AA ReveAAls Suite New Seats
American Airlines unveiled its new business class suites today, with the expectation that the new Flagship Suites will be sat on by premium passengers’ butts as soon as 2024.
The new suites will come on newly-delivered B787-9s and A321XLRs. The carrier’s fleet of B777-300ERs will eventually be reconfigured to have the new suites, but the timeline is as hazy as an AA rolling mechanical delay in the winter at DFW. The upfront seats aren’t the only fancy new addition, as AA will also install new premium economy seats with a renovated cabin.
The new suites do come at the cost of AA’s Flagship First product which will eventually be phased out, news that will disappoint almost no one.
AA’s new Dreamliners will come in a premium-heavy configuration with 51 Flagship Suites, 32 seats in premium economy, 18 Main Cabin Extra, and 143 for the normies in the back. They will also come with AA’s traditional sandpaper seat covers for basic economy passengers.
Horizon Pilots See Lots of Cash on the Horizon
Horizon Air, Alaska’s wholly owned regional subsidiary came to an agreement with its pilots which will see significant growth in salaries for the carrier’s more than 700 pilots.
First officers will see pay raises of a whopping 85% while captains will have to settle for a measly 76% jump in pay. First-year captains will earn $149 per hour – up from just $81 – the highest figure amongst all regional carriers. First officers will now start at $90 per hour, a hefty jump from the $48 they currently make as an hourly rate.
Harry Simkins, a pilot for Horizon and the chair of the union’s executive council, could not be reached for comment. He was last seen at home swimming in dolla dolla bills, and offering to pay for everyone in his Renton, WA Chipotle to add the guac to their meal. The deal passed with 99% approval from the union’s membership, with the 1% of holdouts removed from their job and sent to the hospital for psychiatric testing.
FAA Extends Ban on Flying over Iran
Anyone hoping to grab sneak a birds-eye view of downtown Teheran in the near future will be disappointed by the latest news from the FAA, as the government extended its ban on U.S. aircraft flying over Iran for fears the planes could be accidentally shot from the skies.
The government probably is doing the right thing in being overly cautious here, as having a plane accidentally shot out of the sky doesn’t sound too pleasant for anyone involved. The FAA is not the only government to ban flights over Iran as Canada currently bars its aircraft from overflying the country, and the UK permits it only at 25,000 feet and above.
The ban will remain in place through October 21, 2024, at the earliest. In practicality, it has little effect on U.S.-based carriers as few routes flown come close to Iran, but that will change next year when United begins its new service from Newark to Dubai.
- Air Europa wants a €400 million loan. Hey, who doesn’t?
- Azul is feeling blue after announcing it will divest itself of 12 E-195 E1s. But it’s also feeling less blue about taking control of its first A350-900.
- Delta is updating the food offerings in its international Premium Select product.
- GlobalX signed a LOI for 50 Eviaton Alice aircraft.
- Iconair had its operating license canceled by the Pakistani government, which — trust us — is a hard thing to have happen.
- Jazeera Airways is beginning two new routes to Thiruvananthapuram (TRV) and Bengaluru (BLR).
- JetBlue named Kevin Mathison its new VP for Enterprise Planning. In the role, he’ll be responsible for ensuring the airline runs an efficient and reliable operation, so….good luck.
- JetSMART Argentina began flying its fancy new A320.
- Qantas upset vegetarians.
- Rex will finalize its takeover of National Jet Express before the end of the month.
I told my nephew I saw a deer on the way to work this morning. He then asked me “How did you know it was on its way to work?”