Alaska & Southwest Take Delivery of the MAX
Alaska Airlines took delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft on Sunday when the airline flew the very short route from Boeing Field to the airline’s hangar at Sea-Tac International Airport. The aircraft type will enter service on March 1, flying nonstop flights between Seattle and two west coast destinations – San Diego and Los Angeles. The airline expects to have its second MAX in service later in March.
Each aircraft will take approximately five weeks from delivery to being ready to fly passengers. Those five weeks of preparation include pilots flying each individual plane roughly 19,000 miles around the entire country including to Alaska & Hawai’i. Alaska’s maintenance staff will undergo more than 40 hours of training specific to the MAX, and cheese shops across the northwest will begin to prepare the cheese plates that Alaska makes available for sale on-board its flights.
Alaska will take delivery of 13 MAX aircraft this year and 30 next year as a part of its agreement with Boeing to delivery 68 planes over the next four years with an option for 52 more.
In semi-related news, Southwest Airlines joined Alaska in welcoming new aircraft to its fleet this weekend, as it took delivery of seven new 737 MAX 8aircraft. These are the first seven MAX planes Southwest will acquire this year, with five more coming to the airline, but not until the planes’ boarding group is called and they are permitted to proceed to the airline’s Dallas HQ.
United Doesn’t Agree with Spirit – Except it Does
United Airlines submitted an addendum to Spirit’s complaint to the DOT in regards to the recently-approved Northeast Alliance between American & JetBlue. United begins its filing stating that it takes no official position on Spirit’s (and other airlines) complaints about the NEA, and United then spends the next four pages taking an official position by explaining its issues & concerns with the JetBlue/American tie-up.
United insists it has no opinion on the agreement or the DOT’s ruling, but it does have an opinion that the DOT did a poor job reviewing the alliance and missed the boat on completing due diligence. United continues not having an opinion by writing that the DOT’s review “lacked transparency and merits reconsideration.” United does not think the DOT needs to have a formal investigation, but it does believe the DOT needs to have a more thorough review process, similar to previous formal investigations.
It gets better. United reminds the DOT it has no thoughts on the Northeast Alliance itself — but United is requesting the DOT pause its approval of the NEA between JetBlue & American and undertake a deeper, lengthier investigation. Despite that, United still doesn’t want a formal investigation, because that would require having an opinion. With the casualwear trend in full swing while working from home, perhaps what United means by informal investigation is it’s done from home by investigators in their pajamas.
Lastly, United continues to express its lack of interest in the decision by reminding the DOT of its intent to obtain slots at JFK when they are up for grabs. The question remains – if United had this much to say about something that have no interest in, how long would this filing of been if the airline actually had an opinion on the subject?
Lufthansa Group to Require Medical-Grade Masks
Lufthansa Group airlines are amending their on-board mask policies to require medical-grade protective masks on all flights to and from Germany, beginning February 1. The requirements state that passengers may no longer board with the masks made of paper, cloth, aluminum foil, human hair, or anything else that even Germans define as “super weird.” Instead, a surgical mask, FFP2, KN95/N95, C-3PO, or R2-D2 mask will be required throughout the journey.
Medical exemptions from the heightened requirements are available only with prior approval from the airline and a negative test that was taken no more than 48 hours prior to departure.
The medical-grade masks are required in German airports in addition to on the aircraft. Those who do not comply with the regulation while in the airports will be offered a complimentary mask that is compliant. If the passenger refuses, they’ll be escorted from airport property, denied boarding, and banned for five years from attending Wheneverfest.
What’s in a Name? Ask Avelo Airlines
To start an airline, you need a name, and Houston Air Holdings’ new ULCC has one. It was growing tired of older, more established airlines simply referring to it as “hey you” and “yeah, you in the corner without a livery.”
The new airline, being started by former Allegiant & United executive Andrew Levy, will be named Avelo Airlines, after filing for a trademark with the U.S. patent office. Avelo means “by bike” in French, making some wonder if the airline plans to offer frequent service on very quick flights between spots in the neighborhood you grew up in or if it will supplement passenger income with a paper route.
Avelo announced last year that it plans to operate as a ULCC in the United States, flying Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Avelo acquired XTRA Airways’ Part 121 commercial airline certification, clearing a key hurdle to getting planes in the air with actual paying passengers paying actual money to be flown somewhere. At this point, all that’s left is to pick a buy-on-board menu and create a snazzy marketing slogan and you’ve got yourself an airline.
United Nations Prohibits Staff from Flying on Pakistani Airlines
The United Nations issued a directive prohibiting any of its officials from flying on Pakistan-based airlines, including for domestic travel within Pakistan. The UN has issued the advisory for its staff, but also made a recommendation to global agencies including the World Health Organization, UN High Commission for Refugees, UN Development Program, and others to avoid Pakistani airlines.
The directive is based on safety concerns for Pakistan-registered airlines, dating back to the discovery that many Pakistan-based pilots had “dubious” flying credentials – at best. Many were masquerading as pilots without the proper training or licenses, but happily cashing their paychecks. While the government in Pakistan says its cleaned up the problem, not everyone is taking the government at its word.
In the meantime, with UN and other staff not flying Pakistani airlines, many are hoping that startup Avelo Airlines might consider launching a Pakistani subsidiary. In the meantime, NGO staff in the country will be reduced to flying private to get around the country — not the worst outcome in the world.
Airline Potpourri
- Cargojet plans to acquire seven additional aircraft — five Boeing 767F and 2 Boeing 777F for C$350 million.
- Delta has hired Dr. Henry Ting as the airline’s first Chief Health Officer.
- Finnair will resume service to both the U.K. and Ireland from Finland, beginning today, January 25.
- flydubai will add two cities to its route network — Malta (4x-weekly service beginning May 12) and Salzburg (4x-weekly beginning May 13).
- Qatar is increasing the number of frequencies it operates from Doha to eight African cities.
- United will begin Sunday-only service to Bridgetown, Barbados (BGI) this December from its hubs at Newark and Washington/Dulles.
Andrew’s Moment of Levity
I met a lumberjack last week and he said he recently had to cut down 1200 trees in just one day. I asked him how he kept track of how many he cut down and he said, “It’s easy, I keep a log.”