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
Delta Air Lines purchases 20x E-190 and orders 20x 737-900(ER)
Delta will add up to 20 Embraer 190 and 20 new Boeing 737-900ER jets acquired through a new agreement with The Boeing Co.
The agreement is part of the airline’s continued strategy to improve its efficiency by adding additional 737-900ERs and upgauging its mainline fleet with the nearly 100-seat, twin-engine E190 jets while reducing the use of small regional aircraft.
The order announced today offered Delta more compelling economics over a previously cancelled order that also included Boeing-held E190s.
“Delta continues to look for opportunities to deploy larger aircraft, which bring customer experience enhancements and improved economics, across its fleet,” said Greg May, Delta’s Senior Vice President – Supply Chain Management. “This aircraft order is another example of Delta’s unique fleet strategy to deploy a mix of new and used aircraft, maintain low capital costs, and leverage significant capacity flexibility to produce superior returns for our shareholders.”
Expected to begin flying in early 2017, Embraer’s unique cabin design in the E190 includes two-by-two seating throughout the Main Cabin, one-by-two in First Class, and large overhead bins and oversized windows.
The additional Boeing 737-900ERs will bring the total in Delta’s fleet to 120 by 2019. The aircraft features large overhead bins and audio/video seatback entertainment with 20 seats in First Class, 21 seats in Delta Comfort+ and 139 seats in the Main Cabin.
Delta Air Lines
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