Shocker: BA’s Gatwick-Based LCC Not Dead Yet
It appears that reports of BA’s potential new LCC’s death were premature, as the carrier and BALPA – its pilots union – have returned to the negotiating table after both sides threw fits late last month “ending negotiations” on the proposed new carrier.
BALPA walked away from the negotiating table over its insistence that pilots at the new carrier receive the same benefits as those at mainline BA, which defeats the entire purpose of the new airline for BA. The carrier then countered by saying it would end all short-haul operations at Gatwick which would, ya know, eliminate a bunch of pilot jobs. Apparently the pilots have rethought their position.
The two parties have returned to negotiations this week, which are being touted as “productive.” The union plans to send the proposed pay package to a union-wide vote with the results announced by the end of the week. Other items on this week’s ballot for the pilots is whether or not they want to continue with the soft “c” in “schedule” when making on-board announcements, and to decide on the size of the lump of coal they’ll be sending BA CEO Sean Doyle this holiday season.
The Dream is Dead: LGA AirTrain Scuttled
New York governor Kathy Hochul ended the LGA AirTrain project this week when she told the Port Authority to find an alternative to the $2.1 billion project that was set to connect eastern Queens with LaGuardia Airport.
The governor said at a press conference Monday that “I don’t feel obligated to accept what I have inherited,” a stance that led her to end the AirTrain project and have the governor’s mansion undergo a thorough cleaning and sanitization process following the exit of Andrew Cuomo.
The project had opponents across the political spectrum and in the aviation world, including within the Port Authority and the FAA. Those two agencies are historically committed to making the New York airport experience as expensive and inconvenient as possible, so this was quite the surprise.
Manhattan passengers would first travel east – away from the airport – before connecting to the subway at Willets Point to then head west to the airport. A government watchdog said only 6,000 new daily transit customers would use the train, or roughly the same number ahead of you in line when arriving at LGA TSA because inevitably only one checkpoint is ever open.
ITA Announces U.S. Schedule
ITA, the zombie airline reincarnated from Alitalia’s ashess, announced the schedule of U.S.-bound flights it plans to fly when it begins operating as a “new, independent airline.” The carrier is expected to operate some of these flights but makes no guarantees that they’ll operate even remotely on-time. Passengers are encouraged to arrive at the airport 3-4 days before their scheduled departure because their aircraft could leave at any point and may not ever return.
The first city on the big board for ITA is New York, where the airline claims it will operate 3x-weekly service from Rome/FCO to JFK beginning November 4, upgrading to 5x-weekly in early December and daily for a limited period between December 20 and January 9.
It’ll spend four months trying to get its one U.S. destination under control, because the next city doesn’t join the schedule until March. ITA will begin flying to Miami and Boston in March on a date to be determined once ITA’s senior leadership can locate a 2022 calendar with March on it. Rome to Los Angeles service is scheduled to launch sometime next summer, but we don’t advise anyone to hold their breath awaiting the route.
- Alaska continues to spread its wings within oneworld as the carrier announced a new codeshare agreement with Iberia.
- Air Seychelles entered administration as it begins to restructure itself under bankruptcy protection.
- Finnair retired its €175 million revolving credit facility. The credit has since moved to Del Boca Vista.
- Fly Baghdad added its first B737-900.
- GlobalX signed a long-term lease for four A321 aircraft with the first to enter service next month.
- LOT is seeking more state aid by the end of the year. “Over our dead body,” Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said despite no one asking his opinion.
- Philippine Airlines DIP financing plan was approved by US Bankruptcy Court.
- Qatar will send its A380s to both London and Paris when the carrier brings its fleet out of retirement on December 15.
- Ryanair is hiring up to 200 new cabin crew jobs in the UK. Applicants should be interested in travel, willing to work weekends, generally be unpleasant around others, and value customer service as little as possible.
- SpiceJet is clove to acquiring up to 10-15 more widebody jets and is looking for up to 30-40 more narrowbodies as well. The carrier does not have a thyme table for the narrow body aircraft but that could change as its current planes increase in sage.
- TUI ended its B757 operations.
I saw a burglar kick his own door in, damaging the frame. I asked him “what are you doing?” To which he answered, “working from home today.”