Southwest’s New Hobby: Airport Expansion
Southwest Airlines will begin a $250 million terminal expansion at Houston/Hobby airport that will add seven new gates in the airport’s west concourse.
Six of the new gates will be for the exclusive use of Southwest while the seventh will be available for other carriers – access to the gate will be determined by a feats of strength battle between senior leadership for all interested airlines.
The city is putting in $20 million for the project with Southwest contributing much of the rest of the funds up front. The city will eventually reimburse the airline through rent paid by tenants using the new, expanded west concourse.
Southwest has a lion’s share of the market at the airport, operating to 39 destinations. Delta and American each operate to one city from Hobby, Frontier will begin flying to three leisure-focused destinations later this year, and Allegiant does its thing that it does — operating to random places with seemingly no rhyme or reason.
Alaska Becomes Latest U.S. Carrier to Add Pilot School
Following in the footsteps of United, Alaska Airlines is getting its own pilot training school as it partners with Hillsboro Aero Academy to develop the next generation of pilots of its wholly-owned subsidiary Horizon Air.
The airline is partnering with the suburban Portland school to offer low-interest flight school loans, cover the cost of earning a commercial pilots license, and then will feed pilots into Horizon. Students enrolling in the program are eligible to receive low-interest loans to pay for the program, a $25k stipend to pay for the cost of obtaining their commercial license, and a conditional job offer from Horizon Air at the completion of the program.
The first class will begin on April 1, and Alaska is hopeful to have 250 new pilots flow through the academy on an annual basis, replenishing the ranks for pilots that have gone on to greener pastures.
United Revises Policy Throwing Shade at Passengers
United Airlines has tossed out its policy that requested passengers to raise their window shades for takeoff and landing. Despite the change, it remains the official policy of Cranky Daily that window shades should always be up during daytime flights.
The United States is a unique case (understatement of the century) in which it does not require windows to be up for takeoff and landing, something most other countries do insist upon. The Association of Flight Attendants, which represents United’s FA’s, is a believer in window shades being open on takeoff and landing and is disappointed in United removing its policy to encourage the practice.
The carrier will continue to ask passengers to lower their window shades upon arrival during warm weather to try and keep the plane cool(er), while also asking they be shut upon all arrivals into Newark for obvious reasons.
- Air Astana announced a $36 million profit in 2021.
- Air Premia is planning to raise $47 million.
- Delta will debut vegetarian-friendly and plant-based meals in first class later this month to ensure premium class passengers are disappointed by their meal regardless of whether or not they eat meat. Most passengers will still be best-served by sticking to Biscoffs.
- Emirates will not reopen its lounges in Australia until late this year.
- Etihad will debut its A350 on March 31.
- Korean and Asiana are suspending flights to Moscow for at least the next two weeks.
- Porter completed its first Q400 sale-and-leasebacks.
- Qantas will resume Tokyo service — to Tokyo/Haneda — on April 27.
- SKY Express signed an interline agreement with Transavia France.
- Sun Country is primed to earn more than $90 million annually from Amazon.
My kids were on eBay when I left for work today, and unfortunately they were still on there when I got home. I guess I’ll have to reduce the price tomorrow.