Video: QANTAS Airways. On December 27, QANTAS Airways said goodbye to the final Boeing 767 in the QANTAS fleet. The 767 has been in the QF fleet since July 1985 and has carried nearly 168 million passengers on over 927,000 flights. The video includes two QF 767 First Officers for filming of the final flight.

QANTAS Airways aircraft slide show:

Video: Emirates. Watch A.C. Milan take-off on the iconic Emirates Airbus A380, and Michelangelo Albertazzi and Michael Essien turn Captain and First Officer in the Emirates A380 Experience flight simulator in The Village, The Dubai Mall.

Scoot (Singapore) yesterday (January 31) took delivery of its first 375-seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The pictured 787-9 9V-OJA (msn 37112) named “Dream Start” late last night departed from Paine Field and is headed for an arrival tomorrow in Singapore.

Read the full story from the Sunday Times: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: Joe G. Walker/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 787-9 9V-OJA (msn 37112) lands at Paine Field before the handover.

Scoot aircraft slide show:

Photo Below: Scoot: The nose of 9V-OJA “Dream Start” before its departure from Paine Field.

Photo Below. Scoot. Scoot 787 branded M&Ms.

Videos:

The building of Scoot’s first 787:

TACV – Cabo Verde Airlines (Transportes Aereos de Cabo Verde) (Praia, Cape Verde Islands) is coming to T. F. Green Airport in Providence, Rhode Island starting on June 2. The airline will operate two flights a week with Boeing 757-200 aircraft. The airport issued this statement:

Transportes Aereos de Cabo Verde (TACV), announced the start of service from T. F. Green Airport (PVD) to the Cabo Verde Islands beginning June 2, 2015. The airline will offer two weekly flights on 210-seat Boeing 757-200 aircraft to the city of Praia on the island of Santiago on Tuesdays and Fridays through June 30 and will add a third weekly flight on Wednesdays during the peak travel season of July through early September. Additionally, connecting service will be available to other Cabo Verdean islands: Fogo, Sao Vicente, Sal and Boa Vista.

Located about 300 miles off the coast of Senegal, Cabo Verde is renowned for its natural beauty, picturesque beaches, and “morabeza” (Creole for hospitality) of its people. The islands that make up the arrow-shaped archipelago today were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century. Cabo Verde gained independence in 1975 and remains one of Africa’s most stable democratic governments. Both Portuguese and Creole are spoken by many of the 450,000 Cabo Verdeans who call the island nation home.

Copyright Photo: Jacques Guillem/AirlinersGallery.com. TACV-Cabo Verde Airlines Boeing 757-2Q8 D4-CBP (msn 30045) taxies at Paris (CDG).

TACV aircraft slide show:

Skymark Airlines (Tokyo-Haneda) yesterday (January 31) operated its last Airbus A330-300 revenue flight. According to ZipanguFlyer, the last revenue flight from Tokyo (Haneda) was flight BC 727 to Sapporo (New Chitose) operated with Airbus A330-343 JA330D. The final flight was the return leg, flight BC 730 back to Tokyo (Haneda), arriving back at 2236 local time.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Akira Uekawa/AirlinersGallery.com. A spectacular takeoff view of Airbus A330-343 JA330B (msn 1491) from Haneda Airport from Tokyo Bay.

Skymark aircraft slide show:

Jazz Aviation LP (Air Canada Express) (Halifax), a wholly owned subsidiary of Chorus Aviation Inc., has announced that its pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) have ratified their tentative agreement reached on January 13, 2015. The term of this agreement is 11 years expiring on December 31, 2025.

ALPA represents approximately 1380 pilots employed at Jazz. The term of the pilot agreement is consistent with the 11 year term of Chorus’ proposed amended capacity purchase agreement with Air Canada (that remains subject to the completion of certain terms and conditions), and therefore provides long-term labor stability. The new collective agreement also provides for productivity enhancements, cost control measures and incentives to grow at competitive rates.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Air Canada Express-Jazz Aviation’s Bombardier DHC-8-102 C-FJMG (msn 255) is pictured parked at the gate at Toronto-Pearson International Airport.

Air Canada Express (Jazz) aircraft slide show:

Airberlin (airberlin.com) (Berlin) today introduced a 66-foot long giant portrait of Milo, the new ostrich mascot of Airberlin’s topbonus frequent flyer program. The Airbus A320-214 registered as D-ABFO (msn 4565) entered service today (January 31). The airline issue this statement.

A giant image of Milo, the new mascot for Airberlin’s topbonus frequent flyer program, will soon be cruising the skies along the airline’s European route network. The very first Airbus A320-200 to carry the mascot’s likeness, registration D-ABFO, took off from Munich at 8:20 a.m. on January 31, 2015, and arrived in Hamburg at 9:40 a.m. From there, Milo continued to Palma de Mallorca, touching down at 1:40 p.m., before completing the final leg of the journey and landing in Faro at 3:20 p.m.

Measuring approximately 22 meters (66 feet) in length, both sides of the aircraft will carry an image of Milo the red ostrich. Seven employees at Airberlin’s technical service in Munich were responsible for the paint job, which kept them busy for two days in total.

“Milo will take to the skies to increase the prominence and visibility of topbonus at the approximately 120 airports across the European route network. We will continue in our efforts to make our frequent flyer further even more attractive this year, and will therefore reach out to people who strictly speaking may not be the most frequent flyers. We are confident that the Airbus decorated with the friendly image of Milo will continue to increase awareness of topbonus within this particular target group”, explains Anton Lill, Managing Director at topbonus.

The scheduled routes the Airbus will service over the coming days are shown at airberlin.com/topbonusflieger.

There will be a competition on Airberlin’s social media channels on February 2, 2015 to coincide with the première of the topbonus plane, inviting people to report sightings.

Topbonus is using Milo to target infrequent flyers in particular. Ostriches are the world’s largest flightless birds, and topbonus is helping Milo realize its dream of soaring across the skies by collecting miles on the ground with around 100 topbonus partners. These miles can then be redeemed for free tickets and other attractive premiums.

Photo: Airberlin.

Airberlin aircraft slide show:

Qatar Airways (Doha) has bought a 9.99 per cent stake in British Airways’ owner International Airlines Group (IAG), becoming the company’s largest shareholder.

The move will cement a close commercial relationship between BA and the airline, whose owner, the Qatari government, is a significant investor in Britain.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of International Airlines Group, the BA owner, said in : “We’re delighted to have Qatar Airways, one of the world’s premier airlines, as a long-term supportive shareholder. We will talk to them about what opportunities exist to work more closely together and further IAG’s ambitions as the leading global airline group.”

BA sponsored Qatar’s entry into the Oneworld airline alliance, and they also have a cargo partnership. Qatar has indicated it would seek to extend ties following the investment, which could include codeshares on flights via the Gulf state, allowing the airlines to sell tickets on each other’s planes.

Akbar Al Baker, the Qatar airline’s CEO said: “IAG represents an excellent opportunity to further develop our westwards strategy.”

Qatar Airways is prohibited from owning more than a minority stake in IAG under EU ownership rules and said it does not currently intend to increase its 9.99% shareholding.

Report by Assistant Editor Oliver Wilcock from Manchester.

Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. Qatar Airways’ second Airbus A380, the pictured A380-861 A7-APB (msn 143) completes its final approach to London’s Heathrow Airport, the home of IAG’s British Airways.

Qatar Airways aircraft slide show:

Southwest Airlines (Dallas) has announced it will add new destinations with more nonstop flights made possible by acquiring the rights to two additional Love Field gates.

Beginning in April, Southwest will offer daily nonstop flights to nine new cities from Dallas (Love Field), including Memphis, Milwaukee, and Seattle/Tacoma, and will increase the number of nonstop flights to recently introduced destinations added after the October 2014 expiration of the Wright Amendment restrictions on long-haul flying at Love Field.

Details on numbers of flights as well as the full list of the cities and fares will be announced soon. The new flights will be made possible through a long-term sub-lease agreement that will transfer usage of two gates in the newly rebuilt 20-gate facility from United Airlines to Southwest Airlines. Terms of the deal are confidential. The transaction was reviewed and cleared without conditions by the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division. The City of Dallas, the owner and operator of Love Field, also has approved the sublease.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-790 N560WN (msn 30542) taxies to the runway at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Southwest Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

Okay Airways (OKAir) (Tianjin) and Boeing (Chicago, Seattle and Charleston) yesterday (January 30) celebrated the delivery of the carrier’s first Next-Generation 737-900 ER (Extended Range). The delivery marks the first 737-900 ER to be delivered to a Chinese customer and is the first of eight 737-900 ERs that Okay Airways has on order.

The addition of the 737-900 ER airplanes will join the existing fleet of 737-800 airplanes.

Okay Airways’ new 737-900 ER is configured with 200 seats in a one-class layout. It will feature Boeing’s Sky Interior.

Okay Airways, the first privately owned airline in China, is headquartered in Beijing with its main hub at Tianjin Binhai International Airport (TSN). Its jetliner fleet includes 13 Boeing 737-800s and one Boeing 737-300 Freighter, which serves more than 100 domestic and international routes.

Photo: Boeing. Boeing 737-9KF ER B-1739 (msn 41114) departs from Boeing Field.

OKAir aircraft slide show:

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) has announced its 15,000 pilots have ratified the new contract. The company issued this statement:

The Allied Pilots Association (APA), representing 15,000 pilots at American Airlines, announced its members have approved a new five-year contract which provides immediate pay raises of 23 percent and subsequent annual raises of three percent for the next five years.

American Airlines President Scott Kirby said, “Today’s results provide immediate and significant pay increases to our pilots, and represent another step forward in our integration. We are especially pleased that American is in a position to support pay increases that recognize the contributions of our pilots this early in our integration. We also acknowledge and applaud the hard work and leadership of APA President Capt. Keith Wilson, the APA national officers, the negotiating teams from the APA and the company, as well as members of the APA Board.”

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 767-323 ER N383AN (msn 26995) arrives in Miami.

American Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):

Spirit Airlines (Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood) is using the media hype for the upcoming Super Bowl to take a jab at the (expensive) TV ads to their make their “ultra low fare” point. The airline issued this short statement and video:

Spirit Airlines has created perhaps the cheapest “Big Game” Ad ever. No Hollywood actors, no pyrotechnics, no elaborate sets and of course no expensive television buy. A few puppets and some stock footage promote Spirit’s ultra-low Bare Fares.

Spirit Airlines aircraft slide show:

Transavia Airlines (Netherlands) (Amsterdam) and Transavia France (Paris-Orly) have introduced a new brighter shade of green and white livery, ten years after the last change. The new makeover by Studio Dumbar redesigns the “t” logo and the new style font titles also drop the .com.

The company is advertising the change as “the new Transavia”.

Read how the new brand was developed by Studio Dumbar: CLICK HERE

Images below: Studio Dunbar.

All images by Transavia:

Transavia (Netherlands) aircraft slide show:

Video: The unveiling of the new brand:

Emirates (Dubai) has issued this statement, photos and video for its sponsorship of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. The pictured Airbus A380-861 A6-EDZ (msn 107) now carries special markings. The airline issued this statement:

With just two weeks to go until the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, Emirates airline, a global connector of people, places and passions, has unveiled the first of its aircraft that will feature the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Logo.

The Emirates Airbus A380 recently set off to Australia and New Zealand, and is the first of a number of “specially-dressed” Emirates aircraft that will fly around the globe, celebrating this major event with cricket-lovers and uniting fans around the world.

Emirates has been the official partner of the International Cricket Council since 2007 and all its major tournaments including the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

In partnership with the ICC, Emirates also sponsors the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Match Referees.
Cricket has provided Emirates with a powerful platform to connect with fans and communities across Asia, Australasia, South Africa and the UK. In addition to its partnership with the ICC, Emirates’ cricket sponsorships include:

Title Sponsor of the Emirates Airline Twenty20, which brings successful County Cricket Clubs to Dubai to compete for the coveted Emirates T20 Championship.

In the UK, Emirates has partnerships with Durham County Cricket Club and Lancashire County Cricket Club, including naming rights to both clubs’ playing grounds and their respective T20 representative teams.

Emirates has unveiled “specially-dressed” aircraft on special occasions and during major events, such as during the 2020 World Expo bid, which Dubai won in 2013.

Video: With just two weeks to go until the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand, Emirates reveals the first of its A380s that will feature the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Logo.

Emirates aircraft slide show:

Finnair (Helsinki) has announced the sale of Flybe’s (Exeter) 60% share in Flybe Nordic has been approved. The airline issued this statement:

The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority has approved the transaction in which Flybe UK Ltd’s 60% ownership of Flybe Nordic venture will be transferred to StaffPoint Holding Ltd and G.W. Sohlberg Ltd (GWS) . The letter of intent on this transaction was announced on January 7, 2015. Upon completion of the sale, StaffPoint’s ownership in the joint venture will be 45%, GWS’s 15% and Finnair’s 40%. The transaction is expected to be closed in early February 2015.

Flybe Nordic owns fully the Finnish subsidiary Flybe Finland, which is in charge of Finnair’s regional airline operations. Flybe Finland currently operates to a number of domestic and European destinations from Helsinki on behalf of Finnair on a contract-flying basis. In addition, Flybe Finland operates to five domestic destinations as well as Tartu, Estonia and Norrköping, Sweden at its own commercial risk.

Will the Flybe Finland brand now be changed to a new name? Flybe Finland was formerly FinnComm Airlines.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. Flybe Finland’s ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-500) OH-ATG (msn 757) sits on the ramp at the Helsinki (HEL) base.

Video: A time lapse full flight window view of a flight from Edinburgh to Birmingham, onboard Flybe Embraer ERJ 175 G-FBJE, operating flight BE 852 on October 31, 2014.

QANTAS Airways (Sydney) has saved historic Boeing 747-438 VH-OJA (msn 24354) from a Victorville scraping. Instead, the first QANTAS Jumbo will be preserved with the Historical Aviation Restoration Society (HARS) at Illawarra Regional Airport at Albion Park, south of Wollongong.

The airline issued this statement:

In a coup for New South Wales tourism, QANTAS will donate its first Boeing 747-400, known as City of Canberra, to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) in March.

It will be the first 747-400 in the world to be preserved for public display and the biggest aircraft by far to be on show at the HARS facility at Illawarra Regional Airport, Shellharbour.

HARS is home to the largest collection of both flying and static heritage aircraft in Australia and run by more than 450 volunteers, including dozens of retired QANTAS employees, who dedicate their time to the maintenance and restoration of some of aviation’s most iconic aircraft.

The newly retired 747 represents a key part of both Australian aviation and QANTAS history after it blazed its way in to the record books in 1989 for the longest nonstop commercial flight from London to Sydney in 20 hours, 9 minutes and 5 seconds. The record still stands.

Ironically, QANTAS will deliver the aircraft, registration VH-OJA, in early March on what will be the airline’s, and perhaps the world’s, shortest ever delivery flight with an expected flying time of approximately ten minutes from Mascot in Sydney to Illawarra.

The delivery flight from Sydney International Airport to Illawarra Regional Airport will be the first time a Boeing 747 has landed at the regional port. The QANTAS pilots operating the final flight will undergo special simulator training to prepare for the delivery and the airline is working with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to finalize approvals for the special landing.

Over the past few years, QANTAS has been gradually retiring its older Boeing 747s. Nine of its newest jumbos, the last of which was delivered in 2003, have been refurbished and will continue flying into the future. Since 2008, the QANTAS Group has taken delivery of almost 150 new aircraft, lowering its fleet age to an average of just over seven years.

The aircraft will join an impressive lineup of famed aircraft now located at HARS including a Lockheed Super Constellation, Catalina, Douglas DC-3 and DC-4 and a Desert Storm US Army Cobra.

The official handover will take place on March 15, 2015 to coincide with HARS monthly open days.

QANTAS Boeing 747-400 VH-OJA facts:

· 25.3 years in service

· 13,833 flights

· 4,094,568 passengers carried

· This aircraft has flown nearly 85 million kilometers, which is equivalent to 110.2 return trips to the moon

· VH-OJA was QANTAS’ first Boeing 747-400 aircraft and was named the City of Canberra

· It was delivered to QANTAS on August 11, 1989 and made its debut flight on August 16, 1989 from London to Sydney

· On Thursday August 17, 1989, it set the record for having flown the longest nonstop flight (London-Sydney) of any commercial airline (flight number QF 7441)

· The flight and subsequent media attention around the world at the time underlined QANTAS’ role as the leader in long-range commercial aviation.

· All of QANTAS’ Boeing 747-400 aircraft were named ‘Longreach’ as a tribute to our place of origin and to demonstrate the long-range of the aircraft.

In other news, QANTAS together with Samsung Electronics Australia has launched a new trial entertainment service that uses Samsung virtual reality (VR) technology to give customers a spectacular three dimensional experience in a 360 degree style interactive format.

QANTAS’ VR headsets will transport customers to an immersive virtual world at the click of a button and showcase the sights and delights of network destinations, new QANTAS products and the latest inflight blockbuster movies.

As part of the trial, a number of Samsung Gear VR headsets will be made available to customers in Sydney and Melbourne International First Lounges as well as in the First Class cabins on select A380 services. QANTAS will be the only airline to offer a virtual reality entertainment experience inflight.

The trial will run for three months to assess customer feedback on how this kind of VR offering might add to their overall travel experience on long-haul flights.

Top Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. VH-OJA (msn 24354) was a frequent visitor to Los Angeles before the Airbus A380s.

QANTAS aircraft slide show:

Allegiant Travel Group (Allegiant Air) (Las Vegas) reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2014. For the 4Q, the company reported net income of only $4.8 million, down 72.6 percent from the same period a year ago when it reported a 4Q net profit of $17.5.

For 2014, the company reported a net profit of $86.7 million versus $92.3 million for 2013.

This represents the 48th consecutive profitable quarter. The lower earnings were due to a write down in the value of its Boeing 757-200 fleet of $43.3 million in the fourth quarter as previously reported.

“We are very proud to report our 48th consecutive profitable quarter,” stated Maurice J. Gallagher, Jr., Chairman and CEO of Allegiant Travel Company. “Excluding the one-time charge related to the write down of our 757 fleet, full year operating margin increased again, for the third year in a row in spite of a number of operational challenges. Looking forward, we see better execution in 2015.”

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-204 N905NV (msn 27235) lands at the Las Vegas home.

Allegiant Air aircraft slide show:

ANA Holdings (ANA-All Nippon Airways) (Tokyo) has ordered seven more Airbus A321 aircraft (four A321ceo with Sharklets and three A321neo) (above), in addition to the firm order for 30 A320neo Family (seven A320neo and 23 A321neo) placed in July 2014.

The latest agreement brings ANA’s total order for the A320 Family to 37 aircraft which will gradually replace its existing single aisle fleet. ANA will be the first Japanese operator of both Sharklet-equipped A321ceo and A321neo.

ANA became an Airbus customer in 1987, when it ordered ten A320s. In 1995 ANA also selected the larger A321, with a total of seven orders.

Image: Airbus.

Boeing (Chicago, Seattle and Charleston) and ANA-All Nippon Airways (Tokyo) have announced the airline’s intent to purchase three 787-10 Dreamliners to add additional flexibility to the airline’s 787 fleet. In addition, ANA announced an order for five Next-Generation 737-800s to bolster the airline’s growing narrow-body fleet. This agreement, once all commitments are finalized, will be valued at approximately $1.4 billion at current list prices, and ANA will become the first airline in Asia to operate the entire family of 787 Dreamliners.

ANA, the launch customer of the 787, is poised to become Boeing’s newest 787-10 customer and has taken more 787 deliveries than any other customer at 34, with 46 still on order.

ANA plans to leverage the added efficiency and full flexibility the complete family of 787s will allow for its future fleet. In addition, ANA will be able to maintain the innovative passenger experience onboard the Dreamliner that customers have grown accustomed to over the years. The airline will use the new 737-800s to enhance the flexibility of its expanding fleet.

The 787-10 is the third and longest member of the super-efficient 787 family. With its greater passenger and cargo capacity, high degree of commonality and passenger-pleasing features, the 787-10 will complement the family while setting a new benchmark for fuel efficiency and operating economics. The 787-10 will be 25 to 30 percent more efficient than airplanes of its size today and more than 10 percent better than anything offered by the competition for the future.

Copyright Photo: Akira Uekawa/AirlinersGallery.com. ANA will operate all three versions of the 787, the original 787-8, the first stretch 787-9 and the upcoming 787-10. Set against stormy skies, Boeing 787-9 JA830A (msn 34522) with “Inspiration of Japan – Tomo Dachi” markings climbs away from Osaka (Itami).

ANA aircraft slide show:

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) will add six new routes throughout Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America, further strengthening its position in these key markets. New service to Barranquilla, Colombia (BAQ), will add a new destination to the airline’s global network and customers will have increased options when traveling throughout the region. Expanded service includes new flights to Belize City, Belize (BZE); Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (GCM); Guadalajara, Mexico (GDL); Managua, Nicaragua (MGA); and Monterrey, Mexico (MTY).

The new routes:

American is taking delivery of more than 100 new aircraft this year, giving it the youngest fleet of any U.S.-based network carrier. Orders include the Airbus A320 and A320neo family, A350-900s, Boeing 737 MAX, 777-300ERs and 787s, which will make American’s fleet even younger, more modern and fuel efficient.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-115 N9017P (msn 6085) arrives at the Miami hub.

American Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery:

Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (Honolulu), parent company of Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. (Honolulu), today reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2014.

GAAP net income in the fourth quarter of $11.1 million or $0.17 per diluted share. For the full year, GAAP net income of $68.9 million or $1.10 per diluted share.

Adjusted net income in the fourth quarter of $26.1 million or $0.40 per diluted share, an increase of $14.1 million or $0.18 cents per diluted share year-over-year. For the full year, adjusted net income grew to $97.1 million or $1.55 per diluted share compared to $46.6 million or $0.88 per diluted share in the prior year.

Operating revenue increased to $575 million for the fourth quarter and $2.3 billion for the full year. This resulted in an operating revenue per available seat mile (RASM) increase of 6.1%, year-over-year for the fourth quarter, and for the full year an increase of 5.6% year-over-year.

“2014 finished on a high note with the company posting much better results than a year ago,” said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian Airlines president and chief executive officer. “We served more customers than ever before, grew revenues, improved profitability and strengthened our balance sheet. I have our employees to thank for Hawaiian’s performance on the ground, in the air and in our financial statements. Their hard work helps overcome the advantage that our competitors generate through their massive size alone. 2015 will be another year of improvement as long as demand, fuel and industry capacity in our marketplaces remain as forecast.”

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2014 the Company had:

Unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $524 million.

Outstanding debt and capital lease obligations of approximately $1,050 million consisting of the following:
$714 million outstanding under secured loan agreements to finance a portion of the purchase price for 11 Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

$137 million outstanding under secured loan agreements to finance a portion of the purchase price for 15 Boeing 717-200 aircraft.

$102 million in capital lease obligations to finance the acquisition of an Airbus A330-200, two Boeing 717-200 aircraft and aircraft-related equipment.

$30 million outstanding under floating rate notes to finance the acquisition of two Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft.

$67 million of outstanding Convertible Senior Notes.

Fleet and financing

Retired $54 million of A330 bank debt.

Repurchased $15 million (principal amount) or 18% of convertible notes outstanding.

Executed a purchase agreement with Airbus for six A330-800neo aircraft with deliveries starting in 2019, replacing the previous order for six A350XWB-800 aircraft.

Entered into a new revolving credit facility that has availability of up to $175 million.

Added five new A330-200 aircraft and returned or retired two Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

Copyright Photo: Fred Freketic/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A330-243 N382HA (msn 1171) prepare to depart from New York (JFK).

Hawaiian Airlines aircraft slide show:

Air Costa Rica (San Jose) is a new airline that plans to bring back to Costa Rica a national carrier. Air Costa Rica is a joint venture between local business interests and Air Panama (2nd) (Panama City). The upstart will be going through the certification process with the DGAC and plans to begin flying flights to international destinations. The company is planning to operate Boeing 737s to Panama, Mexico, Nicaragua and San Andres Island (Colombia).

Read the full report from The Costa Rica Star: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Aero Costa Rica became a competitor to LACSa and broke the monopoly but it only lasted from 1992 to 1997. Boeing 737-2L9 N170PL (msn 22733) taxies at Miami.

Below Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. With the absorption of LACSA, Costa Rica lost its international flag carrier. LACSA also operated the Boeing 737 before they were replaced with Airbus A320s under Grupo TACA. Leased from Braathens SAFE, Boeing 737-296 LN-BRL (msn 22277) pushes back from the gate at Miami.

Aero Costa Rica aircraft slide show:

LACSA aircraft slide show:

JetBlue Airways Corporation (JetBlue Airways) (New York) today reported its results for the fourth quarter and full year 2014:

Operating income of $169 million in the fourth quarter. This compares to operating income of $115 million in the fourth quarter of 2013. For the full year 2014, JetBlue reported operating income of $515 million. This compares to operating income of $428 million in 2013.

Pre-tax income of $140 million in the fourth quarter. This compares to pre-tax income of $77 million in the fourth quarter of 2013. For the full year 2014, on a GAAP basis JetBlue reported pre-tax income of $623 million. Excluding special items1, pre-tax income in 2014 was $382 million; this compares to pre-tax income of $279 million for the full year 2013.

On a GAAP basis, net income for the fourth quarter was $88 million. Excluding special items1, net income was $87 million, or $0.26 per diluted share. This compares to JetBlue’s fourth quarter 2013 net income of $47 million, or $0.14 per diluted share. For the full year 2014, on a GAAP basis, JetBlue reported net income of $401 million. Excluding special items1, net income was $232 million, or $0.70 per diluted share; this compares to net income of $168 million, or $0.52 per diluted share for the full year 2013.

Financial Performance

JetBlue reported record fourth quarter operating revenues of $1.4 billion. Revenue passenger miles for the fourth quarter increased 8.5% to 9.4 billion on a capacity increase of 7.0%, resulting in a fourth quarter load factor of 82.1%, an increase of 1.2 points year over year.

Yield per passenger mile in the fourth quarter was 14.13 cents, down 1.5% compared to the fourth quarter of 2013. Passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) for the fourth quarter 2014 decreased 0.1% year over year to 11.61 cents and operating revenue per available seat mile (RASM) decreased 1.0% year over year to 12.64 cents.

Operating expenses for the quarter increased 2.1%, or $27 million, over the prior year period. Interest expense for the quarter declined 9.3%, or $3 million, as JetBlue reduced its debt throughout the year. JetBlue’s operating expense per available seat mile (CASM) for the fourth quarter decreased 4.5% year over year to 11.17 cents. Excluding fuel and profit sharing, fourth quarter CASM2 decreased 0.9% to 7.23 cents.

Operational Performance

JetBlue’s operations improved throughout 2014. System on time departures, or D0, improved 2.7 points year-over-year while system arrival performance, or A14, improved 2.5 points. JetBlue had particularly strong operations in the fourth quarter. D0 and A14 each improved roughly four points year-over-year in the quarter.

Fuel Expense and Hedging

In the fourth quarter JetBlue had in place hedges for approximately 26% of its fuel consumption and managed approximately 7% of its fuel consumption using fixed forward price agreements (FFPs). This resulted in a realized fuel price of $2.70 per gallon, a 12.9% decrease versus fourth quarter 2013 realized fuel price of $3.10. JetBlue recorded $26 million in losses on fuel hedges settling during the fourth quarter.

JetBlue has hedged approximately 20% of its first quarter 2015 projected fuel requirements using a combination of jet fuel swaps and collars. Based on the fuel curve as of January 16th, JetBlue expects an average price per gallon of fuel, including the impact of hedges and fuel taxes, of $1.97 in the first quarter. For the balance of the year beyond the first quarter, JetBlue has hedged approximately 16% of projected fuel consumption.

Liquidity and Cash Flow

JetBlue ended the quarter with approximately $708 million in unrestricted cash and short term investments, or 12% of trailing twelve month revenue. In addition, JetBlue maintains $600 million in undrawn lines of credit.

During the fourth quarter, JetBlue repaid approximately $130 million in regularly scheduled debt and capital lease obligations, bringing annual debt payments to $778 million. JetBlue anticipates paying approximately $265 million in regularly scheduled debt and capital lease obligations in 2015 and plans to continue to opportunistically prepay other debt. JetBlue expects to pay approximately $52 million in regularly scheduled debt and capital lease obligations in the first quarter of 2015.

First Quarter and Full Year Outlook

The following outlook does not include the impact of Winter Storm Juno, which caused flight cancellations this week.

For the first quarter of 2015, CASM excluding fuel and profit sharing is expected to decrease between (1.5)% and (3.5)% versus the year-ago period. Excluding fuel and profit sharing, CASM for the full year 2015 is forecasted to grow between zero and two percent year over year.

Capacity is expected to increase between 11% and 13% in the first quarter 2015 and between 7.0% and 9.0% for the full year, in line with guidance provided at JetBlue’s Investor Day in November. Severe winter weather caused the cancellation of about 4,100 flights in the first quarter of 2014. This increases JetBlue’s 2015 capacity growth rate compared to a scheduled versus scheduled basis by about 4% in the first quarter and 1% for the full year.

Notes

(1) Pre-tax and net income excluding special items are non-GAAP financial measures that we use to measure our core performance. Note A provides a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures used in this release and provides the reasons management uses those measures.

(2) Consolidated operating cost per available seat mile, excluding fuel and profit sharing (CASM Ex-Fuel and Profit Sharing) is a non-GAAP financial measure that we use to measure our core performance. Note A provides a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures used in this release and provides the reasons management uses those measures.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-232 N639JB (msn 2814) lands at focus city Long Beach, California.

JetBlue aircraft slide show:

American Airlines (New York) will drop American Eagle nonstop service between Louisville, Kentucky and New York (LaGuardia) on March 29 due to low demand according to Louisville Business First.

The route is operated by Republic Airlines (2nd) using Embraer ERJ 175s.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Tony Storck/AirlinersGallery.com. Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) N421YX (msn 17000386) taxies at Baltimore/Washington.

American Eagle aircraft slide show:

Vueling Airlines (Barcelona) last month introduced this promotional livery for the Spanish province of Coruña on this Airbus A320-232 registered as EC-LZM (msn 5877). This province is located in the northwest section of Spain on the Atlanta Ocean and is one of the four provinces which constitute the autonomous region of Galicia.

Image: Vueling Airlines.

Vueling Airlines aircraft slide show:

JAL-Japan Airlines (Tokyo) has finalized its order with Mitsubishi for 32 Mitsubishi MRJ70 and MRJ90 regional jets (MRJs). This finalizes the Letter of Intent (LOI) announced on August 28, 2014. The aircraft will be operated by subsidiary J-Air (Nagoya).

Mitsubishi issued this statement:

Japan Airlines (JAL) and Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation (Mitsubishi Aircraft) announced they have signed an agreement for the purchase of thirty-two firm Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) aircraft. JAL and Mitsubishi Aircraft signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) on August 28, 2014, and have moved forward to conclude this agreement on January 28, 2015.

JAL highly evaluates the performance of the next-generation MRJ aircraft and Mitsubishi Aircraft’s proposals for operational support following deliveries. Thus far, 407 MRJ (223 firm, 160 option, 24 purchase rights) are on order, including 32 from JAL. Deliveries to JAL are scheduled to commence in 2021.

J-Air Corporation (J-Air), the JAL Group’s 100% owned regional airline subsidiary, will operate the 32 MRJ aircraft.

Image: Mitsubishi.

JAL aircraft slide show:

Skymark Airlines (Tokyo-Haneda) announced today (January 29) it was filing for bankruptcy protection with the district court in Tokyo. The reorganizing airline announced it would eliminate 15 percent of its flights and ground its Airbus A330-300s on January 31 according to ZipanguFlyer.

Read the full story: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Rob Finlayson/AirlinersGallery.com. The Airbus A330-300s only entered revenue service on June 14, 2014. Airbus A330-343 JA330E (msn 1554) lands in Fukuoka.

Skymark Airlines aircraft slide show:

Emirates (Dubai) announced today the launch of Airbus A380 services to two European destinations: Dusseldorf and Madrid.

The addition of Dusseldorf and Madrid to the list brings the total number of European gateways served by Emirates’ A380 to 13. Emirates currently has 57 A380s in its fleet, flying to 34 destinations globally and wowing customers everywhere it flies with its industry-leading onboard features.

As of July 1, flight EK 055 will be operated by an Airbus A380, leaving Dubai at 0830 and landing in Dusseldorf at 1325 the same day, while flight EK 056 will depart Dusseldorf at 1525 and arrive at Dubai International Airport at 2355 the same day.

As of August 1, flight EK 142 will be operated by an Airbus A380, leaving Madrid at 1530 and landing in Dubai at 0045 the following day. The return flight EK 141 departs Dubai at 0740 and arrives in Madrid at 1340 the same day.

The Emirates A380 offers a total of 519 seats in a three-class configuration, with 429 spacious seats in Economy Class on the main deck, 76 fully flat-bed mini-pods in Business Class and 14 First Class Private Suites on the upper deck.

Copyright Photo: SPA/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A380-861 A6-EDL (msn 028) departs from London’s Heathrow Airport.

Emirates aircraft slide show:

Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will once again be offering nonstop daily flights between Keflavik International Airport (near Reykjavik) and New York John F. Kennedy International Airport for the 2015 summer season.

Starting May 2, the U.S. airline has scheduled a Boeing 757-200 aircraft on the route, which is operated in conjunction with Delta’s joint venture partners Air France and KLM.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 757-232 N651DL (msn 24391) arrives in New York (JFK).

Delta Air Lines aircraft slide show (current livery only):

Southwest Airlines (Dallas) has turned to the McMurdo Group for its Kannad Survival Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) for its Boeing 737s. The McMurdo Group issued this statement:

McMurdo Group, a global leader in end-to-end search and rescue and maritime domain awareness solutions, today announced that its Kannad Survival Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) (below) are being integrated throughout Southwest Airlines’ (Dallas) fleet of 636 Boeing 737 aircraft.

ELTs, which are a key component of passenger and crew safety in the event of an emergency, enable first responders to locate the aircraft as soon as possible and potentially save more lives. Survival ELTs are removable from the aircraft and are stowed to facilitate usage by crew members in emergency situations. The ELTs were provided by McMurdo’s aviation partner, Aviall Services, Inc.

McMurdo’s Kannad ELTs are already used by some of the world’s largest aircraft and airline brands including Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Pilatus, British Airways, United Airlines and China Airlines. The high-performance distress beacons provide the most innovative technology available including pin-point positioning and location data for optimal rescue response time.

In a typical search and rescue scenario an emergency signal from an ELT or distress beacon is relayed via satellite to Mission Control Centers and Rescue Coordination Centers for eventual rescue team deployment. This search and rescue ecosystem (known as COSPAS-SARSAT) has helped to save over 37,000 lives since 1982. McMurdo is the industry’s only provider of this end-to-end search and rescue solution from aviation/maritime/military/personal distress beacons to satellite ground station communications to rescue response solutions.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGalllery.com. Boeing 737-76N N7706A (msn 32661) approaches the runway for landing at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).

Southwest Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery only):