United Gets Ready to Order Widebodies
Reports suggest that United Airlines is working toward a widebody order sometime around the end of the year. Both Airbus and Boeing are in the running to replace United’s oldest B767-300ER and B777-200 aircraft.
Some of United’s B767s were built more than 30 years ago and will eventually need to be replaced. Airlines have struggled with how to replace these airplanes. American opted for more B787-8 aircraft while Delta has chosen to just keep making them look new on the inside so people don’t realize how ancient they actually are.
United’s current widebody fleet is exclusively Boeing with all growth coming from the B787 Dreamliner, but the airline does have a long-delayed order for 45 Airbus A350s on the books. This could be an opportunity to rework that order into something that may be more useful for the airline.
Air Canada Wants You to Know Its Operation Is Less Bad Than It Was
Following on the heels of Spirit’s solid operational report yesterday, Air Canada put out a report of its own, giving a slightly less rosy — and quite twisted — view of the airline’s performance.
Trying to make the best of a bad situation, Air Canada awkwardly compared its performance the week of August 8 vs the week of June 27, as if one week is enough to give a proper evaluation. Still, the news was positive. Delays dropped by nearly half with cancellations being cut by three-quarters. Further, baggage mishandling rates — which had been elevated to 2.5x 2019 levels — have returned to 2019 levels.
Air Canada doesn’t provide actual numbers because it knows that will look bad, but Anuvu data shows that for the week, Air Canada still canceled 3.5% of flights and saw just under one half of flights that did operate arrive within 14 minutes of schedule.
After seeing these numbers, Spirit took back its apology from yesterday and told late night talk shows that it was officially handing over the title of “whipping boy” to Air Canada.
Qantas May Face Trouble In Acquisition of Alliance
The ACCC, Australian’s competition review committee, has laid out its preliminary concerns in Qantas’s proposed acquisition of Alliance.
Queensland and Western Australia were the focus of the ACCC’s issues, with a real concern about regional and “fly-in fly-out” markets to remote locations with few options. Specifically called out by the ACCC would be the elimination of competition entirely on the Brisbane – Moranbah route. Moranbah, as we understand it, is an actual place where at least some people want to fly.
The ACCC’s final decision is due on November 17, so if you want to tell them about the importance of Moranbah in your life, now is your chance.
- Air Astana has a growth plan.
- Alaska has expanded Horizon’s “bring a case of wine home for free” program to more airports and on Alaska mainline as well.
- Condor firmed up leases for 19 Airbus neos.
- JetBlue is out $3.6 million because it wouldn’t let flight crews take breaks per California law.
airberlinNorse Atlantic will make Fort Lauderdale its third US destination from Berlin.- United will add premium economy to more of its 767s.
- WestJet will start flying from Winnipeg to Los Angeles, obviously for the crushing level of demand from Angelenos wanting to visit Manitoba.
I asked a train engineer how many times his train had derailed. He said, “I’m not sure, it’s hard to keep track.”