DOT Approves Delta & WestJet JV — With a Catch
1 Two years after requesting government approval, the DOT finally said it will approve the partnership between Delta and WestJet on the condition that the two airlines divest themselves of eight slot pairs at New York/LaGuardia. WestJet will also be prohibited from including Swoop, its ULCC subsidiary, in the agreement.
Delta and WestJet combined to carry 28% of the 31.5 million who flew between the United States and Canada last year, second only to Air Canada who dominates with 44% of the market.
The DOT plans to auction off the eight slot pairs sometime in early 2021 to the highest bidder, airline or not. Rumors online say that the rats that live and run LaGuardia are exploring a consortium in order to purchase the slots in order to get out of the terminal and “finally get some fresh air.”
Lufthansa & Friends to Scale Back for Winter
2 Lufthansa is planning to reduce its operation for the winter, operating with just 80 aircraft flying 25% of its schedule in an effort to save costs.
The airline’s partners in Lufthansa Group will also operate reduced schedules with limited aircraft for the winter months as well. SWISS plans to operate only A220 and A320neo aircraft on shorter routes with its non-neo A320s parked through February. Austrian will only operate ERJ-190s on its regional flights while Eurowings will fly fewer than 30 of its fleet of 96 aircraft.
The reductions in service will see Lufthansa flying at levels it hasn’t seen since the 1970s. To commemorate the auspicious occasion, the airline plans to bring back Cold War era service options on its flight from Frankfurt and Munich.
Flights flying east out of Germany will receive Soviet-style catering, where everyone receives the same meal, whether in first, business or coach — borscht. Flights traveling west out of Germany will receive an American picnic menu, featuring hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, and Coca-Cola.
JSX Plans Texas Two-Step
3 JSX is moving into Southwest’s backyard, launching 2x-daily service between Dallas/Love Field and Houston/Hobby on November 20.
JSX will operate between the two Texas cities using 30-seat Embraer 145 aircraft with only a single seat on each side of the aisle in every row. The airline will operate from the private air terminals at both airports, offering passengers the ability to save time and bypass TSA checkpoints in the main terminal. It is hoping that this will somehow compensate for the fact that Southwest has much greater frequency and utility on this route for most travelers.
Previously JSX has offered seasonal, less than daily service from Love Field to both Las Vegas and golfing destination Pinehurst, NC. The airline is considering future expansion in the state from Love Field to possibly Austin or San Antonio.
Qatar, Eh: Air Canada Heads to Doha
4 Air Canada is launching 3x-weekly service in December from its Toronto/Pearson hub to Doha, flying the route on a Boeing 787-9 that features 30 seats in business class.
It’s an interesting move for Air Canada, with little connecting traffic from any Star Alliance partners in Doha, where the dominant carrier is Qatar Airways — a member of Oneworld. Qatar has shown interest in expanding into Canada, but the airline is only permitted four weekly flights to the country, and it uses its limited access to fly to Montréal, despite interest in also serving Toronto and Vancouver.
Though in different alliances, Air Canada and Qatar do have an interline agreement, allowing passengers to connect beyond Doha on Qatar after flying in on AC. Canadian citizens transiting Doha are expected to be offered special transit lanes that will allow them to adjust to the desert heat after arriving from Canada in winter. Cabanawear and iced coffee will be made available to all Canadians upon arrival, while any Qataris flying the opposite way will receive a hot coffee and parka upon arrival in Toronto.
Spirit, Ryanair Unite for Passenger Health
5 Spirit and Ryanair, two ULCC’s known for the penny-pinching ways have come together in an effort to support the well-being and health of its customers.
The two airlines are rolling out the first non-smoking section on an airplane in nearly three decades, in an effort to show that their focus goes beyond the bottom line and is more focused on passenger health.
For $99.99 per passenger on Spirit or €89.99 on Ryanair, passengers can assure a seat in the non-smoking section of the aircraft for the duration of their journey. The price is valid per passenger and per segment.
A Ryanair spokesman commented “We feel the price is more than fair. What we are offering is the peace-of-mind that a passenger will enjoy a smoke-free experience from takeoff to touchdown, and you can’t put a price on that. A family of four going on holiday can guarantee themselves to breathe smoke-free, COVID-free HEPA filtered air for just €360 per segment ($400 on our partner Spirit in the U.S.) and to us, that’s just priceless.”
Spirit Airlines had no further comment other than to say that today is a very, very slow news day, and they applaud the Cranky Daily for making this story up for fun, because there really isn’t anything else worth writing about. Happy Monday!
Airline Potpourri
- Avianca‘s LifeMiles will allow any elite qualifying miles earned in Q4 of 2020 to roll over to 2021.
- Japan Airlines posted a loss of $812 million in its Q3 earnings report.
- Jazeera Airways is launching service to Muscat, Oman (MCT) from its Kuwait City base on November 2.
- Ryanair will operate one of PIA’s Boeing 777’s to haul cargo between Urumqi, China (URC) and Pakistan. Ryanair plans to charge PIA an extra €99.99 per pilot per flight as a “licensed pilot fee.” PIA is looking for options to have the fee waived.
- Saudia plans to resume service to 33 international destinations in November.
- Swoop began operating from Toronto/Pearson on Sunday, with flights on its inaugural day to three destinations in Canada and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Andrew’s Moment of Levity
I always hate when funerals start before noon. I’m not really a mourning person.