American Unveils MAAin Select FAAres
American Airlines is adding a new fare type on high-frequency, business-focused routes called “Main Select.” The new fares will be fully refundable and will offer many of the perks usually reserved for elite AAdvantage members including an opt out for making eye contact with Basic Economy passengers.
Passengers booking Main Select will be permitted to select any seat in economy, including Main Cabin Extra. The fare comes pre-bundled with priority check-in, priority security, and priority boarding – which on American means boarding in zone 6B. Main Select fares will be available on routes between New York/LGA and both Chicago/O’Hare and Washington/National, plus Boston to Washington/National and limited routes from both Dallas/Ft. Worth and Los Angeles.
The debut of Main Select also brings with it the end of the American Shuttle. With the carrier’s shifting focus in the northeast as it coordinates schedules with JetBlue, the branded shuttle flights between New York, Boston, and Washington will come to an end by the end of 2021.
Main Select has been designed to closely match the benefits of JetBlue’s Blue Extra fare, creating a synergy between the two partners. What that synergy is doesn’t really matter — all that matters is that those working on the Northeast Alliance can circle back with their bosses to tell them they’ve improved synergy.
Washington/National Debuts New Security Checkpoints Today
Today marks an important step in Washington/National’s Project Journey, a $1 billion plan designed to eliminate the airport’s dreaded Gate 35X and then do some other stuff after that. Now that 35X has been gone for the better part of a year, DCA’s operator, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) has been able to move onto bigger and better.
The new security checkpoints, 28 of them combined for Terminal’s B & C — up from 20, are in front of the airport’s famed National Hall, putting the glass-enclosed concourse behind security for the first time since its unveiling in 1997.
The new security checkpoints will help the airport that saw more than 23 million passengers in 2019 despite only being designed to handle 15 million annually. The new setup will relieve congestion and reduce the lines at Dunkin’ Donuts which is all that really matters. Passengers who forget the new setup and attempt to clear security at the old location beyond National Hall will be strip searched and then sent behind the construction wall at the location of the old gate 35X where they’ll be forced to wait for their flight and then bussed to their airplane while being denied water.
Sydney Airport Bought for $17.5 Billion
A new era is coming at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport as Australia’s largest airport agreed to $17.5 billion takeover from the Sydney Aviation Alliance (SAA — this one, not this one), a consortium of Australian and U.S.-based investors.
The deal comes this week as the United States loosens its border restriction on international visitors and as Australia does the same. The offer equaled A$8.75 per share, a 6% bump over the most recent “final offer” which was made in September at A$8.25 per share.
The deal is conditional on approval from three-fourths of the airport’s shareholders and Australia’s consumer competition watchdogs. The airport board accepted the deal unanimously and it’s expected that the approval of shareholders will come easily, as each shareholder was sent a jar of Vegemite to smooth the vote.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is investigating the transaction and is expected to release its findings next month. The government is not giving out any clues as to which side it will come out on but did say that it was watching the AA/JetBlue proceeding in the United States very closely and was in constant contact with Ryanair for its opinion.
- Air Serbia is going to receive a government subsidy to continue operating and the Serbian government will also prop up 12 routes for the carrier.
- Aircalin needs €28 million in order to relaunch next year.
- American is offering a $1,000 bonus to dispatchers and fleet service workers for perfect attendance between November 15 and January 2. Reservation agents will receive 1.5x pay on peak travel days and $1,000 for perfect attendance.
- Astral Airlines is leasing three B757-200 freighter aircraft.
- Emirates signed an MoU on a codeshare agreement with Garuda Indonesia.
- Eurowings will base five A320s in Stockholm beginning this March, marking the carrier’s fifth base outside of Germany.
- Finnair is launching new long-haul routes to Busan (PUS), Tokyo/Haneda, and Dallas/Ft. Worth.
- JetBlue has come to a tentative agreement with its flight attendants union on a new contract. The deal was sealed with American gave JetBlue permission to agree to the union’s latest offer.
- Pivot Airlines is pivoting to an early 2022 launch fo scheduled passenger services. It plans to start by flying from Waterloo (YKF) to both Montreal and Ottawa.
- Prime Air operated its first flight to Des Moines.
- SKS Airways plans to launch Malaysian domestic scheduled passenger operations later this year — two years later than originally planned.
- Smartwings smartly is spreading its wings as it signed wet-lease agreements to utilize some of its underused aircraft this winter. It will operate a B737-800 for both Israir Airlines and Arkia in Israel and Swift Air in the United States.
- VIVA announced 65 new routes including nine to the United States from Bogotá, three to the U.S. from Medellín, two from Cali, and one each from Cartagena and Cúcuta.
Why isn’t suntanning an Olympic sports?
Because the ultimate goal is to win bronze.