Cranky Daily will not be publishing Thursday and Friday due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
We’ll be back Monday as usual once our turkey comas wear off.
U.S. Considers Lifting Ban on European Travelers
The United States is said to be “strongly considering” lifting the ban on travelers coming from Europe. This is great news for those danger-seeking Europeans looking to visit a pandemic-riddled country.
Travelers who have been in the Schengen countries of Europe, the United Kingdom, and Ireland within the last 14 days have not been permitted to enter the U.S. since the early stages of the pandemic. They join other countries in the Axis of COVID that had high concentrations of cases in the early days: Brazil, China, and Iran.
A reversal of the ban would be a first step in creating a safe travel protocol to allow more regular travel to resume between the U.S. and Europe for the first time in months.
European Regulator Prepares to Approve 737 MAX
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has proposed requirements for allowing the 737 MAX to fly again. This follows on the heels of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) giving the go-ahead.
EASA has put out a proposed airworthiness directive that requires changes to the aircraft along the lines of what the FAA has already demanded. The EASA move differs only slightly from the FAA directive, requiring that pilots be able to disable the stick-shaker function if it is activated in error. It also requires auto-pilot not be used for certain high-precision landings for the near future. Lastly, Boeing will be required to provid a nice spread of cheese and crackers before each flight per French civility authority requirements.
A 28-day comment period is now open, and once that’s complete, comments will be reviewed by EASA. By mid-January, EASA expects to give the final go-ahead for the airplane’s return to service.
Mesa to Reduce American Eagle Fleet by 25%
Mesa Air Group has signed a new regional service agreement with American Airlines. It will now fly 40 Mitsubishi CRJ-900 aircraft under the American Eagle banner through 2025.
Mesa had been flying as many as 54 CRJ-900s for American Eagle from the airline’s Phoenix and Dallas/Fort Worth hubs, but poor performance allowed American to reduce the number of aircraft in the deal. The contract for 30 CRJ-900s was set to expire at the end of 2021 with another 17 falling off in 2022. That worst-case scenario for Mesa has now been avoided, presumably by offering American a deal it couldn’t refuse.
It’s unclear if Mesa will continue to fly from both hubs or if its footprint will shrink with the new, smaller fleet. It’s also unclear if Mesa will be forced to abandon the “vintage” look of its CRJ-900s. Research shows passengers don’t appear to appreciate the feeling of flying in an airplane that looks like it it hasn’t been updated since smoking sections were allowed onboard.
IATA: Lack of Connectivity Will Hurt Economic Recovery
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released a report saying that the dramatic decrease in connectivity during the pandemic has had a devastating global economic impact.
The previously-most connected city, London, has now fallen to number eight with a 67% decline in connectivity. The top four spots are now all occupied by the Chinese cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and surprisingly, Chengdu, in that order. Shenzhen is number six, meaning that half of the top ten are Chinese.
Other than London at number eight, the rest of the top ten are in the U.S. with Chicago at number four, Los Angeles at number seven, Dallas/Fort Worth at number nine, and Atlanta at number ten. Falling furthest was New York which dropped from number three out of the top ten entirely. Tokyo, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Seoul all dropped out of the top ten as well.
Sebastian Mikosz, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Member External Relations, said “In a short period of time we have undone a century of progress in bringing people together and connecting markets,” which we’re pretty sure was the point with that whole pandemic thing going on.
Lufthansa to Trial Economy Sleeper Seats
Lufthansa is trying to capitalize on all its empty seats by selling a “Sleeper’s Row” coach flat bed on flights between Frankfurt and Sao Paulo through mid-December.
With long-haul flights largely empty, travelers have been able to spread out and grab their own rows, re-creating the flat bed experience in business class back in coach. Lufthansa will now allow travelers to pay $260 one way for that privilege at the airport, if there’s room.
Why would travelers pay more when they can already get it for free? Lufthansa will give travelers pre-boarding, which means nothing when a flight is empty anyway. It will also provide a “soft topper mattress, cushion, and blanket.” In other words, this is a hastily-assembled version of the well-regarded Air New Zealand SkyCouch concept which seems unlikely to be worth paying for if the airplane is empty anyway.
Sleeper’s Row will only be available on Lufthansa flights 506 and 507 during the trial. Note: It should not be confused with the 1927 Yankees lineup known as Murderers’ Row.
Airline Potpourri
- Air India will begin flying from Chicago to Hyderabad and from San Francisco to Bangalore, the latter in direct competition with its Star Alliance “partner” United.
- COMAC and AVIC, Chinese aircraft manufacturers, are facing restrictions as the U.S. looks to crack down on Chinese companies.
- CommonPass, a digital health passport proving negative COVID-19 status, will be accepted by JetBlue, Lufthansa, SWISS, United, and Virgin Atlantic from December.
- Delta pilots have approved a deal that will ensure no furloughs until 2022.
- Virgin Australia recorded its biggest single day of sales on Thursday since the onset of the pandemic in March.
Andrew’s Moment of Levity
I ate a kids meal at McDonald’s today. His mom got really angry.