U.S. Now Requires Negative COVID Test for Arrivals from U.K.
Effective today, the United States is requiring a negative COVID-19 test for all travelers arriving from the United Kingdom or they will be denied entry. The decision comes following an order approved by the CDC to impose the new restriction.
Sixty countries, including Canada, have shut their borders to visitors from the U.K. due to the emergence of a new strain of the virus, but the United States has only gone as far as requiring a negative test. Reportedly the new strain chose the U.K. as it is a fan of warm hospitality, afternoon tea, Cornish pasty, and shepherd’s pie.
The new variant of the virus is up to 70% more transmissible than the original version of the virus. The original version of the virus is so 2020, with this new one ready to ring in 2021.
Southwest Expects to Avoid Furloughs for 2021
In a memo sent to employees, Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said thanks to the second round of payroll support signed into law today, the airline can expect to avoid furloughs and layoffs for all of 2021.
PSP 2.0 offers payroll support to airlines through March 31, but the memo indicates that the boost for a quarter of the year will be enough to help the airline through the entire year without cutting staff. Kelly was effusive with praise for lawmakers on both sides the aisle, especially Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR).
As a thank you gift, the airline has offered both Senators two drink coupons that are valid through January 31, 2021. Both lawmakers will also be entitled to a full can of soda when on-board a Southwest flight, as opposed to the tiny, three-sip cup they offer the rest of us.
Airlines Consider Suspending Melbourne Service
Several international airlines serving Melbourne, Australia (MEL) are considering suspending their service to the city due to new virus protocols for flight crew.
Melbourne is located in the state of Victoria, which has had some of the most restrictive quarantine protocols in Australia — and beyond — as it looks to control the spread of the virus. The state has implemented a new policy requiring all flight crews to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival and they are only allowed the leave quarantine for their return flight if the test comes back negative.
Airline crew who test positive are required to spend 14 days in hotel quarantine, and their fellow crew members will also face possible quarantine. This could potentially leave an airline with pilots and flight attendants being stranded in quarantine and not able to operate flights out of the country, which would be costly on several levels. Flight crew, on the other hand, took a quick look at the 10-day forecast for Melbourne and decided that two weeks in Australia during summer isn’t the worst thing in the world.
AirAsia to Reduce its Stake in AirAsia India
AirAsia Group, the LCC conglomerate headquartered in Malaysia, is planning to reduce its ownership stake in subsidiary AirAsia India from 49% down to just 13%. With the reduction, AirAsia will cede most of the airline to its partner in India, Tata Sons.
Despite the divestiture, the airline will continue to fly under the AirAsia brand and use the many services of the group including maintenance and ticketing. Tata Sons has broken away from AirAsia, which maintains one website for all its brands, by creating its own site for AirAsia India, with further changes expected into the future.
AirAsia India is not the only Tata Sons airline in India. With Singapore Airlines, it also jointly owns Vistara, a full-service airline based in Delhi (DEL). In addition to these two airlines, Tata Sons also reportedly has its eyes on India’s flag carrier — Air India — with a possible goal of combining all three airlines into one mega Indian airline so it can lose far larger sumes of money.
The idea seems to be that the bigger the airline is, the better chance one of its flights will eventually arrive somewhere on-time — even if it’s by accident. A broken clock is right twice a day, after all.
EPA Finalizes Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Aircraft
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized emission standards today for aircraft currently operating in commercial aviation. This aligns U.S. aircraft with the international carbon dioxide emissions standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The EPA says this action will ensure that domestically-manufactured aircraft will remain competitive in the global marketplace. In addition, domestically-manufactured aircraft plan to come with seats, lavatories, seat belts, and overhead compartments in an attempt to remain competitive in the global marketplace.
Most U.S.-produced aircraft have met the ICAO-based standards since 2017, and moving forward, all aircraft will meet the standard until it inevitably changes again.
Airline Potpourri
- Aegean had €120 million in state aid from the Greek government approved by the European Commission.
- Eurowings gave its workers a holiday gift of a specially painted A320 paying tribute to its 2,300 employees. When asked, the employees said they would have preferred a cash bonus. Or chocolates. Or even a donation in their name to The Human Fund. Basically anything else.
- Emirates took delivery of its first A380 that features its new premium economy today.
- FedEx signed a six-year agreement with Qantas Freight for domestic freight services in Australia.
- Icelandair completed the sale and leaseback of two 737 MAX 9 aircraft.
- Montenegro Airlines is being shut down by the government of Montenegro. That’s good, because if any other government shut it down, it would be weird.
- Pasifika Air, a new airline in New Zealand is planning to begin operating in May from Wellington (WLG) and Christchurch (CHC) to Rarotonga (RAR) in the Cook Islands.
- Wizz Air announced six new European holiday routes from England to sunny spots in Turkey, Spain, Bulgaria, and Greece. The notoriously pale English are cautiously optimistic about the success of these routes.
Andrew’s Moment of Levity
How come no one listens to New Year’s resolutions?
They go in one year and out the other.