arik

Arik Air said its best is yet to come as the airline relishes the Organisation of the Year award bestowed on it by the African Achievers Award in Accra, Ghana.

The awards ceremony held at the Presidential Banquet Hall, State House, Accra, Ghana on February 28 was attended by African diplomats and State Governors from Nigeria.

According to the Managing Director of Arik Air, Mr. Chris Ndulue, the Organisation of the Year Award is a true testimony of the rare and unique people-centric leadership qualities which the airline has displayed so far in the aviation sector across the globe as noted by the organizers.

"This award further confirms the place of Arik Air as not just West Africa's premier airline but also the pride of Africa. Though Arik Air is a recipient of several national and international awards, every award reminds us of our commitment to continue to provide safe and comfortable air-travel experience for our teeming guests within Africa and across the globe," Mr. Ndulue noted.

He stressed that Arik Air will continue to strive to ensure that it transforms air transportation not only in Nigeria but the whole of the African continent. "This was the reason why we decided to change the old order in 2006 by operating brand new aircraft thus becoming the first operator of new aircraft in Nigeria in almost two decades.

"The African Achievers Award is a call to do more and we at Arik Air will continue to improve on those qualities that have earned us this recognition because we believe that our best is yet to come. In the months ahead, we are going to be launching new routes as we strive to consolidate our position as the first choice for air travel within Nigeria and other destinations we serve in Africa, Europe and America," the Managing Director stressed.

Caption: Delta Air Lines Delta Adds New Service to Its Operations

Delta Air Lines this summer will continue its expansion at Los Angeles International Airport with new daily nonstop service to Austin, Texas, and Boise, Idaho, along with new daily nonstop service to San Salvador, El Salvador, pending government approval. Delta also has filed for approval to begin daily service between Los Angeles and Monterrey, Mexico.

"With direct access to all of the key U.S. tech markets as well as additional Latin service through our gateway at LAX, we can continue to provide business and leisure customers with the best service options to meet their travel needs,"said Delta's senior vice president - Network Planning, Bob Cortelyou, "Los Angeles is a key market for Delta as we continue growing our presence on the U.S. West Coast." Service from Los Angeles to Austin and San Salvador will be operated using Delta Boeing 717 and Boeing 737 aircraft, respectively. Service from Los Angeles to Boise and Monterrey will be operated by Delta Connection carrier Compass Airlines using two-class, 76-seat CRJ-900 aircraft.

With new service to Austin, Delta will now connect Los Angeles' growing Silicon Beach tech and startup community with all the major tech centers in the United States, including: Boston, beginning June 5; New York; Oakland, Calif.; Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City; San Francisco; San Jose, Calif.; Seattle; and now Austin.

Additionally, customers in Austin, Boise, Monterrey and San Salvador will soon have one-stop service to Tokyo-Narita, Tokyo-Haneda, and Sydney through Delta's international gateway in Los Angeles.

Delta has made significant enhancements to its Los Angeles service both on the ground and in the air in the last few years. Travelers through Los Angeles will enjoy the benefits of the $229 million expansion and enhancement of Terminal 5 at Los Angeles International Airport. The current project will double the size of the ticketing lobby and screening checkpoints, open an exclusive, separate Sky Priority lobby and checkpoint, and include renovations to the Delta Sky Club and new baggage carousels. The project has already begun and is scheduled to take place in several phases with full completion in 2015.

Delta currently operates 130 flights to 43 destinations from LAX, and every flight offers BusinessElite/First Class and Economy Comfort seating. By this summer, Delta will operate more than 140 peak-day flights to LAX, including our new service. Nearly every domestic flight features Wi-Fi service.

Arik Air Limited, Bombardier to strengthen business relationship

Bombardier Aerospace of Canada-Arik Air Limited - A Nigerian private airline, Arik Air Limited, and Bombardier Aerospace of Canada are to hold a meeting, seeking to strengthen the existing business relationship between the two organizations. Mr. Adebanji Ola, the Public Relations and Communications Manager at Arik, disclosed

this in a statement released to aviation correspondents in Lagos on Friday.

He said that the meeting, to be held between 25 and 29 August in Montreal and in Charlevoix, Quebec, Canada, would be attended by three other partners of Bombardier.

The President of Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, Mr. Mike Arcamore, would lead the Bombardier delegation while Arik Air Chairman, Sir Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide, would head the Arik Air team to the meeting.

The meeting would also unveil the new Premier CSeries (Bombardier’s Next Generation aircraft) in Charlevoix, Quebec, the statement said.

According to Ola, 'participants will also deliberate on how they could collaborate on the establishment of maintenance facilities, support services, training and exchange of personnel.

Similarly, the future aircraft order by Arik Air would also be on the agenda of the five-day meeting, the statement added..

The statement added that Arik Air has become one of Bombardier’s biggest customers in Africa.

Arik Air and Bombardier Aerospace have had a long standing business relationship, dating back to 2006 when the Arik Airline took delivery of three new Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft.

The Nigerian airline is the first in Africa to operate the Bombardier CRJ900 and the Q400 aircraft. It currently operates four CRJ900 and two Q400 aircraft. Source Africa News.

ARIK AIR CONTINUES TO DISTINGUISH ITSELF IN AIRLINE SPACE

In April 2006, Arik Air was born, supplanting Nigeria Airways Limited in Lagos. The first commercial vehicle to fly was the Bombardier CRJ 900 aircraft, and by December 2008, the Airbus A340-500 was launched, flying between Lagos and London’s Heathrow. The Airbus was unique to Arik Air’s arsenal of planes because it offers flat beds and 17-inch monitors for its first-class passengers. In addition, these planes have a communal space, providing a nice change of scenery for bored and weary flyers with its sofas and bar lounge.

By 2009, Arik Air expanded service on the continent from Lagos to Sierra Leone, Senegal, Ghana, Liberia, and the Gambia and also holds the distinction of being the only nonstop flight between New York and Nigeria. Today, Arik Air serves 21 locations in Nigeria and 33 locations without.

Since its inception, the airline company has won the International Quality Summit Award for Excellence and Business Prestige and the Best Security and Safety Conscious Airline in Nigeria. NewsOnespoke with Vice President of Arik Air’s America division Robert Brunner about why the airline carrier soars above its competitors and whether it is true that one can get a bite of authentic African cuisine en route.

NewsOne: How important are passengers to the company?

Robert Brunner: Customers are of the utmost importance to Arik Air. Without passengers, we don’t have a business. Our focus is customer safety, security, and comfort. Everything we do — from safety and security to catering and marketing — is done with the customer at the forefront of our thinking. We want to provide our passengers with the best possible experience with each and every interaction they have with Arik Air.

NewsOne: How does Arik distinguish itself from other airplane carriers?

RB: We are distinguishable from our competitors in a number of very distinct ways:

- We are the only airline to fly from New York JFK non stop to West Africa.

- Arik Air is the biggest and fastest-growing airline in West and Central Africa.

We have won numerous safety awards, including receiving the award for Best Security and Safety Conscious Airline in West and Central Africa three times consecutively by Africa’s foremost security and safety magazine, Security Watch Africa.

- Arik Air has the youngest fleet in the industry.

- The airline boasts the most legroom of any airline flying to West and Central Africa.

- Arik Air is the only airline offering same carrier connections domestically in Nigeria.

NewsOne: What future plans does Arik have, i.e., expansion, upgrades?

RB: Arik Air continues to grow, having just added flights to Cotonou, Benin, from Lagos and Dakar, Senegal, from Abuja. We also have numerous aircrafts on order to support future growth plans, including possible expansion to the Middle East (Dubai).

NewsOne: Why should travelers select Arik Air?

RB: Along with the items raised previously about why we are different from other airlines, from the first time a passenger steps on to our aircraft they begin to experience the best that Africa has to offer, including African cuisine, Nollywood films, African music, and African flight attendants, with a natural understanding of African culture.

Arik Air Limited, Bombardier to strengthen business relationship

A Determined Chairman, An Honest VP And A Game-Changing Airline: A Love