Southwest Increases 737 Order to the Max
Southwest Airlines revealed in an 8-K filing to the SEC today (this one, not this one) that it will exercise options to increase its firm order of the B737 MAX 7 by 34 planes, pushing the total to 234. The airline, which operates the Boeing 737 family of airplanes exclusively, also has orders on the books for 149 B737 MAX 8 aircraft to be delivered through 2031.
The planes, which will come pre-stocked with vats of Wild Turkey at the airline’s request, are needed as domestic travel continues to rebound. Southwest expects its June revenue to be 80% of what June 2019 was, with July pushing closer to 85%. Leisure fares have returned to pre-pandemic levels ahead of business travel which continues to lag.
Southwest expects its 2022 capital expenditures to total $1.5 billion, up more than 100% from its previous estimation of just $700 million. The bulk of the increase comes from the addition of new planes on order plus expected hazard pay bonuses to flight attendants having to deal with violent yokels at 30,000 feet every week.
Are You Ready for Some Football? Sun Country Adds Routes
Sun Country Airlines announced the resumption of routes from its Minneapolis hub, the extension of seasonal service to Raleigh-Durham, and new round trip travel between Minneapolis and Green Bay.
The one-off roundtrips between MSP and GRB will operate on November 21, leaving Green Bay in the morning and returning in the evening. The flight will operate again on the afternoon of Sunday, January 2nd, returning to Green Bay the morning of the 3rd. The Green Bay Packers play in Minnesota on the afternoon of Sunday, November 21 and the Minnesota Vikings visit Green Bay on Sunday night, January 2nd. Sun Country’s plan is flawless – provided neither game falls victim to the NFL’s flexible scheduling policies. **gulp**
Other additions to the schedule for Sun Country include a return to both Gulfport/Biloxi, MS (GPT) and New Orleans — twice-weekly seasonal service to both cities will begin on September 2 from Minneapolis/St. Paul and continue through November — plus twice-weekly seasonal service on September 2 from Williston, North Dakota (XWA) to Las Vegas. Williston, which is known as the gambling and partying capital of the Dakotas will be connected to the gambling and partying capital of the United States through November 28.
American Turns to Volunteers at DFW
American Airlines reached out to members of its corporate team to volunteer at its Dallas/Fort Worth hub this summer as the airline anticipates a significant travel surge as summer approaches.
The deal isn’t great – workers would have to volunteer outside of their normal work hours, and they wouldn’t be paid for their time. American says that they are only asking for volunteers, and no one is required to work. The airline doesn’t know, or is pretending it doesn’t know, about the “voluntold” concept of management.
Those who volunteer for tribute would work six hour shifts, helping customers find their way around the airport and assisting at gates and ticketing stations. Meaning their main role will be to help people who cannot read signs or understand basic boarding procedures. They’ll also help deflect questions about rolling delays while distracting passengers by showing them other flights that are delayed worse than their own.
Delta Allows for Same Day Changes in its App
Delta Air Lines updated its Fly Delta app last week and actually included a useful addition in the update, not just the standard “bug fixes and enhancements.”
The airline now allows passengers to search for new flights and standby or confirm the same-day change directly in the app. Prior to this upgrade, free-of-charge same-day upgrades were only offered through an agent – whether over the phone, through an online messaging app or in-person at the airport.
Same-day changes are free for Gold Medallion and above while the commoners are still on the hook for a $75 charge. Basic Economy itineraries are not eligible for same-day changes, and the airline will impose a $100 fee to any Basic Economy customers for even thinking about making a change.
Qantas Continues Its Role as Bad Boy of Commercial Aviation
A bad PR week for Qantas continued today as it came to light that the airline was secretly offered A$50 million to keep its headquarters in Sydney by the New South Wales government.
The airline announced last September it was considering moving its headquarters, an announcement that was very highly criticized. Australian federal Trade Minister Simon Birmingham called it a “blatant appeal for corporate welfare,” while spokespeople for both Spirit and Ryanair applauded the move. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce declined to comment but was spotted leaving Qantas HQ wearing a leather jacket along with slicked back hair and sporting several new tattoos.
The government of New South Wales mobilized once it heard Qantas was considering a move out of town, offering the A$50 million over four years — provided the airline create 2,000 new jobs in Sydney, operate its ultra long-haul flights exclusively from Sydney for at least five years, and more. The NSW government and the airline had intended to keep the offer letter private, but that worked out as well as Qantas’s plan to keep drug mules out of its baggage handling staff.
- Air Seychelles will resume service to both Johannesburg and the Maldives beginning June 5.
- Azul is expected to present a purchase proposal to buy LATAM Brazil in as soon as three months.
- Emirates is returning both Lyon and Nice to its flight network. Dubai to Nice will begin July 2 with 4x-weekly flights. Lyon will also operate 4x-weekly beginning one week later. Both cities will be operated by a B777-300ER.
- EVA upgraded its 3x-weekly service to Los Angeles to daily, effective yesterday.
- FlyArmenia Airways is adding a B737NG to its fleet.
- flybe, which is relaunching after shutting down in March of 2020 will not have access to its previous incarnation’s slots at Heathrow, the British government confirmed.
- Korean and Asiana received an extension to 2024 from Korean regulators to complete their merger.
- Qatar has halted its A350 deliveries over complaints of the quality of the paint job. Airbus said that it used the same two painters it’s always used on its new aircraft and doesn’t see what the issue is.
- Singapore is resuming its service to Manchester with 3x-weekly flights beginning July 16.
- Volotea opened a new base in Lyon, France (LYS).
I used to own a stair-building company, but I eventually quit because my family couldn’t stand the ups and downs of the industry.