New Zealand To Keep Borders Closed Until 2022
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said that the country’s borders will not open in 2021, and that includes travel across the Tasman Sea.
Travel between Australia and New Zealand had briefly opened this year, but outbreaks in Australia ended that scheme. The so-called “bubble” was previously suspended until late-September, but that now likely won’t re-open until 2022 or whenever Australia admits New Zealand is a far superior country, whichever comes first.
A reopening in 2022 doesn’t mean it will happen right away. When the borders do begin to open — hopefully in the first quarter — it will only be for vaccinated travelers from low-risk countries who have been tested before departure and upon arrival. Those from high-risk countries (*cough* the US *cough*) or those who are unvaccinated will still be subject to a 14-day isolation. Though the country is not expected to have many carve-outs, it will allow unvaccinated sheep to skip the quarantine.
JetBlue Flies Paying Passengers to London
After months of hype and promises, JetBlue today landed its first scheduled flight with paying passengers at London’s Heathrow airport after a hop across the Pond from New York/JFK.
JetBlue flight 007 pushed back from the gate early but was slightly delayed when James Bond wouldn’t stop hitting on the flight attendants thunderstorms rolled through the area. The airline was greeted in London by a rare approach that didn’t require endless circling. Consequently, the flight arrived just over 30 minutes early.
This is the first new airline to fly between the US and Heathrow since the airport was expanded to US carriers beyond American and United in 2008, and it may be short-lived. JetBlue does not currently have permanent slots but is expecting to find a way to keep the temporary ones it has today.
The airline will begin service to London/Gatwick — an airport where it does have permanent slots — on September 29 from JFK. Boston service will begin next year assuming it hasn’t already given up and decided to send those airplanes to Florida instead where it knows it can fill them.
Alaska Grows in México
Alaska is continuing to focus on the part of its network not reflected by its name, this time with three options for San Francisco-based travelers looking to head to México to warm up this winter.
From December 18 through April 16, Alaska will fly Saturday-only service from San Francisco (SFO) to Loreto (LTO), Mazatlán (MZT), and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo (ZIH). The latter two destinations were last served from SFO by Alaska during the 2007/08 winter season. Loreto has never been served by Alaska from SFO, only Los Angeles. All of these markets are served by Alaska from other US cities.
It is rumored that Andy Dufresne will kick off the new service to Zihuatanejo with an advertising campaign encouraging travelers to get busy living or get busy dying, hoping they choose the former.
Emirates Launches Skywards+ To Get You to Pay For Things You Didn’t Earn
Emirates is launching a new offering on top of its Skywards loyalty program called Skywards+. The new program, which has three tiers that cost between $399 and $999 per year, is meant to provide elite-level perks to travelers who haven’t earned them by flying but still find them worth buying.
The base-level Skywards+ Classic ($399/year) gives travelers two annual lounge passes, an extra 11 pounds of baggage allowance, and a 20% bonus on mileage earning along with a 20% discount on one mileage redemption per year. The next level up, Skywards+ Advanced ($699/year) has all that plus an additional 3 annual lounge passes, an extra 22 pounds of baggage allowance/1 additional bag, and a 20% discount on upgrade rewards. Skywards+ Premium ($999/year) is equal to the Advanced plan except it includes an additional 5 lounge passes and a 20% bonus on elite mileage earning so you won’t have to pay for this next year.
It is believed that a fourth tier — Skywards+ Super Awesome Sky Falcon ($9,999/year) — was nixed when the promise to “let the member fly the airplane for awhile” was not approved by the regulatory authorities.
Boeing’s Newest EcoDemonstrator Buzzes Around Seattle
Boeing’s latest ecoDemonstrator has taken to the skies around Seattle. This version, a 737 MAX 9 destined for Alaska once testing is finished, has been flying for about a month in the alternate configuration.
The ecoDemonstrator is a program where Boeing takes an aircraft before delivery, modifies it, and tests new innovations. This time, the company is testing new recycled cabin wall insulation, a modified engine nacelle to improve efficiency, a new fire extinguishing material, new anti-collision lights, and most exciting of all, a new smaller lavatory that with the use of suction tubes can reduce the height of the structure by half and allow for seats to be sold on top.
Once Boeing is done with its play-thing, it will reconfigure the aircraft into standard Alaska interior specifications, including the removal of any and all suction tubes.
- Air Premia has decided its best launch plan is to fly in the busiest market in the world. It first flew from Seoul/Gimpo to Jeju yesterday.
- Delta will soon enjoy some of the benefits of modernization that its pals in the main terminal at LaGuardia are enjoying. But for now, it’s a massive construction project, and here’s a sneak peek.
- Dubai will be doing runway work next May and June, so several airlines will have to cancel flights. FlyDubai will cancel the most while Emirates comes in second. Cargo carriers will have to virtually stop operating during this time, though presumably they can go to nearby Dubai World Central (DWC).
- India is apparently only days away from re-certifying the 737 MAX to fly in the country. The only curry-ant operator of the type in the country is SpiceJet, which would lovage if the airplane could fly again.
- Rada Airlines has picked up its third IL-62M aircraft — one that hasn’t been airworthy in 5 years — from the Republic of Gambia, which was selling it off to help refill the country’s coffers after the last ruler looted the treasury upon leaving.
- Sterling Airways has had enough of Corvus’s shenanigans. It filed a response to the DOT asking that Corvus — parent of Ravn Alaska — be ignored in its objections to Sterling/Via being able to fly.
- United had a 787-10 knock over some taxiway lights in Newark yesterday. It is assumed the pilot was taking his anger out for having to fly to Newark.
- Vietravel Airlines has chosen a quaint effort to stay afloat. It wrote a letter to the prime minister of Vietnam asking for a loan.
Did you hear the joke about the germ? Never mind, I don’t want to spread it around.