Russia restarts scheduled and charter passenger air service to Turkey.Russian airlines can fly to Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Dalaman, Bodrum.Russian flag carrier Aeroflot plans to increase the frequency of flights from twice a week to two flights a day.

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency announced today that ten Russian air carriers have resumed scheduled and charter passenger flights to Turkey.
There were 78 flights, including 54 charter flights, planned for the first day of the full resumption of air traffic between Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey.

According to the Federal Air Transport Agency, currently,12 Russian airlines have permits to fly to Turkey. They can fly to five Turkish cities: Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, Dalaman, Bodrum, federal regulator said. The airlines can operate flights to Turkey from 32 Russian cities.
“On June 22, 78 regular and charter flights will be operated, of which Russian airlines will operate 54 flights. Aeroflot, Royal Flight, Smartavia, Azur air, Ikar, Yamal, Nord Wind, Pobeda, Red Wings, S7, Rossiya are scheduled to fly today,” the Federal Air Transport Agency said.
12 Russian air carriers received “more than 160 permits for international passenger and/or cargo transportation to seven cities in Turkey”, following the decision of the Interdepartmental Commission on Airline Access to Air Transportation.

From Tuesday, June 22, Russia and Turkey have fully resumed air traffic, which was limited in mid-April due to a new wave of the pandemic in Turkey.
From June 25, Russian flag carrier Aeroflot plans to increase the frequency of flights from twice a week to two flights a day.
Also, from June 25, the national airline will launch flights from Moscow to Antalya, Dalaman and Bodrum. Moreover, Aeroflot did not rule out a further increase in the number of flights to Turkey, depending on demand and flight load.

Employee costs at the airline fell by 3.45% and 4.4% in 2018-19 and 2019-20, respectively.Amid the grounding of flights and oil market fluctuations, jet fuel costs also shrank 75.6%, to reach AED6.4 billion in 2020-21.The AED11.3 billion ($3.1 billion) injection was unprecedented in the history of Emirates.

The deep impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on aviation has been reiterated by Dubai flag carrier Emirates’ performance during the 2020-21 financial year, which included a net loss of AED20.3 billion ($5.5 billion) and a 66% revenue drop to AED30.1 billion ($8.4 billion). While the airline may still retain its market dominance given the scale of its legacy operations, the evolution of its financial position over the past decade – exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19 – suggests a more cost-conscious version of Emirates could emerge in the aftermath of the pandemic.
The first signs that Emirates – like all global airlines – was headed towards a financial downturn emerged in March 2020, when its ultimate owner, the Government of Dubai, pledged an equity injection for the carrier. The AED11.3 billion ($3.1 billion) injection was unprecedented in the history of Emirates and served as a reminder of how critical – both commercially and socially – the airline’s continuity is to Dubai’s economy. Its recovery will hinge on its ability to efficiently manage its operating costs, which dropped to AED46 billion last year, from AED85.5 billion in 2019-20.

After having largely weathered the global financial crisis of 2008-10 and the oil price crash of 2014-16, around 30,585 Emirates staff were laid off in 2020-21 for the first time in the airline’s history. The move consequently drove down employee costs by 35%, to AED7.8 billion, but this reduction is not a new trend.
Employee costs at the airline fell by 3.45% and 4.4% in 2018-19 and 2019-20, respectively, and had been in somewhat steady decline since swelling to a ten-year growth peak of 20% in 2010-11.
Amid the grounding of flights and oil market fluctuations, jet fuel costs also shrank 75.6%, to reach AED6.4 billion in 2020-21 from AED26.2 billion in the previous year. Brent crude oil prices averaged $41 a barrel and largely stayed low last year, which benefited Emirates’ bottom line. However, prices are expected to average $63 a barrel this year and could raise jet fuel costs during Emirates’ 2021-22 financial year, especially if post-pandemic travel demand recovery estimates are realized.

Across the Emirates group, cost reduction measures resulted in savings of AED7.7 billion in 2020-21. It is possible that further such measures will be rolled out, given the sustained impact of COVID-19, including on Emirates’ travel corridors with India and the UK.

Air V&V program has officially been approved by Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero and the Department of Public Health and Social Services.The program captures a unique demographic of travelers around the world that are tired of waiting to get vaccinated in this pandemic.Prior to arrival in Guam, program participants must book their package with one of the participating hotels.

The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) announced that the Air V&V (vaccination and vacation) program has officially been approved by Governor Lou Leon Guerrero and the Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS).
“I want to thank Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, Lt. Governor Josh Tenorio, DPHSS Director Art San Agustin, and Acting Chief Public Health Officer Chima Mbakwem for clearing the way for us to market Guam as the U.S. destination of choice when it comes to encouraging US expats and non-US citizens to travel to our island to get vaccinated and spend their vacation time with us,” said Carl T.C. Gutierrez, GVB President and CEO. “This program captures a unique demographic of travelers around the world that are tired of waiting to get vaccinated in this pandemic. This will give a shot in the arm to our tourism industry through this unique and valuable service, offering more opportunities to put our people back to work and get our economy roaring again.”

Non-US citizens welcomed
With the support of Chairman Milton Morinaga and the GVB Board of Directors, GVB worked with the Guam Hotel & Restaurant Association, Physicians Advisory Group and its chairman Dr. Hoa Nguyen, Col. Mike Cruz and the Guam Surgeon Cell, and DPHSS to get the program ready for the island’s source markets, as well as other countries. Guam can now officially welcome US citizens living abroad, green card holders, and also non-U.S. citizens to avail of vaccination and vacation deals.
Protocols for Air V&V

Prior to arrival in Guam, program participants must book their package with one of the participating hotels. The hotel will assist in scheduling the vaccination and PCR appointments for Air V&V participants. All international travelers must provide a negative PCR test before boarding their flight to Guam. Upon arrival, participants of the Air V&V program will receive a COVID-19 test to ensure they are able to receive the vaccine (Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson) the following day from the comfort of their hotel room. If they choose Moderna or Pfizer, their second dose will be scheduled.
While in Guam, they must undergo a 7-day quarantine at a self-paid facility upon arrival to Guam. They would have the option to take a PRC test on Day 6 of quarantine and if they test negative for COVID-19, they will be released. It is also required they register with Sara Alert for monitoring up to 14 days, and download the Guam COVID Alert App.
As part of the program, they will also get a PCR test no more than 72 hours prior to departure. Participants will depart Guam with their vaccination record card and vaccination health authority record.

Packages offered for travel
In collaboration with Guam’s medical community, travel trade, and hotel partners, all-in-one packages have been developed to offer interested travelers. The travel packages include transportation to and from the airport, three COVID-19 tests, the administration of two doses of the vaccine, health monitoring, and digital vaccination records.
Air V&V packages can be booked directly with the following hotels: Dusit Thani Guam Resort, Grand Plaza Hotel, Guam Reef Hotel, Hotel Nikko Guam, Hyatt Regency Guam, LeoPalace Resort, Lotte Hotel, Pacific Islands Club, Royal Orchid Hotel, and the Tsubaki Tower.

DOING THE RIGHT THING is very different from DOING WHAT IS RIGHT.American Airlines vs. JetBlueWhat an Executive Platinum Member of American Airlines for several years really means to the Airline?
This is a bit of a rant and a long post so continue reading at your own will. But reading and sharing this might help other pet owners/lovers who plan to fly their pets one day. I just don’t want my horrible experience with American Airlines happen with other people.
American Airlines turned my Frenchie, Roxie away from our flight from PBI – DFW – LAX because apparently, she is not able to stand up in the carrier while it’s closed and turn around.

She is able to turn around but she does go over the top of the carrier. As far as I know, only miniature dogs and really small puppies can do that given the size of the allowable size of the carriers.
I have flown Roxie with American Airlines several times and this has never been an issue. As a result I have had to cancel my flight and unable to take my flight to LA. This really put me and Roxie in a very uncertain situation at the airport. I really do not understand the rational for our rejection.
American Airlines have been canceling hundreds of flights on a daily basis because of their inability to manage the surge and constantly overbooking flights.

This does not seem to be happening with other airlines so it’s an indication of their incompetence. Prior to this incident, they were asking for volunteers to give up seats for money.
Then they canceled my original flight two hours before the flight. Then rebooked me on a flight that lands in Burbank instead of Orange Country which is close to the house. I believe this happened because they are finding any reason to free up seats so they could fill the up the overbookings and all the flight cancellations.

Chorus’ proxy circular provided for 10 nominees to the Board of Directors.Total number of shares represented by shareholders present in person and by proxy at the meeting was 60,142,910 million.Holders of the requisite number of shares voted in favor of all items of business.

Chorus Aviation Inc. announces the results of the vote on the election of directors at its virtual annual meeting of shareholders held on June 21, 2021.
The total number of shares represented by shareholders present in person and by proxy at the meeting was 60,142,910 million and represented 33.85% of Chorus’ issued and outstanding shares with voting rights. Holders of the requisite number of shares voted in favor of all items of business. Chorus’ proxy circular provided for 10 nominees to the Board of Directors. Detailed results of the vote for election of directors are set out below.

NomineeVotes For% ForVotes Withheld% WithheldKaren Cramm59,072,20498.22%1,070,7061.78%Richard D. Falconer56,251,20093.53%3,891,7106.47%Gail Hamilton56,416,52193.80%3,726,3896.20%R Stephen Hannahs59,563,03999.04%579,8710.96%Sydney John Isaacs59,035,22398.16%1,107,6871.84%Alan Jenkins56,341,26093.68%3,801,6506.32%Amos Kazzaz56,232,12493.50%3,910,7866.50%Marie-Lucie Morin55,709,66592.63%4,430,2457.37%Joseph D. Randell56,224,88393.49%3,918,0276.51%Paul Rivett59,641,81099.17%501,1000.83%
Chorus is pleased to welcome Ms. Gail Hamilton, Mr. Alan Jenkins and Mr. Paul Rivett to its Board of Directors. Ms. Hamilton was a partner with both KPMG and Ernst & Young providing audit and business advisory services to a variety of organizations, including several within the aviation industry. Mr. Jenkins has over 20 years’ senior executive and board experience in the aircraft leasing, specialty finance, aviation, transportation, and financial services sectors. In addition to co-founding NordStar Capital (a recent investor in Chorus), Mr. Rivett previously served as the President of Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited where in 2016, he was responsible for the firm’s $200 million investment in Chorus that served as the seed capital for our regional aircraft leasing business.
Chorus is a global provider of integrated regional aviation solutions. Headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Chorus is comprised of Chorus Aviation Capital a global lessor of regional aircraft, and Jazz Aviation and Voyageur Aviation. 

When conditions are right, consumers will come back to the air, the conditions are really the sense of safety.Passengers who are vaccinated, will likely feel safe to fly again as long as there are no government-imposed restrictions on travel.While some countries are easing restrictions, some are actually hardening restrictions on travel, so it is still a very unpredictable and very volatile situation.

Peter Harbison began the interview by welcoming József Váradi, who’s the CEO of Wizz Air. Peter suggested they kick off their discussion with big picture stuff.
The interview started with Wizz CEO offering an overview of Europe and of the whole COVID-19 pandemic in general. He discussed the big issues with Peter of CAPA – Centre for Aviation as he sees it coming up in the next 3 months that Wizz Air will have to face.

Peter Harbison:
Very warm welcome. Haven’t spoken to you for quite a while, József, but a lot happened in the meantime. Let’s kick off with big picture stuff, and what are the big issues that you see coming up in the next three months?
József Váradi:

Thank you, Peter, for inviting me your show. Looking at life today, I think it’s very complicated. You certainly need to look at a consumer, whether the consumer wants to fly or not. Obviously, the consumer wants to fly, there is nothing wrong with the consumer. You can see some of the markets, [inaudible 00:00:56] is really catching up. I think at the moment it is performing around 80% of its 2019 capacity levels. It’s expected to exceed a big summer capacity relative to 2019. I think what it really tells you is that when the conditions are right, the consumers come back to the air, to the franchise of flying very, very quickly and the conditions are really, the sense of safety. If you are vaccinated, I think you feel safe to fly again and two, there are no government-imposed restrictions on travel, so you can easily go.
But that doesn’t really apply to Europe at this point in time. I think the consumer’s willingness to fly is totally there, it has remained intact. Actually, many of the people are just fed up with being locked down and they want to go, they want to breathe fresh air but at the same time, they are highly restricted by government-imposed restrictions.
And in certain cases it’s just almost impossible to travel. Now it is slowly changing, but it is not a straight line. It is more like a roller coaster. You see some countries easing restrictions, but still today you are seeing some countries actually hardening restrictions on travel, so I think it is still a very unpredictable, very volatile and we will see how that’s going to go. We definitely got, I don’t think Europe at the level of the US, certainly not from a domestic perspective. It is still complicated.

Peter:
Yeah. I think comparisons with the US are probably a bit difficult because it’s probably the only market that has got back to that level, China excepted. But one of the things, József, even in the US where they’re getting back to fairly full flights and obviously there’s a lot of demand there, getting back to close to 2019 levels, yields are still very well down. They’re still down 20, 30 percent average economy yields. What is driving that? Is it just too much capacity coming in too quickly or is it just uncertainty in terms of revenue management?
József:
Well, I think the history of the industry is that, especially when it comes to recovery from difficult situations that is over capacity and as I said it’s hard because of the imbalance between supply and demand, you’ve seen the yield environment dragging and I think this is what you should be expecting. Pretty much everybody in the world that in the recovery phase, that will be too much capacity coming out to the market, which is probably the right thing for stimulating traffic and encouraging the consumers to come back into flying. But at the same time, from a financial, former standpoint, obviously this is going to put pressure on the industry.

Changes fall far short of Government’s own Expert Panel Report.Canada’s major airlines call for a comprehensive re-start plan to re-open borders and end to piecemeal announcements.Unlike many other countries, Canada has yet to provide a clear restart plan

Canada’s major airlines noted today’s announcement by the federal government that on July 5th at 11:59 pm EDT fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents will be exempt from hotel quarantine and mandatory 14-day quarantine.  But the industry repeated its plea that Canada desperately needs a clear and comprehensive re-start plan for international travel, and an end to one-off piecemeal announcements concerning quarantine and border policy changes. 
“Easing quarantine restrictions for fully vaccinated Canadians and eligible travelers is a step in the right direction, but falls far short of the recommendations provided by Health Canada’s Expert Advisory Panel report released last month.  The government continues to refuse to provide Canadians with a clear and comprehensive restart plan outlining how measures from the report will be adopted.  While other countries like France have already changed their measures to welcome Canadian travellers, we still have no plan or clear timeframe in Canada,” said Mike McNaney, President and CEO of the National Airlines Council of Canada, which represents Canada’s largest airlines (Air Canada, Air Transat, Jazz Aviation, and WestJet).

The Health Canada Advisory Panel report, prepared by experts in epidemiology, virology as well as advanced data analytics, is a data and science-based review that calls for a variety of changes to travel and border measures including elimination of quarantine for fully vaccinated travelers, elimination of hotel quarantine for all travelers, reduction of quarantine for partially vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers, and the use of rapid antigen testing.  While Canada has reached a vaccination target of 75% / 20%, today’s announcement did not substantively address these measures.
McNaney also noted that the government’s requirement that children under the age of 18 who are not fully vaccinated must adhere to a 14-day quarantine runs counter to the approach taken by other countries. “The government repeatedly states it is working with our international partners and following science, yet pursues initiatives such as mandatory quarantine for minors that is completely out of step with other jurisdictions. In fact, the policy directly contradicts the recommendations issued jointly on June 17 by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency” he said. 
“Unlike many other countries including our G7 partners, Canada has yet to provide a clear restart plan outlining when and how major travel and border restrictions will be removed, in particular for fully vaccinated travelers from foreign countries, and how the Panel’s recommendations will be adopted.  As vaccination programs increase rapidly and jurisdictions around the world provide consumers and industry with a clear path forward, we must do the same. Countries that successfully implement a science and data – based testing and quarantine policy will not only protect public health, they will also drive their overall domestic recovery and take jobs and investment from countries that do not.   We must get moving now”, concluded McNaney.  

Seven non-EU states join EU in banning Belarusian air carriers.EU Council at the foreign ministers level approved the fourth package of individual sanctions against 86 Belarusian individuals and legal entities.The May 23 Ryanair plane hijacking by Belarus has sent ongoing shockwaves through the international air travel industry.

European Union Council’s press service issued a statement on Monday, announcing that seven non-EU countries sided with EU members’ decision to close their airspace for Belarusian air carriers.
“The Council Decision decided to strengthen the existing restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus by introducing a ban on the overflight of EU airspace and on access to EU airports by Belarusian carriers of all kinds,” the statement says.

“The Candidate Countries the Republic of North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this Council Decision,” the press service said.
“They will ensure that their national policies conform to this Council Decision,” the press service added. “The European Union takes note of this commitment and welcomes it,” it said.
Earlier on Monday, the EU Council at the foreign ministers level approved the fourth package of individual sanctions against 86 Belarusian individuals and legal entities and reached an agreement to impose economic sanctions on seven economic sectors of Belarus, including potash and petrochemicals export and the financial sector. Economic sanctions are subject to final approval at the EU Summit on June 24-25 and will become effective after that. 

The May 23 Ryanair plane hijacking by Belarus has sent ongoing shockwaves through the international air travel industry. The aircraft, en route from Greece to Lithuania, was hijacked and forced to land in Minsk over a bogus bomb threat.
Immediately upon forced landing at Minsk airport, Belarusian security agents boarded the plane and arrested opposition blogger Roman Protasevich wanted by Lukashenko’s regime and his girlfriend, Russian citizen Sofia Sapega.

Sabre Corporation a software and technology provider and Virgin Australia have a renewal of their global distribution agreement.  Under the renewed agreement, Sabre will continue to distribute Virgin Australia flights and services through the Sabre GDS marketplace, I will ensure that hundreds of thousands of Sabre-connected agencies will continue to have access to Virgin Australia’s great value products and services.  
“Although international borders remain largely closed at the moment, there is a lot of pent-up demand and positivity in the domestic market,” said David Orszaczky, General Manager Digital, and Distribution, Virgin Australia. “We’re committed to creating an ecosystem that delivers great value for customers and ensuring our agency partners can help deliver the many travel experiences we offer in their preferred channel.”  
“We are thrilled to reaffirm our longstanding collaboration with Virgin Australia at this important time for the carrier and for the travel industry,” said Rakesh Narayanan, Regional General Manager, Asia Pacific, Travel Solutions, Airline Sales. “Our renewed agreement provides certainty to the travel industry that Virgin Australia’s travel agency content will continue to be available on the Sabre GDS as well as being testament to the commitment of both Virgin Australia and Sabre to providing rich content through our global distribution network.”  

As of Sunday afternoon, 123 flights were canceled Saturday, 178 on Sunday, and 97 were canceled for MondayAmerican told ABC News that most of the cancelations are on A320 and 737 aircraft, but that it may continue to cancel at least 50 to 60 flights per day for the rest of June and 50 to 80 flights per day through July.We made targeted changes with the goal of impacting the fewest number of customers by adjusting flights in markets where we have multiple options for re-accommodation,” according to an American Airlines statement.
The US economy is switching from an emergency stage of less flights operating to a stage, where more flights than before COVID-19 are needed.
Major airlines, like American Airlines, are trying to make up for the year of downtown overextending possible options. It included jets more crowded, shorter turnaround time, but it also put an enormous burden on staffing and logistic issues.

This now is resulting in a high number of sick calls, combined with maintenance and other staffing issues.
A frustrated passenger tweeted:
@AmericanAir support has refused to answer any questions or offer any sort of solution to rectify the situation – so I’m still in Miami. still waiting to get to NYC. no idea when or if I’m gonna get there. this is by far the worst travel experience I’ve ever had.

A 1K member of United Airlines phrased it:
Now there were some amazing @americanair employees that did their best to compensate for the terrible ones. But all in all – this is my hollow promise that I’m never flying with AA. I status with @UnitedAirlines_ and this is what I get for cheating on them.

The plane belonged to a local chapter of the DOSAAF paramilitary sport group.The aircraft hit the ground with its wing and overturned.Two crew members and seven parachutists were killed, nine people in total.

Nine people were killed and several were injured after a twin-engine Let L-410 aircraft crash-landed in Kemerovo Region in Russia’s southwestern Siberia. Nineteen people were on board the plane – 2 pilots and 17 skydivers.
The plane belonged to a local chapter of the DOSAAF paramilitary sport group and was making its fourth flight of the day when suffered an engine failure shortly after takeoff.

The pilots attempted to land the plane, but the aircraft hit the ground with its wing and overturned, chief of Kemerovo DOSAAF said.
“According to my information, two crew members and seven parachutists were killed, nine people in total,” the official stated.
It remains unclear what caused the fatal engine failure as the plane was in good technical condition and had performed three flights that day.

This resumption of service is following the launch of a pre-travel testing program between Hawaiʻi and French Polynesia that allows for quarantine-free travel within the two archipelagos.Hawaiian will reinstate once-weekly nonstop flying between Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and Tahiti’s Fa’a’ā International Airport (PPT).Flights will be conducted on the airlines’ 278-seat Airbus A330 aircraft.

Hawaiian began its inaugural Hawaiʻi – Tahiti air travel in June 1987. Flights were then suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The carrier’s resumption of flights is made possible by the new pre-travel testing program established by Hawaiʻi Gov. David Ige and French Polynesia President Édouard Fritch — a result of low COVID-19 cases within the 2 destinations. “We look forward to reconnecting our islands, but most importantly, reconnecting family members who have not seen each other for over a year,” said Peter Ingram, President and CEO at Hawaiian Airlines. “We appreciate the tremendous work by the governments of French Polynesia and Hawaiʻi to open up travel between our regions.” Both Hawaiʻi and French Polynesia will implement strict travel requirements for resident and visitor safety. Those traveling inbound from PPT to HNL must complete and upload a negative test result from the Institut Louis Malardé, a state-approved testing partner, to the state of Hawaiʻi’s Safe Travels program. Guests traveling outbound to PPT from HNL will need to provide proof of vaccination and have fulfilled the government of Tahiti’s COVID-19 entry requirements prior to travel. Those not compliant will be subject to a 10-day quarantine.“Many of Hawaiʻi’s residents have family in Tahiti, and welcoming our guests from French Polynesia to Hawaiʻi is an important step in maintaining the close relationship between our two regions,” said Hawaiʻi Gov. David Ige. Hawaiian Airlines flight HA481 will depart HNL at 3:35 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 7 and arrive at PPT at 9:30 p.m. Flight HA482 will depart PPT at 11:30 p.m. the same evening and arrive into HNL at 5:15 a.m. the following day.  Hawaiian’s “Keeping you safe” enhanced cleaning includes frequent disinfecting of lobby areas, kiosks, and ticket counters, electrostatic aircraft cabin spraying, plexiglass barriers at staffed airport counters, and sanitizer wipe distribution to all guests. The carrier requires all guests to complete a health acknowledgement form during the check-in process indicating they are free of COVID-19 symptoms and will comply with the company’s updated mask policy for the entirety of their journey.
#rebuildingtravel