JetSpeak August 2018

Aviation News
Qatar Airways has announced its plans to début its Airbus A350-1000 on its flights from Doha to New York JFK Airport. Qatar Airways is the global launch customer for the Airbus A350-1000 and the flight to New York will be the aircraft's first commercial route and a global début. The first commercial flight is expected to take off on October 28, 2018.

Commenting on the announcement, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive, Qatar Airways Group said, "We are thrilled to introduce the A350-1000 on flights to and from JFK, one of our key U.S. gateways. The introduction of this next-generation aircraft to the route demonstrates our commitment to providing passengers travelling to and from the U.S. with the most modern and technologically-advanced aircraft available, ensuring that their experience is second-to-none. We look forward to welcoming all passengers travelling to and from the U.S. on board this spectacular aircraft."

Qatar Airways A350-1000 features 46 Qsuite Business Class seats and 281 Economy Class seats; lowest twin-engine noise level of any aircraft, advanced air conditioning technology and full LED mood lighting are some of the other features of this aircraft.

SWISS Airlines has announced the launch of a new Doctor on Board programme. The programme enables the airline to easily identify registered doctors from the passenger list, whom they can then proceed to contact discreetly in the event of a medical emergency during the flight. The discretion is practised to ensure that other guests are not unsettled. The Doctor on Board programme was initially established by the Lufthansa Airlines and Austrian Airlines. SWISS Airlines has now adopted it too. Interested doctors can register for the programme at lufthansa.com/Doctor-on-board. According to a press release issued by the SWISS Airlines, the doctors, once registered, will receive a one-off Miles & More mileage award, a flight voucher, a reference book on aviation medicine and further participation benefits. They are personally welcomed when boarding their flights. "Should they be called upon to provide in-flight medical assistance, they will also receive an extra gratification from SWISS. SWISS further offers liability insurance coverage to any doctor who treats a patient aboard its flights," the press release continued. Further information on the Lufthansa Group’s “Doctor on Board” programme is available at lufthansa.com/Doctor-on-board

United Airlines has announced the launch of the United Corporate Preferred, a new corporate travel program designed specifically for the airline's most loyal business customers. The new program includes benefits such as preferred upgrades and stand-bys, discounts and much more.

The program is a multi-level program with benefits at three levels, including United Corporate Preferred, United Corporate Preferred Plus and United Corporate Preferred Elite.

A press release issued by United Airlines on the subject stated, "Eligibility for the program is determined by a corporation's contract status, revenue contribution and loyalty with United Airlines. Eligible corporate agreements include United corporate share agreements, United PassPlus and United Meetings."

Commenting on the launch, Jake Cefolia, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales, United Airlines stated, "Every day thousands of road warriors are jetting off on United to work events and business meetings all over the world. We designed our United Corporate Preferred program with the customer's entire travel experience in mind, from booking to landing, to identify opportunities to show our appreciation to our loyal business customers with a program that offers extra perks and travel benefits."

According to the press release, "Benefits offered to all United Corporate Preferred customers include:
  • Preferred upgrades – tie-breaker preferences for upgrades.
  • Preferred standby – prioritization when travelling on standby for a different flight and when wait-listing for a seat in a different cabin or booking class.
  • Operational adjustment protection – protection during travel interruptions, as well as seat protection to retain the same or similar seat in the event of an aircraft swap.
  • Preferred discounts and offers – eligibility to receive exclusive promotions offered by both United and its partners in the near future.
Customers in the airline's new United Corporate Preferred Elite level will also receive the following:
  • Additional travel waiver flexibility – when United has a travel waiver in place, customers will receive additional flexibility to adjust their travel beyond restrictions in place on the standard waiver.
  • Preferred boarding – later this year, customers will receive priority boarding in group two.
  • Preferred seating – later this year, customers will have access to book designated standard economy seats closer to the front of the plane."
To receive these benefits, tickets must be flown on United or United Express flights, reservations must include the customer's corporate account number at the time of booking, and the travel must be for the corporate customer's business. Companies invited to participate in United Corporate Preferred will receive a tailored web page with information on benefits eligible to their employees. For more information on the program, visit unitedcorporatepreferred.com.

SpiceJet Airlines has announced the launch of its new in-flight Entertainment System, SpicEngage. The entertainment will be free of charge and will enable passengers to access a wide range of entertainment content on their personal hand-held devices. They can stream the content to their personal devices with the use of the in-flight Wi-Fi Services.

The launch has made SpiceJet the first Low-cost Airline in India to launch free in-flight entertainment.

A press release issued by the airline on the launch stated, "SpicEngage will host a plethora of content broadly classified under five categories – Watch, Play, Explore, Read and Eat. In the ‘Watch’ section, flyers will be able to watch cartoons, popular web series like 'Permanent Roommates' and 'What the Folks', stand-up comedy videos by popular artists besides short movies.

The ‘Explore’ section throws open a platform for travel and lifestyle enthusiasts offering tips and guidance on fashion, tours and beyond. The section features some of SpiceJet’s compelling offerings like Spice Vacations -- a travel portal that recommends combo deals on flights and hotels -- and SpiceStyle, an e-commerce portal that features in-house fashion brands among many others. The ‘Read’ section offers a whole lot of content especially for well-read travellers who prefer to keep themselves abreast with the latest in the aviation industry. The section also offers ‘city guides’ that can come handy for travel-hardened flyers keen on city tours."

To connect to SpicEngage, flyers need to connect to the in-flight Wi-Fi and open the browser (if not automatically directed to the homepage, type http://www.broadconnect.aero) to explore the entertainment content.

Lufthansa Airlines has announced the launch of a new Taxi-sharing service, mytaximatch, in collaboration with mytaxi. The new service will enable passengers travelling from Munich Airport to the city centre to share taxis and save up to 50 % on the taxi fare. The fare would be dependent on the route and traffic.

Passengers can avail the service through the mytaxi app. Choosing the Match option enables passengers to be paired up with travellers to similar or neighbouring destinations and makes it possible for them to split the fare. There will be a baggage limit for up to two pieces of baggage to ensure a comfortable ride. The taxis will depart from the Taxi Rank at Terminal 2 of the Munich Airport.

A press release issued by Lufthansa stated, "At the end of each person’s route, the app calculates their individual price. This will never exceed EUR 49 in total, even if no suitable ride-sharer has been found. Even in the case of finding "no match", passengers still benefit from the price guarantee."

Commenting on the launch, Gleb Tritus, Managing Director of the Lufthansa Innovation Hub stated, "Our goal is to extend the first-class experience that we offer travellers on Lufthansa flights along the entire travel chain. This also means creating a digital and seamless connection to the diverse range of mobility options available on the ground. mytaximatch is proving to be an innovative addition to Munich Airport's mobility portfolio. The new service appeals in particular to those passengers who would probably otherwise not have decided to take a taxi."

mytaximatch service will be launched at Munich Airport with effect from September 19, 2018 for an initial test phase of 3 months. Lufthansa customers will receive all the information they need concerning the new service exclusively via the Lufthansa app and will be redirected straight to the mytaxi service. During the three-month test phase, Miles & More will be giving users a credit of 150 Premium Miles per matched journey – an attractive additional offer for all users who are already collecting miles with mytaxi and Miles & More.


New Flight Launches
United Airlines has announced its plans to launch a new non-stop flight service from Washington Dulles International Airport to Tel Aviv, Israel. The new flight will be the first flight to be operated by a US carrier between the two cities and will mark the airline's 20th year of service to Israel. Services are expected to commence with effect from May 22, 2019, subject to government approval.

The new flight will complement the airline's existing services to Israel. United Airlines currently operates twice-daily flights between New York/Newark and Tel Aviv route. It also operates a daily non-stop flight service between San Francisco and Tel Aviv.

Commenting on the launch, Patrick Quayle, Vice President - International Network, United Airlines said, "As we begin celebrating 20 years of service in Israel, we want to thank our customers and employees who have helped make United the top U.S. airline serving Israel. We thank the Israeli government for its ongoing support and partnership. We look forward to continuing to serve Israel with this new service for our customers travelling between the U.S. capital and one of the most advanced science and technology sectors in the world."

Schedule of new United Airlines flights from Washington Dulles to Tel Aviv

Flight No.

City of Departure

City of Arrival

Time of Departure

Time of Arrival

Frequency

Aircraft

UA 72

Washington Dulles

Tel Aviv

2230 hrs

1630 hrs  (+1)

Wednesday, Friday, Sunday

Boeing 777-200ER

UA 73

Tel Aviv

Washington Dulles

0020 hrs

0550 hrs

Tuesday, Friday, Sunday

Boeing 777-200ER

All timings are local time; +1 denotes arrival on next day