Day: June 16, 2021

June 16, 2021

EU Ending Travel Ban for Americans

The European Union today announced its plan to add eight countries to its safe travel list, making residents of those nations exempt from the current travel ban. The eight countries are:

  • Albania
  • Hong Kong
  • Lebanon
  • Macau
  • North Macedonia
  • Serbia
  • Taiwan
  • United States

With all due respect to the fine people of North Macedonia, the most notable nation on this list is the United States. The EU places countries on its safe list that record fewer than 75 cases per 100,000 residents over a rolling 14-day period, and the United States is currently at 73.9.

While this is good news, it is important to note that individual countries can require visitors to quarantine or show proof of a negative test if they choose. Additionally, the list is reviewed every two weeks, so the United States or any other country could be bumped off if the number of cases climb or its visitors insist on wearing fanny packs while in the EU.

Notably missing from the list is the UK, despite half of its population being vaccinated. EU officials are concerned about the delta variant which is making its way through the UK plus the side effects of letting the Brits back into the bloc – even if it’s just to visit – after finally getting rid of them via Brexit.

Breeze Fires Back at Flight Attendant Unions

Breeze Airways responded with gusto to the flight attendant unions which had petitioned the DOT to take action against the startup airline for its flight attendant hiring practices.

The unions’ beef with the airline is centered around its bizarre innovative program to hire students at Utah Valley University as FAs and provide them with tuition reimbursement and meager salaries instead of offering slightly more than meager salaries like most airlines do for new cabin crew.

In its DOT response, Breeze defends its actions saying that the unions have no standing to bring this issue to the DOT, and even if they did, their complaints are off-base and invalid. Breeze says it provides equal employment and does not discriminate in its hiring practices – provided applicants are young, attractive students at Utah Valley and willing to work for almost nothing.

Breeze says its work/study program is another example of a management team with a deep history of airline innovations. The airline says it has a diverse group of flight attendants – including grandmothers. It’s assumed that the grandmother is just a spy from American but Cranky Daily was unable to confirm as of press time. Breeze ends its response asking the DOT to dismiss the petition and asks if the flight attendants unions will accept a $100 gift card to Utah Valley’s online bookstore as compensation in a settlement

JetBlue’s Newark Flight Attendants Forced to Commute from JFK

The Transport Workers Union — JetBlue’s FA Union — says its members are tired of being forced to check-in for work at JFK for flights originating across the river in Newark.

JetBlue used the pandemic to increase its presence at Newark dramatically – the airline is operating 1,685 flights from Newark to 29 destinations this month – but does not have the infrastructure to house cabin crew at the airport. Instead, the airline has flight attendants check-in at JFK and then take a rideshare to Newark, a journey that can take an hour and a half on a good day and as much as three hours at the wrong time of day. Additionally, some of the commutes take place at off-hours in the middle of the night depending on flight schedules.

At Newark, the break room is considered widely insufficient in that it lacks seating and FAs are often forced to sit on the floor with Netflix’s Fuller House on a never-ending loop as the only available entertainment.

The commuting plan is not allowed under JetBlue’s agreement with its union, but the airline is able to get away with because it has not been fully ratified yet. The airline also claims it needs the scheme to compete with rivals as part of its pandemic recovery.

Cathay Pacific and Airbus Team Up on Single-Pilot Cockpit Concept

Cathay Pacific is teaming up with Airbus on “Project Connect” — so-named because it will connect pilots with the unemployment line — to create long-haul aircraft that can primarily be operated with just one pilot in the cockpit.

The new plane would enable airlines to reduce staffing costs with fewer pilots on duty. Instead of needing four pilots for a long-haul flight, the airline would only need two. Both pilots – captain and first officer – would be in the cockpit for takeoff and landing, while they would alternate resting during most of the cruise.

The airplane would maintain constant monitoring of the vital signs for the lone pilot in the cockpit, and other on-board staff would be alerted if the pilot became unable to operate the aircraft. The plane currently does not have a restroom in the cockpit, which will leave Airbus to solve the mystery of what happens when nature calls for the lone pilot flying the aircraft.

The plan is a long way from flying. It’s still being developed and will require loads of regulatory approval in addition to buy-in from airlines and the flying public.

Air Canada Recalls 2,600; Extends Refund Deadline

Air Canada is bringing more than 2,600 people back to work as it gears up for a further increase in flights both domestically and to the United States.

Employees will be brought back in waves once the airline can round everyone up. It expects to find most furloughed staff at a local Tim Horton’s, but some are also expected to be locked in their basements until the last Canadian team is inevitably eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The airline laid off more than 20,000 employees during the pandemic, including 16,500 during the first few weeks of the crisis in March and April of 2020.

Air Canada is also extending its deadline to apply for COVID-related refunds to July 12 – since only 40% of the 1.8 million customers eligible for a refund have applied. The airline said this proved most customers were happy keeping their travel credits and not insisting on a refund, while in truth, most people had just given up on AC ever offering a refund and have moved on.

  • Air Arabia and Etihad are partnering on loyalty program earning and redemptions.
  • Air Canada is launching three new routes from Montreal: Deer Lake (YDF), daily beginning July 1; Kelowna (YLW), 3x-weekly beginning June 26; and Saskatoon (YXE), daily beginning August 1.
  • Air France celebrated its 75th anniversary operating at Manchester (MAN) airport by arriving late and feigning an incredulous exasperation at the poor French skills of local airport staff after three-quarters of a century.
  • Caribbean Airlines is resuming service on its route from Miami to Georgetown, Guyana (GEO), operating weekly service beginning today, June 16.
  • easyJet is opening a new seasonal base at Faro, Portugal (FAO). The base will operate annually between March and October and will host three aircraft operating 21 routes for the airline.
  • Eurowings Discover, Lufthansa’s 43rd attempt at a leisure-based LCC will become the first airline to operate long-haul at new Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA) when it launches 3x-weekly service from Frankfurt via Windhoek (WDH) beginning March 30.
  • Finnair returned one London/Heathrow slot back to Etihad for the upcoming winter season.
  • Jet2 is issuing bonds to raise $756 million to keep it afloat while it waits for the lifting of travel restrictions to and from the UK.
  • Pakistan International Airlines was forced to delay a scenic mountain flight by one week due to poor weather. The airline is often hesitant to fly in less than ideal weather conditions because it’s a roll of the dice whether or not its pilots are actual pilots.
  • Spirit is adding service to Manchester, NH (MHT) on this fall. It will operate daily flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando beginning October 7, adding 4x-weekly service to Fort Myers on November 17 and 3x-weekly to Tampa on November 18.
  • Swoop is swooping into the United States with three new destinations. Orlando/Sanford (beginning October ), St. Pete/Clearwater (beginning November 5), and San Diego (beginning October 31).
  • Wizz Air will open its 6th base in Italy – in Naples — beginning in August.

Can a kangaroo jump higher than a house? Of course, it can. Houses don’t jump.