BA and Heathrow Drop Mask Requirement
British Airways and its home airport – London/Heathrow — will drop their mask requirements effective this Wednesday, March 16. Both the airline and airport plan to release full details in the next 24 hours, but the fact remains BA will become the first global airline to drop its mask requirement.
The change in policy does have some exceptions including still requiring masks on flights to or from the United States as long as the U.S. federal mask mandate remains in effect. The carrier is also willing to drop the mandate with summer around the corner with the expectation that the normally pasty, white Brits might get some sun this summer – while still bringing a mask mandate back for winter.
British media is speculating that Virgin Atlantic will make a similar announcement within the next 24 hours, following one step behind BA –keeping alive that tradition since 1984. British LCC Jet2 ended its mask mandate earlier this month, marking a rare instance when the carrier managed to complete something earlier than expected.
Frankfurt Braces for Tuesday Chaos
Airport security staff plan a 24-hour strike on Tuesday at Frankfurt International Airport to highlight their dispute with the airport over salary and working conditions. The strike will also extend to four other German airports: Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport (FKB).
Lufthansa, the dominant carrier at the airport will reduce flights to Frankfurt tomorrow as much as possible. The airport will not have any security lanes open for passengers originating in Frankfurt and hopes to have a limited amount available for connecting travelers.
LH advised passengers flying through Frankfurt today or tomorrow to travel with carry-on luggage only, if possible, which seeing the wardrobe of most German tourists is good advice regardless of the security situation. The union is demanding a pay raise of €1 per hour, while management countered with free admission to Wheneverfest 2023 – an offer the union turned down.
A New Dominican ULCC is Just What We Needed
Arajet announced its plans to be the DR’s newest airline, poised to become the first ULCC based in the Caribbean. It will connect North and South America via the Dominican and the Caribbean, starting service later this year from a base at Santo Domingo.
The new carrier will be led by founder and CEO Victor Pacheco and former Wizz Air CFO Mike Powell. Its financial backing comes from Bain Capital, the new majority owner of Virgin Australia. Whether we will see codesharing between VA and the new carrier or direct service between Santo Domingo and Melbourne remains anyone’s guess.
Arajet will exclusively operate a fleet of B737 MAX 8 aircraft, putting in an order for 40 new airplanes to be delivered of the next few years. Its first aircraft – a lease – arrived at SDQ last week. Now that it’s got a CEO and an airplane, all that’s left is to paint that plane bright yellow, find some passengers, slap some fees on them, and get this baby in the air.
- Air Zimbabwe is ready to sit at the grown-ups table again and rejoin IATA.
- Breeze opened a training center in Salt Lake City. Reports say it’s very nice.
- British Airways suspended its frequent flyer relationship with S7 Airlines. Up next to replace the carrier for BA presumably is S8 Airlines.
- Cargojet signed agreements to add six more freighters this year.
- Emirates and flydubai suspended service to Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus through at least May 8.
- Qantas reopened its international business lounges in Sydney and Melbourne today.
- Rano Air — the Nigerian carrier often confused with the dearly departed Reno Air — is adding four E145s.
- Ryanair was forced to cancel about 5,000 flights to Portugal this summer over a slot dispute with the Portuguese government. In the meantime, the carrier will spin the wheel at its office to see what government it will start a beef with next.
- Singapore will resume A380 service to India today.
- SkyWest‘s announcement that it is ending service to 29 cities was put on hold when the federal government cautioned the carrier to slow its roll.
I met a genie last week who said he could offer me one wish. I told him “I just want to be happy every day.” Now I live in a cottage with six other dwarves.