American Airlines Airbus A321-231 WL N902AA (msn 7519) MIA (Bruce Drum). Image: 105926.
American Airlines pilots are in negotiations with the company on a new contract.
Meanwhile the majority of the Allied Pilot Association have given the union permission to call for a strike vote if negotiations breakdown.
The union issued this statement:
The Allied Pilots Association, certified collective bargaining agent for the 15,000 pilots of American Airlines, announced that its membership has voted overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing a strike.
“The summer travel season is almost here, and we’re all wondering whether this will be another summer of uncertainty for American Airlines,” said Capt. Ed Sicher, APA President. “Fortunately, there is an alternative. By embracing the win-win scheduling and work rule improvements APA has presented at the bargaining table, management can take steps to improve the airline’s operational reliability and efficiency.”
Capt. Sicher noted that APA has provided airline management with detailed data illustrating how the union’s proposals will drive improved reliability.
Strike authorization voting began on April 1 and ended at midnight Central on April 30. With more than 96 percent of the APA membership participating, more than 99 percent voted in favor of authorizing a strike.
“The APA membership has spoken. We will strike if necessary to secure the industry-leading contract that our pilots have earned and deserve – a contract that will position American Airlines for success,” Capt. Sicher said. “With more than 99 percent of participating pilots voting in favor of authorizing a strike, our pilots’ resolve is unmistakable. We will not be deterred from our goal of an industry-leading contract.”
In a demonstration of their resolve, APA members will be conducting informational picketing today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time at all 10 of the airline’s major hubs: Boston (BOS), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago (ORD), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (LGA), Philadelphia (PHL), Phoenix (PHX), and Washington, D.C. (DCA).
“The strike authorization vote is one of several steps APA has taken to prepare for any eventuality and use all legal avenues available to us for contract improvement and resolution,” he said. “The best outcome is for APA and management to agree on an industry-leading contract – achieved through good-faith bargaining – benefiting our pilots, American Airlines, and the passengers we serve.”
Top Copyright Photo: American Airlines Airbus A321-231 WL N902AA (msn 7519) MIA (Bruce Drum). Image: 105926.
American Airlines aircraft photo gallery (Airbus):
JetBlue Airways Corporation today reported its results for the first quarter of 2023.
“Thanks to our team’s collective hard work, our first quarter financial results came in better than expectations, and we are forecasting strong sequential pre-tax margin improvement into the second quarter. We remain well on track in executing our comprehensive plan to enhance our long-term profitability and restore our historical earnings power,” said Robin Hayes, JetBlue’s Chief Executive Officer.
“For the second quarter, we expect strong revenue growth to continue as demand remains robust and as we see continued momentum from our commercial initiatives. We are forecasting a solidly profitable quarter, and we remain confident in our full-year earnings outlook.”
First Quarter 2023 Financial Results
Net loss for the first quarter of 2023 under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) of $(192) million or $(0.58) per share. Excluding one-time items, adjusted net loss for the first quarter of $(111) million(1) or $(0.34) per share.
First quarter of 2023 capacity increased by 9.0% year-over-year.
Generated highest first quarter revenue in history. Operating revenue of $2.3 billion for the first quarter of 2023, up 34.1% year-over-year.
Operating expenses per available seat mile (CASM) for the first quarter of 2023 increased 12.1% year-over-year.
Operating expense per available seat mile, excluding fuel and related taxes, other non-airline operating expenses, and special items (CASM ex-Fuel)(1) for the first quarter of 2023 increased 1.2%(1) year-over-year.
Average fuel price in the first quarter of 2023 of $3.50 per gallon, including hedges.
Balance Sheet and Liquidity
$1.7 billion in unrestricted cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, and long-term marketable securities at quarter-end (excluding our $600 million undrawn revolving credit facility).
Adjusted debt to capital ratio of 53%(1) as of March 31, 2023.
Paid approximately $109 million in debt and finance lease obligations during the first quarter of 2023.
First Quarter 2023 Key Highlights
Reported adjusted EPS for the first quarter of 2023 which exceeded guidance, with strong operational and financial execution. First quarter revenue was approximately 4% points better than the midpoint of initial outlook, and CASM ex-Fuel was 1.8% points better than the midpoint of initial outlook.
Announced the planned launch of new service later this summer from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, JetBlue’s third transatlantic market debut.
Announced our plan to further expand in Florida, following our planned combination with Spirit, to reach more than 250 daily flights at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and 200 daily flights at Orlando International Airport, supporting significant job creation in Florida.
Opened Paisly hotel and car rental booking tool to any travelers independent of a JetBlue itinerary.
Announced a leading Shell Aviation agreement for the delivery of 10 million gallons of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) – at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) over the next two years beginning in the first half of 2023, with an option to purchase more.
Acted as the only airline to help execute the first-ever collective purchase of SAF certificates alongside Bank of America, Boom Supersonic, Boston Consulting Group, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Meta and clean energy nonprofit, RMI.
Rated by leading shareholder advisory firm ISS in its Tier 1 category for high performance against industry peers with respect to our management of “Carbon and Climate,” as a result of our recent Science Based Target to reduce GHG emissions (by 50% per revenue ton kilometer by 2035, as compared to 2019).
Recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s greatest workplaces for women and for diversity, earning 4.5 and 5 stars, respectively.
Brought our signature Fly Like a Girl Campaign to Fort Lauderdale for the first time to support Women’s History Month, which brought ~100 young children together to learn about career opportunities in aviation.
Outlook
“Demand trends remain robust into the second quarter, with strong demand for leisure and visiting-friends-and-relatives (VFR) travel particularly during peak periods. We’re also pleased with the continued improvement in revenue and financial performance at our largest focus city, New York,” said Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue’s President and Chief Operating Officer.
“Our TrueBlue Loyalty program continues to show encouraging trends with strong growth in co-brand card spend. In addition, the Northeast Alliance (NEA), which is already a significant revenue generator, is driving meaningful margin improvement as our service matures.”
Second Quarter and Full-Year 2023 Outlook
Estimated 2Q 2023
Estimated FY 2023
Available Seat Miles (ASMs) Year-Over-Year
4.5% – 7.5%
5.5% – 8.5%
Revenue Year-Over-Year
4.5% – 8.5%
High Single Digits to Low Double Digits
CASM Ex-Fuel(2) (Non-GAAP) Year-Over-Year
1.5% – 3.5%(3)
1.5% – 4.5%(3)
Estimated Fuel Price per Gallon(4)
$2.75– $2.90(5)
$2.95 – $3.15
Interest Expense
$40 – $50 million
$200 – $210 million
Adjusted Earnings per Share
$0.35 – $0.45
$0.70 – $1.00
Notes
(1)
Non-GAAP financial measure; Note A provides a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures used in this release and explains the reasons management believes that presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors regarding JetBlue’s financial condition and results of operations.
(2)
With respect to JetBlue’s CASM ex-fuel guidance, JetBlue is unable to provide a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure to GAAP because the excluded items have not yet occurred and cannot be reasonably predicted. The reconciling information that is unavailable would include a forward-looking range of financial performance measures beyond our control, such as fuel costs, which are subject to many economic and political factors. Accordingly, a reconciliation to CASM is not available without unreasonable effort.
(3)
Includes the impact from the new Pilot Union agreement of approximately 3% points for the second quarter and full year 2023.
(4)
Includes fuel taxes and hedges.
(5)
JetBlue utilizes the forward Brent crude curve and the forward Brent crude to jet crack spread to calculate the unhedged portion of its prompt quarter. As of April 14, 2023, the forward Brent crude per barrel price was $86 and the crack spread averaged $16 per barrel for the second quarter of 2023.
Top Copyright Photo Photo: JetBlue Airways Airbus A321-231 WL N905JB (msn 5854) (Prism) JFK (Fred Freketic). Image: 960435.
JetBlue Airways Airbus A321-231 WL N929JB (msn 6031) (Ribbons) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 929267.
JetBlue Airways and Shell Aviation have announced a new collaboration bringing additional supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), targeting commencement of delivery in the first half of 2023.
Within the terms of the agreement, JetBlue is expected to take delivery of 10,000,000 gallons of blended SAF at LAX over the next two years and an option to purchase up to 5,000,000 gallons more in the third year, either at LAX or other airports in JetBlue’s network.
SAF is a type of renewable fuel that exists today that drops directly into existing aircraft and infrastructure with no impact to safety or performance. SAF can be produced from a wide array of renewable sources such as agricultural wastes and used cooking oils and can lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 80% in its neat form when compared to traditional petroleum-based fuels.
Top Copyright Photo: JetBlue Airways Airbus A321-231 WL N929JB (msn 6031) (Ribbons) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 929267.
Global aviation industry went through a year of increasing geopolitical tensions and global inflationist pressures while facing operational problems following the Covid-19 pandemic. Turkish Airlines closed 2022 with $2.7 billion USD net profit standing out from its competition thanks to its operational agility, wide flight network and highly skilled workforce it maintained during the pandemic. Our company managed to complete its sixth quarter in a row with a net profit despite the difficult operating environment that persisted since 2020.
Total revenue of our company during 2022 was $18.4 billion USD, surpassing that of 2019 by 39% and marking a record high. Constituting 20% of the total revenues, cargo revenues increased by 120% compared to the same period in 2019 and recorded as approximately $3.7 billion USD.
Turkish Airlines Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat stated: “As Turkish Airlines we are continuing to overcome every obstacle we encounter with our 90 years of experience. Every single one of our colleagues and their team spirit contributed to our post-pandemic success.
With the responsibility and awareness of being the flag carrier, we are standing with our nation just as we did during previous crises. In the aftermath of the earthquakes centered in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, we utilized all of our resources to operate over 2,400 flights in order to transport 433 thousand search and rescue teams and 16 thousand tons of aid materials to the region while evacuating 430 thousand of our citizens to date.
We are doing our part when it comes to mending the wounds caused by the earthquakes our country faced and we will continue to do so as the aftermath of the disaster continues to unfold. Apart from the 2 Billion TL cash aid donated to Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), we started the work with Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change to provide the necessary support for the construction of 1,000 homes for those rendered homeless due to the earthquakes. We will also plan to employ 1,000 personnel from 1,000 families affected by the earthquakes.”
With one of the youngest and most modern fleet of 394 aircraft, Turkish Airlines carried around 72 million passengers with 85.8% domestic and 80.1% international load factor. In spite of the inflation pressures on the global scale, the flag carrier maintained its effective cost management in 2022 by lowering its unit expenses excluding fuel by 2% compared to 2019. As a result, EBITAR (Earnings before interest, taxes, amortization, and rent), which demonstrates the cash generation potential of the company, realized as $5.4 billion USD.
According to the data published by IATA, the International Air Transport Association, while the global air passenger capacity in 2022 was 28% behind that of 2019, Turkish Airlines became the pioneer of the sector by exceeding its 2019 capacity by 7.5%. As Europe’s leading network carrier in terms of daily number of flights operated for the last three years according to The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL), Turkish Airlines recorded remarkable success on a global scale in 2022 by becoming the network carrier offering more international seat capacity than any other. As a result of our country’s investments towards aviation infrastructure, İstanbul Airport was also the busiest airport in Europe.
Quadrupling its market share in air freight market in the last 10 years, our company bolstered its success by ranking fifth among the world’s top air cargo carriers according to IATA’s 2022 data. After moving to SMARTIST, the new cargo operations centre built with high-tech features in İstanbul Airport, Turkish Cargo is aiming to further enhance its position among the leading air cargo brands of the world.
Employing over 75 thousand staff with its subsidiaries, Turkish Airlines is standing by its nation in this challenging period and will continue to proudly fly Türkiye’s flag on the 90th anniversary of its establishment and the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye.
We sincerely share the pain of our country, express our deepest condolences for our citizens and wish a quick recovery to those injured by the earthquakes.
Top Copyright Photo: Turkish Airlines Airbus A321-231 TC-JRY (msn 5083) (Star Alliance) AYT (Ton Jochems). Image: 960176.
Eurowings Airbus A321-231 D-AIDV (msn 5413) SEN (Keith Burton). Image: 960097.
Lufthansa has decided to transfer some of its Airbus A321s to its lower-cost leisure airline Eurowings.
The aircraft are now being painted in the full Eurowings livery.
So far three A321s have been assigned to Eurowings:
D-AIDP
D-AIDQ
D-AIDT
On February 1, 2023 Eurowings celebrated its 30th anniversary withn this message:
Eurowings celebrates 30 years of flying
The mid-1970s, two pilots, one dream. Independently of each other, Hans Rudolf Wöhrl founds Nürnberger Flugdienst (NFD) and Reinhard Santner founds Dortmund Reise- und Industrieflug (RFG). The portfolio of the two companies is similar and includes air taxi services, ambulance and cargo flights, seaside resort services – so-called on-demand air transport. Today’s Eurowings was formed on February 1, 1993 from the merger of the two regional airlines. The name “Eurowings” was suggested by an employee who won an ideas competition with 500 Deutsche Mark for the winning entry. The logo introduced in the course of the launch was designed by students of the Nuremberg Academy of Arts.
Take-off with propeller aircraft
At that time, the airline started with just under 1,000 employees and ATR 72 propeller aircraft. Although 32 destinations in eleven countries were already served in the founding year, the focus was on domestic connections. For quite some time, Eurowings had to fly under the flight numbers of NFD and RFG, because the code that Eurowings needed had been assigned by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to a subsidiary of Papua New Guinea-based Janlyn PTE. Through intensive negotiations, it was finally possible to get the EW code for Eurowings’ flights. The first flight, with the number EW733, went from Nuremberg to Paris in 1994. In the 1990s, Eurowings took over feeder flights for the Dutch airline KLM, among others, and was en route to Amsterdam with 13 aircraft at times – initially as a competitor of Lufthansa.
2001: Lufthansa acquires a stake in Eurowings
The year 2001 marks a milestone in the history of Eurowings. With the Lufthansa Group’s participation, the company’s strategy changes: the turboprop aircraft are replaced by CRJ jets, and Eurowings operates flights in the Lufthansa Regional network.
Just one year later, Eurowings launches a low-cost pioneer for Germany, Germanwings, which, in tandem with Eurowings, soon breaks the 10-million passenger mark. The great era of low-cost airlines begins (slogan: “Fly high, pay low”), to which Germanwings contributes the flexible fare model BASIC, SMART and BIZclass. The concept quickly becomes the industry standard and is still used at Eurowings today. In 2011, Eurowings moves to Düsseldorf, the largest air traffic location in North Rhine-Westphalia.
“Light Sky Blue” and “Burgundy”: Eurowings’ leading colors since 2014
In 2014, the company gets the look and brand identity it is known for today, with the leading colors “Light Sky Blue” and “Burgundy”. The new strategy includes, among other things, a significant expansion of Germanwings and Eurowings in line with growing travel: the previous Eurowings fleet of smaller CRJ aircraft will be replaced by 23 aircraft from the Airbus A320 family.
Inseparably linked to the company’s history, however, is the accident of Germanwings flight 4U9525 on March 24, 2015, which claimed the lives of 150 people. An event that will remain in collective memory forever.
Eurowings subsequently begins to expand away from German airports, soon opening a base on Mallorca and founding the Eurowings Europe flight operation for pan-European routes outside Germany. And the dynamic development continues: after the end of Air Berlin in 2017 and the takeover of a large part of the fleet, hundreds of new jobs are created – many of which are filled by former AirBerlin colleagues.
Eurowings today: the value airline for Europe
Today, Eurowings explicitly sets itself apart from the ultra-low-cost carrier segment with its clear positioning as Europe’s value carrier for private and business travelers. The Lufthansa subsidiary combines inexpensive and flexible flying with innovative and customer-friendly services – a strategy with which it is expanding its leading position in the German market. In doing so, it focuses on the core needs of today’s air travelers: more flexibility, affordable comfort and sustainability.
“There are very few airlines in Germany that have succeeded for 30 years in a difficult market environment and have repeatedly mastered dynamic changes. It is all the more wonderful that we can celebrate our 30th birthday as Germany’s largest holiday airline,” said Eurowings CEO Jens Bischof. “We owe this success first and foremost to our more than 4,000 employees from 60 nations who have found their professional home with us. This diversity makes us strong. Because what has always distinguished Eurowings is the very special team spirit and the ability to react quickly to ever new market changes. We say thank you, Team Eurowings – here’s to the next 30 years!”
The Eurowings fleet includes more than 100 aircraft that fly to 140 destinations in more than 50 countries. In addition to its bases in Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Berlin, Eurowings also has major operations in Palma de Mallorca, Salzburg, Prague and Stockholm. This makes the Lufthansa subsidiary one of the largest leisure airlines in Europe. Every minute, a Eurowings aircraft takes off or lands somewhere in Europe.
Focus on sustainability
Eurowings combines its passion for flying with corporate responsibility for the environment. It aims to cut its carbon emissions in half by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. An important step towards this was the introduction of the world’s most efficient medium-haul jet, the Airbus A320neo, into the fleet in 2022. Each new aircraft of this type emits 4,500 tonnes less CO2 per year compared to its predecessor. In addition to this, more than 50 projects with the aim of conserving resources and protecting the environment are underway at Eurowings.
Carbon compensation at the click of a mouse, punctual flights, friendly services, the most flexible rebooking options in the industry or a free middle seat starting at ten euros – these are just a few of the many examples of the modern value concept with which Eurowings presents itself as young, modern and innovative, even after 30 years.
In other news, Eurowings and the Spanish airline Volotea have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enter into a sales partnership. The cooperation is set to cover more than 140 European routes operated by both airlines without overlap, including more than 100 routes operated by Eurowings and around 40 operated by Volotea.
The connections also include plans for eight new routes flown by Volotea, connecting German airports such as Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Stuttgart directly with French and Italian cities. As a result, Bordeaux, Lyon, Nantes, Florence and Verona will also be reached with direct flights in the future. With this, the two airlines are significantly broadening their pan-European portfolio for customers.
Volotea is one of the fastest growing airlines in Europe: founded in 2011, the Barcelona-based company now flies to more than 100 destinations in 16 countries. In Germany, the airline has been operating the weekly Airbus-internal factory shuttle between the Hamburg and Toulouse locations since 2019. With the sales partnership, Volotea is also offering scheduled flights in Germany for the first time.
At the same time, Eurowings intends to open its distribution channels to Volotea with its focus on smaller and medium-sized destinations in France and Italy. With the planned mutual distribution agreement, both Eurowings passengers and Volotea customers would benefit from the visibility of more than 140 connections on the websites of both airlines. This way, Eurowings and Volotea would improve the offer to their passengers, providing access to a significantly wider range of travel options throughout Europe.
New connections
In the context of the planned connections, Volotea will open eight new routes to/from Germany, connecting Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Stuttgart directly with its bases in Bordeaux, Lyon, Nantes (all in France), Florence and Verona (both in Italy). These new routes will operate twice weekly and have a capacity of around 60,000 seats.
New routes from May 26, 2023:
Berlin-Verona
Düsseldorf-Bordeaux
Stuttgart-Bordeaux
New routes from October 10-12, 2023:
Berlin-Lyon
Hamburg-Bordeaux
Hamburg-Florence
Hamburg-Lyon
Stuttgart-Nantes
Top Copyright Photo: Eurowings Airbus A321-231 D-AIDV (msn 5413) SEN (Keith Burton). Image: 960097.
