First look: United Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Our 787 fleet will be painted with the globe livery but will get its own unique twist: the gold line along both sides of the fuselage will feature a special swoop from nose to tail. Our design is inspired by Boeing’s trademarked swoop, and pays tribute to our long history of working together.

We’re getting closer to the delivery of our first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft and today we’re giving you a sneak peek at an artist’s renderings of our specially designed livery.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a revolutionary aircraft, and we’re excited to reveal details of our plans to make it our own. The process, known as induction, gives the 787 the look and feel of United.

Dreamliner delivery details

We’re scheduled to take delivery of our first 787 in September and begin scheduled service in the Fall. The cabin has been installed and is configured as follows:

 

• 36 seats in United BusinessFirst®
• 72 seats in United Economy Plus®
• 111 seats in United Economy® 

United Boeing 787 livery

Design and features

The palette of colors in the cabin stays true to our current brand color scheme, so that you’ll experience the familiar United look and feel once you’re inside the plane. You’ll enjoy a number of travel-enhancing features when you fly including improved lighting, bigger windows with electronic dimmer buttons, more spacious overhead bins, lower cabin altitude (which can alleviate altitude-related symptoms such as headaches and fatigue) and enhanced ventilation systems. 

 

Innovative technology makes the 787 more environmentally friendly, economical and efficient to fly. Advances include the use of composite materials, less fuel consumption and a reduction in noise during takeoff and landing. These enhancements make it possible for our customers to fly to new destinations, such as the recently-announced Denver-to-Tokyo service starting in Spring 2013.

Preparation

To get ready for the delivery of the first United 787, we’ve installed a simulator at our Houston training facility and trained more than 5,600 pilots, flight attendants and mechanics in 787 systems and operations so far.

In addition to the ongoing training on the 787, we’re preparing our Houston maintenance facility as a place to store more than 600 spare parts for the 787.

 

Following delivery, the 787 will undergo proving runs: flights that incorporate tests and training as required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

 

Stay tuned and be watching the sky this fall for a glimpse of our 787 Dreamliner when it takes flight.

 

source: https://hub.united.com/en-us/News/Company-Operations/Pages/united-boeing-787-first-look.aspx

Cathay Pacific reports HK$935m net loss for H1 2012

athay Pacific posted a net loss of HK$935 million ($121 million) for the first half of 2012, a reversal from the net profit of HK$2.81 billion posted in the corresponding period last year.
The carrier's turnover for the six months ended 30 June was HK$48.9 billion, a 4.4% year-on-year increase.
Cathay Pacific says that its core business was significantly affected by the persistently high price of jet fuel and weak air cargo demand. Passenger yields came under pressure, contributing to the loss.
Moreover, profits from associated companies, including Air China, showed a marked decline.
Fuel costs, which accounted for 41.6% of the airline's total operating costs, rose by 6.5% year on year, while total operating expenses climbed 11.6% to HK$49.1 billion.
The airline incurred an operating loss of HK$221 million in the first half, compared with an operating profit of HK$2.8 billion in the same period last year.
Christopher Pratt, chairman of Cathay Pacific Airlines, says: "The cost of fuel is the biggest challenge, although the recent reduction in the fuel price will, if sustained, provide welcome relief."
The carrier adds that increased fuel prices significantly affected the profitability of its passenger services, particular on long-haul routes operated by older, less fuel-efficient Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A340-300 aircraft.
Cathay Pacific and its subsidiary Dragonair carried 14.3 million passengers in the first half of 2012, an 8.6% increase from a year earlier.
The carriers' combined passenger load factor rose by 0.8 percentage points to 80.1%. They carried 754,000t of cargo in the first half, down by 9.8% from the same period in 2011.
Cargo revenue for the first half of 2012 was down by 7.6% to HK$11.9 billion compared with the corresponding period in 2011 as a result of weak demand in major markets.
Cathay Pacific will take delivery of 19 aircraft this year, which is expected to improve the operational efficiency of its fleet. In view of the high fuel prices, it also intends to accelerate the retirement of its 747s - three of this fleet of 21 aircraft will be retired this year, five in 2013 and one in 2014.

Aviation Partners seeks injunction on sharklet A320 sales

Aviation Partners has escalated a patent dispute with Airbus by asking a US court in Seattle to slap an injunction on all new sales of sharklet-equipped Airbus A320s.
In response, Airbus has asked US District judge James Robart to order both parties to handle the Aviation Partners complaint outside the court using arbitration.
The injunction request by Aviation Partners on 31 July is the latest and potentially most damaging move in an eight-month dispute between Airbus and Aviation Partners over the intellectual origins of the A320 sharklet.
Aviation Partners accuses Airbus of "copying" the sharklet design using Aviation Partners' proprietary information and data supplied to the airframer under a non-disclosure agreement, the Seattle-based supplier says in court documents.
Aviation Partners now wants Robart to order an injunction to prohibit Airbus "from advertising, promotion, marketing, importing, distributing, manufacturing, offering for sale, or selling its Sharklet winglet", the company's court filing states.
But Robart must decide whether the non-disclosure agreement compels both parties to first seek arbitration.
Aviation Partners notes in its request for an injunction that the non-disclosure agreement includes an arbitration provision, but allows either party to take the matter to court.
Airbus argues in a 6 August response that the non-disclosure agreement requires any dispute to be "determined and settled by arbitration".
Airbus launched the legal battle on 2 December. Anticipating a patent infringement lawsuit by Aviation Partners, Airbus filed a lawsuit to have the court declare the sharklet design was not copied from the Aviation Partners blended winglet.
Starting in 2006, Airbus accepted a solicitation by Aviation Partners to demonstrate its blended winglet on the A320. A series of discussions and flight demonstrations following, culminating in the signing of a memorandum of understanding in July 2011, which Aviation Partners says in court documents was intended to form a joint venture for integrating the blended winglet on the A320.
But the joint venture was never formed, and Aviation Partners claims its analysis the sharklet design was based on its own blended winglet.
Airbus counters in court documents that it had been working on blended winglets long before initiating discussions with Aviation Partners in 2006, and the sharklet design evolved independently of the Aviation Partners technology.

Air Canada to launch LCC in 2013

Air Canada will launch a new low-cost carrier in 2013, say executives during an earnings call today.
The Montreal-based airline would operate up to 50 Airbus A319 and Boeing 767-300ER aircraft transitioned from Air Canada's existing fleet to leisure destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe, say executives.

"The launch of a LCC represents growth of Air Canada flying," says Michael Rousseau, chief financial officer of the airline, during the call.

The aircraft will transition to the LCC's fleet from Air Canada instead of being returned to lessors as their leases expire during the next 24- to 36-months, say executives.

Air Canada has 38 A319s and 30 767-300ERs in its fleet, according to Flightglobal's Ascend database.
The launch LCC is possible with the selection of the carrier's final contract offer to its pilots by a Canadian government appointed arbitrator on 31 July.

Air Canada operated LCC subsidiaries Tango and Zip from 2001 until 2003 and 2004, respectively, to compete with low-cost competition.

Cathay Pacific firms orders for 26 A350-1000s

athay Pacific has firmed an agreement with Airbus to convert 16 of its Airbus A350-900 aircraft on order into the larger -1000 variant and has exercised an option to purchase 10 new -1000s.
The Hong Kong-based operator signed a supplemental agreement with Airbus on 8 August 2012, after its major shareholders approved the move.
The conversion to the larger variant is expected to cost Cathay an additional $1.087 billion at list prices. The carrier's 2010 order for 30 -900s is worth $7.82 billion at list prices.
The additional 10 new -1000s to be purchased is expected to cost $3.286 billion at list prices.
Delivery of the 26 aircraft is scheduled to start in 2018, through to 2020.

© Airbus

At the Farnborough air show in July, Cathay had announced its intention to convert the -900 orders and to order an additional 10 -1000s.
The aircraft will be paid for in eight cash instalments, with seven payments to be made before the delivery of each aircraft, and the balance to be paid upon delivery, Cathay said in a statement on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
It adds that the purchase will be funded through commercial bank loans, other debt instruments and also cash from its operations.
"The Airbus aircraft will replenish and expand the fleet capacity of Cathay. They will principally serve long-haul destinations in North America and Europe," says the carrier.
It adds that the aircraft is expected to improve passenger payload and also provide high standards of comfort and safety.
The announcement comes hours after the carrier reported a net loss of HK$935 million ($97 million) for the six months ended 30 June, compared with a net profit of HK$2.81 billion the same time last year.
Airbus overhauled the -1000 last year to increase its range. Four other carriers had ordered the type before the redesign.
All A350-1000s will be powered exclusively by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

SpiceJet back in black with 1Q $10.2 million profit

SpiceJet 737-800. Courtesy, Boeing

After five consecutive quarters of losses, India’s second largest low-cost carrier SpiceJet (SG) posted a profit of INR561.2 million ($10.2 million) for the first quarter ended June 30, compared to a loss of INR719.6 million in the year-ago period. Revenue surged 51% to INR14 billion in the period. India’s financial year runs from April 1 to March 31.

The turnaround in SG’s performance was mainly due to higher fares. Indian carriers can charge about 30% more for tickets compared to last year after loss-making Kingfisher Airlines cut capacity substantially in its struggle to stay afloat (ATW Daily News, July 4).

In a statement, SG CEO Neil Mills warned of tough market conditions: “While we expand our footprint in domestic as well as international sectors, the excessive taxation on ATF [aviation turbine fuel] in India and the weakening of rupee against the dollar are matters of serious concern. The sharp increase in airport charges and other pass-through levies in various forms increase the cost of air travel to our passengers without bringing any additional revenue to the airline. The need of the hour is for the government of India to intervene proactively and launch initiatives urgently to improve the health of Indian civil aviation.”

Passenger traffic rose 26% in the quarter and average revenue per passenger jumped 24%, Mills said. The results have beaten analysts’ expectations.

Airlines in India collectively lost about $2 billion in 2011 mainly because of high fuel costs and poor margins arising from overcapacity. The improved yields are expected to help the financial position of all Indian carriers; airline stock prices have begun to rise in anticipation of better performance.