US Airways Fits Regional Aircraft with First-Class Accommodations

As frequent flyers well know, you don’t have to pay for First Class to sit in a first class seat. You just have to have enough points to upgrade. Problem is, with more and more of the flying done by regional jets, that opportunity isn’t always available. That’s one of the reasons why carriers have been fitting regional aircraft with first-class accommodations. US Airways Express is the latest to get the makeover.

US Airways Express will first install First Class on its Embraer 170 and 175s, and Canadair Regional Jet 700s and 900s. The initial upgrade will be on the 175 fleet this coming October. Rework on the remaining three regional jet fleets should be complete by January 2012. The seats will be arrayed in one–two configuration, with one seat on one side of the aisle, and two on the other.

When all’s said and done, US Airways contends it will loft “the highest percentage of daily departures with a First Class cabin among the four major network carriers.” US Airways’ Dividend Miles Preferred members will have access to free upgrades “on nearly 640 flights each day,” according to Andrew Nocella, the airline’s vice president of marketing and planning.

That means more room – at least in the pointy end of the airplane. While coach seats on US Airways regional jets offer about 31 inches of seat pitch (knee-room essentially) the First Class cabins of its newly-outfitted regional jets will sport either 37 inches or 38 inches of pitch.

The inability to upgrade has been a perennial gripe among frequent flyers over the past several years as major airlines have farmed out more and more of the flying to smaller airlines operating regional jets. While the livery (paint scheme) of the regional airline may look like that of the major’s, there’s sometimes been a disconnect as to the level of service offered. Putting in First-Class seats helps bridge that gap.

Extra Fees Airlines Passengers : Airlines Expected to Collect $22.6 Billion In Fees In 2010

All of those extra fees airline passengers pay to check bags, fly standby and order food, among other costs, will generate an estimated $22.6 billion in 2010 for the world’s air carriers.

That is the forecast included in a study released Friday by IdeaWorks Co., a Wisconsin-based consulting firm for the travel industry.

Major U.S. carriers will generate $6.7 billion of that total in 2010, the study estimated.

IdeaWorks did not perform a similar estimate for all airlines for 2009. However, the company previously reported that 97 airlines around the globe collecting $13.5 billion in fees in 2009 and $10.25 billion in 2008.

IdeaWorks calculated the projected revenue from such charges — known as ancillary fees — by studying the revenue reports released earlier this year by 46 airlines.

The revenue from such fees now represents less than 5% of the operating revenue for the airlines, according to the IdeaWorks study.

Still, the revenue from airline fees can jump significantly in the next year if every airline decides to maximize the range of services and products offered passengers, said Philippe Chereque, executive vice president for Amadeus, a Madrid-based technology company that specializes in helping airlines collect fees.

American Airlines Launches New Online Service For China Market

American Airlines has announced the launch of its Chinese website at americanairlines.cn.

The new site contains complete information about American Airlines and the destinations it connects through the Shanghai-Chicago route. The site also serves as a source of information on the best fares to U.S. and other destinations, communicating special offers to site visitors. The website allows customers to make online bookings without paying any booking fees.

“We are very pleased with the launch of our Chinese Web site,” said Victor Lee, regional director of Greater China for American Airlines. “This launch is a further step to reiterate our commitment to provide better service and enhanced convenience to our customers. We hope this new Web site will be used by a large number of travelers and will receive a positive response from them. We are confident that our Web site offers enhanced customer benefits and the best fares for all of our routes, including the Shanghai-Chicago route.”

American Airlines has been serving the Shanghai-Chicago route since April 2006, with its 245-seat Boeing 777 aircraft in three-class configuration.

American Airlines to Launch Daily Flight From New York JFK Airport to Budapest

American Airlines is to launch a daily flight from New York JFK airport to Budapest: the first American Boeing 767-300 intercontinental aircraft is planned to land at Budapest Airport on 4 April 2011. This is part of the global flight development plan, the details of which and of the trans-Atlantic cooperation of American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia Airlines were announced in London.

American Airlines shall connect their hub in New York John F Kennedy airport to the capital of Hungary by a daily flight commencing in April 2011. As member of the One World airline association, American Airlines considers Budapest an important destination in Eastern Europe, as passengers may continue their journeys using the network of Malév, another member of One World, from here to further destinations. Reservations for the Budapest-New York flight may be made from next week on, while Malév is preparing the so-called code-share agreement also for this flight, thus its passengers can use the network of American Airlines directly and at favorable prices.

The new trans-Atlantic flights were announced in London following the decisions of both the American and the European Union competition authorities approving the trans-Atlantic business cooperation of American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia. This means a total of 91 flights a day under the flag of One World. This also means that a strong competitor will face the two other major airline associations, Sky Team (Air France/KLM, Delta, Aeroflot, CSA etc.) and Star Alliance (Lufthansa, SAS, Continental, United, Air Canada, Austrian, Swiss etc.) on their trans-Atlantic routes.

The Budapest Airport airline development team has been working hard to add new overseas flights to the routes of the Hungarian capital for more than two years. Jost Lammers, CEO of Budapest Airport welcomed the achievement after personally being involved in the negotiations and noted the contributions made to this success by the Hungarian National Tourism Organization and Malév. “The vision of just a few people in the alliance and network planning team at American Airlines lifted the profile of Budapest within their Fort Worth headquarters as being a One World hub with significant growth potential and we are delighted with their confirmation of this big step.”

Director Aviation Kam Jandu who has been working with his colleagues to realize this project since 2009 said, “Adding another long haul carrier is an achievement in itself under the present circumstances of aviation, but more than that, the appearance of a major One World carrier in Budapest further broadens the offer, and sends a strong indication to other airlines on the market that it is worth putting the Hungarian capital on their list of destinations.”

Based on their business data in the first six months of 2010, American Airlines is the fourth largest airline in the world, which, together with its American subsidiary, American Eagle, serves 250 destinations with a huge fleet of 851 aircraft. The base of the company is at Forth Worth, Texas, which is the eighth busiest airport globally (with 56 million passengers in 2009), but it also has important centers at JFK New York, Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles and Miami. Besides their inland flights in the US, American Airlines is traditionally very strong in the Caribbean and the Latin-American regions.

Southwest Airlines Suspends Flight Operation at New York LaGuardia and Long Island

Southwest Airlines has suspended its flight operations at New York LaGuardia and Long Island MacArthur as an intense “extratropical” storm pounds the East. The carrier says on its website that “we have suspended our afternoon and evening operations” at both airports today. Southwest adds that a “decision to resume our scheduled service is contingent upon the weather conditions and operational logistics.”

Southwest says its operations in Boston Logan and Providence also are being affected, though it continues to operate at both airports for the time being. However, the airline warns that “based on the forecasted weather conditions, there is a possibility that our flights could be disrupted (delayed, diverted, and/or cancelled)” at those airports.

Southwest is easing rebooking rules for passengers scheduled to fly to, from or through all four airports.

JetBlue also warns on its website that it has canceled flights to and from the hard-hit Northeast, though the carrier does not appear to have suspended operations altogether at any of its airports.

Continental, Delta and US Airways also have eased change-of-ticket fees for passengers affected by the storm. Each of the airlines operates a major hub in the path of the storm. The hubs are Newark Liberty (Continental), New York JFK (Delta) and Philadelphia (US Airways). Each carrier has a significant presence at numerous other airports in the region.

California-based low-cost carrier Virgin America also warned of potential operational problems at Boston, New York JFK and Washington Dulles.

Virgin Airlines Anticipated Increase in Passenger Flights Traffic to Ghana

In anticipation of increased traffic during the peak winter travel period, Virgin Airlines is moving to a four times per week service between London and Accra, Ghana. While this is a short-term move, Virgin has indicated that it hopes to make the increased flight schedule a permanent offering soon.

Since May of this year, Virgin has been offering thrice weekly flights between the two destinations. The fourth weekly flight is now set to begin 11 December 2010 and last through 9 January 2011.

The carrier said in a statement, “Ghana has been amongst the most successful of route launches for the airline and is already proving to be a highly popular destination”, going on to add that it has seen very high load factors on the route, which have been exceeding expectations.

The fourth flight will leave from London Heathrow on Saturday evenings at 22:30, with a landing time in Accra of 5:20 the following morning. The return portion of the new offering will leave Accra at 9:00 on Sunday, December 12 and 10:30 on other dates, to land in London at 15:50 and 17:20 respectively.

The aircraft servicing the new route is an Airbus A340-300, featuring 171 economy seats, 35 premium economy, and 34 in upper class.

Virgin Atlantic flies from the United Kingdom to a wide-variety of destinations around the world including New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Johannesburg, and Dubai.

AirTran Airways Adds Nonstop Flight Service From Baltimore to San Juan

AirTran Airways is stepping up its Caribbean service out of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, increasing nonstop service to San Juan, Puerto Rico to two daily flights.

AirTran, which agreed this week to be acquired by Southwest Airlines Co., currently offers weekend-only nonstop flights from BWI to San Juan, with one flight on Saturday and one on Sunday.

Effective April 5, AirTran will begin operating a morning flight and an evening flight from BWI to San Juan seven days a week.

American Airlines also currently flies from BWI to San Juan.

AirTran currently offers five flights per week from BWI to Cancun.

The expanded service was announced as part of a broader expansion of AirTran routes between other cities, including Orlando, Tampa, Milwaukee, Phoenix and Akron, Ohio.

Orlando, Fla.-based AirTran is BWI’s second-largest carrier, with 3.3 million passengers last year. Dallas-based Southwest is the largest carrier at BWI, accounting for 10.9 million passengers in 2009, or 52 percent of the airport’s total.

Southwest intends to acquire AirTran for $1.4 billion. Paul Wiedefeld, Maryland’s top aviation official, said BWI could gain more international flights from the merger.

Japan Airlines to Code share on Qantas Airways’ Singapore-Brisbane Flights

One world alliance members Japan Airlines and Qantas Airways are expanding their long-running code sharing partnership to allow JAL to keep Brisbane in its network after it suspends direct flights there.

From October 1, Japan Airlines will code share with Qantas on flights operated by Qantas between Singapore and Brisbane.

The expanded code sharing agreement with one world partner Qantas Airways allows JAL to retain Brisbane in its international network as it suspends its direct flights between Tokyo Narita and Brisbane from September 30, after 22 years of flying to the Australian city.

JAL and Qantas first started to code share on flights in April 1986. At present, JAL markets flights operated by Qantas from Singapore to Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth. JAL will continue to serve and support customers traveling between Australia and Japan for leisure or for work with these code share arrangements and two daily flights connecting Tokyo and Singapore.

Reservations and ticket purchase for the code share flights begin on October 1.

The new code share will see JAL listing Qantas’ daily Singapore-Brisbane flight QF052 in its booking database as JL5077. This flight departs Singapore’s Changi International Airport (SIN) at 9:25 p.m. and arrives at Brisbane International Airport (BNE) at 6:50 a.m. the following day.

JAL is listing Qantas’ flight QF051 between Brisbane and Singapore as JL5078. This flight leaves BNE at 1:55 p.m. and arrives at SIn at 7:50 p.m. local time the same day.

To allow passengers flying on JAL tickets to travel between Tokyo and Brisbane via Singapore as conveniently as possible, Japan Airlines recommends its connecting flight JL519 between Tokyo and Singapore, which leaves Narita International Airport (NRT) at 10:55 a.m. and reaches SIN at 5:10 p.m. local time; and JL710 from Singapore to Narita, which departs SIN at 10:40 p.m. and lands at NRT at 6:45 a.m. the next day local time. Both flights operate daily.

American Airlines Expands Mobile Boarding Passes to Eight More Airports

JFK and San Juan Airport, plus Six International Locations to Implement Mobile Boarding. Now at 50 Airports, Customers Departing on American and American Eagle Flights Can Avoid Printing Paper Boarding Pass and Show Barcode on Mobile Phone at Security and Gate

American Airlines customers departing from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU), as well as six international airports, including Barcelona, Spain (BCN), Rome, Italy (FCO), Frankfurt, Germany (FRA), Manchester, United Kingdom (MAN), Milan, Italy (MXP), and Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH), will now be able to save time and paper by receiving their boarding passes electronically on their mobile phones.

With the addition of these eight locations, American Airlines now offers the mobile boarding pass option to travelers departing on American Airlines and American Eagle flights from 50 airports. Mobile boarding passes use a two-dimensional (2-D) barcode and were rolled out in partnership with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in 2008.

“This is an exciting time for American Airlines, as we work to enhance the customer experience by giving our customers the options they want and need when and where they need them,” said Andrew Watson, American’s Vice President – Customer Technology. “With the addition of New York’s JFK Airport and San Juan, plus six international airports, an even greater number of our customers will be able to select the option to display their boarding pass on their mobile phone – speeding the process at the airport and eliminating the need for a paper boarding pass.”

The mobile boarding pass process is simple. When customers check in for their flight using AA.com and opt to receive their boarding pass on their mobile phone they will receive an e-mail with an Internet link to the boarding pass. Customers must have an active e-mail address where their boarding pass can be sent and an Internet-enabled mobile phone where the 2-D barcode can be received. The mobile boarding pass contains a 2-D barcode that can be scanned both at security checkpoints and at American Airlines gates.

At the airport, customers simply scan their mobile phone screen with the 2-D barcode displayed on it when going through Security (proper identification must be presented) and when boarding, just as they would a traditional paper boarding pass. Customers who wish to check bags can still use this mobile option by scanning the 2-D barcode on their mobile phone screen at any of the American Airlines self-service machines, ticket counters, or curbside check-in facilities located in the 50 participating airports.

At this time, customers who opt to use the mobile boarding pass option may only list one person in their reservation. They also must be traveling on American or American Eagle flights from any one of the 50 participating airports on a nonstop or connecting flight through a participating mobile-boarding airport. London Heathrow was the first international location to offer the program, and American Airlines is one of the first U.S. carriers to roll out the mobile boarding pass technology in the UK, as well as in Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

Customers who check in online and wish to print a paper boarding pass are still able to do so. At the end of the online check-in process on AA.com, customers can choose how they would like to receive their boarding pass by selecting either “Print” (customers can print the pass at that time, or use a self-service check-in machine to print at the airport), “E-mail for Print” (boarding pass is e-mailed and customers can print at their convenience), or “E-mail for use on Cell Phone or Other Device” (customers receive an electronic boarding pass via e-mail on their cell phone or mobile device).

United Airlines and Continental Airlines to Start Passenger Service Operation Next Year

UAL Corp.’s United Airlines and Continental Airlines Inc. will start blending passenger-service operations early next year as they merge to create the world’s largest carrier.

Shared check-in kiosks and airport signs will appear next year in a process the companies call “Customer Day One” as the new airline adopts the United name. Operational changes such as joint websites probably won’t occur until about 2012, when United gets a single flying certificate from regulators.

UAL and Continental shareholders voted Friday to approve the $3.22 billion all-stock merger, which is scheduled to close by Oct. 1. The carriers are being advised by Bain & Co., the consultant Delta Air Lines Inc. hired to help mesh operations with Northwest Airlines Corp. beginning in 2008.

“On Customer Day One, Continental and United will be able to conduct key customer processes, such as airport check-in and upgrades, for any traveler, regardless of whether they are on a Continental- or United-operated flight,” said Julie King, a spokeswoman for Continental, based in Houston.

Passengers won’t see many immediate changes when the deal closes, King said. The websites for both carriers will continue to operate as they do now, and each company will run its own customer-service and marketing activities, she said.

United’s Mileage Plus and Continental’s OnePass frequent-flier programs will operate independently until after the closing. Members’ reward points will be combined, and the plans will be blended in the first half of 2011, according to the airlines.

United and Continental have decided to keep United’s Chicago headquarters. They will incorporate Continental’s globe logo on the tails when they repaint planes.

Continental Chief Executive Officer Jeff Smisek will run the company, while United CEO Glenn Tilton will become non-executive chairman.

It took Delta about a year and a half to fully combine operations with Northwest after their merger in October 2008.

Within a month, Delta and Northwest began aligning customer policies and fees for services such as taking pets onboard.

Delta installed new signs with its name and logo at all major hubs by March 2009, and the companies were granted a single operating certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration in December, which allowed them to integrate pilot groups and flight procedures.

They combined websites and reservation systems in January, and finished meshing technology and dispatch systems in April.

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