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New aircraft coming on key global routes: LAX, Boston, SFO, Chicago, Houston

December 27, 2016

Qantas’ first 787-9 will enter service to LAX next year. (Image: Qantas)

Several airlines have scheduled the introduction of brand-new planes on key international routes to the U.S., including Qantas, Lufthansa, Swiss International and Singapore.

Qantas announced that its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will enter service on December 15, 2017, flying the Melbourne-Los Angeles route. The new 236-passenger, three-class Dreamliner will fly the route six days a week, replacing a 364-seat 747, and will supplement Qantas’ daily A380 flight on the route. That will give Qantas 13 flights a week on the route, up from nine today. Even though the 787 is smaller than the 747 it will replace, the larger plane is only flying twice a week, so that’s a net capacity increase on the route of 1,400 seats a week. The Dreamliner will have business class, economy class, and a new premium economy section that the airline will introduce early next year.

Lufthansa recently took delivery of its first A350 from Airbus. (Image: Lufthansa)

Lufthansa recently took delivery of its first brand-new Airbus A350-900 which will begin regular commercial service February 10 between Munich and New Delhi. But the carrier announced last week that its second new A350 will start flying in March 2017 on the Boston-Munich route. Lufthansa said its first 10 A350s will all be based at its Munich hub. The aircraft will have 48 business class seats, 21 in premium economy and 224 in regular economy. The airline will introduce a new in-flight service for A350 business class flyers: a self-service area offering snacks and cold drinks. The new aircraft will also have larger video screens and “the latest FlyNet technology and improved web surfing,” Lufthansa said. The plane will offer a variety of lighting schemes and improved cabin pressure so travelers will arrive “feeling more rested,” the airline said.

Economy class on Swiss’s new 777-300ER. (Image: Swiss International)

Swiss International, a Lufthansa subsidiary, has been rolling out new 340-seat Boeing 777-300ERs as the flagships of its long-haul network. It has six already, with three more coming online in 2017. This year, it started flying them to Los Angeles in June and Miami in October. And they’ll soon be coming to San Francisco and Chicago. According to the Swiss website, The 777-300ER will begin flying between Zurich and San Francisco three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) starting February 16. And the airline will reportedly boost that 777 schedule to seven flights a week starting April 17. Meanwhile, Routesonline.com reports that Swiss will put the new 777-300ER into service between Chicago O’Hare-Zurich beginning June 1, flying that route six times a week. The new 777s carry 340 passengers, with eight seats in first class, 62 in business and 270 in economy (in a 3-4-3 configuration). Check out a photo tour of the Swiss 777-300ERs that we ran last year.

Singapore Airlines A350 Premium Economy is a good option for those who can’t bear the thought of 17 hours in economy (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Singapore Airlines continues add new Airbus A350s to its long-haul feet, and the next deployment of the aircraft will be on its Houston-Manchester (UK)-Singapore route starting January 17, according to Routesonline.com. The Singapore A350s have 42 business class seats, 24 in premium economy, and 187 in regular economy (in a 3-3-3 configuration). Two months ago, Singapore put one of the new A350s into service on its Singapore-San Francisco route. Chris was on board for one of the first flights, and you can read his comprehensive report here about seating and in-flight service aboard the Singapore A350.

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CLEAR lanes coming to ATL, LAX, NYC

November 15, 2016

The CLEAR trusted traveler program is expanding to four more airports. (Image: CLEAR)

CLEAR, the members-only organization that lets you bypass those long security lines and go right into screening, will soon be available in four more major airports.

In an email to members, company said that it plans to open new CLEAR lanes at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, Los Angeles International, New York LaGuardia and New York JFK. It did not say exactly when it would appear in those airports – just that “We will be sharing launch dates in the coming weeks.” What’s also not clear (couldn’t help myself!) is whether CLEAR will only operate at Delta terminals at LAX and NYC or if it will be in multiple terminals as at SFO.

CLEAR already has airport lanes at Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Detroit, Houston Bush Intercontinental, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, and both Washington D.C. airports. You can look up exact CLEAR locations here.

CLEAR’s new logo

Earlier this year, Delta acquired an equity stake in CLEAR, and since then the company has been expected to open new facilities at the carrier’s primary airports – and the four new ones certainly fill that bill.

Standard membership in CLEAR costs $179 a year, but Delta’s involvement in the company has brought discounts for SkyMiles members based on their elite status. Membership is free for Diamond Medallions, and just $79 a year for Platinum, Gold and Silver Medallions. Non-elite SkyMiles members are eligible for a $99 CLEAR annual membership.

CLEAR gives members biometric-based IDs that let them access priority lanes for security screening. That gets them quickly into the regular screening process — or even into PreCheck for eligible flights, if they are a member of that TSA trusted traveler program. With regular PreCheck lines getting longer at some airports as TSA continues to push for greatly expanded traveler participation in that program, CLEAR might be a better way to go if it’s available at your preferred airports. (It’s definitely save me a few hundred dollars in flight change fees when I’ve been late to the airport, or been surprised by super-long lines.)

Have you used CLEAR or do you plan to now that it’s hitting critical mass in terms of key airports? Please leave your comments below.

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First look: LAX’s fancy new Terminal 6 (photos)

October 24, 2016

The new Blu2o restaurant at LAX's Terminal 6. (Image: Westfield)

The new Blu2o restaurant with California cuisine at LAX’s Terminal 6. (Image: Westfield)

Following up on a redesign and overhaul of its Terminal 2 earlier this year, Los Angeles International Airport has now finished a similar redevelopment of Terminal 6. T6 is used by Alaska Airlines, American, Copa and Great Lakes Aviation. It is connected to Delta’s Terminal 5 by an underground pedestrian tunnel.

Image: LAWA

The $70 million, 20-month project – carried out in partnership with airport concessions and design specialist Westfield — brought 21 new retail and food & beverage concepts to the terminal, officials said, with an overall theme “inspired by L.A.’s iconic Sunset Boulevard.” Besides the shopping and dining options, the project also gave the terminal new bathrooms, floors and ceilings as well as new electrical and IT infrastructure.

T6's new Osteria Italian restaurant is from celebrity chef (Image: Westfield)

T6’s new Osteria Italian restaurant is from celebrity chef Fabio Viviani. (Image: Westfield)

New eating options in T6 include Osteria, an Italian restaurant run by “Top Chef” Fabio Viviani; a multifaceted Marketplace by Wolfgang Puck including The Kitchen, WPizza and The Wine Bar; a restaurant called Blu2o, with “L.A. beach-inspired cuisine;” The Habit Burger Grill; a venue called Earthbar, serving up healthy juices and salads; and a Wahoo’s Fish Taco outlet.

The bar at Wolfgang Puck’s Marketplace. (Image: westfield)

Concessions also include a Peet’s Coffee & Tea; See’s Candies, with 100 kinds of candy and chocolate; a pair of Starbuck’s outlets; and Point the Way Café, specializing in craft beers. Retail shopping outlets include a Tumi luggage store; Belkin electronics accessories; M. Fredric apparel; a MAC Cosmetics store; and several newsstands/sundries locations.

Healthy grab-and-go items at T6’s new Earthbar. (Image: Westfield)

“The new terminal experience is organized by interconnected neighborhoods that guide travelers on their journey,” Los Angeles World Airports said. “After passing through the TSA checkpoint, travelers initially encounter a Downtown L.A. vibe. This neighborhood feels like an urban street, complete with concrete walls and metal finishes. The new ribbon ceiling and terrazzo floor guide travelers into Sunset Plaza, which has inviting, open spaces to eat, drink and people watch. Travelers then flow into the Sunset Strip and Garden Terrace zones, where high-end retail and local dining burst with the energy of West Hollywood.”

WPizza is part of Wolfgang Puck’s Marketplace. (Image: Westfield)

LAX’s Terminal 6 has a new Tumi store. (Image: Westfield)

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A look inside Delta’s newest jet (photos)

March 21, 2016

Delta’s first Airbus A321 arrives (Photo: Delta)

Last week Delta welcomed a brand new aircraft to its fleet, the Airbus A321. This narrow-body aircraft seats 192 passengers– about as many as Delta’s workhorse 757s. In coming years, Delta’s new 737-900s as well as the A321s will replace its old and unloved fleet of Boeing 757s, which seat around 185 passengers, depending on configuration.

Delta will take on a total of 15 A321s this year, and 30 more by 2018. Initially the planes will come from Airbus’ assembly facility in Hamburg, Germany, but later on, deliveries will come from a new Airbus plant in Mobile, Alabama.

Initially the A321s will be deployed on routes between Atlanta and Florida cities, but eventually they will be used on longer haul domestic flights.

The A321 is super popular among US carriers these days– for example, both American and JetBlue use the A321 for their transcontinental flights between New York and California. American alone flies about 180 Airbus A321s.

Delta currently has about 125 Airbus A319’s and A320s– so how can you spot the difference between an Airbus A319, A320 and an A321? Read this TravelSkills planespotting post to find out! (Hint: Look at the doors.)

First class on a Delta A321 (Photo: Delta)

Delta’s A321 will seat 20 in first, 29 in Comfort+ and 143 economy. Delta says seats on the A321 are “among the widest in the industry.” All seats get live seatback satellite TV, wi-fi and 110v power outlets.

The plane also features larger, high-capacity overhead bins, LED ambient lighting, Delta’s new textured seat design.

Seatback entertainment and power plugs at every seat on Delta’s new A321 (Photo: Delta)

Comfort+ on Delta’s new A321 (Photo: Delta)

Delta’s A321 arrives (Photo: Delta)

UPDATE April 29: Today Delta announced that it has ordered 37 more Airbus A321s, and now has 82 of the new birds on the books.

Readers: What do you think of Delta’s newest jets? Are they better than its tatty 757s– most of which are more than 20 years old? Please leave your comments below.

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