Delta Gets Permission to Not Fly
Delta, in response to its poor operations this summer, requested the FAA grant a waiver from slot usage rules at New York’s JFK and LaGuardia as well as at Washington/National. The FAA issued its decision on Friday, saying that it would grant the request with limits.
Rules say airlines need to utilize their slots 80% of the time at those airports or risk losing them going forward. Delta was unable to meet that benchmark, so it asked for relief for a variety of reasons. In the end, the FAA agreed that COVID was still causing problems for the airline, so it allowed the waiver for flights through September 5 at both New York airports and on flights from Washington/National to those two airports.
When asked for comment, every low-cost operator and new entrant started to scream with frustration in unison, saying they have airplanes and crews and would gladly meet the utilization rules if given the opportunity.
Spirited Passenger Creates Panic in Las Vegas
A loud noise caused by an “unruly subject” at the Las Vegas Airport Sunday created mass panic and heavy flight delays that were expected to last into Monday.
An apparently-disgruntled passenger on Sunday made a loud booming noise that some passengers misinterpreted to be an active shooter. The chaos that followed saw travelers surge through security checkpoints without being screened as they tried to seek shelter. There was no actual threat, but the aftermath of the incident required mass re-screening.
It’s unclear which airline the passenger was flying, but we think it’s safe to assume it was Spirit.
Malaysia Airlines Picks Its New Fleet
Malaysia Airlines has made a decision on its future fleet. The airline will order 20 A330-900neos with 10 being an outright purchase and another 10 coming on lease.
These 20 airplanes will replace 21 smaller A330-200/300s along with a few 747s, 707s, Comets, and Boeing 314s it found lying around the Kuala Lumpur airport that it didn’t realize it still owned. These will operate on medium-haul routes to Australia/New Zealand, Asia, and the Middle East. The airline’s 6 A350-900s will continue to ply longer routes.
The airline says these aircraft will be configured in a “premium” configuration with 300 seats in two classes. We believe this premium layout will include 20 flat beds in the first two-thirds of the airplane with the remaining 280 people stacked on top of each other in the back.
- AirAsia and Malaysia Airports have decided to end their many feuds.
- Delta had an internal brawl when one of its 757s sliced through a regional jet’s tail in Boston. It’s believed the regional said something about how the Red Sox suck and the Boston-based crew disagreed.
- Emirates will return the A380 to Perth from December.
- London/Heathrow is looking for airlines to fly to Aberdeen, Cairo, Edinburgh, Nice, and Riyadh next summer.
- SAS scored $700 million in debtor-in-possession financing as it navigates through the bankruptcy process.
My friend asked me, “what’s the best part about living in Switzerland?” I said “I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus.”