All Nippon Airways First Airline to Use Boeing 787 Dreamliner

All Nippon Airways is all set to become the first airline with Boeing 787 Dreamliner in its fleet. After developmental delays of almost three years, the first 787 is due for delivery to the Japanese flag carrier next month.

On Monday, the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner for All Nippon Airways rolled out of the paint hangar at Boeing’s facility in Everett, close to Seattle in the United States.

To celebrate the event, the aircraft was painted in bespoke white and blue colours, signifying Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner brand and ANA’s service goals. UK carriers, Thomson Airways and British Airways are among other international airlines that have placed orders for the 787 Dreamliner.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be configured by All Nippon Airways for use on short-haul international flights. However, to smooth the progress of staff training the aircraft will be deployed on domestic routes in the beginning.

On domestic routes, the aircraft will feature 12 Premium Class seats and 252 standard class seats. On long-haul international flights, Boeing 787 Dreamliner will have a total of 158 seats, including 46 Business Class seats and 112 Economy Class seats. On short-haul international flights, the Dreamliner will have 222 seats that will include 42 Business Class seats and 180 Economy Class seats. Travellers who seek cheap air tickets on flights will have more options once the Boeing 787 spreads its wings.

All Nippon Airways will fly the commemorative first commercial flight as a charter service from the Narita International Airport, Tokyo to Hong Kong. The 787 Dreamliner will then operate scheduled air travel services on the Haneda-Okayama and Haneda-Hiroshima routes.

Mitsuo Morimoto, Senior Executive Vice President of ANA was present at the aircraft roll out in Seattle. Mitsuo Morimoto is also handling the airline’s Operations & Airport Services, Corporate Safety and Audit.

Mr. Morimoto was quoted in the company’s press release as stating: “We intend to use the Dreamliner to expand our business, particularly our international routes. We are aiming to increase our revenues from international operations significantly and the 787 will play an instrumental role in this.” Mr. Morimoto also emphasised on the airline’s focus on customer satisfaction. He remarked, “We want to be number one in Asia, not just in passengers and revenues, but also in terms of quality, customer satisfaction and value creation. Becoming the 787’s launch customer was a strategic management decision designed to help us reach that goal.”

Delta Air Line Request Esensial Air Service Funds for Flight Routes to Sioux Gateway Airport

Delta Air Lines threatened Friday to pull out of Sioux Gateway Airport unless the federal government starts subsidizing its money-losing routes here.

The move puts the Sioux City airport at risk of losing commercial air service altogether. Delta, which offers three daily connecting routes to Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, has been Sioux Gateway’s only commercial carrier since 2008.

In a filing Friday with the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Atlanta-based airline said it can’t afford to keep its Sioux City routes going without Essential Air Service funds.

The EAS program gives subsidies to airlines to fly into small markets that otherwise would have no air service.

Airline and airport officials stressed there will be no immediate change to service at Sioux Gateway, where the termal building was recently modernized at a cost of $6.2 million. Delta’s filing starts a 90-day process in which the federal DOT will review the airline’s application for EAS funds.

Delta said it is losing too much money on flights at Sioux Gateway, where its 50-seat jets are on average only 51 percent full. That compares to an 83 percent load factor for its overall domestic system.

“We want to make it financially feasible to continue service to Sioux City,” Delta spokeswoman Kristin Baur said.

Local officials said they expect to retain air service, whether it’s with Delta or another carrier.

In the first six months of this year, the number of Delta passengers at Sioux Gateway was up 26 percent, compared to the same period last year, airport director Curt Miller said.

“I think we’re showing some real strength right now,” Miller said. “We’re having discussions with other air carriers about expanding the service here. … I’m comfortable that someone will want to step up and provice service.”

Dangling proceeds from a $500,000 federal grant as an incentive, Sioux City officials have been in talks with other carriers in recent months about adding routes to Chicago O’Hare.

Delta’s request for EAS subsidies at Sioux Gateway comes amid a fight over the future of the program. As part of broader reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, the House and Senate have approved different versions of bills that narrow the list of cities eligible for EAS subsidies.

House and Senate negotiators have been in talks to settle their differences on a wide range of issues in the FAA bill. In a statement Friday, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said he has been in regular contact with the lead Senate negotiator, Jay Rockefeller, on the importance of preserving the program for airports like Mason City, Fort Dodge and Burlington, where EAS funds are now directed, and to preserve the rights of Sioux City and Waterloo to join the program.

Sioux City and Waterloo are among seven cities where Delta signaled Friday it could no longer afford to operate flights without subsidies. The airline also identified 17 other airports where its flights are already subsidized and it currently collects federal funds, but wants to end service anyway.

Delta said it is losing a combined $14 million a year in the 24 small airports in Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and South and North Dakota.

The federal government has the option of finding a replacement carrier for those markets, or rengotiating the subsidy rates with Delta.

If it authorizes EAS funds for Sioux Gateway, Miller said the DOT could open up the market for bids not only from Delta, but also other carriers.

The filing Friday is part of Delta’s strategy to cut its capacity by 4 percent to lower fuel costs and manage demand. Delta inherited its Sioux City routes after it acquired Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest Airlines.

American Eagle Airlines Begin Flight Service Between O’Hare International Airport and Tri-Cities Regional Airport

American Eagle Airlines, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, will begin nonstop jet service between Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI) beginning July 2. The Tri-Cities airport is centrally located between the cities of Bristol, Kingsport and Johnson City, Tenn., and serves the communities of Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina. Eagle will operate the service with 44-seat Embraer ERJ-140 jets.

“American Airlines was the first carrier to operate at Tri-Cities Regional Airport, launching service Sept. 1, 1937, and we are delighted to bring the American brand back, with service to the Tri-Cities area from our hub in Chicago,” said Gary Foss, Vice President – Planning and Marketing for the AA Regional Network. “From the Birthplace of Country Music to NASCAR racing at the Bristol Motor Speedway, the Tri-Cities area has a tremendous amount to offer. Read more