March 24, 2021

Aer Lingus to Link Manchester With Four Transatlantic Destinations

Aer Lingus announced today it will begin overseas operations from its new hub in Manchester (MAN). The airline will operate to New York/JFK and Orlando from July 29 with Barbados following in October and Boston in Summer 2022.

The four cities will be Aer Lingus’s first transatlantic services from the UK. This move likely dashes any hope that Englanders had that British Airways would someday live up to its name and not act like it was called London Airways.

The flights from Manchester to the three U.S. destinations will only be available for passengers originating in the UK right now. The airline only plans to stock Guinness and various hard ciders and doesn’t want U.S. based passengers on its aircraft ordering Bud Light. Ok, maybe not. In reality, the DOT just prohibited the airline from selling to U.S. based customers while it awaits approval from the UK CAA for its operating certificate.


Delta Upgrades Inflight Service; Brings Back Booze for Sale

Delta Air Lines will be bringing back a beefed-up version of inflight service for passengers onboard its domestic flights beginning April 14. The new service will include the sale of booze, which has not been on offer in its Main Cabin for nearly a year. With travel on the rise, passengers are once again desperate for alcohol to help them make it through the travel experience, and Delta is all about pleasing the customer.

Main Cabin passengers will receive an option of soft drinks for the first time since the pandemic caused service cutbacks. The drinks will be offered in 7.5 ounce mini cans to reduce interaction with flight attendants, and because the last thing most passengers need is more caffeine. Alcohol offerings will include beer and wine plus pre-mixed cocktails that will taste terrible but are sure to do the trick.

Delta will also refresh its snack offerings, shuffling through a combination of Goldfish, almonds, Clif Bars and Delta’s signature in-flight snack of Biscoff cookies.

Comfort Plus and First Class passengers will continue to receive complimentary beer and wine along with the new cocktail offerings. Basic Economy passengers will be offered the leftover crumbs from in their seat left from the previously flight as well as a shot of grain alcohol once the plane reaches 10,000 feet.


JetBlue Explores Sale and Leaseback of E190

JetBlue Airways is looking into selling 30 of its E190 aircraft then immediately leasing them back to divest itself of the long-term commitment to the planes while it transitions to the A220.

JetBlue is in discussions with several lessors to gauge their interest in purchasing the planes. The airline posted an ad for the planes on Facebook Marketplace to make sure it doesn’t overlook non-traditional buyers who could be interested in 30 Embraer jets.

The airline currently has 60 E190s in its fleet, half of which are currently leased and half of which are owned by the airline. By flipping the 30 planes it currently owns to a third party to perform a leaseback, JetBlue can raise cash in the short-term and relieve itself of the long-term debt on an aircraft that is not in its future plans.

JetBlue currently has just one A220 in its possession but has 69 more coming with an option for an additional 30. It posted the lone A220 on Facebook Marketplace by mistake and despite changing the posting to “not available” is still receiving multiple offers for the plane.


Rex Ready to Challenge Qantas

The escalating battle between Rex and Qantas will enter a new chapter next month when Rex begins service on the “Capital City Corridor” between Sydney and Canberra. Like any good dog, Rex is clearly trying to get the master’s attention.

Rex is not messing around, launching on April 19 and matching Qantas with seven daily round trips. Rex will put the flights on sale beginning next week and plans to fly its 33-seat, all-economy Saab 340B aircraft to begin. It has a fleet of B737 with eight seats in business and 168 behind the curtain ready to go if it sees the demand to swap aircraft. Qantas currently operates a mix of B717 jets and Dash 8 turboprops on the route.

Rex has plans for a new lounge in Canberra which will open when service begins. Qantas has been the lone operator on the route since Virgin Australia suspended services between the two cities at the onset of the pandemic.


Guatemala City Airport Shut Down Due to Ash

The Guatemalan government temporarily shut down Guatemala City International Airport (GUA) due to ash flowing on to the airport grounds from nearby volcanic activity as well as from a family celebration that involved heavy cigar smoking near the airport to celebrate the birth of twins.

The wind had been blowing the ash away from the airport, but a shift from south to north sent the ash onto the airport property, with several parked aircraft quickly becoming covered.

Ash can damage aircraft on the ground along with disrupting flight operations. Nine aircraft have been grounded at the airport due to effects from the ash. The airport remained closed all of Tuesday before reopening at 7 a.m. this morning. More than two dozen flights were cancelled before operations resumed.


Airline Potpourri

  • Andorra Airlines is working with the Catalan government on an aid package.
  • Bamboo Airways is planning a Q3 IPO on either the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange or the Hanoi Stock Exchange based on a market capitalization of $2.7 billion.
  • Calm Air calmly completed a wet lease for a Dash 8-300.
  • EgyptAir plans to acquire its first A321neo in Q1 of 2022.
  • Emirates plans to bring A380s back on its routes to Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Christchurch late this year.
  • Fly All Ways, an adorably named Suriname-based airline, has received fifth freedom rights to operate from Guyana to both Curacao and Barbados.
  • Frontier has chosen Recaro to update the seats on its A320 and A321 aircraft. The seat chosen is the Recaro SL3710. It weighs 8kg and comes with a seat belt and tray table for passengers who pay a $19.99 seat amenity fee.
  • Nepal Airlines is continuing to attempt to sell the lone B757 in its fleet despite facing difficulties from the pandemic.
  • Ryanair announced 26 new routes to add to its robust Summer 2021 schedule. It also will take delivery of 16 new 737 MAX jets later this summer.

Andrew’s Moment of Levity

There’s a fine line between a numerator and a denominator.

Unfortunately, only a fraction of people will get this joke.