Avelo to Launch Scheduled Ops April 28
Avelo Airlines announced today that it intends to begin flying from its Burbank (BUR) base on April 28. When the startup begins service, it will fly to 11 destinations from Southern California and as with most airlines, some of them are places people will actually want to go.
The airline is led by former Allegiant president Andrew Levy and there is a very Allegiant-y feel to Avelo’s route map as it plans to serve small and medium-sized cities which typically don’t see service from anywhere except legacy hubs. Avelo calls these cities “underserved,” we call them “random.” You say potato…
Avelo’s inaugural flight on April 28 is scheduled to depart at 10 a.m. PT from Burbank to Santa Rosa (STS). The flight will be operated by a B737-800 which is convenient as that’s the only aircraft type Avelo will operate.
The airline’s 11 destinations from Burbank are:
- Arcata/Eureka, CA (ACV) — 4x weekly beginning May 19,
- Bend/Redmond, OR (RDM) — 3x weekly beginning May 13
- Bozeman, MT (BZN) — 4x weekly beginning April 30
- Eugene, OR (EUG) — 4x weekly beginning May 11
- Grand Junction, CO (GJT) — 4x weekly beginning May 9
- Medford, OR (MFR) — 4x weekly beginning May 9
- Pasco, WA (PSC) — 3x weekly beginning April 29
- Phoenix / Mesa, AZ (AZA) — daily beginning May 3
- Odgen, UT (OGD) — 6x weekly beginning May 4
- Redding, CA (RDD) — 3x weekly beginning May 20
- Santa Rosa, CA (STS) — daily beginning April 28
For more on the launch of Avelo, visit today’s Cranky Flier post for a one-on-one discussion with Avelo CEO Andrew Levy.
Alaska Lounges Giveth and Taketh
Alaska Airlines made two announcements about the its lounges today, which makes sense because had it made an announcement about Delta SkyClubs, that would have been confusing.
First the good news – Alaska announced updated plans for its much-awaited lounge in San Francisco. The airline has been without one for years, a really strange thing considering it has a hub there. The new lounge will open in the former AAdmirals Club location in Terminal 2 later this summer. When it reopens, it’ll be the seventh lounge in Alaska’s system.
Now the bad news – Alaska is “enhancing” its lounge memberships by raising the price. Alaska had been the cheapest of the major U.S. airlines with its lounge membership pricing, which makes sense as it has the fewest lounges to offer. New lounge memberships for non-elite members will now cost $450, with Lounge Plus memberships available for $600. The regular membership offers access to just Alaska clubs while the more expensive offering includes AAdmirals Club access – convenient for Alaska customers connecting to delayed American flights.
Canadian Startup to Connect with U.S.
Connect Airlines, a startup airline in Canada, plans to launch service this fall, flying from its proposed base at Toronto/City Airport (YTZ) to airports in the northeast and midwest United States. It hasn’t identified which airports it will serve, but is expected to name four U.S. destinations as focus cities – the group will be known as the Connect Four.
Connect will offer direct flights from Toronto, conveniently timed for day trips without the need of connecting flights. The airline will fly Canadian built Q400 turboprop aircraft which comes with a maple syrup dispenser at every seat.
Additionally, Connect intends to use several new technology platforms to run its operation. It’ll be the launch airline for IBS Software’s “Airline-in-a-box” set of solutions that theoretically will enable the airline to manage itself on a single integrated platform. The new technology will allow the airline to integrate messages to passengers about delayed and canceled flights far more quickly while also sending them to another airline to get them home at the end of the day.
If this plan sounds a lot like Porter, well, you aren’t wrong. But then again, Porter hasn’t flown a single flight in over a year….
China Prepares for Return of 737 MAX
Despite resuming flying in the United States and Europe, the B737 MAX has not been approved to re-start flying in China. Xiamen Airways, a subsidiary of China Southern is working to prepare its fleet of 10 MAX aircraft for a return to service, giving clues the aircraft could be on the verge of being recertified.
The CAAC – China’s version of the FAA – is waiting for a technological review of the MAX from Boeing. The governing body says that the safety concerns it previously raised have not been addressed to its satisfaction.
In the meantime, China will continue production of the COMAC C919 – a potential competitor to the B737, something that surely is totally unrelated to the slow nature of the MAX recertification.
We’re Back! PIA Renews Safety Certification
Pakistan International Airlines took a crucial step towards a resumption of flights to Europe, the UK, and the US as the airline passed its IATA Operational Safety Audit. The shocking news comes 11 months after the deadly crash of PK8303 that killed 93 people on approach in Karachi.
The investigation into the crash led to the discovery that a third of PIA’s pilots held fake licenses that were purchased under the table from regulators instead of earned via tens of thousands of dollars of debt from flight school followed by years of working for minimum wage at a regional carrier – or as we call it – the ole’ fashioned way.
Since then, the airline had been banned from operating to the United States, quickly followed by both Europe and the UK. Without the ability to fly anywhere people wanted to go, the airline suddenly stopped making money. But this certification is the first step in reassuring the worldwide aviation community that it is getting its act back together. Next will be the daunting approval process from the individual governing agencies – the FAA, EASA, CAA, CDC, BBC, and CBS.
Airline Potpourri
- Air India Express is launching service to both Riyadh and Dubai.
- BA CityFlyer is launching flights from its London/City hub to both Jersey (this one, not this one) and Gibraltar. Both cities will see flights operate twice weekly beginning June 25.
- Cabo Verde Airlines will be privatized as the Cabo Verde government plans to sell its remaining 39% stake in the airline.
- Cargojet CFO John Kim has retired. Those interested in applying for the position should probably figure out a way to contact Cargojet. Cranky Daily is not a job placement service.
- Eastar Jet is opening up bidding for a sale of a majority stake in the airline no later than April 20. Reports from Canada say that rival airline WestJet will not bid.
- Ethiopian announced it achieved a 91% on-time rate, according to Ethiopian. The metric only includes flights that landed at the correct airport.
- Georgian Airways (this one, not this one) has added its first B737NG freighter to its fleet.
- Norwegian is resuming service from Stockholm (ARN) with three new routes. Service will continue uninterrupted until the airline eventually files for bankruptcy in Sweden.
- Novair of Sweden has been sold to Jet Nordic Group from Denmark.
- Raya Airways has added a new B767-200 freighter to its fleet, its fourth. This follows on the heels of the news that Raya and the Last Dragon will be merging.
- ToMontenegro might as well be called FromMontenegro as the airline is rebranding as Air Montenegro.
Andrew’s Moment of Levity
When two vegans get in an argument, is it still called a beef?