The long-running Codeshare agreement between Fly UK and Metroair will end on November 31st 2022. Statements from both CEO’s on the decision are as follows Matt Lewis – Fly UK “I’d like to thank William, his team and the MetroAir members for all his hard work during the time I’ve been CEO of Fly UK, Both communities and VA’s have benefited greatly from the collaboration. Personally, this culminated with our joint cross the pond event we held together during the height of Covid and lockdown, an event that many joined and enabled us to share our joint passion for virtual aviation as well as bring two communities together for some laughter and discussion at a much needed time in the world. Its been a pleasure working with MetroAir and I wish them all the success in this new era of flight simulation” William Hogarth – MetroAir “It has been an honour to be affiliated with Fly UK and I believe we did set a precedent as being the first two well-established airlines to strike up a partnership in the virtual world. I do wish you all well and hope that the airlines can stay friends as we end our codeshare agreement. ” Both MetroAir and Fly UK can confirm that anyone with memberships at both VAs will not be affected by this move subject to standard policies and activity with each airline’s requirements. MetroAir members who enjoy their European adventures fear not, NewAira services continue in the Balkans area and we’ll have more news in the near future.
MetroAir Virtual Airlines News
Welcome to a Newaira – Get it? New era.
At Metro Air Virtual our goal is to keep our hobby interesting and fun. With the release of MSFS 2020, areas that did not have good scenery with past simulators have now become much better graphically. When meeting on the idea of new routes, we thought this would be a good region to offer flights too because we have not seen many other virtual airlines flying in this area. With this in mind, we at Metro Air would like to announce a new subsidiary airline, NewAira! NewAira will feature the Boeing 737-700, Airbus A320 and the CRJ 1000. These aircraft are available as payware with MSFS, but don’t worry, we also have added paint for XPlane and P3D too. NewAira will focus on the Baltic area of Europe with Riga (EVRA) being the hub. There is lots of freeware available, and of course payware, so take a look at the routes and get ready for NewAira which will be live July 20th.
MetroAir Logistics
Kansas City, KS – In an unexpected move MetroAir Virtual Airlines has today unveiled its plans to launch a new Cargo Division, MetroAir Logistics later this year. The news broke at a press conference being held at the airlines headquarters on April 1st 2022. Over the last 15 years, Metro has always played down the importance of cargo operations in its business model and has instead always focused on providing a superior passenger experience.
The airlines Chief Executive Officer, William Hogarth said “We all saw what an important role cargo operations have played over the last 2 years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also saw the significant disruption that was caused to the global supply chain as airlines and operators scrambled to pick up on the huge demand. We have decided that now is the time to roll out our own cargo division that can be on hand 24hrs a day to keep the supply chain moving.”
The press conference went on to detail the airlines plans for its new cargo operation: A new base will be established at Charlotte (KCTL) North Carolina in early April 2022 and the airline will take delivery of new dedicated freighter aircraft direct from the Boeing Factory. It is understood that the new cargo fleet will consist of B747-8, B777-200F & B737-800BCF aircraft that will fly initially to cities within the USA and Caribbean.
The airlines new Cargo Operations Director, Jamie Milton said “We looked at many other locations to base our cargo division , particularly at our current hubs and focus cities. However Charlotte provides the room, infrastructure and capabilities that MetroAir needs to launch the new logistics division.”
The new division is set to create more than 500 new jobs at Charlotte Airport as well as positions across the companies network. It will also help to drive up revenue and profitability of the airline which has suffered like many others as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is expected that the new cargo operation will launch in mid to late April initially serving 16 routes.
Makai Relaunch!
Kansas City KS – Metro Air CEO William Hogarth announced exciting changes coming to the airline’s Makai Express branch.
In an effort to modernize and add comfort and capacity to Metro’s Makai Express routes, they will be replacing the two aircraft types currently in use. The venerable Boeing 757 will be replaced by the Boeing 737-900 ER and the De Havilland Dash 8 will be replaced by the CRJ 700.
“We saw an opportunity to add passenger comfort with the 737-9 and we also saw a demand to increase passenger capacity on our inter-island fleet. By replacing the De Havilland Dash 8 with the Bombardier CRJ 700 we will be able to meet the market demand. In addition to passenger capacity and comfort we wanted to keep costs down and replacing these aircraft with a more modern fleet made financial sense. We know that passengers will enjoy the new, modern aircraft for their trip to Hawaii, after all, the flight is often the first step whilst on holiday” Hogarth said. “Not only that, but expect an exciting new livery to the Makai fleet”.
When asked if fans of the 757 and Q400 will be able to fly on them with Metro, Hogarth said “no need to worry, those aircraft will be back in our mainline fleet soon”.
Introducing The Shuttle
Boston, MA- This summer, Metro Air is launching a new subsidiary, MetroAir Shuttle. MetroAir Shuttle will focus on the business commuter, hitting hot spots around the US. Featured destinations include Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and Toronto.
The fleet will consist of 10 Boeing 737-600’s acquired from the former BlueSquare Airlines. The planes are currently re-fitted with all new seat-back entertainment, larger overhead bins for carry-on bags, and the industry’s fastest available in-flight WiFi to keep business travelers in the loop for the duration of their flight. The planes will have a total of 8 MetroAir Prime seats available, along with 100 Economy seats.
MetroAir Shuttle will have a total of 17 flights out of Boston Logan International (BOS), with destinations including; Chicago (ORD), New Yorks’ JFK, Toronto, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington DCs’ DCA. While at MetoAir’s west coast hub, the Shuttle brand will have an additional 15 flights out of Los Angeles International (LAX), serving Las Vegas, Santa Barbra, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, San Jose, Fresno, and Bakersfield. Plans are in the works to serve the state of Texas as well, with flights out of Dallas (DFW) to Houston, Austin, San Antonio and New Orleans.
MetroAir’s Sean Mullineaux had this to say. “By flying bigger jets with a signature interior that includes more premium seating, Metroair will give customers more choice when selecting their onboard experience and better meet the demand among business customers. The Embraer 170 didn’t have the space for the desired outcome”. William Hogarth added, “With MetroAir Shuttle, we are now able to increase the total number of available seats by almost 39% to our most popular and profitable destinations. While increasing passenger comfort and business accessibility.
Reposition flights will begin on August 1st, 2021, out of Phoenix where the aircraft have been stored. Scheduled service will begin August 14th.
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