Hong Kong Suspends Flights from U.S., U.K., and Others
Hong Kong announced a temporary ban on flights from the United States, United Kingdom, and six more countries for at least two weeks. Other countries in the ban include Australia, Canada, Francia, India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. The suspension will be in place beginning January 8 through at least January 21.
The island has a 6 p.m. indoor hospitality curfew in place now, while most non-essential stores and businesses have been closed for at least two weeks. Fearing this overreaction wasn’t crazy enough, Hong Kong also requires hospitalization for all positive COVID-19 cases, even for those who are asymptomatic.
Hong Kong’s first positive case of omicron was reported on New Year’s Eve after an infected Cathay Pacific flight attendant broke quarantine and ate at a restaurant. She reportedly also kept talking while her mouth was full and chewed with her mouth open.
BA to Resume Sydney Service in March
British Airways will resume its famed Kangaroo Route between London/Heathrow and Sydney with a stop in Singapore on March 27, returning the route to service for the first time in nearly two years.
When the Sydney flight resumes, BA will then suspend its current service between London and Singapore through October 31, with the carrier using its London-Singapore-Sydney route to transport customers to Singapore. The decision to maintain Singapore as a once-daily service rather than double up with the return of the Sydney flight was based on reduced demand, ongoing uncertainty from COVID-19, and frustration from learning that you don’t have to be in Singapore to enjoy a Singapore Sling.
BA is hanging on to the possibility that the Singapore flight could be resumed prior to October 31 if demand warrants it. In the meantime, it is swapping the aircraft on the route, from the B777 on the current LHR-SIN route to the B787-9 Dreamliner for LHR-SIN-SYD.
Etihad Looks for Shorter Quarantine Requirements
Etihad Airways is pushing the Abu Dhabi government to reduce the time its staff must stay isolated after either a positive test or close contact with a positive case. The request comes shortly after Delta and JetBlue successfully led U.S. airlines to lobby the CDC for a reduction in required quarantine following a positive test.
The carrier told staff it approached the government in a plea for operational relief, as the carrier is experiencing similar staffing shortages as airlines across the world. Currently, anyone who tests positive in the UAE visit a unique medical center for an assessment. Patients with mild symptoms or who are asymptomatic are fitted with an electronic ankle tag, must isolate for 10-days, and are required to binge watch an entire series on Netflix from four choices provided by the government.
- Asiana expects to resume flying its A380 fleet in the next several weeks.
- Delta apologized (technically only to SkyMiles members) for its recent operational challenges.
- Israir expects to begin trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange via an IPO once BGI Investments completes its purchase of the airline.
- Singapore will begin 3x-weekly A350-900 service between Milan/MXP and Barcelona on January 17.
- SkyWest has been working with its mainline partners to reduce its schedule in January due to an increase in positive COVID-19 cases.
- TAP is hopeful of receiving another €990 million in aide from the Portuguese government in 2022. Keep that gravy train going.
- United and Virgin Australia applied to the DOT for codeshare permission on each other’s flights.
- Vietravel Airlines is adding an A321neo to its fleet in Q2.
- Vistara will operate flights between Delhi and Mumbai to Kolkata 5x-weekly this month with a technical stop on the way to Kolkata in order to circumvent flight limits due to COVID.
- Volaris Costa Rica now plans to begin flying early in Q2 of this year.
I saw a microbiologist today. He was much bigger than I had expected.