Atlantic Update Archives – Page 2 of 10

London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update – 11 December 2019

A weekly bulletin on transatlantic travel, published every Wednesday at 06:00 GMT.

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Pool Club, Virgin Hotels Dallas (Image Credit: Virgin Hotels)

Hello and welcome to London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update providing a weekly bulletin on developments on transatlantic travel between Europe and North America. The Atlantic Update is published every Wednesday morning at 06:00 GMT.

Virgin Hotels Does Dallas

Virgin Hotels opens its third property in the US, after Chicago and San Francisco, this week.

Virgin Hotels Dallas opens this coming Sunday, 15 December 2019.

The newly constructed hotel features 200 “Chambers” including Grand Chamber Suites, along with Virgin Hotels’ signature Commons Club, as well as a rooftop Pool Club.

Other Virgin Hotels earmarked for opening in 2020 include Las Vegas, Nashville and New York.

BA Upgrades Heathrow – San Jose To Boeing 747

It’s been relatively quiet as far as news on BA’s long schedule for the summer 2020 season is concerned.

One significant change announced so far is that London Heathrow – San Jose will be upgraded from a Boeing 787-9 aircraft to a Boeing 747 aircraft from the start of the summer season on Sunday 29 March 2019.

This is a fairly substantial increase in capacity from 216 seats to 275 seats.

Also of note this week:

American Airlines has announced new domestic routes from Boston to Austin and San Jose from early April 2019. American is also promising more one-off flights such as Los Angeles – Palm Springs for special events. (American Airlines)

Virgin Trains USA launches a new train livery featuring the work of the late New York artist Keith Haring to mark the opening of the Rubell Museum in Miami. (Virgin)

The case for a high speed rail line from Portland to Vancouver. (CityLab)

Late post publication updates:

[Reserved for updates throughout the day]

London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update is published every Wednesday at 06:00 GMT. If you have any comments, suggestions or tips then please drop us a line at mail [@] londonairtravel.com

You can follow us on Twitter for breaking news throughout the day. Also, please join us on Monday for our weekly Monday Briefing.

London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update – 4 December 2019

A weekly bulletin on transatlantic travel, published every Wednesday at 06:00 GMT.

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Virgin Atlantic, Air France KLM and Delta

Air France-KLM & Virgin Atlantic

What is going on between Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic?

There’s been considerable press speculation, confirmed by Virgin Group, that it will retain control of the airline and Air France-KLM will no longer acquire a 31% stake in it.

The background to this is back in 2017 when Air France-KLM, Delta and Virgin Atlantic announced their attention to operate a combined transatlantic joint-venture, Air France-KLM was to acquire a 31% stake in Virgin Atlantic for £220m when the new joint-venture launched. This would have reduced Virgin Group’s ownership to a mere 20%.

This appears to no longer be the case. The way that this has been framed by Virgin Group is that this was their decision and Air France-KLM buying a stake was no longer necessary, given Virgin’s new plans to become a “second flag carrier” at Heathrow if a third runway goes ahead.

This is something of a non-sequitur. Even if Virgin was granted special status on the allocation of new slots at Heathrow, the degree of expansion proposed would require significant injections of capital, which do not appear to be forthcoming from Virgin Group.

(Virgin’s rivals will argue, with some justification, that given its historical unwillingness to expand through slot acquisitions, it has lost any special pleading for different treatment from other incumbent airlines at Heathrow).

The key phrase in Virgin Group’s letter is “subject to contract”. The details do not yet appear to be ironed out with Air France-KLM. Given this is a material transaction, an announcement should be made to Air France-KLM’s shareholders when the details are agreed. And it is to avoid confusion in situations like this that all parties usually agree to issue joint statements simultaneously.

Delta is also holding an annual investor day on Thursday 12 December 2019, and hopefully there’ll be more details of the combined joint-venture.

Update: Air France-KLM has confirmed to La Tribune that it will not acquire a stake in Virgin Atlantic.

Aer Lingus Adds PressReader

Aer Lingus has confirmed that it has joined BA and many other airlines and hotels, in offering free downloads of magazines and newspapers through PressReader.

Like BA, an e-mail will be sent to passengers in advance of their flight. It is recommended that titles are downloaded at home in advance, rather than at the airport or on board the aircraft. More details are available at Aer Lingus.

London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update – 27 November 2019

A weekly bulletin on transatlantic travel, published every Wednesday at 06:00 GMT.

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Air France-KLM, Delta & Virgin Atlantic Joint-Venture Approval

The US Department of Transportation has finally given approval for Delta to combine its two transatlantic joint-ventures with Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic into one.

In spite of fierce lobbying by JetBlue no regulatory concessions have been demanded as condition of the new joint-venture.

No timescale has been given by the airlines for the formal launch of the combined joint-venture but a logical date would be the start of the summer 2020 season at the end of March 2020.

This is likely to presage further co-operation between Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic. This is particularly in the areas of frequent flyer programmes and other long-haul routes outside of North America, where Air France-KLM has significantly greater coverage than Virgin Atlantic.

Also in a largely symbolic, but still historically significant, Virgin Group will give up control of Virgin Atlantic (something Sir Richard Branson once said he would never do) by selling a 31% stake to Virgin Atlantic.

On a related matter, Aer Lingus is still awaiting approval to join the AA/BA joint-venture.

Staying with Aer Lingus, the Canadian Transportation Agency has granted approval for ASL Airlines to operate a scheduled service on behalf of Aer Lingus between 1 and 30 January 2020. This is somewhat curious as Aer Lingus does not currently fly to Canada.

American Airlines Summer Schedule

American Airlines has announced a number of new domestic routes for the summer 2020 season.

Particularly of note for Oneworld transatlantic flyers are new Saturday seasonal services from Philadelphia to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts and from Charlotte to Martha’s Vineyard. Full details are available at aa.com

“WORLD WAY: The City of LAX”

Film maker Chris Pritchard has made an exceptionally well produced and edited four minute time lapse video of Los Angeles International airport, which can be both immensely frustrating but still captivating.

The film was produced over three years with the assistance of the airport and you can read more about the film on Chris Pritchard’s blog.

London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update – 20 November 2019

A weekly bulletin on transatlantic travel, published every Wednesday at 06:00 GMT.

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British Airways Boeing 787-9 First Class (Image Credit: British Airways)

BA To Operate Boeing 787-10 To Atlanta

BA has confirmed it will take delivery of its first Boeing 787-10 aircraft in January 2020.

BA has 12 aircraft on order, and 6 will arrive next year. The first route will be London Heathrow – Atlanta from February 2020, which is currently operated with a mixture of Boeing 787-9 and Boeing 777-200 aircraft.

As expected, the aircraft will be in a four class configuration with 8 seats in First, 48 in Club World, 35 in World Traveller Plus and 165 in World Traveller. The First seat will be the same as is currently on Boeing 787-9 aircraft, as pictured above.

Virgin Atlantic To Operate Airbus A350-1000 to Los Angeles and San Francisco

Virgin Atlantic has also confirmed it will operate the Airbus A350-1000 daily to Los Angeles and San Francisco from April and May 2020 respectively. However, these are not yet showing in online timetables.

Virgin has also launched a new codeshare partnership with WestJet at London Gatwick. Virgin has placed its code on WestJet’s year-round services from Gatwick to Calgary and Toronto, and summer seasonal services to Halifax and Vancouver.

All routes operate with WestJet’s new Boeing 787 aircraft, except Halifax which is currently scheduled to operate with the Boeing 737 Max.

Aer Lingus’ Summer 2020 Schedule

Aer Lingus has confirmed details of its transatlantic summer schedule from Dublin.

Some routes will benefit from increased frequencies. Miami will operate 3 times weekly, Orlando 6 times weekly and Seattle daily. Los Angeles and Minneapolis St Paul and Washington will operate with Airbus A330-300 aircraft. All Boeing 757 aircraft will also be replaced with Airbus A321 Long Range aircraft.

Interestingly, there’s no mention of Montreal. Aer Lingus was due to launch this route last year, but it was postponed due to late delivery of aircraft. This route appears to have now been put on the back burner.

London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update – 13 November 2019

A weekly bulletin on transatlantic travel, published every Wednesday at 06:00 GMT.

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Delta Premium Select, Boeing 767 aircraft (Image Credit: Delta)

Delta’s Boeing 767-400 at London Heathrow

Delta begins operating the Boeing 767-400 aircraft from London Heathrow today.

Although this is far from the most modern aircraft to cross the Atlantic, Delta is in the process of refurbishing its fleet of Boeing 767-400 aircraft to bring their interiors closer to the standard of Airbus A350-900 and refurbished Boeing 777 aircraft, neither of which are served with by Delta at London Heathrow.

The first refurbished aircraft should enter service this month. Delta’s refurbished Boeing 767-400 aircraft will benefit from a modified version its new “Delta One” business class suites. It promises more personal storage and significantly improved personal privacy with 34 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.

These aircraft will also feature Delta’s 20 seat premium economy cabin, Delta Premium Select for the first time as well as improved in-flight entertainment..

The Boeing 767-400 aircraft will operate from London Heathrow on the following routes this year:

London Heathrow – Atlanta (Flight DL31/DL30) from Wednesday 13 November 2019

London Heathrow – New York JFK (Flight DL2/DL1) from Sunday 17 November 2019

London Heathrow – Boston (Flight DL59/DL58) from Thursday 21 November 2019

Selected flights from Heathrow to Detroit, Minneapolis and Portland will operate with the Boeing 767-400 from as yet unconfirmed dates in the second quarter of 2020. The one exception is Salt Lake City.

Note this does not guarantee that you will be on a refurbished aircraft. If you are booking flights online at Delta you will see these flights with refurbished aircraft specifically flagged on the booking page with “New Interior”.

Severe Weather

Large parts of North America are currently experiencing severe weather.

In Canada, Montreal and Toronto are no strangers to winter snow, but have experienced snow much earlier this year. (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)

The National Weather Service has advised that much of Central & Eastern US will experience record low temperatures today. (New York Times)

London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update – 6 November 2019

A weekly bulletin on transatlantic travel, published every Wednesday at 06:00 GMT.

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W Hotel Union Square (Image Credit: Marriott Hotels)

The W Hotel Brand Plans Its Reinvention In New York

Arguably, there is no hotel brand more marmite than the W Hotel chain.

Founded in New York in 1998, the W Hotel brand sought to be epitome of cool. Not merely a hotel, but a lifestyle brand in its own right.

Promising “Whatever / Whenever” service, W hotels did not have a lobby, they had a dimly lit “Living Room”. Suites were given faintly ludicrous titles such as “Wow” and “Extreme Wow”. Housekeeping would never do something so mundane as simply service your room, they would “style it”.

Many of its rivals sought to imitate and launch their own brands. This even resulted in Hilton having to pay what was then Starwood Hotels $75million to settle a legal action. Starwood had sued Hilton and two former Starwood executives employed by Hilton, accusing them of stealing more than 100,000 confidential documents from Starwood. Hilton also had to abandon plans to launch its own lifestyle brand “Denizen”.

To its enthusiasts, W was a break from the norm and many aficionados would actively seek out W properties around the world. To its detractors, it was a means to command room rates of 5 star properties, without commensurate levels of service. And putting a night club in a hotel, as is the case with some properties, is a sick joke.

The opening of the original W Hotel on Lexington Avenue in 1998 drew celebrities such as Cindy Crawford and, err, Donald Trump. It was rebranded as the Maxwell last year.

The irony is that New York is the city where the brand impresses the least. Partly because of the constraints of New York real estate, and the city’s occasionally brash manner does seep into hotel service. The best W hotels are actually outside the US, such as Barcelona and Montreal.

In its third decade, W is now planning a reinvention. Three W Hotel properties in New York remain. This includes the W Union Square, which Marriott is reported to have acquired and plans to use a test bed for the relaunch of the brand. Of course, there are now countless lifestyle hotel brands, all following the template of public spaces and destination bars. Many are much more humble and less self-aggrandising than the W.

And there is the old adage that if you set out to be cool, that immediately precludes you from being so.

London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update – 30 October 2019

A weekly bulletin on transatlantic travel, published every Wednesday at 06:00 GMT.

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28th Street Station, New York Subway (Image Credit: New York Transit Museum)

California Wild Fires

Attention remains very much focused on the wild fires in California.

The latest updates in the Getty Fire are available from the Los Angeles Fire Department. The Los Angeles Times has also temporarily removed its paywall.

A number of airlines have put in flexible rebooking policies in place for passengers due to fly to airports near to the wild fires including Los Angeles International, Burban, Long Beach, Los Angeles Ontario and Santa Ana airports.

Also of note this week:

Uber and Lyft drivers now pick up passengers from a dedicated area at Los Angles International airport. (Los Angeles Times)

Delta opens its first new concourse as part of the ongoing redevelopment of La Guardia airport. (Delta)

On the subject of La Guardia, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has approved funding for a new Air Train to the airport. (Curbed)

The day the New York Subway opened as it celebrates its 115th anniversary. (Jalopnik)

Virgin Trains USA receives approval from the state of California for $3.25bn in bonds towards its planned rail link between Las Vegas and Southern California. (Las Vegas Review Journal)

London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update – 23 October 2019

A weekly bulletin on transatlantic travel, published every Wednesday at 06:00 BST.

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British Airways Boeing 747, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (Image Credit: British Airways)

Winter Timetable

As mentioned in our Monday Briefing, the winter timetable comes into effect this Sunday, 27 October 2019.

One addition is that BA is suspending one of its daily Boeing 747 services to Miami (BA210/BA211) from Sunday 17 November 2019. This dovetails with American Airlines adding a second daily flight from the end of October.

One of the more symbolic changes is that the BA Boeing 747 bids adieu to Phoenix as it will be replaced with a Boeing 787-9 aircraft. At the same time the route transfers from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5, with San Diego moving from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3.

The 747 has served this route for a very long time. It initially launched from Gatwick with a DC-10 aircraft. There will be no doubt be many more North American routes that will lose a Boeing 747 in the coming years.

Finally, a gentle reminder that whilst the UK moves from BST to GMT this Sunday, clocks do not change in the US until Sunday 3 November 2019.

In case you missed it:

Air New Zealand to suspend London Heathrow – Los Angeles from late October 2020. (London Air Travel)

Also of note this week:

Delta reaches agreement to lease two additional Airbus A330-900neo aircraft. (Delta)

The Hoxton Hotel opens in Downtown Los Angeles. (The Hoxton)

New York’s City Bakery closes after nearly 30 years in Manhattan. (Instagram)

San Francisco approves a plan to ban private cars from Market Street as part of the “Better Market Street” initiative. (Citylab)

London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update – 16 October 2019

A weekly bulletin on transatlantic travel, published every Wednesday at 06:00 BST.

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New York Skyline (Image Credit: London Air Travel)

Norwegian’s Summer Long-Haul Schedule

Norwegian has confirmed its long-haul schedule at London Gatwick for the summer 2020 season.

It’s largely minor tweaks and certainly no new routes – the era of growth for Norwegian is long over.

London Gatwick – Austin – Increases from 3x weekly to 4x weekly

London Gatwick – Buenos Aires – Decreases from daily to 5x weekly

London Gatwick – Denver – Increases from 3x weekly to 4x weekly

London Gatwick – Miami – Decreases from daily to 6x weekly

London Gatwick – Orlando – Decreases from daily to 5x weekly

London Gatwick – Rio de Janeiro – Decreases from 4x weekly to 3x weekly

London Gatwick – San Francisco International – Increases from 5 x weekly to daily

London Gatwick – Tampa – Increases from 2x weekly to 3x weekly

BA’s Club Suite on London Heathrow – New York JFK

The first BA Boeing 777-200 aircraft to be retrofitted with its new “Club Suite” has now been in operation for around a week on London Heathrow – New York JFK.

The aircraft, registration G-RAES, has been operating on this route since 9 October. It has operated flight BA173 from London Heathrow and BA112 from New York JFK. This is of course subject to change at short notice due to operational requirements.

The Empire State Building Reopens 102nd Floor Observation Deck

It’s fashionable to be dismissive of popular tourist attractions. But sometimes tourist attractions are popular for a reason.

Arguably, there is simply no better experience of New York than taking in the view of Manhattan from the Empire State Building, particularly at night. Getting to the observation decks has not always been a pleasant experience. The Empire State Building has this month completed the third and final phase of a revamp which includes a new visitor entrance and a revamped obervervation deck on the 102nd floor. Full details are available from the Empire State Building and New York Times.

Staying in New York the redesigned Museum Of Modern Art reopens on 21 October 2019 following a $450m revamp by Diller Scofidio + Renfo. The revamp encompasses a new entrance, extra gallery space and improved navigation for visitors around the building.

London Air Travel’s Atlantic Update – 9 October 2019

A weekly bulletin on transatlantic travel, published every Wednesday at 06:00 BST.

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Hotel Le Germain, Montreal (Image Credit: Le Germain Hotels)

Montreal’s Boom

Some time ago a region decided to have a referendum on whether it should remain a member of a union, where it has had not always the easiest of relationships.

It was a narrow result, but the referendum still had profound economic effects. Particularly for one city, once a financial capital and a host of a world fair. Banks relocated their headquarters elsewhere. Whilst the city retained its many European charms, the sight of economic decline was inescapable.

No, not that referendum! The 1995 referendum on whether Quebec should become an independent country from Canada.

It had a significant impact on the economic fortunes of Montreal. However, there are signs the city is making a comeback. There is a huge construction boom in downtown Montreal. A new light rail network is under construction. The Canadian hotel chain The Four Seasons opened a new property earlier this year.

Another highly rated Canadian hotel chain is Le Germain Hotels. It has this month reopened its property in Montreal after an extensive refurbishment.

If there’s one reason for a transatlantic traveller to chose this chain over others is that there are no set check-out times for all guests. Large chains of course offer late check-outs to those in certain tiers of frequent guest programmes. Otherwise an automatic check-out is applied by default. Here, you can set any check-out time you wish, even well into the evening – perfect for freshening up before a transatlantic flight home.