JetBlue Confirms 30 Additional A220s
JetBlue passengers who enjoy the carrier’s NYC Subway tile-themed restrooms aboard its fleet of A220s are in for good news today – the carrier confirmed it would exercise purchase options on an additional 30 A220-300 aircraft. When the final aircraft of this order is delivered – in 2026 – JetBlue will boast a fleet of 100.
The additional planes will also allow JetBlue to speed up the retirement of its E190 fleet, with the final one expected to transition to the big hangar in the sky in 2026.
JetBlue currently has eight A220s in its fleet, and they’re generally based in Boston. By this summer, it plans to put the aircraft on transcontinental routes including its first service to Vancouver beginning June 9. With its 100 on order, the carrier will become the largest operator of the A220 in the world. The 30 it added today blows it past Breeze (80 firm orders) and Delta (95).
EU Explores Forcing IAG to Divest Itself of BA
The French and German governments are filing a challenge that could potentially force IAG to spin off its ownership of British Airways. IAG, which also owns European carriers Aer Lingus, Iberia, LEVEL, and Vueling in its portfolio is technically running afoul of EU ownership rules following Britain’s exit from the EU via Brexit.
A regulation in the bloc requires airlines operating flights between EU countries to be owned and controlled by member state entities, which is no longer the case with British Airways. The regulation is currently in limbo – it was suspended in the immediate aftermath of Brexit on January 1, 2021 – but its return is currently being negotiated.
IAG argues it is compliance with EU ownership laws, with its Madrid-based Board of Directors having a majority of independent EU non-executive directors. While some countries in the block are willing to consider providing an exemption for IAG or scrapping the regulation altogether, France and Germany are unlikely to go along, wanting to build protectionist advantages for Air France and Lufthansa outside of the advantage they already have – the fact that they aren’t BA.
BA Offers 15% Raise to Cabin Crew
As the drama between British Airways and its flight attendants continues, the carrier is offering sugar to counter yesterday’s offer of spice to solve its staff shortage problems.
BA is prepared to offer pay raises between 10% and 15% to its flight attendants, with the first step being a 5% raise beginning next month. Crew would then receive two bonus payments worth about 5% of their salary near the end of this year, with the longest-serving employees receiving three bonus payments – worth 10% of their salary – throughout 2022.
The carrier then says it will increase wages by 10% at the start of 2023, dependent on how quickly the airline recovers from the pandemic. The offer will also apply to call center staff — though judging from the number of times we’ve been forced to listen to Flowering Duets for hours on end on hold, we don’t believe any are left — and other customer service employees and comes one day after the airline offered office staff and pilots the “opportunity” to serve as cabin crew in lieu of regular staff.
- Alliance Air will take delivery of two ATR 42-600 aircraft later this year.
- Azul has completed the conversion of the world’s first E195 freighter.
- Etihad will resume daily service to Sydney and Melbourne on March 27.
- Icelandair is suing Kelowna Flightcraft in British Columbia Supreme Court over a collapsed landing gear from two years ago.
- Malaysia will take delivery of 25 B737 MAX aircraft between 2023 and 2026.
- Qantas‘s flight from to London will continue to operate via Darwin instead of Perth through at least June.
- Singapore signed a $2.8 billion deal with GE Aviation for 22 GE9X engines and six-month’s access to Peacock.
- SKY Express completed an interline agreement with El Al.
- Thai AirAsia completed seven sale and leasebacks of A320-200s.
- Ukraine International Airlines sent two aircraft to Spain for safekeeping but is currently operating a nearly-full schedule with 13 planes.
- Widerøe secured all but one FOT routes — Norway’s version of EAS — to operate in Northern Norway for a two-year period beginning April 1.
- Wizz Air‘s application to operate charter flights to the United States on behalf of the Hungarian government is being opposed by AA’s pilots’ union.
Why didn’t the toilet paper make it across the street?
It got stuck in a crack.