting our ongoing commitment to workplace safety,” said Scott Stocker, vice president of 737 Manufacturing.
The 737 program will gradually ramp up production this year.
Production and development of new solutions for hospitals
Alstom’s 3D printing hub in Barcelona is coordinating initiatives being implemented at a Group level to contribute to the fight against the COVID 19 global pandemic. Since last week, engineers and developers based in Santa Perpetua site (Barcelona) have been coordinating and implementing different initiatives to produce pieces, supply consumables and design new solutions.
Alstom’s hub is working in coordination with the 3Dcovid19.org network to manufacture visors for face shields and ventilators valves, that are being delivered to different hospitals.
“The aim is to help the healthcare community by manufacturing parts that meet appropriate quality and safety standards,” says Jaume Altesa, responsible for Alstom’s 3D printing hub at Santa Perpètua. “3D printing has gained prominence due to its particular usefulness for creating equipment to protect against COVID-19, as it can be used to manufacture materials currently suffering severe shortages such as face masks, mechanical respirators and even door openers, among others”, he adds.
The CAD design experts at the Santa Perpetua facilities are also innovating in new solutions and developments. They are currently working, for example, on portable personal protectors for door handles and the use of anti-bacterial materials in the masks.
Launched in 2016, Alstom 3D printing hub in Barcelona is one of the components of Smart Operations, Alstom’s ‘Industry of the Future’ programme. Its ambition is to produce 3D-printed parts quickly and at a competitive price for new trains, to meet the customers’ requests for parts, and to facilitate some manufacturing and maintenance operations. At Alstom, 3D printing is used for four applications: tools for our factories, prototypes to validate a design, moulds produced in half the time of classic production methods and series parts with around 70 references in plastic and metal.
Etihad’s ‘Greenliner’ to serve as platform for testing ways to reduce fuel use and emissions
Multiple services agreements would support even more efficient 787 operations at Etihad
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Etihad Airways announced today that one of the airline’s 787 Dreamliner airplanes will serve as a flying laboratory for testing procedures and initiatives that could further reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions, as a part of a growing partnership to advance the sustainable growth of aviation.
“Innovation, productivity and sustainability are core values and objectives of Etihad Airways and of Abu Dhabi said Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive of Etihad Aviation Group, at the 2019 Dubai Airshow. “The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a key enabler of all three.”
The specially-themed 787 will enter service early next year and operate regular flights in Etihad Airways’ network, while periodically serving as a test bed for assessing environmental sustainability initiatives. The project builds on Etihad’s ample experience with the super-efficient airplane.
“The 787 Dreamliner and its track record of environmental performance makes it the perfect platform to advance our industry’s commitment to sustainable growth,” said Stan Deal, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Etihad Airways to identify more opportunities to improve efficiency across commercial aviation.”
Beyond the environmental testing on the airplane, the two companies will build on the technical capabilities that Etihad Airways has developed while maintaining its own Dreamliner fleet and that of other operators. As part of the strategic partnership, the companies are discussing several areas where they can work together to improve operational efficiency.
Boeing and Etihad Airways also announced that Boeing will provide multiple services for the airline’s Dreamliner fleet, including the Component Services Program, Landing Gear Exchange, and High-Value Components Exchange, programs that help an airline simplify asset and maintenance management, reduce spare parts costs while improving parts availability. The agreements also include a customized material parts package and three Quick Engine Change (QEC) kits that enable Etihad to quickly return an airplane to service if an engine needs to be repaired or replaced.
“Boeing’s global supply chain footprint will allow ready access to parts, support and services, when and where it’s needed,” said Ted Colbert, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Global Services. “We are proud to partner with Etihad Airways to increase maintenance efficiency and maintain aircraft operability.”
These agreements build upon a history of partnership between the two companies. Both are members of a research consortium to encourage the development of sustainable aviation fuels in the region.
Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV), in partnership with Discovery Channel, launched a campaign bringing the fun of Shark Week to flying fans this summer. The carrier is celebrating Shark Week throughout July, ahead of Shark Week on Discovery beginning Sunday, July 28.
“Our Shark Week partnership brings fun through unique offerings for our Customers and Employees,” said Brandy King, Director of External Communication who oversees the airline’s Brand Partnerships and Entertainment Public Relations initiatives. “Whether on the ground with augmented reality experiences and gate games hosted by our Employees, to inflight exclusive content on our Shark Week On-Demand Channel, or through our social channels with engaging content and a special sweepstakes, we’ll be celebrating Sharks all month.”
Southwest brings Shark Week to fans through all phases of travel and, this year, extends the immersion straight into their homes. Through an augmented reality experience, Shark Week fans engaging with Southwest through the carrier’s social channels and in airports across the country will be encouraged to “swim with sharks” by using the augmented reality experience, accessible via swa.is/sharkweek. Fans can download a filter on their cell phones to select from the five most-popular sharks featured in Shark Week programming (Great White Shark, Hammerhead Shark, Mako Shark, Tiger Shark, and Bull Shark) to swim across their screens, and share a photo or video of the experience to their social channels using #SharksTakeFlight.
Customers traveling this summer will be able to experience the fun of Shark Week in a variety of ways. While inflight, Customers can enjoy jawsome content via the Onboard Entertainment Portal’s custom Shark Week TV Series Channel. The Shark Week TV Series Channel houses a library of Shark Week episodes that Customers can sink their teeth into, plus a never-before-seen episode, Extinct or Alive: The Lost Shark, which Customers can watch nearly 30 days ahead of its premiere during Shark Week. The feeding frenzy continues as Southwest Customers tune in to Shark Week on Discovery Channel beginning Sunday, July 28, and continuing through Sunday, August 4, via Live TV onboard Southwest WiFi-equipped flights.
Southwest Employees also are getting in on Shark Week fun! Beginning July 8, Employees in 40 Southwest airports will display Shark Week materials in gate areas with which Customers can interact. Delivering on Southwest’s legendary Customer Service and Hospitality, Southwest Employees will host gate games to entertain fliers and celebrate the 31st anniversary of Shark Week, one of the most popular and longest-running televised summer events in history.
For fans who want to experience a diving excursion, Southwest is hosting a Dare to Dive sweepstakes from July 1-31 giving a chance to land a trip to Nassau, Bahamas, to enjoy a diving experience*. Anyone may visit Southwest.com/sharkweek for a chance to win roundtrip air travel (does not include taxes and fees of at least $5.60 per one-way flight) for winner and three guests, a $3,000 gift card to The Island House, a boutique hotel, and a $375 gift card to Stuart Cove’s for a diving excursion.
One of the most popular and longest-running televised summer events, Shark Week has celebrated cartilaginous creatures for more than 30 years. This year, viewers can enjoy hours of new content that will answer some of your most pressing shark-related questions. This year’s programming will immerse fans in the lives of sharks all around the world, from the Caribbean Sea to the island of Guadalupe, and many places in between.
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of 50 United States and the District of Columbia, excluding Alaska, age 19 years or older at time of entry. Limit one entry per person per day. All fields must be completed. Approximate retail value of prize: $4,975.00. For complete details and Official Rules, visit http://www.southwest.com/sharkweek. By submitting an entry, you agree to the Official Rules. By entering, information collected will be used in accordance with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy at Southwest.com. Sponsor: Southwest Airlines Co., 2702 Love Field Dr. Dallas, TX 75235. Enter by July 31, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. E.T. Air travel does not include taxes and fees of at least $5.60 per one-way flight.
