American Expands Pre-Flight Testing Program
1 American Airlines announced that it will expand its pre-flight testing program, now including flights to three Caribbean countries — Belize, Grenada, and St. Lucia — in addition to select flights to the Hawaiian islands.
Testing for the three destinations in the Caribbean will begin on November 16. The test is administered by AA’s partner LetsGetChecked, a company that not only conducts COVID testing at-home by a medical professional via a virtual visit, but for only $99 more can throw in a chlamydia and gonorrhea test. With that in mind, we hope this program will be expanded in time for spring break in Florida.
American originally announced it would do tests for the Bahamas, Costa Rica, and Jamaica, but the two former countries no longer require testing. American continues to work on getting Jamaica up and running.
The tests cost $129 per person and results are expected to be returned within about 48 hours. LetsGetChecked has said it will take no responsibility for a delay in getting results to clients due to an AA mechanical delay slowing down the process.
Qantas & American Look to Extend JV Through 2026
2 Time flies…. Qantas and American are currently seeking permission from Australian regulators to extend their joint venture another five years, through 2026. The JV between the two airlines is currently scheduled to expire in March.
Permission has been granted by American regulators, leaving just the Australian side to approve the deal. The current JV allows the two airlines to cooperate on routes between Australia & New Zealand to the United States, Canada, & Mexico.
In their application, both airlines have warned that “customer benefits delivered by the joint business…will be significantly eroded if not removed entirely,” if the JV is not re-upped. The two airlines currently offer frequent flyer earn and burn opportunities on each other’s flights, and American recognizes all kangaroos and koalas elite status from Qantas when flying on AA metal.
Back to the Skies, Eh? Air Canada Rouge Returns
3 Air Canada Rouge took to the air Monday morning for the first time since the onset of the pandemic with a morning flight to Cancun from Toronto/Pearson. It’s reported that travelers wistfully stared out the window on their flight south over the forbidden land — aka the United States — to remember the good times they had together in a simpler time.
The airline is restarting its operation with just two active aircraft. The airline currently has 14 A321s in its fleet but 12 remain in storage. During the pause of service due to the pandemic, it eliminated its widebody 767 fleet, leaving it with just narrowbody aircraft.
In addition to its 14 A321s, Rouge has four A320s ready to reenter service when demand warrants it. In the meantime, the stored aircraft are politely waiting for an opportunity to return to the skies to shuttle Canadian vacationers from the approaching Canadian winter to sunny destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean, and maybe eventually… the southern United States.
Tokyo/Narita Offers Rapid PCR Test for Outbound Passengers
4 Tokyo/Narita Airport, along with the Nippon Medical School Foundation, have begun to offer rapid PCR tests for outbound passengers at the airport. The tests currently take approximately six hours for a result to be returned, but the airport expects to see that reduced to as little as two hours by December.
There is a testing facility located in both Terminal 1 and 2 at the airport, and it is open 24 hours a day. The cost is $371 per passenger, assuming the test is taken during normal business hours and the passenger has an appointment. For tests outside of normal business hours or walk-ins without an appointment, the price is $435. That’s dollars, not yen. US dollars. Seriously.
Bamboo Airways Takes Steps Toward Flying to the U.S.
5 Vietnamese carrier Bamboo Airways took another step toward inaugurating service to the United States this week, passing two gauntlets required to satisfy various requirements of the FAA and DOT. The carrier, which serves two dozen destinations in Southeast Asia, is eager to launch service from its Ho Chi Minh City base to the U.S. West Coast.
This might sound exciting, but neither of these two steps are particularly onerous. Bamboo designated a DC law firm as its registered agent, a required step for the purpose of regulatory filings with the DOT. The airline then submitted its Family Assistance Plan to the federal government, which is required by the DOT in case of a disastrous event such as a crash.
The airline has been flying repatriation flights for Vietnamese residents all over the world with its 787-9 aircraft. That plane has the range to make the journey from Vietnam to California, and the airline is moving towards making that a reality.
Airline Potpourri
- American will resume service to China this week, starting once-weekly service from DFW to Shanghai/Pudong via Seoul/Incheon.
- Air Europa will receive a $557 million bailout package from the Spanish government.
- China Southern posted a $106 million profit for Q3, if you trust profit numbers from the big Chinese airlines.
- El Al CEO Gonen Usishkin will step down from his role, effective in January.
- Hi Fly is phasing out operation of its A380 when its lease runs out later this year.
- Virgin Atlantic announced its plan to begin service from London to St Vincent & the Grenadines (SVD) next June. That’s a great band name.
- Virgin Australia‘s sale to Bain Capital is expected to be complete the week of November 16.
Andrew’s Moment of Levity
I met a woman last night who says she lives in the condo below Dwayne Johnson. The woman didn’t have a clue about anything going on in the world. In her defense, she does live under a Rock.