September 21, 2020

Delta & Alaska Add New California Routes

1 Competition in California is heating up as both Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines are adding routes directly overlapping with additions made by JetBlue and Southwest in the state.

Delta’s additions in the Golden State include three new routes from its Los Angeles hub, none going very far. LAX gains flights to Fresno, Palm Springs, and Reno once-daily beginning November 20. Reno goes twice-daily on December 19 as previously announced. Reno, by the way, also gets a nonstop to Atlanta. (So do Boise and Spokane, for that matter.)

Alaska is gearing up in California as well, adding two new destinations from LAX — both Cancun & Reno begin with daily flights on December 17, but the Cancun route is seasonal-only and will end in April. From Palm Springs, Alaska plans three new destinations — daily, seasonal service to Boise through April, 5x-weekly seasonal service to Reno, and 2x-daily up the coast to San Jose. All three Palm Springs destinations begin on December 17.


Senate Introduces Bill to Save Airline Jobs Through March

2 Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) & Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced a bill today that would protect jobs of U.S. airline workers and ensure air service to communities across the country through March 31.

With Congress not recently having approved a piece of wide-ranging legislation like a second CARES Act to protect jobs across the country — or really, any legislation of consequence at all *sigh* — this bill is focused solely on the aviation industry. Just remember… a LOT of bills get introduced and very few ever go anywhere.

The legislation would continue the payroll grant program that currently exists under the CARES Act but is scheduled to expire at the end of this month. The cost would be around $28 billion — with the bulk of the funds coming from leftover money from an airline loan program — while still requiring an additional $11 billion from the federal government.

One unnamed member of Congress has suggested a plan similar to playing “credit card roulette” when dining out, suggesting that 11 air passengers between now and the end of the year be selected at random, and each will be given a $1 billion bill to cover the difference. Most passengers won’t be affected, and those that are will be permitted to work out a payment plan with the government.


Fool Me Once, Same on You: Virgin Australia Ready for Widebodies

3 If it feels like 15 minutes ago that Virgin Australia came out of administration with a new owner that made it clear it was going to focus on short-haul flying within Australia using narrowbodies, well, you’d be right. But 15 minutes are up, and Virgin Australia is ready to bring out the heavies.

The CEO of the airline, Paul Scurrah said recently that the recovery of the longhaul market would be very slow. But his definition of very slow must also mean very fast, as Bain Capital has agreed to his plan to resume wide body operations to both Los Angeles and Tokyo/Narita.

As part of its reorganization, the airline retired its entire fleet of widebodies, leaving it with its 76 B737s. If the airline is going to return to long-haul flying, it’s going to have to pull some jets out of retirement, purchase new ones, or just steal them while some other airline isn’t looking.

This whole thing reminds me of the time we needed to stop eating so many Oreos, so we threw our package away to relieve the temptation. But then we just got in the car and stopped for a milkshake on my way to the grocery where we bought two sleeves of Oreos to replace the one we threw away.


LATAM Bankruptcy Plan Approved by U.S. Courts

4 Another key step in LATAM’s reorganization has been checked off the list as the airline had its revised financing plan approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

This new plan had less contribution from Oaktree Capital and other existing shareholders. Their money will be replaced by new creditors. The total amount of cash — $2.45 billion — is unchanged. Oaktree’s contribution has been reduced from $1.3 billion to $1.25 billion.

LATAM’s partnership with Delta has been foiled by roadblocks almost since the ink was dry on the agreement. The approval of the bankruptcy plan will allow the airline to move forward in its reorganization over the objection of its creditors and work on its new partnership with Delta. The previous plan offered discount shares to creditors instead of repaying outstanding debt. The new agreement scuttles that plan and ensures all creditors will be paid in full, except for Guillermo. LATAM always hated that guy.


UK Foreign Secretary’s Bodyguard Leaves Gun on Plane

5 We’ve all done it — an iPad, a sweater, headphones, or a book — we’ve all left something onboard the aircraft when a flight was over. Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who was reunited with your item via the airport or airline’s lost & found. But most likely, whatever you left was gone forever.

That was not the case for the bodyguard of UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab who left his 9mm loaded pistol in the lavatory on United Flight 918, a redeye en route to London/Heathrow from Washington/Dulles. The name of the officer was not disclosed, though Raab was overheard asking just how it was that Mr. Bean came to be on his detail.

London’s Metropolitan Police are “looking into the matter.” We’re sure they are. Perhaps most curiously, a passenger found the loaded weapon before takeoff, in the restroom of the aircraft. The concerned passenger alerted the crew and the flight was delayed while the issue was sorted out. It was confirmed that the gun was onboard legally, and after it was returned to its rightful owner, the flight took off.

In the midst of the commotion, the takeaway from the British Airline Pilots’ Association is wondering why the UK foreign secretary was flying United instead of BA. The answer there is clearly that the foreign secretary really, really likes stroopwaffel.


Airline Potpourri

  • airBaltic received delivery of its 23rd A220-300. If anyone is looking to send a gift to the airline, the traditional gift for a 23rd aircraft is a peanut-encrusted tray table.
  • Air India has been banned from operating to Hong Kong until October 3 due to too many passengers testing positive for the virus.
  • Cathay Dragon is being prohibited by Hong Kong from flying to Kuala Lumpur until October 3 due to it being the origin of the Air India passengers that flew into Hong Kong with the virus. In other news, Bobby told Suzie that Cindy said that Jimmy really likes Katie but he won’t tell her because Jimmy heard that Katie liked Billy.
  • Gulf Air has resumed service to Dhaka (DAC).
  • Kenya Airways needs a $500 million bailout to keep operating according to its CEO. Same, my friend, same.
  • Norwegian received additional funding from the Norwegian government to enable it to continue operating for another two months. The Norwegian government has found one better use for its money than bailing out the airline, so any leftover cash will be burned over a fire to provide heat for Norwegian citizens this winter.
  • SWISS is bracing for potential layoffs throughout its entire business.
  • Qantas is planning a series of auctions to sell off much of its 747 memorabilia, just in time for the holiday season, because who doesn’t need a galley control unit in their home to properly celebrate Christmas?

Andrew’s Moment of Levity

Poop jokes aren’t my favorite. But they are #2.