NY Governor Signs off on New JFK Terminal
New York/JFK will receive a new Terminal 1 sometime this century after Governor Kathy Hochul announced a $9.5 billion plan to build a new international terminal at the airport. The governor is hopeful for a groundbreaking on the project next year with a targeted completion date of 2030.
The new international terminal had been slated to begin construction in 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic. The Port Authority says that it will undertake several infrastructure upgrades as part of the project including work on including roads, parking, utilities, a new electrical substation, and a memorial to Gov. Cuomo’s LGA AirTrain project.
The new terminal will be built on the site of the current T1 and T2 and the former site of T3, the old Pan Am Worldport which was demolished in 2013. The first phase of the project could open as soon as 2026 provided the project is completed on-budget, there’s no labor staffing issue, nor are there any weather delays. So…maybe not 2026.
When fully completed, the new terminal will have 23 new gates, plenty of seating for passengers to wait out their delayed flights due to NYC airspace congestion, and overpriced bars and eateries. In fact, a Delta 767 just pushed back from its gate at T4 and is hopeful to takeoff sometime around the opening of the new terminal.
American AAnounces Senior LeAAdership ChAAnges
In the wake of current CEO Doug Parker turning into a pumpkin on March 31, American Airlines announced changes in its senior leadership team that will report to incoming CEO Robert Isom when he takes the reigns of the airline.
Derek Kerr, currently the CFO of the carrier will add the title of Vice Chair and President of American Eagle. His role will be to make sure no RJ ever takes off with an empty seat next to you. American then made the strategic decision to promote Steve Johnson to Executive Vice President and strategic advisor to the CEO, the leadership team, and the board of directors. His business cards are expected to be the size of posterboard.
Maya Leibman will continue to serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer and will oversee all technology efforts for the airline. She’s the person with the magic button that slows the wifi on your flight just enough so you can see you’ve got an email but it won’t download no matter how many times you refresh.
Lastly, the carrier is adding six people to its senior leadership team. Combined, this group of six boasts decades of experience at AA and other airlines, but despite that, none of them can tell you why the DFW skylink is timed so that it pulls away just as you come up the escalator every time. They are:
- Priya Aiyar, SVP, Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal Officer
- Cole Brown, SVP, Chief People Officer
- Ron DeFeo, SVP, Chief Communications Officer
- Nate Gatten, SVP, Corporate Affairs and Chief Government Affairs Officer
- Vasu Raja, SVP, Chief Commercial Officer
- David Seymour, SVP, Chief Operating Officer
British Airways Announces LCC* Destinations
British Airways announced the initial 35 destinations for its new short-haul, London/Gatwick-based LCC that will begin flying next spring. The subsidiary, named British Airways* will see flights operated by BA for the first several months, but by Fall 2022 will be operated by its new brand BA Euroflyer.
The carrier will operate to seven destinations on its first day of operation on March 29: Amsterdam, Lanarca and Paphos in Cyprus, Seville and Tenerife in Spain, and Verona, Italy. The new airline will continue to add destinations over the next five weeks before getting to its starting number of 35.
Service to Athens, Berlin, Faro, Ibiza, Madrid, Malaga, Marrakech, Milan/MXP, Santorini, and Tenerife will now operate from Gatwick on British Airways* and continue operating from Heathrow on British Airways.
Club Europe customers will receive complimentary food and drink aboard British Airways*, while those in the back can purchase overpriced and underflavored options from the carrier’s Speedbird Café.
- airBaltic is opening a new base in Tampere, Finland (TMP).
- Cathay Pacific is moving B777 pilots’ base from Hong Kong to Los Angeles beginning next month to avoid Hong Kong’s strict quarantine policies.
- Corendon Airlines Europe applied for DOT permission to begin charter flights to the United States.
- Delta will continue its flight between Los Angeles and Sydney despite its breakup with Virgin Australia.
- Eastar Jet paid off $57 million worth of debt.
- JetBlue‘s flight attendants ratified a five-year deal with the carrier.
- Lufthansa is adding 3x-weekly nonstop service from Frankfurt to St. Louis beginning in June. It will also operate from Munich to both Rio de Janeiro and San Diego beginning on March 27.
- Lumiwings is opening a new base in Parma.
- Mandarin Airlines will end E190 ops on December 31.
- Qantas will begin nonstop 3x-weekly seasonal service from Sydney to Rome, via Perth on June 22.
- Spirit will begin flying from Memphis on April 20, with daily nonstops to both Las Vegas and Orlando. It will add a third daily flight, to Los Angeles, on June 8.
- SWISS added six new European destinations for next summer.
- Ukraine International Airlines is going to damp-lease a B767-300 from euroAtlantic Airways to operate long-haul charters.
- Virgin Atlantic will receive two new A350-1000 aircraft on lease — one in 2023 and one in 2024.
What do you get when you mix alcohol and literature? Tequila mockingbird