Travel News

Mass turtle crossing delays flights at New York's JFK Airport

Jared Scott — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:57:08 +0000

A large group of diamondback terrapins stopped takeoffs at New York's Kennedy International Airport (IATA: JFK; ICAO: KJFK) yesterday morning. The turtles' annual summer migration route runs from Jamaica Bay (which borders Kennedy International to the south) to a nearby beach, where they lay their eggs. They attempted to cross runway 4L/22R en route to the beach.

A post to http://nycaviation.com explains that Kennedy International is "almost entirely surrounded by bays, creeks, swamps, and undeveloped land." 150 turtles made up the slow-moving caravan, according to a video from the Associated Press (below). Any air traffic backlog created by the terrapins' migration route worked itself out by the end of the day.

original stories

JFK Airport Runway Closed Due to Turtles (NYC Aviation)

Flight delays as JFK airport runway taken over by turtles! (New York Daily News)

Turtles halt flights at JFK airport (The Daily Telegraph)

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Vueling starts Madrid-Mykonos seasonal non-stop route

Jared Scott — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 03:14:38 +0000

The Barcelona-based regional carrier Vueling Airlines will start a new seasonal route Friday. It will run between Barajas Airport in Madrid (IATA: MAD; ICAO: LEMD) and Mykonos Island National Airport (IATA: JMK; ICAO: LGMK) on the Greek Cycladic island of Mykonos. The route will run in both directions on Monday, Friday, and Sunday until July 28, when it will begin to run on Thursday as well. As of this posting, travelers can fly this route on these four days of the week, until September 11. This may be when Vueling intends to discontinue the seasonal route, but that is unconfirmed. Results returned by the airline ticket booking engine at www.kayak.com/flights show that Vueling has a codeshare agreement with the Spanish airline Iberia along this route. The same source shows that the route will be operated with the Airbus A320-100 and A320-200.

Also, the Jakarta-based carrier Lion Air has commenced service between its hub at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (IATA: CGK; ICAO: WIII) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (IATA: KUL; ICAO: WMKK) near the Malaysian capital.

Lion Air will face a great deal of competition along this route, as no less than five other airlines fly it daily, according to Kayak. Notwithstanding that, presumably each of Lion Air's flights is filled to capacity, as the company's English motto is "We make people fly." Our editors are curious as to the ways in which this motto is implemented in the day-to-day activities of the airline.

In any case, Alitalia is indefinitely shelving its Turin-Berlin (Tegel) route, effective tomorrow. Also, the British budget carrier EasyJet is discontinuing its Berlin (Schönefeld)-Gothenburg route tomorrow as well.

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US Airways and Aegean Airlines plan a codeshare agreement

Jared Scott — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 02:59:53 +0000

US Airways and Aegean Airlines have announced they plan to codeshare on certain flights between the United States and Greece. The proposed codeshare is focused on the American city of Philadelphia, where US Airways has a hub, and the Greek capital city of Athens, very near where Aegean Airways has its headquarters. According to a recent press release from both airlines, US Airways travelers will be able to fly the seasonal route between Philadelphia International Airport (IATA: PHL; ICAO: KPHL) and Eleftherios Venizelos Airport (IATA: ATH; ICAO: LGAV) in Athens, and have access to much of the domestic network of Aegean Airlines.

US Airways travelers will also have the option to fly from Philadelphia to London's Heathrow Airport (IATA: LHR; ICAO: EGLL), Munich's Franz Josef Strauss Airport (IATA: MUC; ICAO: EDDM), or Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport (IATA: FCO; ICAO: LIRF) on US Airways, then onward to Athens or Thessaloniki (IATA: SKG; ICAO: LGTS) on Aegean Airlines.

Aegean Airlines travelers will be able to fly the seasonal route to Philadelphia from Athens, and then have access to the entire American network of US Airways from Philadelphia. (It was not indicated that US Airways' American network would be part of the codeshare.)

The proposed agreement is still subject to both United States Department of Transportation (DOT) approval, and approval by the Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport, and Networks in the Hellenic Republic. Both airlines are members of the Star Alliance.

original stories

US Airways and Aegean Airlines Announce New Codeshare (US Airways)

US Airways and Aegean Airlines Announce New Codeshare Agreement (Aegean Airlines)

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CityJet starts Manchester-Antwerp; cancels Manchester-London

Jared Scott — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 03:35:43 +0000

CityJet, the Ireland-based subsidiary of Air France, has announced it will fly between Manchester Airport (IATA: MAN; ICAO: EGCC) in North West England, and Deurne Airport (IATA: ANR; ICAO: EBAW) in the Belgian city of Antwerp. The route will be operated with the Fokker 50. The precise timetable of the route is unpredictable, on some days flying two round trips, and on other days not flying at all. The airline had planned to start service between Manchester and London City Airport (IATA: LCY; ICAO: EGLC), but recently set aside those plans.

Moreover, the Qatari national airline Qatar Airways has launched service between its base at Doha International Airport (IATA: DOH; ICAO: OTBD) and Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (IATA: YUL; ICAO: CYUL) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This service will operate in both directions, three times weekly, on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, according to search results returned by the airline's website. Flight times are 13 hours 20 minutes westbound, and 12 hours 25 minutes eastbound, according to results returned by the airline ticket booking engine at www.kayak.com/flights. The new Doha-Montreal route will be flown with the Boeing 777-200ER.

original stories

Discover Great-Britain with flights out of Antwerp Int'l Airport! (Air France)

Delivering 5-star Service to Montreal (Qatar Airways)

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Turkish Airlines inaugurates service to Basra and Naples

Jared Scott — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:48:42 +0000

Turkish Airlines starts two new routes today, from its hub at Mustafa Kemal Atatürk International Airport (IATA: IST; ICAO: LTBA) in Istanbul. The newest destinations in the Turkish national airline's network are the Iraqi city of Basra, and the Italian city of Naples. The Istanbul-Basra route will operate through Basra International Airport (IATA: BSR; ICAO: ORMM) in southern Iraq. The Istanbul-Naples route will operate through Ugo Niutta Airport (IATA: NAP; ICAO: LIRN) on the Gulf of Naples and the Tyrrhenian Sea.

The Istanbul-Basra non-stop will operate in both directions three times a week, on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. It is 3 hours 15 minutes long southeast-bound, and is 3 hours 25 minutes long northwest-bound. It will be flown with the Boeing 737-800, according to search results returned by the airline ticket booking engine at www.kayak.com/flights. The Istanbul-Naples non-stop will operate in both directions three times a week, on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. It is 2 hours 25 minutes long westbound, and is 2 hours 15 minutes long eastbound. It will be flown with the Airbus A319, according to www.kayak.com.

Georgian national airline Airzena Georgian Airways also started a new seasonal route. The airline will fly non-stop between the Georgian town of Batumi (IATA: BUS; ICAO: UGSB) on the Black Sea, to Moscow, the Russian capital (IATA: DME; ICAO: UUDD). According to Bloomberg, these will be "weekly charter flights," and will operate until October.

Two airlines based in Scandinavia also added new routes within the last day. The largest airline based in the region, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), launched service between Oslo's Gardermoen Airport (IATA: OSL; ICAO: ENGM) and the Croatian seaside (Adriatic) town of Split (IATA: SPU; ICAO: LDSP). This route will run three times a week, on Monday, Friday, and Saturday, according to Kayak. Oslo, a city of 605,000 people, was found to be the world's most expensive city, by the Economist Intelligence Unit's Worldwide Cost of Living Survey. Split, a city of 230,000 people, is the largest city in the Croatian region of Dalmatia, namesake of the Dalmatian canine breed.

Scandinavian Airlines also launched two services between Scandinavia and the Spanish capital city, Madrid. One route will fly between Gardermoen Airport and Barajas Airport (IATA: MAD; ICAO: LEMD) in central Spain. This route will operate two times a week, on Tuesday and Saturday, according to Kayak. The other will fly between Arlanda Airport in Stockholm (IATA: ARN; ICAO: ESSA) and the Spanish capital twice weekly, on Monday and Friday.

Also, budget carrier Norwegian Air Shuttle has commenced non-stop service between Gardermoen Airport and two destinations in the Balkans. Those are Sarajevo (IATA: SJJ; ICAO: LQSA) and Pristina (IATA: PRN; ICAO: BKPR). According to search results from Norwegian Air Shuttle's website, the Oslo-Sarajevo route will be flown twice weekly, on Monday and Thursday in both directions. According to the same source, the Oslo-Pristina route will be flown twice weekly, on Monday and Friday in both directions.

Like many low-fare carriers, Norwegian Air Shuttle operates only one model of aircraft. The route will be flown with some variant of the Boeing 737, either the -300 or the -800.

original stories

Turkish Airlines announces its first flights to Al Basrah (Iraq) and Naples (Italy) (Turkish Airlines)

New flight Batumi - Moscow - Batumi starting from 21 June, 11 (Airzena Georgian Airways)

Georgian Airline Begins First Direct Batumi Flights to Moscow (Bloomberg)

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Airbus A320neo dominates commerce during the Paris Air Show

Jared Scott — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:39:43 +0000

The recently completed 2011 Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport (IATA: LBG; ICAO: LFPB) showed that the airline industry has much interest in a new model of aircraft being built by Airbus. An environmentally friendlier version of the Toulouse-based aircraft maker's A320, the new variant shown off by Airbus at Le Bourget last week is identified by the Greek prefix meaning "new" tacked onto its name (albeit, the end of its name).

The London-based Guardian reported that Airbus did 57 billion USD (39.9 billion EUR; 35.4 billion GBP) in business during the biennial air show, at the general aviation field east of Paris. As reported here last week, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) placed an order for 30 of the A320neo. But the Guardian reported that the Indian budget carrier IndiGo ordered a stunning 150 of the model (along with 30 ordinary A320s), and that the Malaysian budget carrier Air Asia topped even that, with an order for 200 of the A320neo. A recap of the events at the world's largest air show, from Aviation International News, states that this latter transaction was "the largest single firm order in aviation history."

Other buyers of the A320neo in Paris last week were the American budget carrier JetBlue Airways, the Chilean airline LAN, the Indian budget carrier GoAir, and Republic Airways, an American holding company which owns six United States-based airlines.

The A320neo models will, according to Airbus, boast more efficient engines than what the ordinary A320 has. The aircraft maker promises the A320neo will burn 15 percent less fuel than the A320 does. If true, this means the A320neo will have an additional range (relative to the A320) of 950 kilometers (589 miles), all else equal. Alternatively, it means the A320neo will be able to carry two metric tons (4,400 pounds) more payload, all else equal.

As it so happens, "neo" is an Airbus acronym for "new engine option." The "neo" engines are being built by American engine maker Pratt & Whitney, and by CFM International. The latter is a transnational joint venture between the American firm General Electric, and the French engine maker Snecma. The A320neo is "due to enter operational use in October 2015," according to a video uploaded by Aviation Week, to YouTube.

Scandinavian Airlines orders 30 of the Airbus A320neo (June 21, 2011)

original stories

Paris Air Show 2011 Report (Aviation International News)

Airbus 'overwhelmed' by sales success as A320neo proves a hit at Paris air show (The Guardian)

Airbus A320neo star of the Paris Air Show (Aerospace and Defence News)

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Norwegian starts seasonal route between Stockholm and Tel Aviv

Jared Scott — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 12:54:09 +0000

Norwegian Air Shuttle commenced a seasonal service between Stockholm's Arlanda Airport (IATA: ARN; ICAO: ESSA), and David Ben-Gurion Airport (IATA: TLV; ICAO: LLBG) in Tel Aviv this morning. The first Stockholm-Tel Aviv flight of the season for the carrier was scheduled to leave Stockholm's main international airport at 7:00 this morning local time, but was delayed 25 minutes according to Arlanda's website. The route will operate weekly in both directions on Sunday, until Norwegian Air Shuttle decides to retire it for the season. It will be flown with the Boeing 737-800.

The route is scheduled to depart Stockholm at 7:00 in the morning each Sunday, local time, and arrive in Tel Aviv 12:50 in the afternoon local time. It is scheduled to depart Tel Aviv for the return trip at 1:50 in the afternoon local time, and arrive back in Stockholm at 5:40 in the afternoon local time. The flight is listed at 4 hours 50 minutes long, in both directions, on Norwegian Air Shuttle's official website. Stockholm and Tel Aviv both observe daylight saving time during the middle months of the year, and Tel Aviv generally operates one hour ahead of Stockholm.

Norwegian Air Shuttle was founded in 1993 and is now Scandinavia's second-largest airline behind Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). It is based in the municipality of Bærum, a western suburb of Oslo. In true Scandinavian tradition, it operates seven roughly equivalent hubs in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark.

Meanwhile, the Moscow-based airline RusLine started a non-stop route from Moscow to the Lithuanian Baltic seaside town of Palanga today, according to the official website of the town's airport (IATA: PLQ; ICAO: EYPA). The route is operated with a Bombardier CRJ200. It too will operate once a week on Sunday, in both directions. It is scheduled to depart Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport (IATA: DME; ICAO: UUDD) at 5:50 in the morning local time, and arrive in Lithuania at 6:40 in the morning local time. It is scheduled to depart the town of Palanga at 8:10 in the morning local time, and arrive back in Moscow at 11:05 local time. Flight time is just under two hours long, in both directions. Moscow operates one hour ahead of Palanga.

Additional information about this route, including pricing information, can be found on the airline's website, though it is in Russian, and does not offer an English translation.

original stories

Norwegian's Stockholm Arlanda network passes 30 routes; becomes second biggest base (www.anna.aero)

2011 04 12 (Palanga International Airport)

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EasyJet starts route between London-Gatwick and Catania on Sicily

Jared Scott — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:37:19 +0000

Starting today, the United Kingdom's popular budget airline EasyJet will fly three times a week between London's Gatwick Airport (IATA: LGW; ICAO: EGKK) and Vincenzo Bellini Airport (IATA: CTA; ICAO: LICC) on the eastern coast of the Italian island of Sicily. The flights will operate in each direction on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, according to the route's timetable, available on the airline's official website. The route will be flown with the Airbus A319-100, according to results returned by the airline ticket booking engine at www.kayak.com/flights.

EasyJet is the most popular airline for leisure travel, based in the United Kingdom. Its largest hub is Luton Airport (IATA: LTN; ICAO: EGGW), 35 miles (57 kilometers) north of London. It was established in 1995, and based its business model on the one used by the American carrier, Southwest Airlines. One aspect of the budget airline business model is exclusive use (or at least very heavy use) of a single aircraft model. Southwest, for example, is by far the world's largest operator of the Boeing 737, flying more than 550 of them, and having 130 more on order as of this posting. EasyJet is the world's largest operator of the Airbus A319. As of this posting, EasyJet operates more than 150 of the A319, in a fleet of fewer than 200 planes.

[To the right is a photograph of the 100th Airbus A319 delivered to EasyJet, landing at Bristol Airport (IATA: BRS; ICAO: EGGD) in special livery, in September 2008.]

Qantas settles with Rolls-Royce for 95 million AUD out of court

Jared Scott — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 21:44:10 +0000

Qantas Airways announced earlier this week that it reached an out-of-court settlement with engine maker Rolls-Royce regarding last November's engine failure on one of the Australian flag carrier airline's Airbus A380 models. The settlement is in the amount of 95 million AUD (70.4 million EUR; 62.4 million GBP; 123.1 million NZD; 99.7 million USD).

The deal was reached Wednesday morning, but during a press conference, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce refused to go into specifics. He characterized the settlement as "a very good result," considering the recent downturn in the commercial aviation industry in general.

The A380 that suffered the engine failure happened to be the first A380 inaugurated into service by Qantas in late 2008. It was given the name Nancy Bird Walton, after the famous Australian aviatrix born in 1915. She was the youngest Australian woman to have a pilot's license, and during the 1930s, operated an air ambulance service in the Australian state of New South Wales. She died in 2009, at the age of 93.

The Qantas Airbus A380 was scheduled to fly from Changi International Airport (IATA: SIN; ICAO: WSSS) in Singapore to Kingsford Smith Airport (IATA: SYD; ICAO: YSSY) in Sydney. The engine failed shortly after takeoff, requiring the plane to return to Singapore. Qantas grounded its fleet of A380s (of which there were six at the time) for inspections. This prompted Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa to do the same. In the time since, all three airlines have expressed confidence in the long-term soundness of the A380, both mechanically and from a business point of view.

Qantas, Singapore Airlines, and Lufthansa are three of six carriers worldwide to fly the Airbus A380. The others are Air France, Emirates, and Korean Air. Air France and Emirates were unconcerned about the safety of the A380s in their respective fleets, because the engines in all of their A380s are the GP7200, made by the Engine Alliance, a joint venture between General Electric and Pratt & Whitney. Last November, Korean Air did not yet fly the A380. But for the record, it chose the Engine Alliance GP7200 to power its A380, of which it has ordered ten, and currently possesses one.

Hellenic Imperial to start Gatwick, JFK today; Kuwait tomorrow

Jared Scott — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:26:06 +0000

The Greek airline Hellenic Imperial Airways is flying four times a week between its hub at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport (IATA: ATH; ICAO: LGAV) in Athens, and Kennedy International Airport in New York (IATA: JFK; ICAO: KJFK), starting today. The route will be operated with the Airbus A340-300. It is scheduled to depart from Athens at 5:30 in the afternoon local time, and arrive in New York at 9:30 in the evening, local time. It is scheduled to depart New York at 11:30 in the evening local time, and arrive back in Athens at 5:00 in the afternoon the following day, local time. The creation of this route makes Hellenic Imperial the only airline based in Greece to currently operate its own aircraft, non-stop, to the United States.

The airline will operate from Terminal 1 at Kennedy International.

Hellenic Imperial also announced that, starting today, it will fly thrice weekly between Athens and Gatwick Airport (IATA: LGW; ICAO: EGKK) south of London. This route will be also operated with the Airbus A340-300. Initially, the round-trip service will be operated three times a week, but this will be increased to six over the next few months, according to the U.K.-based Online Regional Travel Group.

Additionally, starting tomorrow, Hellenic Imperial will fly between Athens and Kuwait (IATA: KWI; ICAO: OKBK), the capital of the eponymous Middle Eastern nation. According to www.flight965.com, this round-trip service will operate two times a week. It did not give any further details. When these routes were first announced, the Athens-London round trip was first scheduled to commence on July 1. But the start date of this route was changed to June 24, to match the start date for Hellenic Imperial's Athens-New York route.

The Dutch airline Arkefly starts non-stop twice-weekly service between Schiphol Airport (IATA: AMS; ICAO: EHAM) in Amsterdam and Miami International Airport (IATA: MIA; ICAO: KMIA) in the American state of Florida today, according to a reader blog at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer website. The route will be flown with the Boeing 767-300ER.

The British budget airline EasyJet also restarts a seasonal service today between mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. It operates four times a week, on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, according to a timetable printed on EasyJet's website. It operates between Barajas Airport (IATA: MAD; ICAO: LEMD) in Madrid, and Lanzarote, the furthest east of the Canary Islands (IATA: ACE; ICAO: GCRR).

original stories

Hellenic Imperial Gatwick-Athens (www.countryconnect.co.uk)

Hellenic Imperial to launch Athens - London Gatwick late-Jun 2011 (www.airlineroute.net)

New scheduled route between Athens - New York to start on June 24th, 2011 (Hellenic Imperial Airways)

Hellenic Imperial Airways plans Athens - New York JFK launch from late-June 2011 (www.airlineroute.net)

Hellenic Imperial Airways to start visiting Kuwait! (www.flight965.com)

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