MEXICO CITY, Dec. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — At an internal event held to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe, Aeromexico announced that it will fly His Holiness Pope Francis during his first apostolic journey to Mexico.
Aeromexico will use two different types of aircraft for the papal flights, including a Boeing 737-800 Sky Interior with 160 passenger seats to fly His Holiness and his entourage to the cities of Morelia and Tuxtla Gutierrez, and a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 243 passenger seats for the trip to Ciudad Juarez, and from there to Ciampino Airport in Rome.
This is the first time a pontiff will travel on board a Boeing 787, an aircraft widely regarded as the most advanced commercial airplane, on his way back to Rome that will last approximately 13 hours.
Aeromexico CEO Andres Conesa spoke at the event and said, “We thank the Holy See and the relevant authorities for trusting us with this special operation. I can assure you that everyone involved will work with the utmost enthusiasm and dedication to make sure that His Holiness Pope Francis enjoys the natural warmth and hospitality that characterize the Mexican people, and the excellence of our service as Mexico’s global airline.”
This will mark the fourth time a pope has flown with Aeromexico, as the carrier served as the official airline for Pope John Paul II on his visits to Mexico. The first and most symbolic of these visits was held in January 1979 when a DC-10 called “Mexico City” carried the Pope from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to Mexico City, before taking His Holiness back to Rome.
During Pope John Paul II’s second visit, Aeromexico flew the pontiff to different cities in Mexico including Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Durango, Monterrey, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Veracruz, and Zacatecas with one of its MD-88 airplanes, and took the Pope back to Rome on its DC10-30 called Chapultepec Castle.
Lastly, on August 1, 2002, a Boeing 767 christened “Mexico Siempre Fiel” (Mexico, Always Faithful) flew Pope John Paul II back to Rome after his fifth visit to Mexico.
As on previous visits, a team formed by representatives from different Divisions within Aeromexico is working together with the authorities and the pastoral visiting team to make sure that all of the flight services scheduled for the trip are provided with the highest possible level of efficiency and safety.
PR Newswire
Alaska Airlines launches Economy Plus offering
NEW YORK — Today at its annual Investor Day, Alaska Airlines announced plans to roll-out a Premium Class section. Beginning in late 2016, the new upgrade option will provide more legroom and other perks to customers.
Customers who upgrade to Premium Class will get priority boarding and enjoy three to four inches more legroom compared with a standard coach seat. In addition, Alaska Airlines plans to offer additional amenities to further enhance the Premium Class in-flight experience. This upgrade option will be available to Alaska Airlines elite Mileage Plan members on a complimentary basis at booking or day of travel dependent on status and fare purchased.
Upgrade pricing and details on the included amenities will be announced closer to customer availability.
“Premium Class will provide an opportunity for all customers to get an enhanced flight experience,” said Andrew Harrison, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Alaska Airlines. “We are listening to our customers and they have told us that more personal space and extra perks are a priority.”
Alaska plans to retrofit up to 60 aircraft with the Premium Class section by the end of 2016 and the remainder of its 737-800, -900 and -900ER fleet by the end of 2017. The upgrade option will also be available on Embraer 175s, operated by SkyWest, which are configured with 12 seats in the Premium Class section. Preferred Plus seating , currently available for purchase at check-in for bulkhead and exit rows, will continue to be offered on Alaska 737-400s and -700s.
Seats in the Premium Class section will have at least 35″ of pitch, compared to 31″ to 32″ in the rest of the main cabin. To make room for the Premium Class while maintaining pitch in the main cabin, Alaska will reconfigure and reduce the number of seats available on some aircraft. Also, pitch in the First Class cabin will be increased from 36″ to 41″ providing a significantly enhanced experience for those customers.
737-800 goes from 16J/147Y to 12J/30Y+/117Y
737-900/-900(ER) goes from 16J/165Y to 16J/24Y+/138Y
E-175 goes from 12J/64Y to 12J/12Y+/52Y
Alaska Airlines
QANTAS reveals “Retro Roo II”
A newly reconfigured Qantas Boeing 737-800 painted in vintage 1960s livery has been unveiled in Sydney as the national carrier celebrates 95 years of flying.
Retro Roo II (VH-VXQ) has the same livery that featured on Qantas’ Boeing 707 jets from 1959 to 1961 – when the flying kangaroo helped revolutionise long-haul travel.
The B707 represented a step-change in aviation and Qantas was the first carrier outside the United States to operate the jet. In 1959, Qantas used it to become the first airline to operate regular passenger jet services across the Pacific Ocean, connecting Sydney and San Francisco.
Qantas was also the first airline to offer a round-the-world jet service with the B707. The flying time was 70 hours compared to 127 hours with the Super Constellation aircraft that the B707 replaced. Today a Qantas flight from Sydney to London stops just once, in Dubai, and takes 21 flying hours.
Welcoming the freshly-painted jet into a hangar with more than 300 employees, Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce described the vintage livery as a flying tribute to the airline’s history of innovation.
“None of the past 95 years would have been possible without all those who have worked for Qantas with such commitment and passion. Tens of thousands of people have dedicated their whole careers to the national carrier and many who work here today are the third or fourth generation in their family to do so,” he added.
“As we celebrate our 95th birthday today, I hope this livery inspires a sense of pride in what our national airline has achieved during all those years of taking Australians around the world and bringing them safely home again,” said Mr Joyce.
“A large part of the national pride people feel towards the flying kangaroo comes from the fact it has been responsible for so many innovations in global aviation.
“We were the first airline to introduce business class, we have operated record breaking endurance flights throughout our history and we’ve helped pioneer many breakthroughs in aviation technology.
“Innovation is still at the core of Qantas and we’re now looking to a new generation of aircraft with the arrival of Qantas’ first B787 Dreamliners in 2017. Like the 707 in 1959, these aircraft are at the cutting edge of aviation and we’re really excited about the opportunities they’ll open up for our customers.
The arrival of Retro Roo II, which was painted in Townsville, is part of Qantas’ 95th birthday celebrations. Events so far have included an Australia-wide Instameet and Qantas’ charity flight to Longreach, which raised over $110,000 for drought relief. A gala dinner for over 1,000 people in the airline’s A380 hangar in Mascot on Friday rounds out the activities.
Retro Roo II is the second Qantas 737 aircraft in vintage livery. Retro Roo I was launched last November, featuring the livery of 1971-1984, and regularly appears on social media as passengers photograph it at airports across the country.
Earlier this year, Qantas donated its record-breaking B747-400 (VH-OJA) to an aviation museum staffed largely by former Qantas employees. The aircraft was significant for operating the world’s longest non-stop flight from London to Sydney in 1989, and is now a big tourism draw for the Illawarra region.
QANTAS