USA: Spirit Airlines Starts Nonstop Flights Out Of Tampa International Airport

Spirit Airlines will soon start non stop flights out of Tampa International Airport and it plans to evolve its presence in the market even more.

Spirit is launching a new daily service to New York, Newark, New Jersey and Indianapolis on Thursday.

Last week, the airline also started service to Nashville International Airport.

The ultra low-cost carrier has added more new passengers in fiscal year 2019 than any other airline at TPA. With the new connections, Spirit will now serve 24 destinations from Tampa.

TPA has served a record 22.2 million passengers for fiscal year 2019 and Spirit has been responsible for nearly 40 percent of the passenger growth, or 437,000 passengers.

The airline's presence in Tampa Bay is also extending, with the announcement of a new partnership with ZooTampa.

Spirit will be the presenting sponsor of the updated Macaw Flyover. The flyover now has a new, longer flight path for the birds and more macaws in the exhibit.

Spirit Chief Commercial Officer Matt Klein on Spirit's plans for the Tampa Bay market:

On Spirit's growth in Tampa: We are about 25 percent larger this year than we were last year in our seat capacity. We peak out at 29 departures per day on our busiest days from here.

The Tampa has been growing overall. We have been 40 percent of new growth of customers at the airport. It's been a great partnership.

Generally speaking, we run one flight a day. Tampa itself is giving us a lot of thoughts on opportunities in the future here in terms of how much more we can do. When you are more than a destination like Tampa is becoming, you can support more flights year round and not just seasonal.

On determining what routes would work for Tampa: In the New York metro area we added service from Newark as well as LaGuardia Airport. Those by themselves tell you how we view Tampa. We would like to do more. When we come from larger cities, it's natural people want to come to Tampa.

We started the Nashville service and earlier this year added San Juan. Puerto Rico overall has been a really good market for us and Tampa feeding into Puerto Rico seemed like a fit.

Our product allows us to be successful in certain kinds of routes that other airlines may not be able to find the same path of success in.

We are looking for two main things pieces to the decision, if there is a natural affinity between city A and city B and if cities are being served by somebody else that fares seem to be too high.

It's our obligation to grow markets, grow routes. We just don't take market share, that's not what we do. What we do is make the market bigger overall. When fares are too high, there aren't enough seats.

On getting into large markets: In some airports they are constrained. There's not as many gates available and in some cases no gates available. Or in the case of New York's LaGuardia Airport, it's what is called slot control.

You can only have so many takeoff and landing slots we have access to. We have to make highly prioritized decisions. It's a highly sought after asset.

Here at the Tampa airport, we work closely with them and there's still room for growth here. We utilize our assets, gates as much as we can and we have more seats on airplanes than what most other airlines have and that allows us to spread our cost over more seats and lower fares.

On types of travelers for us, we are primarily a leisure airline for vacationers and people visiting friends and family.

We do care about business travelers and see more so small business owners and not large corporations. We have a big front seat product that's good for someone who is on a business trip.

USA: $5,000 Cheques For Southwest Airlines Passengers

Southwest Airlines sent $5,000 cheques to passengers aboard a flight that made an emergency landing this week after an engine failed, killing a passenger.

The airline confirmed, for passengers it had sent the cheques along with $1,000 travel vouchers. We can confirm the communication and gesture are authentic and heartfelt, the company said in a brief statement on Friday.

Aircraft with CFM56 jet engine on Southwest flight 1380 blew apart over Pennsylvania on Tuesday, 20 minutes after the Dallas-bound flight left New York’s LaGuardia Airport with 149 people on board.

The engine debris shattered a window on the Boeing 737 plane, killing one passenger – first death in a US airline accident since 2009.

The plane made an emergency landing in Philadelphia.

The Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) said, its working to quickly finalise an airworthiness directive within two weeks that had been proposed in August 2017 after a similar engine failure in a Southwest plane in 2016, which it said would apply to 220 engines

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators on the scene were expected to wrap up their work in Philadelphia on Saturday, the agency said on Friday.

Southwest said after the incident that it was accelerating its existing engine inspection programme out of an abundance of caution and expected to complete it over the next 30 days.

Plane saw Serious damages as a cause of engine failed and an emergency landing forced.

The company has declined to answer questions about the status of those inspections and whether the engine that failed had previously been inspected or whether the inspections have turned up any evidence of defects or metal fatigue.


Tourism Observer

USA: Dead Faetus Discovered On American Airlines Flight 1942 At LaGuardia Airport

A dead fetus was found in a bathroom toilet of a commercial plane at LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday morning.

The gruesome discovery was made around 7:30 a.m. aboard an out-of-service American Airlines flight at Hangar 5, the sources said.

A cleaning crew found the fetus in the bathroom of the plane, which had landed in New York on Monday night from Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a high-ranking police source.

The fetus was between three to six months along.

American Airlines Flight 1942 departed from Charlotte Douglas International Airport at 9:08 p.m. Monday and arrived in Queens about 90 minutes later. It was the Airbus A321’s only flight of the day.

The City Medical Examiner is working on determining how the fetus died.

The OCME can confirm we’re investigating what we believe to be a human fetus found deceased on an airplane, the agency said.

Just before 9 a.m., the airport tweeted about possible delays over the incident.

American Airlines flights at Terminal B may experience some delays due to an out of service aircraft. Please check with @AmericanAir before your departure, the post said.

But a spokesman for the airline said, We have no major impact to our operation this morning while we are working with law enforcement on an investigation.

The airline later said in a statement: As we continue to learn more about this tragic and sensitive situation, we are actively cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation.

The Port Authority deferred questions to the Queens DA’s Office, which said it was looking into the matter.

A traveler who was scheduled to fly out of LaGuardia to Charlotte at 7:55 a.m. was frustrated that her flight was delayed three times without explanation.

They didn’t tell us anything until we were already waiting at the gate, she said. We didn’t find out until about 7:40 a.m. that the flight was going to be delayed.


Tourism Observer

USA: Southwest Airlines Engine Explodes Mid-air, One Passenger Dead

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 with 149 people aboard performed an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport on April 17 after an engine exploded and broke apart in mid-air causing one fatality.

Southwest flight 1380 took off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport at around 10:27 a.m. and was diverted to Philadelphia just under an hour later.

This took place after crew members reported damage to an engine, the fuselage and at least one window, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Robert Sumwalt, said at the Philadelphia airport that a preliminary investigation found an engine fan blade missing.

This having apparently broken off, and that there was metal fatigue at the point where it normally attached.

The Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 was powered by CFM56-7B engines.

In the statement regarding the accident, CFM reported that CFM team of technical representatives has been sent to assist the NTSB in its investigation.

Sumwalt said that the investigation could take 12 to 15 months to complete.

The CFM56-7B engine powering this aircraft has compiled an outstanding safety and reliability record since entering revenues service in 1997 while powering more than 6,700 aircraft worldwide.

The engine has accumulated more than 350 million flight hours as one of the most reliable and popular jet engine in airline history.

Notably, the death of 43-year-old Jennifer Riordan on Flight 1380 was the first in a U.S. commercial aviation accident since 2009, according to National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) statistics.

The passengers of the flight said the woman was pulled out of the plane up to her waist, her blood splattering other windows.

This is a very sad day, and on behalf of the entire Southwest family I want to extend deepest sympathies for the family and loved ones of the deceased customer, Southwest Chief Executive Officer Gary Kelly said speaking in an auditorium called Freedom Hall at Southwest’s headquarters in Dallas.

They are our immediate priority and concern. We will do all we can to support them during this very difficult time and in the difficult days ahead.


Tourism Observer

USA: Delta Air Lines Is A Leading Global Airline

Delta customers in Greater Boston will have more flights and new destinations this summer as the airline adds new nonstop service to Austin, Texas; Kansas City, Mo.*; Jacksonville, Fla.*; Buffalo, N.Y.*; and Norfolk, Va.*; – a new nonstop destination for Bostonians - as well as a second daily flight to Nashville, Tenn.*, from Boston Logan International Airport beginning Sept. 10.

“Delta is committed to being Boston’s global carrier of choice with service that meets the needs of both business and leisure travelers,” said Bob Cortelyou, Delta’s Senior Vice President – Network Planning.

“Our growing network is built to support the diverse travel demands of our customers with unparalleled overall operational performance, and innovative products and services.”

On Dec. 21, Delta will expand weekend West Palm Beach, Fla., and Fort Myers, Fla., flights to daily, as well as increase weekend Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., flights to twice daily. Delta will also continue to support strong holiday travel demand with nonstop flights to popular Caribbean destinations including Montego Bay, Jamaica; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas; beginning Dec. 21.

“Delta’s new flights and growing presence at Logan Airport are welcome news to the Commonwealth as we strive to strengthen our economic environment and create more connections across the country and globe,” said Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker.

“Not only will these new flights increase options for travelers coming to and from Boston, but the planned increase to more than 100 daily flights out of Logan is a clear indication that connecting to the Commonwealth continues to be in demand."

Delta’s previously announced nonstop service to Dublin, beginning May 25, and transcontinental service to San Francisco, beginning June 8, combined with the other eight routes, complements existing trans-Atlantic service to Amsterdam, London-Heathrow and Paris-Charles de Gaulle.

When paired with additional joint venture partner and SkyTeam flights to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, London-Heathrow, Manchester, Rome and Mexico City, the combined group of Delta, Air France-KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Alitalia and Aeromexico offers customers seamless, one-connection access to 174 destinations in Europe and Latin America.

Delta offers more capacity to Europe from Boston than any other U.S. carrier, and is the only U.S. global carrier to offer full flat-bed seats in Delta One.

In addition, Delta One customers enjoy Westin Heavenly In-Flight Bedding featuring a full-size pillow and quilted comforter, chef-designed cuisine, a wine program curated by Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson, a TUMI amenity kit featuring Kiehl’s Since 1851 skincare products and an Alessi-designed collection of serviceware.

Customers flying in Delta Comfort+ will benefit from up to four additional inches of legroom and 50 percent more recline than Main Cabin seats, as well as priority boarding, and every customer will enjoy Delta Studio, which includes hundreds of complimentary movies, TV shows, songs and games, and the ability to connect with Wi-Fi on every flight.

Delta offers the most first class seats of any airline from Boston, and by this fall will operate more than 100 peak day departures to 32 destinations. The airline’s rapid growth includes 12 new destinations since November 2016.

“Logan International Airport has seen tremendous growth over the past decade and we are pleased that Delta is continuing that streak with this exciting announcement,” said Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn. “Over 36 million people traveled through Logan last year, many of them on Delta, and with this new milestone, we are looking forward to serving even more.”

Delta is the No. 1 carrier between Boston and New York connecting business travelers with the Delta Shuttle, operated by Delta and its connection partner Shuttle America, with hourly service 16 times daily between Logan Airport and New York City’s LaGuardia Airport as well as offering eight daily flights to JFK.

Delta Sky Club operates two locations in Terminal A providing customers with several healthy and fresh food choices and a number of complimentary drink options including local Samuel Adams craft beer and Starbucks coffee. THE BAR at Delta Sky Club offers wines and premium spirits.

SkyMiles members can use miles for premium drinks with a swipe their boarding pass.

Delta offers Delta Studio, the airline’s industry-leading suite of onboard entertainment, free for all customers on two-class aircraft. Delta operates the world's largest Wi-Fi-equipped fleet, with more than 1,000 connected Delta aircraft, including the airline’s entire fleet of 680 domestic mainline aircraft, Delta Connection two-class regional jets and all of its widebody international fleet.

*Flights operated by Delta Connection carriers Republic Airline or Endeavor Air.

USA: Alaska Airlines And Virgin America Expand To Dallas Love Field,Turkish Introduces New Product

Virgin America and Alaska Airlines are expanding service to Dallas Love Field from four West Coast airports. With new routes between Love Field and Seattle; San Diego; Portland, Oregon; and San Jose, California, the combined airline will serve eight destinations from Love Field with 18 daily peak season departures, up 40 percent.

Four months into its merger with Virgin America, Alaska Airlines has announced unprecedented growth from the West Coast, adding a record 37 new markets to date.

The new Love Field expansion builds on Alaska's successful service to Texas, which began 12 years ago. After today's announcement, Alaska Airlines and Virgin America will offer guests 59 peak season flights a day to/from five Texas airports, including Austin, Dallas Fort Worth, Dallas Love Field, Houston and San Antonio.

The four new routes will be flown using three-class jets. The Embraer 175 jet, operated by SkyWest Airlines, will fly daily to Portland, San Diego, San Jose and Seattle.

One of the two daily flights to Seattle will be operated by Virgin America using an A320 family aircraft. All guests flying the new routes will enjoy Free Chat, free movies, premium food and beverages, Wi-Fi and advance seat selection.

Starting this summer, Virgin America jets will be replaced with a 76-seat E175 jet in two Love Field markets – New York's LaGuardia Airport and Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport. On Aug. 27, three-times daily service to New York's LaGuardia Airport will operate using an E175 and increase to four daily flights on Oct. 28.

Starting Feb. 18, twice-daily service to Reagan National Airport will also be replaced with an E175. The third daily Love Field-Washington Reagan National daily trip will continue to be operated by Virgin America until March 11, when SkyWest will take over the evening flight. As part of these schedule changes, Virgin America will permanently exit Love Field-Las Vegas on Aug. 26.

The fleet changes will free up Virgin America planes used in Love Field, to fly new, previously announced long-haul San Francisco flights to Philadelphia, New Orleans, Nashville, Indianapolis, Raleigh-Durham and Kona, as well as new flights between Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Virgin America will continue to operate three daily flights between Love Field and Los Angeles and three daily flights between Love Field and San Francisco. Additionally, all Virgin America employees in Dallas and LaGuardia are keeping their jobs. There is no change in employment status for any teammates as a result of this announcement.

Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines takes in-flight experience even further. Having the passenger’ satisfaction as the airline’s priority, wide on-board selection of the carrier continues to be broadened in order to reach the widest range of passengers’ requests.

Yet another innovation developed by Turkish Airlines to enable its business class passengers to enjoy the best Turkish hospitality within the concept of privileged travel.

Living garden concept including new cosmetics consisting of hand lotion, hand soap and room odor branded with Molton Brown –a brand identified with refreshment, naturalness and luxury-, are presented on specially designed wooden stands with live plants in business class lavatories.

The flowers and green plants placed in the lavatories within the scope of the project make passengers feel like in a flower garden above the sky.

USA: Chicago Flight Diversion Caused By Disruptive Passengers

A passenger became disruptive on a United Airlines flight from New York to Chicago on Thursday, causing it to be diverted to Detroit.

United Airlines flight UA3461, carrying four crew members and 69 passengers, landed safely at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, where the unidentified woman was removed from the plane by police, the airline said in a statement.

WGN in Chicago reported that the woman was carried off the plane by authorities and taken into custody after she was restrained by fellow passengers.

The news station said the woman attacked other passengers during the flight. It was unclear what sparked the incident.

The flight, operated by Shuttle America, originated at LaGuardia Airport in New York and was scheduled to land at Chicago's OHare Airport at about 8:30 pm local time.