Oops, Our Bad
In the first story yesterday, we mistakenly said that United capacity would be down 90% in April/May and 75% in June. It was actually 90% in May/June and 75% in July. Also, American’s capacity cut of 70% is only for June.
Air France Retires the A380 While Emirates Tries to Cut Orders
1 The monstrous Airbus A380 had already proven to be a sales dud before the pandemic struck, but now its demise is being hastened, at least with Air France and to a lesser extent, Emirates.
Air France originally had 10 A380s, and now none of them will fly in that dirty white-ish livery again. The airline will now immediately retire the full fleet and replace them with A350 and 787 deliveries. The Air France A380 was scheduled on Paris/CDG flights to Abidjan (ABJ), Atlanta (ATL), Johannesburg (JNB), Los Angeles (LAX), Mexico City (MEX), Miami (MIA), New York/JFK, Shanghai/Pudong PVG), and Washington/Dulles (IAD) this year.
Meanwhile, Emirates — by far the largest and most enthusiastic operator of the type — is trying to get out of its final five orders. This doesn’t indicate the fleet will be retired soon, but it’s just a reflection of every airline’s desire to have less capacity.
Most other airlines have grounded part if not all of their A380 fleets during the pandemic, but most have not indicated whether they will return. Lufthansa, previously an operator of 14 of the type, appears to be an exception. It is poised to return only half the fleet to service operating solely from Munich.
Delta to Begin Cape Town Flights Out of Necessity
2 Last week we told you that Delta was retiring its 777 fleet and would use A350s instead. That left the airline’s four longest flights — Atlanta (ATL) to Johannesburg (JNB) and Shanghai (PVG), Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney (SYD), and New York/JFK to Mumbai (BOM) — in a state of flux due to A350 range limits.
Now as first noted by Edward Russell at TPG, we’ve learned Delta plans to three of those routes with the A350 as scheduled. The fourt, ATL to JNB, however, is just too far. To clarify, it’s actually the return from JNB — an airport that rests at over 5,000 feet — that’s causing problems, so Delta has a new plan.
The airline’s solution is to add in a stop in Cape Town (CPT). In a DOT filing, Delta outlined plans to fly ATL to JNB, then on to CPT, and back to ATL from October 24 of this year. CPT is 300 miles closer to ATL than JNB and it’s at sea level, so range is much less of an issue. Those who want to go to JNB may not appreciate the stop, but the many people who want to visit CPT will now have a new option.
EasyJet, Volotea Begin to Ramp Up for Summer
3 Unlike in the U.S., European airlines cut back and even suspended operations entirely during the pandemic. Low-cost carriers are now starting to show signs of life as we roll into the summer season.
UK-based easyJet will end its shut down on June 15, primarily with domestic flights in the UK and France. The airline even dared to use the “p” word by saying, “A small number of flights will restart on routes where we believe there is sufficient customer demand to support profitable flying.”
When easyJet restarts, it will have a few changes to its service pattern:
- Customers and crews will be required to wear masks
- Enhanced cleaning and disinfection of easyJet aircraft
- Availability of disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer onboard
- No onboard food service to start
Meanwhile, Spain-based Volotea will start flying again as it ramps up its plans for summer. It is planning 40 new routes in France, Greece, Italy, and Spain. Its focus is on domestic growth this summer since that’s where the most likely travel opportunities lie.
Delta Using Downturn in Travel to Accelerate Renovation at Hubs
4 In a small consolation to the dramatic downturn in demand, Delta is attempting to use its time wisely, accelerating the timetable to open new terminals at two of its hubs: Los Angeles (LAX) and Salt Lake City (SLC).
In Los Angeles, Delta’s massive rebuilding of Terminal 3 and renovation of Terminal 2 could be finished as much as 18 months earlier than planned with completion as soon as the second half of 2022. Delta is creating one unified terminal which will also be connected to the Bradley Terminal behind security for easy access to partner airline flights.
Delta is so proud of this terminal complex that it has given it a name, the Delta Sky Way. Our alternate proposal to call it Terminal 2.5 was hastily dismissed.
Meanwhile, Salt Lake City is essentially building a new airport on the same footprint as the current airport, with the project being cleverly named “The New SLC.” The current SLC serves more than 26 million passengers a year in a disjointed layout designed in the 1960s that was intended to serve half as many travelers.
The first phase, scheduled to be completed this fall will include a new Delta Sky Club coming in at 27,000 sq. ft. plus a 2,000 sq.ft deck. Phase two of The New SLC was not supposed to be complete before 2024, but Delta now believes it could come online as soon as 2022.
The Bright Side: Greece to Reopen for Tourists June 15
5 Greece’s tourist season will begin on June 15 with the opening of seasonal hotels and the arrival of the first foreign visitors. International flights will begin heading directly for holiday destinations gradually as of July 1.
The Greek government will release a list of countries whose citizens will be permitted to travel into Greece by the end of May. The selection will be based on “epidemiological criteria” as determined by Greece’s committee of experts dealing with the pandemic.
Balkan and Baltic countries, Germany, and regional countries such as Israel and Cyprus are expected to be in the first wave of those whose citizens will be allowed to enter the nation.
Athens International Airport (ATH) will be open for international visitors as soon as June 15 with other airports targeting a July 1 opening.
Greece will not subject visitors to any required quarantine or testing but will reserve the right to test visitors on an individual, as-needed basis. Worry not, travelers, as anyone entering Greece suspected of having COVID-19 symptoms will be instructed to down a hearty-sized bottle of ouzo and shout “WHOOOOOOO!,” the combination of which is known by locals to kill all germs — good and bad — in its path.
Airline Potpourri
- Boutique Air is adding service to its first new city in two years, taking over Essential Air Service to Gogebic-Iron County Airport (IWD) in Ironwood, MI from Air Choice One.
- China Eastern has extended its US cancellations through June 30. Until then, only a weekly flight from JFK to PVG will operate.
- Condor will resume service to 29 destinations from eight German airports beginning June 25.
- EgyptAir has requested authorization to resume service to Washington/Dulles (IAD) once Egypt and the United States reopen their borders to each other.
- El Al has pushed back its resumption of service to June 20.
- JetBlue will not book any passengers into middle seats through at least July 6.
- LOT Polish Airlines announced it will resume domestic flight operations on June 1.
- Lufthansa is close to securing a bailout package from the German government worth $10 billion.
- Scoot — the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines — will bring back mainland China service in June with a weekly flight from Singapore (SIN) to Guangzhou (CAN).
Andrew’s Moment of Levity
I read a Yelp review this morning for a new restaurant that’s actually on the surface of the moon. Great food, but no atmosphere.