USA: Marriott Workers On Strike

Marriott International hotel employees on strike in Chicago have been joined by thousands of workers in San Francisco and Boston, who are picketing the company in a bid for higher wages and improved benefits.

Marriott has 850 company-managed hotels in the U.S. and Canada. It has 140,000 managed employees in the USA.

Workers at all seven of Marriott’s hotels in Boston—an estimated 1,500 employees—have walked away from their positions as part of what Unite Here Local 2 union organizers are calling the first ever hotel strike in the city.

The hotels affected by the strike include the Ritz Carlton, Boston; the Westin Boston Waterfront; and the Sheraton Boston.

The company declined to address the union’s specific demands but said in a written statement that it is disappointed that Unite Here has chosen to resort to a strike instead of attempting to resolve these disputes at the bargaining table.

While the union is not opposed to technology, it is asking for workers to be involved in discussions over how automation is adopted.

We want to be equal partners so we have a voice in how that technology can be supportive of workers rather than disruptive.

“During the strike our hotels are open, we have contingency plans in place and are activating those plans. We stand ready to serve our guests,” the company said. “While we respect our associates’ rights to participate in this work stoppage, we also will welcome any associate who chooses to continue to work.”

Leaders of Unite Here Local 26 claim its members can no longer afford to live and work in Boston due to stagnated wages, and argue that Marriott can afford to increase worker pay.

The union claims many workers are forced to take on more than one job, and new contract proposals from Marriott fail to improve the situation. In a statement, Marriott said its new contract proposal for union workers is in line with what was expected.

We are disappointed that Unite Here has chosen to resort to a strike at this time. Marriott’s current economic proposal matches the economic terms in the parties’ last contract, which included the largest increases in the parties’ bargaining history, a spokesperson from Marriott said in a statement.

During the strike our hotels are open, and we stand ready to provide excellent service to our guests. While we respect our associates’ rights to participate in this work stoppage, we also will welcome any associate who chooses to continue to work.

In Northern California, Unite Here Local 2 is leading roughly 2,500 Marriott hotel workers in picketing outside of seven hotels in downtown San Francisco.

These properties are the Marriott Union Square, the Palace Hotel, the W San Francisco, the Westin St. Francis Union Square, the San Francisco Marriott Marquis, the Courtyard San Francisco Downtown and the St. Regis San Francisco.

Workers at the San Jose Marriott have also joined in the strike.

For too long Marriott workers have struggled to get by, forced to work multiple jobs, sustaining workplace injuries, and having their hours cut, just to get by, D. Taylor, president of the Unite Here union, said in a statement.

Today, thousands of Unite Here workers are in the streets striking Marriott across the country because Unite Here workers believe one job should be enough to live on.

Meanwhile, strikes are ongoing at nine downtown Chicago hotels nearly a month after workers walked out. Marriott reached an agreement with the union early in the process, but workers continue to picket at three Hyatt Hotels Corporation hotels and several others.

From Unite Here’s comments, the root of these strikes lie in economic discrepancies that the hotel industry is well aware of.

In mid-September, members of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association said the labor market remains a major challenge for hotel operators, with rising labor costs and a need for skilled workers an ongoing concern.

These concerns were echoed at last month’s Lodging Conference, where Trump Hotel Group CEO Eric Danziger said the industry has failed to create positions that are attractive to U.S. workers.

The main reason these positions remain unattractive, he said, can be attributed to long hours, low pay and a lack of competitive benefits.

Furthermore, as of April 2018 the U.S. unemployment rate reached 3.9 percent, meaning dissatisfied employees have the option of seeking new positions, and labor unions likely believe unemployment figures place them in a favorable position to bargain.

In a statement, Ted Waechter, a spokesman for San Francisco’s Unite Here union, said the city’s workers have no plan to capitulate.

We’re going to stay on the lines until workers no longer have to work two or three jobs, Waechter said in a statement. This is not a limited-duration strike. We’re in it for the long haul.

LATVIA: Primera Air Review

Booking with a budget airline is always a risk, but with a number of out-of-country weddings to attend this summer, when Nordic airline Primera Air announced its £99 transatlantic flight sale in March, the deal was too good for me to resist.

The airline introduced transatlantic flights from London to New York, Boston, Washington DC, and Toronto earlier this year— and there were 99 tickets on offer in the sale for each of the routes.

Primera appears to have even cheaper deals from the US, with a number of $99 fares available to Paris and London.

There were even some $69 one-way fares available.

On the day of the £99 sale, the site was so busy I couldn't get on it for hours — but I still managed to bag a one-way fare from London Stansted to Toronto Pearson for August.

The light fare which normally starts at £149 one way from London, only includes the seat and 10kg hand luggage, so I paid £24.99 extra for a 23kg checked bag and £19.99 for an XL reserved seat, paying a total of £143.98 for the one-way ticket.

However, I was one of a number of lucky customers who were bumped up to the premium economy cabin, which would normally start at £499 each way, or $749 from the US.

Since not all reviews of the airline have been positive, I expected this would just mean I'd receive some food and perhaps board before other passengers.

But it was far more luxurious than I thought.

Primera Air is a leisure airline headquartered in Riga, Latvia owned by the Primera Travel Group, an Icelandic tourism company that consists mainly of Nordic tour operators Solresor, Bravo Tours, Lomamatkat, Heimsferðir and Solia.

Its provides scheduled and charter passenger services to leisure destinations from Northern Europe to more than 40 destinations in the Mediterranean, Middle East and North America.

The airline was founded in 2003 as JetX in Iceland, and operated under an Icelandic AOC.

In 2008 Primera Travel Group took ownership of the airline and rebranded it as Primera Air, while also appointing Jón Karl Ólafsson as the new CEO of Primera Air.

In 2009 Primera Air established the subsidiary Primera Air Scandinavia under a Danish Air operator's certificate (AOC) and in 2014 added a Latvian operating license under the name Primera Air Nordic.

Hrafn Thorgeirsson was appointed Managing Director of Primera Air Scandinavia in 2009 while Jón Karl remained CEO of Primera Air.

The head offices for the holding company and airline remained in Iceland until 2014 when the main offices were moved to Riga, Latvia.

The success of Primera Travel Group in Denmark, Sweden and Iceland facilitated further expansion and growth during the next years; in July 2014 Primera Air flew 155.000 passengers in 1006 flights with an average flight seat utilisation of 91%.

Initially, Primera Air operated charter flights for major Scandinavian tour operators, but gradually started selling surplus seats as flight-only tickets on some of the fixed charter flights in 2013.

The continued success allowed Primera Air to increase both the number of routes and flight frequency, resulting in a mixed charter/scheduled carrier business model.

Today the majority of Primera Air flights are scheduled, although some flights combine charter and regular passengers, and separate full charter flight services are also available.

In August 2014 Primera Air announced the founding of a new airline, Primera Air Nordic, IATA code 6F in Latvia, which would be run parallel to Primera Air Scandinavia.

Simultaneously, a new Network Control Center was opened in Riga for overseeing all operational matters of the airline, focusing on continuation of the healthy development enjoyed in prior years and to expand into markets beyond Scandinavia.

A supportive business environment, skilled workforce and high quality standards were the key factor for moving the control center.

Hrafn Thorgeirsson was appointed as the new CEO of both Primera Air Scandinavia and Primera Air Nordic.

The major restructuring and consolidation had a positive impact on the airline. In 2015 Primera Air operated eight aircraft with a turnover of 250 million USD, and earned more than 5.2 million euros in total revenue before taxes (EBITDA).

During the first 8 months of 2016, the airline had earned 4 million euros with an estimate of 7.60 million by the end of the year.

Today Primera Air is essentially a Danish-Latvian airline with Icelandic owners.

Generally Primera Air operates return flights from its Scandinavian airports to popular holiday destinations along the Mediterranean coast of

Europe and Africa, the Canary Islands, the Azores, Madeira, Bulgaria and Turkey, as well as custom charter flights to virtually any destination. The airline maintains seasonal summer and winter selections.

The selection of scheduled flight destinations has gradually expanded since their introduction in 2013.

In late 2014 Primera Air launched 10 new winter and summer direct flight destinations from Iceland, namely, Las Palmas, Tenerife, Alicante, Salzburg, Malaga, Mallorca and Barcelona, Bologna, Crete and Bodrum.

On 26 October 2014 Primera Air launched weekly flights from Gothenburg and Malmö to Dubai (Al Maktoum) and Tenerife, from Helsinki to Fuerteventura and Las Palmas.

On November 16 the airline commenced a new route from Keflavik to New York (JFK) after acquiring rights to serve the United States. Later that year the airline started four new weekly routes: Aalborg-Las Palmas, Copenhagen-Billund-Lanzarote, Aarhus-Tenerife and Aalborg-Fuerteventura.

In 2015, Primera Air signed agreements worth 30 million euros with several leading travel agencies in France for operating a series of flights with 2 aircraft from Charles de Gaulle airport to popular holiday destinations during summer.

In February 2016 Croatian destinations of Dubrovnik and Pula were added to the range of flight destinations. In May 2016 the airline commenced regular flights from Billund to Nice and Venice.

Shortly afterwards flights to Antalya were introduced. Later that year Primera Air announced the increase in frequency for existing destinations as well as new destinations (Milan and Rome) from Stockholm for the summer season of 2017.

It was done in an effort to strengthen its operations and presence in Sweden and in line with plans for further fleet and destination range expansion.

Later that year Trieste, Almería and Lamezia Terme were added as destinations.

Summer 2017 saw the addition of routes to Kalamata, Ponta Delgada and Madeira. In July 2017, Primera Air announced they would start transatlantic flights in 2018 to Newark, Boston and Toronto-Pearson from Birmingham, London Stansted and Paris Charles de Gaulle with a fleet of 8 Airbus A321neo aircraft.

In early 2018 Washington DC was added as the latest transatlantic destination, while Athens, Kos and Zakynthos are the latest holiday destination additions.

Primera Air has announced increased flight frequency for flights to its most popular destinations in southern Spain, and the pricing policy on these routes has allowed it to compete with the low-cost carrier Norwegian.

In June 2018, citing delivery delays by Airbus of its A321neo fleet, Primera cancelled all transatlantic flights to and from Birmingham Airport scheduled on or after 21 June 2018.

Transatlantic flights to and from Birmingham were expected to resume in 2019. However in July 2018, Primera Air announced it will terminate all operations at Birmingham Airport by October 2018.

In August 2018, the airline announced 3 new routes from Brussels to Boston-Logan begins 2 June 2019, Newark begins 9 May 2019 and Washington-Dulles International Airport begins 2 June 2019.

2 Boeing 737 MAX 9 will be based in Belgium. And it announced 3 new routes from Berlin to Boston-Logan begins 9 June 2019, Newark begins 7 June 2019 and Toronto begins 10 June 2019 using their Boeing 737 MAX 9.

In September 2018, Primera announced 4 new routes from a new European base at Frankfurt. The routes are New York Newark begins 16 June 2019, Boston begins 21 June 2019, Montreal begins 16 July 2019 and Toronto begins 16 July 2019. This will be operated by their 737 MAX-9s.

Primera Air offers charter services for the following companies:

Travel agencies within Primera Travel Group: Heimsferoir, Bravo Tours, Matka-Vekka, Lomamatkat, Solia, Solresor and Terra Nova Iceland.
Third-party travel agencies: 747 Travel, Travel City Sports and Urval-Utsyn.

The Primera Air fleet, consisting of aircraft operated by Primera Air and Primera Air Nordic, consists of the following aircraft:

- Airbus A321neo = 5

- Boeing 737-700 = 2

- Boeing 737-800 = 7

- Total = 14

Primera Aircraft Orders Currently:

- Boeing 737 MAX 9 = 18 To be delivered in 2019. 8 aircraft leased from Air Lease Corporation.

- Boeing 737-800 = 1

- Airbus A321neo = 1 To be delivered in 2018

- Airbus A321LR = 2 To be delivered in 2018


Tourism Observer

USA: Teen Passenger Helps Blind And Deaf Lone Passenger On Alaska Airlines Flight

Passengers and crew members on an Alaska Airlines flight last week stepped up to help a blind and deaf man who was traveling alone.

One passenger, in particular, a 15-year-old girl named Clara Daly, stepped up huge to assist her fellow traveler.

Daly was supposed to fly from Boston to Los Angeles with her mother when their flight was canceled and they were rebooked on a journey to Portland.

As the Daly family boarded the connecting flight, they noticed a man, identified as Tim Cook, saying goodbye to his sister using sign language in his hands so he could feel her words.

That’s when the passengers realized Cook was blind and deaf.

Alaska flight attendants called over the public-address system for anyone who knew American Sign Language (ASL) so they could properly communicate with the man.

Daly, who had been studying ASL for the last year, rang the attendants and said she would help.

Cook met Daly and attendants noted how excited he got when he realized someone would talk to him during the flight.

Daly spoke to him twice in order to help him with common tasks and spent the last 30 minutes of the journey simply chatting with the man in order to make him feel comfortable.

Another Alaska passenger named Lynette Scribner shared the story on Facebook, and the post has gone viral.

Daly’s mother told Scribner she believed their original flight was canceled so her daughter would be able to help Cook during the trip to Portland.

When a service provider from Brookdale Senior Living picked up Cook from the airport to take him home, he told them his experience on the Alaska flight was the best trip he’s ever taken.


Tourism Observer

BONAIRE: American Airlines Goes To Bonaire

American Airlines officially launches its first-ever flights to Bonaire this weekend, with plans for more.

The carrier will also be adding flights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Dec. 15 through March 30, 2019.

That’s along with the Saturday flight that launches June 9.

The American flight will leave Miami on Saturdays at 12:05 PM, arriving in Bonaire at 4:13 PM local time.

The return flight will depart Bonaire at 5:05 PM, arriving in Miami at 7:15 PM.

The move comes after the performance of the Saturday flights is booking extremely well, according to a statement from the Tourism Corporation Bonaire.

We are extremely pleased to have reached an agreement with American Airlines to provide additional non-stop service to Bonaire, said Maurice Adriaens, Director of Tourism Corporation Bonaire.

They are confident that the extra flights will do well.

These flights will allow us to generate more traffic to the island concurrent with the expansion of our hotel and villa inventory.

TCB said the bookings for the Saturday flight thus far had been concentrated from Miami, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Charlotte.

It all adds up to a significant boost for the Dutch Caribbean island, which is best known for its remarkable marine offerings but has increasingly put itself on the map of late in areas like food and adventure sports.

The island also added a very sleek new boutique beach resort, the Delfins Beach Resort.

Tourism Corporation Bonaire is very excited about this opportunity and we look forward to continue to build a long term partnership with American Airlines, TCB said in a statement.


Tourism Observer

COLOMBIA: Avianca To Start Flights To Boston 2nd June

Starting on June 2, Boston will become Avianca’s 35 international destination from its Bogota.

The announcement came only three weeks after the airline announced its Bogota to Montevideo flight.

Boston will be served with four weekly flights, departing from Bogota at 14:40 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, arriving in Boston at 21:57.

The return leg will leave Boston on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 00:27, and will be back to the Colombian capital at 05:57, all local times.

The flight will be operated in a 120-seat Airbus A319, with 12 seats in business and 108 in economy class.

Avianca will become the third Latin American carrier at Boston, with Aeromexico that has five weekly flights to Mexico City and Copa Airlines, which offers daily flights from Panama City.

The Colombian airline announced an increase to a daily flight in the service to Los Angeles, effective from March 26.

The schedule will also be adjusted to an earlier departure from Los Angeles to Bogota, which currently leaves Los Angeles at 10:15, arriving at Bogota at 19:30.

The new schedule will be changed to leave at 02:29 from Los Angeles, arriving in Bogota at 11:44, all local times.

The Bogota – Los Angeles route is served by Avianca’s 250-seat Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, with 28 seats in business class and 222 in economy class.


Tourism Observer

USA: Virgin Atlantic To Commence Las Vegas London Flights Next Year

Virgin Atlantic has announced plans to launch flights to Las Vegas (LAS) from London-Heathrow (LHR), effective on March 31, 2019.

These new flights to LAS are being transferred from London-Gatwick (LGW) to LHR’s Terminal 3, in which Virgin has a significant presence.

The LGW flight used to be operated with the airline’s Boeing 747-400 but the new LHR operation will be operated with the much newer and efficient 787-9 Dreamliner.

Even though it’s a drop in capacity, the airline will now offer more premium seats and their signature Dreamliner product.

Virgin Atlantic have made some route announcements as follows:

- Flights to Las Vegas will now operate from London Heathrow on March 31st, 2019, on the same day that LGW operations to LAS stop, signalling a transfer of flights.

The 787-9 that Virgin will be using for this route will have a three-class configuration, offering 31 Upper-Class Seats, 35 Premium seats and 192 economy seats.

The flight will depart LHR at 12:40 local time and arrive in LAS at 19:05 local time.

In addition, there will be a second daily service to Boston-Logan International Airport (BOS), which will be operated with an Airbus A330-300.

The flight will depart LHR at 20:30 local time, arriving in BOS the next morning at 08:30 local time.

Barbados will also be returning to the network, operating between December 2018 and February 2019 with the airline’s A330-300.

Aircraft in use for LHR-LAS: 787-9 Dreamliner compared to the 747-400 indicating a capacity drop.

- A second daily LHR flight to Boston is to be added also using an A330-300.

- A winter Seasonal service to Barbados will also be operated from LHR also.

From spring 2019 we’re making it even easier for customers to travel from London-Heathrow to Las Vegas and Boston by introducing new flights.

The new services have been timed to offer convenient onward connections for UK and US customers, and feature our award-winning service, a three-course meal and in-flight entertainment on every flight, said Shai Weiss, Chief Commercial Officer for Virgin Atlantic.

We’re also pleased to bring back our popular seasonal service between London-Heathrow and Barbados to offer even more choice for holidaymakers, she added.

The fact that the flights from Gatwick to Las Vegas will be terminated in March 2019 must indicate the growth at Heathrow must be stronger than at Gatwick.

For the likes of Boston, the second daily route is largely due to the rise in demand of business travelers flying to that city more frequently, as well as it being heavily advertised as a tourist destination within the UK.

The Barbados route, however, will be returning due to its overall success in the winter season, although it seems that a year-round service from Heathrow will be on the cards when the demand for the route grows overall across the entire year.


Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Lufthansa Introduces A350-900 To Africa

Lufthansa has announced that it will be introducing the A350-900 to its Munich to Cape Town route, starting in December 2018.

The aircraft is the world’s most modern and eco-friendly long haul aircraft. It uses 25 percent less kerosene, has 25 percent lower emissions and is significantly quieter during take-off than comparable aircraft models.

Dr. Andre Schulz, general manager for Lufthansa Group Southern Africa, said Cape Town has risen significantly in global rankings as a preferred destination for both leisure and business travellers.

European passengers travel increasingly to South Africa, both for leisure and business; and at the same time we see an increasing demand from locals to travel to Europe.

We are excited about introducing this world-class aircraft to our Cape Town – Munich route, in order to ensure we continue to meet our customers expectations and build on our African service offering, he said.

The A350-900 is the Lufthansa fleet’s state-of-the-art newcomer. Economy Class is particularly roomy and comfortable and features the most recent technology.

On average, the new plane consumes only 2.9 litres of kerosene per passenger per hundred kilometres, roughly one quarter of that consumed by comparable aircraft.

Rolls-Royce Trent XWB turbofan engines and optimised aerodynamics reduce its noise footprint by 30 percent, far below the regulation threshold.

Further, because the passenger cabin can be assembled at the same time as the fuselage, wings and tail plane, the A350 takes one third less time to build than other Airbus models.

Last year, Lufthansa placed orders for a total of 25 ultra-modern jet aircraft of this type. The first ten are to be based in Munich, flying to destinations like Delhi, Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong, Mumbai and Boston.

Currently, seven of the ten aircraft are already operating out of Munich. Along with Cape Town, the latest routes to be added to the A350-900’s schedule include Seoul, New York, Chicago, Denver and Singapore.

The aircraft can seat 293 passengers: 48 guests in Business Class, 21 in Premium Economy, and 224 in Economy Class.

Adding the A350-900 to our fleet has been a milestone for Lufthansa, and one that makes us exceptionally proud.

We are looking forward to welcoming this aircraft to Africa, and are sure that our passengers will share in our excitement, said Dr Schulz.



Tourism Observer

UNITED KINGDOM: Norwegian Expands In The United Kingdom

Low-cost airline Norwegian is ready to take-off its biggest year ever, with the introduction of brand new aircraft, exclusive new routes – including its first long-haul flights outside the USA – and more affordable flights on the UK’s only direct low-cost transatlantic services.

Europe’s third largest low-cost airline will expand its young aircraft fleet with nine brand new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft and launching Boeing’s latest aircraft, the Boeing 737 MAX.

These new aircraft will unlock more affordable flights and never before seen routes while offering UK passengers, high-quality travel at great value. Norwegian last year, carried more than 4.5 million passengers from London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Birmingham airports.

The fast growing airline launched more than 10 new routes from the UK, including routes to Boston, Oakland-San Francisco and Las Vegas on its award-winning USA flights at a time when Norwegian flew more than four million passengers to and from Gatwick for the first time in a single year.

Virgin Atlantic, Delta, Jet Airways To Expand Codeshare Cooperation

Delta Air Lines and joint venture partner Virgin Atlantic will expand the airlines’ existing cooperation agreement with India’s Jet Airways, the carriers announced Oct. 31.

Beginning Nov. 2, Delta and Virgin Atlantic passengers flying from the US into London Heathrow (LHR) will be able to make connecting flights to Mumbai and Delhi on Jet Airways.

Simultaneously, Jet Airways passengers will be able to connect through London Heathrow onto Delta routes to nine US cities: Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, Salt Lake City and Seattle.

The new London-Mumbai/Delhi connections complement Delta and Jet Airways codeshare agreements already offered out of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport.

“With up to 11,000 people flying daily between India and North America, and with trade and tourism flows increasing between the US, UK and India, we are giving our customers more … options between North America and India,” Delta SVP-Europe, Middle East, Africa and India Nat Pieper said. “Customers will be able to hold a single Delta ticket from North America through London to India.”

Virgin Atlantic already has a codeshare agreement with Jet Airways on flights between five Indian cities and London Heathrow via Delhi. In 2017, subject to government approval, the airlines plan to expand their codeshare agreement when Virgin Atlantic places Jet Airways’ marketing code on flights from London Heathrow to 10 North American cities.

QATAR: Qatar Airways Adds Boston Flights

Qatar Airways, which in East Africa flies to six airports in three of the East African Community countries, earlier in the week launched flights from Doha to Boston, adding yet another US city to their growing list of international destinations.

Subsequently did Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Mr. Akbar Al Baker host a press conference at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, to report on the recently-inaugurated service from Boston Logan International Airport to the airline’s hub in Doha, Qatar.

Qatar Airways’ service to Boston is operated non-stop daily with the state-of-the-art Airbus A350. The airline was the global launch customer of the aircraft and operates the A350 to Munich, Philadelphia, Singapore, and will start operating to Adelaide in Australia from next month. There are currently eight Airbus A350s in the fleet, with a further 72 to be delivered.

Mr. Al Baker remarked: 'We have introduced the world’s newest aircraft to Boston and look forward to providing all of our passengers on this route with a memorable journey that provides a superior inflight experience. Boston is a key city for business and leisure travellers and total comfort and hospitality is point of focus, in particular as the US market means that our passengers are travelling long- and ultra-long haul. Our entire customer experience is focused on the details, on all aircraft types. Qatar Airways has the youngest international fleet in the world, averaging just five years old, and our experience is second to none'.

Ed Freni, Massport’s Director of Aviation responded: 'We are pleased Qatar Airways, recognised by Skytrax as 2015’s Airline of the Year, is coming to Boston. This is yet another affirmation of the importance of the regional economy to the global economy. People from around the world come here for education, for health care, for business and for fun and we are proud that Logan Airport is New England’s gateway to the world'.

Qatar Airways, the world’s third largest cargo operator, has also commenced a daily cargo service between Logan International Airport (BOS) in Boston and its global cargo network of more than 150 destinations. Currently the airline operates six cargo destinations to the United States: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and Los Angeles.

QATAR: Qatar Airways With 168 Aircraft And 330 Jets On Order, Lands Its Newest Plane To America

Qatar Airways is ramping up its expansion into the United States regardless of whatever concerns American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines may have.

This week, Qatar Airways announced plans to commence service between its home base in Doha, Qatar, and the US using its new fleet of Airbus A350 jets.

A350 service in the US kicks off January 1 on the airline's Doha-to-Philadelphia route.

"We are proud to be the first commercial airline to land the Airbus A350 in the United States," Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said in a statement.

"As the global launch customer of this new-generation aircraft, we are excited to introduce it to the American market."

Qatar Airways currently flies to 152 destinations around the world, including New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago, Miami, Houston, and Washington, D.C.

The airline plans to open routes from Doha to Los Angeles in January, Boston in March, and Atlanta in June.

The Persian Gulf-based airline has grown rapidly over the past decade and now boasts a fleet of 168 aircraft with another 330 jets on order, which are valued at more than $70 billion.

In June, Qatar Airways was named Airline of the Year for 2015 by the leading aviation consumer organization Skytrax. It's a prize the airline also took home in 2011 and 2012.

Qatar's success has not come without pitfalls. American, United, and Delta Air Lines have accused Qatar along with Etihad Airways and Emirates of fueling its palatial terminals, luxury service, and massive fleets with $42 billion in government subsidies.

Qatar, Emirates, and Etihad deny these accusations. The coalition of US airlines has petitioned the US State Department to reevaluate the "Open Skies" agreements between the US and the Gulf states that allow airlines to fly freely between the countries.

Al Baker said that whatever money his airline had received from the Qatari government had been in the form of investment in exchange for equity.

Etihad CEO James Hogan echoed Baker's sentiments, telling Business Insider: "At the end of the day. We have a shareholder who placed equity in the airline who gave us loans to be repaid. That's what people do when they invest in the business."

"We've done nothing improper," Hogan continued. "We've created a great airline, with great service, created value, and the accounts are audited by one of the top accounting firms in the world."

Qatar is the launch partner for the Airbus A350-900 twin-engine long-range airliner. The airline expects to have eight of the jets in its fleet by the end of the year, with 72 more on order.

The A350 is powered by two powerful and efficient Rolls-Royce Trent turbofan engines. The jet can carry as many as 325 passengers in three different classes, with a fuel range of about 8,700 miles.

USA: Aeromexico Vacations Adds Flight And Hotel Packages In Cozumel

Building on new daily Aeromexico Airlines air service from Mexico City, Aeromexico Vacations announced that it is now offering flight and hotel packages on the Mexican resort island of Cozumel.

“Cozumel is a stunning destination and we are pleased to make it available to our Aeromexico Vacations customers,” said MLT Vacations President John Caldwell. “Known for its world-class diving and relaxed atmosphere, Cozumel is an ideal getaway for couples, families and anyone else wanting to experience the very best of Mexico.”

Aeromexico Vacations, the premier vacation package provider for Aeromexico, offers 17 resort properties on Cozumel that can be bundled with flights for added value. Ranging from budget-friendly to upscale luxury, these properties represent a variety of accommodation levels to fit just about any budget.

Aeromexico offers convenient daily connecting service to Cozumel through Mexico City from cities across the U.S. Leading gateways with nonstop service to Mexico City include Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston and Miami.

One of Aeromexico Vacations key U.S. gateways to Mexico City is New York’s JFK International Airport. From New York, travel agents and their clients can choose from four daily nonstop flights on Aeromexico, one of which is aboard one of the world’s most advanced aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Flexible excursion vouchers available
Along with flights and hotel stays, Aeromexico Vacations also offers several tours and activities on Cozumel. These include scuba diving, ATV adventure rides, off-road Jeep tours and swimming with dolphins.

For vacationers that want to include activities during their stay but that are unsure when or what they would like to do, Aeromexico Vacations is offering excursion vouchers. These credits provide vacationers with the flexibility to plan their activities while in destination based on the weather, their own schedules and other factors.

Aeromexico Vacations excursion credits are fully-commissionable for travel agents and are available in a variety of dollar amounts.

Along the convenience of one-stop-shopping for hotel stays and flights aboard Aeromexico, travelers booking with Aeromexico Vacations also enjoy a number of other benefits. These include earning credited flight kilometers for Club Premier members and special savings and discounts.

USA: Pilot Dies During Flight From Phoenix To Boston

An American Airlines pilot died mid-flight on Monday en route from Phoenix to Boston, forcing his co-pilot to make an emergency landing while trying to summon medical help for the stricken captain.

“Unfortunately our pilot passed away. We are incredibly saddened by this event, and we are focused on caring for our pilot’s family and colleagues,” an American Airlines spokesperson told the Guardian.

Flight 550 was diverted to Syracuse Hancock international airport after the pilot became ill. The plane landed safely shortly after 7am EDT with the co-pilot in control.

There were 147 passengers and a crew of five on board the Airbus A320.

Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for the airline, said a replacement crew was sent to Syracuse and the plane later completed its trip to Boston.

Before the flight landed at Syracuse the first officer called the airport tower and said in a calm voice: “American 550. Medical emergency. Captain is incapacitated.” He requested a runway to land.

In a recording of his exchange with the tower, the officer expressed concern whether ambulance medics could get on the plane quickly. He was assured they could and told to go into a gate where the medics would meet the plane.

The pilot’s medical emergency and identity were not disclosed.

Aviation experts said there was never any danger to passengers because pilots and co-pilots are equally capable of flying the aircraft.

Former airline pilot John Cox, an aviation safety consultant, said when one pilot became unable to fly the other could rely on help from the plane’s automated systems and get priority treatment from air traffic controllers.

“The passengers were not in danger, absolutely not,” he said.

Passenger Louise Anderson, who was heading from Reno, Nevada, to Boston via Phoenix, said she had dozed off on the flight.

“What I woke up to was the flight attendant telling us we were making an emergency landing because the pilot was ill,” she said.

She said rumours of the pilot’s death circulated in the Syracuse airport but were confirmed only by an announcement on their makeup flight to Boston.

Anderson said the mood on board then was somber but she commended the crew’s handling of a tragic situation.

Airline pilots must pass physical exams every 12 months – or every six months for captains 40 or older.

Steve Wallace, who led the Federal Aviation Administration’s accident investigations office from 2000 to 2008, said it was rare for a pilot to become incapacitated. According to the FAA seven pilots for US airlines and one charter pilot have died during flights since 1994.

Captains and co-pilots usually took turns flying and doing takeoffs and landings, said former airline pilot James Record, who teaches aviation at Dowling College in Oakdale, New York.

“The advantage to that is the co-pilot gets an equal amount of experience and the captain gets to see how the other guy flies,” he said.

Record noted the co-pilot remained calm while describing the emergency and requesting permission from air traffic controllers to land.

“He was doing what he’s trained to do fly the plane,” Record said. “He was probably more concerned with the health of his buddy, his crew member [than whether he could land on his own].”

Modern airliners are capable of largely flying themselves but there is debate in aviation circles about whether over-reliance on automation is eroding pilots’ flying skills.