Author: Andrew Bashuk

Operational Struggles Roll Into Thursday

More than 700 domestic flights were canceled today as the effects of last weekend’s operational failures were felt for a sixth consecutive day.

United led the way domestically with more than 150 cancellations today, abut 7% of its total operation for Wednesday. Alaska axed 11% of its schedule – 74 flights, with JetBlue’s 78 cancellations equaling about 7%. Spirit had a good day – for Spirit – cancelling just 56 flights, while Delta lost 88, which equaled 3% of its planned flying.

In addition to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 raging through airlines’ crew rosters, inclement weather was also factor – especially for Delta and Alaska which are still digging out from a major winter storm at their Seattle hub.

Chinese airlines canceled more than 700 flights today – led by China Eastern and Air China which combined for 650 cancellations, but we don’t put much stock in Chinese cancellation numbers anyway. On the bright side, every plane that took off from the United States en route to China made it without turning back halfway.

Kenya Airways to Remain Privatized

The Kenyan government dropped its plan to nationalize its flag carrier Kenya Airways, instead choosing to inject cash into the beleaguered carrier while keeping it a private entity. Despite the change-of-heart, the government will remain the carrier’s largest shareholder with a 48.7% stake in the airline.

KQ will receive more than $1 billion in restructuring money, led by an $827 million debt takeover by the government along with a $473 million cash injection. These are all contingent on the carrier meeting the government’s required conditions. Those include clear KPIs, timelines, reporting obligations, and a disbursement plan. No, really, that is a requirement. We just assume it will be irrelevant the second the money hits KQ’s bank account.

The government had already been on the hook for $750 million worth of the carrier’s debt, so increasing to $827 million is almost a nominal increase. The Kenyan national treasury intends to hire an airline consultant with “international experience and know-how to negotiate for concessions.” Luckily for Kenya, Doug Parker is about to gain a lot of free time and can be contacted at ex.ceo@aa.com.

Balearic Islands Propose Takeover of Air Europa

The ruling coalition in the Balearic Islands are pushing the Spanish federal government to purchase Air Europa and transfer control of the carrier to the Balearic government.

Més per Mallorca, the party that leads the ruling coalition in the islands – which include Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera – believe the €475 million the Spanish government has proposed injecting into the embattled carrier should be used to save the airline and not as a business opportunity for Iberia.

Under the proposal, the new state-owned carrier would retain is current headquarters in Llucmajor, near Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI), preserving local jobs. Becoming state-owned would also give Air Europa the opportunity to become the official airline of Ibiza and finally create the rave plane it’s had in development for decades.  Partygoers could get the party started upon departure from their home airport and arrive in Ibiza ready to go.

• Air Congo‘s debut is being delayed until at least Q1 2022, which seems prudent considering Q4 2021 has two days left.
• Air Serbia will resume service to Venice on April 10 and to Madrid on April 30.
• Austrian made a second €30 million payment to the Austrian government as it repays the €300 million it was loaned to get through the pandemic. Ryanair is still waiting on its cut.
• Delta offered 15,000 SkyMiles to customers affected by its operational shortcomings last week. Only six or seven more cancellation-filled weekends stand between those customers and a one-way domestic award in Main Cabin.
• Etihad is working towards a new cargo hub in Zhengzhou, China (CGO).
• Norse Atlantic, the startup being run by three guys named Bjørn, took delivery of its first B787-9 aircraft.
• Pobeda plans to add 40 new B737-800 to its fleet by the end of 2023.
• Samoa Airlines recently filed for bankruptcy and is trying to call “backsies” to get out of a B737 it recently leased.
• Singapore will suspend its short-lived flight to Los Angeles from Taipei beginning February 16, having grown tired of spray tans and the sprawling traffic.

Dracula passed out at midnight on New Year’s Eve.
There was a count down

CDC Reduces Quarantine Period

The CDC shortened the recommended time for COVID-19 positive individuals from ten to five days — provided individuals are asymptomatic and continue to wear a mask around others for at least five additional days, preferably longer if they have bad breath. The five day quarantine period will also apply to anyone exposed to the virus who is fully vaccinated.

The shortened quarantine time will be a booster to airlines who will be able to get staff back who have tested positive but are vaccinated and/or asymptomatic back to work more quickly, allowing for more flexibility. Airlines canceled thousands of flights over the last week due to lack of staff thanks to the omicron variant of COVID-19.

Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants, raised concern, saying:

“If any business pressures a worker to return to work before they feel better we will make clear it is an unsafe work environment, which will cause a much greater disruption than any ‘staffing shortages.'”

While it did reduce the COVID-19 quarantine period in general, the CDC did leave one exception. Anyone flying basic economy will still be required to quarantine for 14-days.

Denver Seeks Additional $1.3 Billion

Denver International Airport requested an additional $1.3 billion from the Denver City Council – on top of the $770 million that’s already been allocated to the airport – for its modernization project.

Phil Washington, DEN’s newly-appointed CEO, says the additional funding will better position the airport for future growth while also allowing much of the work to not disrupt the day-to-day passenger experience of being crammed into a small train to get to the gate for frequently-delayed flights.

The additional $1.3 billion is split between $500 million to relocate other lower-level security checkpoints to the expanded northeast corner of the upper level – the airport says it will increase security capacity by 62% by 2026. $600 million is for rebuilding the check-in areas, with 40 of this $600 million to build a temporary check-in area while the current one is rebuilt.

Lastly, there’s $40 million to build a new Center of Excellence and Equity in Aviation, $160 million for upgrades to curbside pick-up and baggage claim, and $3 million as “security payments” to the aliens and ghosts which live beneath the airport.

No funding is allocated for oxygen machines to allow passengers to better catch their breath after running the length of the airport to make their connection, and the airport is also willing to go without cash for a study to finally determine once and for all what rocky mountain oysters really are.

Arizona Cardinals Purchase B777-200ER

The Arizona Cardinals, losers of three straight and five of eight, took their frustrations out via retail therapy just like the rest of us – except they bought an airplane. The Cardinals purchased N687DA, a B777-200ER that Delta retired last fall.

The aircraft was delivered on December 17 and was used for the first time the next day to take the team to Detroit… where they promptly were beaten soundly, bringing into question whether the airplane was cursed by all those Falcons fans at Delta before leaving the fleet.

The aircraft came equipped with 28 seats up front in first, 48 in business and 90 oversized coach seats in the back to accommodate the team’s 80+ person weekly travel party. The aircraft comes with plenty of cargo space to store much of its equipment plus the decades of disappointment the team brings with itself on a weekly basis.

The Cardinals are the second NFL team to own their own plane – following the New England Patriots which purchased two B767-300s several years ago. The team now trails the Patriots in airplanes 2 to 1 and in Super Bowl championships 6 to 0. The Cardinals will fly 22,186 miles this year – fifth most in the NFL – but not enough to get entry-level status on any major American airline. Ryan Bingham reportedly scoffed when seeing their mileage total and said “call me when you get to 150k.”

• Air India‘s formal handover to new owner Tata Group has been delayed until next month.
• Air Montenegro, in an attempt to keep major news flowing this week, issued an RFP for narrowbody dry-lease.
• Avianca completed a sale and leaseback of nine aircraft with ten more expected to close by February.
• Icelandair, apparently tired of the cold, applied to operate charters between Florida and Havana this winter. GlobalX doesn’t want Icelandair to operate to Cuba and Icelandair told GlobalX via the DOT to go straight to Hekla.
• IndiGo took delivery of the eighth and final A320neo it had on order from BOC Aviation Limited.
• Royal Jordanian is in the market for $282 million in state aid to prevent the carrier from collapsing.
• Skymark Airlines borrowed $8.7 million as a subordinated equity loan from Shoko Chukin Bank.
• TransNusa (it’s a real airline) will become the first non-Chinese airline to operate the ARJ21-700.
• Tunisair began operations with its first A320neo.

Not to brag, but I already have a date for New Year’s Eve.
It’s December 31st.

Holiday Weekend Meltdown Rolls into Monday

Four airlines canceled at least five percent of their flights over the weekend – Allegiant, Delta, JetBlue, and United – with their struggles continuing past the weekend and into Monday. As Omicron rages through the population, airline staff are becoming infected at a rate causing several airlines to scramble to keep their operations running.

The CDC has reduced the isolation period for vaccinated healthcare workers from 10 days to 5 days but has not extended the offer to other industries – despite Delta’s letter to the CDC earlier this month to do just that. JetBlue and Airlines for America have also requested the change, but apparently the feds don’t care about them either.

The industry will have time to settle down next month as January traditionally sees a drop in air travel demand once the holiday season passes and hangovers kick in, but in the meantime, bumps are expected to continue this week and into the new year.

As if that wasn’t enough trouble, a snowstorm slammed into the Pacific Northwest on Sunday, snarling traffic out of Seattle/Tacoma and generally causing trouble for Alaska Airlines at its home base. So there’s your cherry on top of the sundae.

Delta Flight Turns Around Halfway

Delta Air Lines Flight 287 from Seattle to Shanghai via Seoul/Incheon last Wednesday was roughly halfway to Seoul when it turned around and went back to Seattle. The airline says that reports this was due to an onboard Biscoff shortage is not true, and in fact occurred because “new procedures required at Shanghai Pudong International Airport were implemented while it was en route.”

The carrier went on to say that China’s new procedures require more time on the ground than it’s able to schedule. Delta rebooked customers on alternative flights after returning to Seattle – flights that possibly operated and landed at the destination stated on the ticket.

The Chinese consulate in San Francisco protested to Delta and received 5,000 SkyMiles from the airline as compensation.

Qantas’ A380 to Return Early

Qantas accelerated its schedule to return its A380 fleet to the air by several months as the carrier announced a plan to begin flying the superjumbo by early next month.

The A380 will return on the Sydney-Los Angeles route on January 11, operating three times weekly. The first plane back will be VH-OQB – now would be a good time to check your bingo card to see if you had that one listed.

Much of the decision to bring the plane back was forced upon the carrier as 70 of its B787-9 pilots are currently required to take 14-days quarantine after international trips due to Queensland’s isolation policies. With many of its B787 pilots based in Brisbane, they are subject to the waiting period, while the Sydney-based A380 pilots open up greater flexibility for Qantas.

The carrier plans to have as many six A380s back in the air by the end of next year, with four more by 2024.

• Comair returned its lone B737 MAX back to its lessor. The plane had been sitting in storage since March of 2019 next to the carrier’s high school year book, old Christmas decorations, and a three-quarters complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica from 1994.
• Ethiopian will resume operating the B737 MAX in February.
• Jetlines‘s first aircraft has left the paint shop and the carrier plans to take delivery of the plane in February when it expects the paint will have finally dried.
• Qantas is hiring cabin crew for its London base for the first time in two years.
• Oriental Air Bridge is replacing its Dash 8-200s with ATR 42-600s.
• Vietjet took delivery of its first A330 aircraft over the holiday weekend.

Why should you put your new calendar in the freezer?
To start off the new year in a cool way.

United Dumps Dozen from Dulles

United Airlines is ending service to 12 destinations from its Washington/Dulles hub as it continues to be constrained by its shortage of regional pilots. The 12 destinations will not lose United service entirely, but the cities obviously angered someone at United as most will see Newark as their alternative option.

All 12 destinations losing service are operated by Air Wisconsin on behalf of United Express. They are:

• Akron, OH
• Asheville, NC
• Bangor, ME
• Erie, PA
• Greensboro, NC
• Greenville/Spartanburg, SC
• Ithaca, NY
• Manchester, NH (previously suspended)
• Philadelphia
• State College, PA
• Wilkes Barre/Scranton, PA
• Wilmington, NC

The 12 cuts represent about 11% of United’s scheduled departures from Dulles this March.

Delta Requests CDC Shorten Some Quarantine Requirements

Delta Air Lines sent a letter to the CDC making a request that the quarantine requirement for breakthrough COVID-19 cases be reduced by half from ten days to five.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian said Delta’s employees represent an essential workforce, and that the 10-day isolation period has the potential to significantly impact operations. Bastian and Delta’s Chief Health Office Carlos del Rio said while the Omicron variant might be more contagious, its often linked to milder disease, especially amongst the vaccinated.

The current 10-day isolation is based on 2020 guidance, prior to effective vaccines and the mountains of knowledge gained in the last two years. Bastian said Delta has over 90% of its staff vaccinated, with that number increasing.  The airline would be willing to partner with the CDC to college empirical data to help guide the CDC’s future policy making.

For now, Delta will continue to comply with the 10-day isolation for employees regardless of vaccination status. Employees who test positive while on a trip are being sent to Delta’s SkyMiles award redemption office in Atlanta. With the price its is charging for award redemptions, it’s as good a place as any to isolate and wait out the 10 days.

Wizz Beefs Up at Gatwick

Wizz Air is mounting a challenge to both easyJet and BA’s new British Airways* subsidiary by acquiring slots at London/Gatwick from Norwegian.

The Hungarian LCC acquired 15 daily slots at LGW, which will give it the capacity to base four more A321neo at the airport. The four new planes will increase the number of aircraft based at LGW for Wizz from one to five.

The carrier opened its base at Gatwick in October of 2020 as it sought to increase its presence. Wizz is one of several airlines which pushed the UK to end pandemic-era slot usage restrictions to potentially open more slots at desirable airports — a decision from the UK regarding summer 2022 is expected in January.

The carrier says it will announce the routes it will add from LGW in “due course.” Wizz Air employees were reportedly seen placing a large map of Europe on a wall at headquarters, with plans for a darts competition to see what destinations would be added using the new slots.

• Air Montenegro asked the Montenegrin government to finance its purchase of E195 aircraft.
• airBaltic‘s €45 million equity investment from the Latvian government was approved by the European Commission over the strong objection of Ryanair.
• American did something with its taxes. For more details, ask your accountant.
• Bamboo will launch twice weekly service to Melbourne on April 1. No kidding.
• Cathay Pacific is cutting all flights to Australia and Hong Kong between now and January 1 with the exception of twice weekly service to Sydney.
• Garuda Indonesia is facing the likelihood of its stock being delisted on the Indonesia Stock Exchange.
• Gulf Air is resuming service to Baku with twice weekly service beginning June 6.
• Singapore is offering two hours of complimentary on-board Wifi between now and March 31.
• TAP saw its €2.55 billion aid package from the Portuguese government approved by the EU. Ryanair vowed to continue to fight.

Why does Santa Claus go down the chimney on Christmas Eve? 

Because it soot’s him

Bad Behavior Can Now Send Passengers to Back of the Line

The FAA is partnering with the TSA to exchange information on passengers who cause disturbances and are facing fines from the FAA for their unruly behavior. The TSA says once it receives the names of the troublemakers, it can remove them from TSA PreCheck.

The FAA has received 5,644 reports of unruly incidents on flights this year, doling out fines as much as $37,000 for interfering with a flight crew. Of the 5,664, nearly 4,000 of them were mask related.

According to the TSA, PreCheck is a privilege for low-risk travelers, and those that cause on-board incidents can no longer be considered low-risk. The FAA and TSA might really be onto something here – because the fines of tens of thousands of dollars don’t seem to be working but forcing people to the back of the line with travelers who don’t know how to go through a security checkpoint could be just the punishment.

JetBlue Extends Heathrow Through October

JetBlue will continue serving London/Heathrow through at least October 2022 despite not yet securing permanent slots at the London airport.

The EU’s extension of a waiver to reduce the number of flights airlines must operate to maintain their slot authorities opened the door for JetBlue which has been flying to the slot-controlled Heathrow using temporary slots created by the waiver.

JetBlue will operate a daily flight from JFK to Heathrow, departing New York at 9:38 p.m. and arriving in London at 10:05 a.m. the next day. The plane will spend four hours on the ground in London before returning at 2 p.m. with a 5:08 p.m. scheduled arrival into New York. In addition to the once-daily flight to Heathrow, JetBlue will continue to operate daily service from JFK to London/Gatwick.

The carrier still intends to begin flying between Boston and London by next summer but has not yet identified which airport it will operate to in London, the frequency, or the date when the service will begin. So other than an airport to fly to, a schedule, a start date, and putting tickets on sale, it’s totally ready to fly from Boston to London.

EU to Require Compensation When Flights Leave Early

A European Court on Tuesday ruled that passengers should be awarded compensation if their flight leaves at least one hour earlier than it was previously scheduled.

The Court of Justice of the European Union said the €250 to €600 compensation for a cancelled flight under Europe’s EC261 Denied Boarding Restrictions is the appropriate payment. Payment of €250 is due for flights of 1,500 kms or less, €500 for 1,500 to 3,500 kms, and €600 for 3,500 kms and up.

The rule will apply to flights within the EU plus any flight to or from Europe and includes non-European airlines operating to the bloc. European aviation experts say the rule was passed as a preemptive strike to keep Spirit from ever considering operating in the EU. With the carrier using its schedule as more of a soft suggestion than a hard guideline, the EU compensation payments for early or late flights would be too much for Spirit.

• Aegean Airlines completed its takeover or Animawings.
• Air Canada was ordered by Quebec’s Administrative Labour Court to pay 90% of an employees wages based on her worker’s comp claim after falling down the stairs of her home while working from home last fall.
• AirAsia India will be merged into AI Express by new parent company Tata Sons.
• Czech Technics signed a new aircraft maintenance agreement with Austrian.
• Emirates will increase service to Brisbane to 5x-weekly beginning January 1, with Perth moving up to 5x-weekly on February 5.
• Flair will begin service to New York and Chicago this spring. Twice weekly service from Toronto to New York/JFK begins April 7, increasing to 4x-weekly on May 16. 3x-weekly flights to Chicago/O’Hare begin May 17.
• Jump Air took a leap and received delivery of its first aircraft, an AT72-500.
• SAS‘ new A321LR will take its first long-haul flight tomorrow when it flies from Copenhagen to Washington/Dulles. The aircraft will enter commercial service in March.
• SAS Link added its first E195.
• Sherpa Air took delivery of its first DHC-8-300 earlier this month.
• United will put its UA code on Singapore-operated flights between Singapore and Siem Reap (REP).
• UPS purchased 19 B767 freighters.

How much does Santa pay to park his sleigh?

Nothing. It’s on the house.

Qatar Paints Airbus as the Bad Guy in London Courtroom

Qatar Airways began legal action in its dispute with Airbus over the paint the carrier claims is adversely impacting its fleet of A350s. The suit in the Technology and Construction division of the High Court in London comes about a week after Airbus threatened legal action on Qatar.

Qatar has been voicing its concerns over the paint on its A350s for several months now with the manufacturer dismissing the charges. Qatar has grounded 21 of the 53 A350s in its fleet over the paint degradation issues which its CEO Akbar Al Baker said is a “serious matter that we don’t know if it is an airworthiness issue, we also don’t know that it is not an airworthiness issue.”

Airbus maintains that the issues are cosmetic and do not pose any harm for the airplanes or their passengers and has brought in experts from Estee Lauder and Revlon to help make its case. The cosmetic experts are expected to testify in court next week.

Brazil’s ITA Runs Out of Cash

ITA – the Brazilian version – was grounded over the weekend by the Brazilian government as the carrier ran out of money. The carrier called it a “temporary cease of operations for internal restructuring,” which is a nice way to say “we’re broke and can’t afford fuel, much less paying our staff.”

This ITA was formed last year and flew its first flight this past summer. Commercial flights began on June 30, which means the airline almost lasted long enough to celebrate its six-month anniversary.  It reportedly reached out to Italy’s ITA – Alitalia reincarnated – to discuss a merger or codeshare but its books were so bad even that ITA wouldn’t touch it.

Brazil’s Civil Aviation Authority – ANAC – is insisting the shuttered carrier find alternative accommodations and refunds for all passengers. The government also suggested that passengers with flights on the carrier this week do not go to the airport without making alternate plans, which seems like sound advice. The government also advised Brazilians not to show up at any stores that have gone out of business or call phone numbers that have been disconnected.

Jet Airways Looks to Accelerate Relaunch

Jet Airways, the reincarnated Indian carrier currently in bankruptcy, now plans to return to the skies early next year. To speed the process along, the consortium funding the relaunch has asked the National Company Law Tribunal to permit an expedited recapitalization of their plan. The plan itself was approved back in June, but moving the timeline up requires an additional sign-off from the government.

The new carrier is requesting permission to allow them to pay all stakeholders and former employees what’s owed to them by this week.  The carrier has an active Air Operator Permit valid through 2023 and has an interest in getting in the air as quickly as possible to keep the permit active. By doing so, it can renew its current permit next year before its expiration in 2023, a much easier process than applying for a new one.

Jet expects to operate six narrowbody at its launch but is in discussions with both Airbus and Boeing to up its fleet to over 100 by 2027.

• American had several flights depart DFW without ice on Sunday. Luckily cooler heads prevailed and the carrier rectified the situation later in the morning.
• Avelo is the latest airline to become part of the TSA PreCheck family.
• Bamboo Airlines will launch nonstop service between its Ho Chi Minh hub and Melbourne in April 2022. Service will operate twice weekly with the ability to upgrade to 4x-weekly if demand warrants it.
• Delta signed a reciprocal codeshare agreement with ITA — the one that’s operating flights (for now), that will see cooperation on Delta-operated flights to 92 destinations, beginning Wednesday.
• easyJet plans to return to London/Southend (SEN) this summer, two years after the airline left the airport.
• Jin Air added its first B737-900.
• Lufthansa Group made several changes to its senior leadership including naming Jens Ritter as CEO of Lufthansa and Annette Mann as CEO of Austrian. All of the individuals promoted are reported to be efficient, have disdain for small talk and a niche sense of humor.
• Norse Atlantic Airways, the startup founded by three guys named Bjørn, took delivery of its first aircraft — a B787-9 Dreamliner over the weekend.
• Philippines Airlines restructuring plan was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
• Qantas CEO Alan Joyce says his airline still plans to operate Brisbane-Chicago/O’Hare. The city pair was supposed to launch in April 2020 and was delayed indefinitely before it ever got off the ground.
• Uganda Airlines is acquiring the first narrowbody jets in the carrier’s history. The airline is currently deciding between the A220 and E195-E2.
• Ukrainian National Airlines will receive a $37 million aide package from the Ukrainian government.

How do the elves clean Santa’s sleigh on the day after Christmas?

They use Santa-tizer.

American and JetBlue Add Cities, Frequencies

Despite a push from the DOJ to quash the Northeast Alliance between American and JetBlue, the two carriers continue to push ahead and deploy the proverbial middle finger, unveiling six new routes and additional frequencies in 21 markets on Thursday.

The six new routes include one from New York, with daily seasonal service from LaGuardia to Portland, ME beginning July 9 on JetBlue. Starting this June. AA will add five destinations from Boston on E175 aircraft:

• Halifax, NS (YHZ): weekly
• Louisville (SDF): up to daily
• Memphis (MEM): up to daily
• Pensacola (PNS): weekly
• Traverse City, MI (TVC): weekly

JetBlue is also putting three previously announced routes on sale – New York/JFK to Vancouver (seasonal daily flights beginning June 9), Boston to Vancouver, and Boston to Asheville (both are seasonal, daily service beginning June 16). Twenty one cities will see increased frequencies from BOS, LGA, and JFK on both airlines.

Most importantly, American is finally moving out of the old LaGuardia Central Terminal Building entirely and into the new concourse. That means the airline’s first Admirals Club ever opened in 1939 will close its doors for good. There was a celebration among all the rats living there who now no longer need to share the space with grumpy business travelers.

Air France-KLM Continues Boeing’s No Good Very Bad Week

Air France-KLM placed an order with Airbus for 100 A320neo family aircraft and added purchase rights for another 60, continuing a bad week for Boeing. This order covers the needs for current 737 operators KLM and its LCC subsidiary Transavia Netherlands. The news comes less than 24 hours after Qantas chose Airbus for a massive order to update its entire narrowbody fleet.

The first deliveries for KLM from this order are expected in the second half of 2023. The carrier will operate medium-haul routes from its Amsterdam hub with the new planes while waiting to announce the cabin configuration at a later date. Presumably this goes like most Air France/KLM affairs with the Dutch having a good idea of the plan, but the French not caring and thinking they should do something else that’s not very smart.

The carrier says the A320neo will provide a 10% savings on unit costs, 15% savings on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, a 50% reduction in noise footprint, and a 33% increase in on-board storage room for KLM delft houses.

Air France-KLM also signed an LOI with Airbus for the purchase of four A350 freighter aircraft for Air France and the option to purchase four more due to the French requirement that Air France operate every Airbus airplane ever made. AF will be one of the world’s first operators of the cargo-only version of the A350 when it takes delivery of the planes.

PLAY Chooses U.S. Gateways

PLAY, the new transatlantic LCC carrier based in Iceland, WOWed many by announcing its first two destinations in the United States will be Baltimore and Boston.

Service to Baltimore will begin on April 20 and Boston will commence on May 11. PLAY will operate an A321neo on both routes in an all-economy layout.  The flight to Baltimore is 2,762 miles and blocked at 6:45 westbound and 6:00 back to KEF. Boston is shorter at 2,413 miles and is blocked at 6:05 going out and 5:30 coming back.

WOW PLAY currently counts 22 destinations in Europe that if flies to from Reykjavik plus the two it’s now adding in the United States. The carrier hasn’t announced when it will unveil more U.S. destinations, but reports are that it is hoping to do so before it has to file for bankruptcy and fold.

• Air Caraibes Atlantique and FrenchBee each took delivery of a new A350-1000.
• Air New Zealand took delivery of a brand new ATR72-600 aircraft. Initial plans to fly from the European factory nonstop were foiled about 200 miles into the journey when they realized how much fuel the aircraft actually holds.
• British Airways and Qatar announced an extension to their Joint Business Partnership, along with the announcement that the pair will operate up to six daily flights between Doha and London this winter.
• Corsair is adding wet-leased B737 capacity.
• Delta expects to report an approximately $200 million adjusted pre-tax profit for Q4.
• Emirates took delivery of MSN 272 today, its 123rd A380. The plane is the 251st and final A380 to be delivered.
• Icelandair will begin 4x-weekly service to Raleigh/Durham on May 12.
• Korean signed on with Pratt & Whitney to manage the carrier’s PW1100G-JM engines for the A320neo family with full disassembly, assembly and test capability.
• Qantas‘ flagship flight — QF 1 — from Sydney to London/Heathrow will once again stopover in Singapore beginning March 27.
• Qatar has restored inflight service levels to pre-pandemic levels.
• Rom Cargo Airlines had its AOC suspended by the Romanian Civil Aviation Authority. Here’s hoping it uses the free time it has now to think up a new name.
• Ryanair is opening a new aircraft maintenance facility in Seville.
• Ukrainian National Airlines placed an order for five An-158s.
• Vietnam Airlines reached an agreement with Air Lease Corporation to restructure the lease agreements on 18 of its aircraft.
• Virgin Australia operated a flight between Sydney and Fiji today — its first international flight in 20 months.

I went to McDonalds today and ordered two large fries.

They gave me like 100 tiny ones instead.

EU Extends Pandemic-Era Slot Waivers

The European Commission extended the waiver on usage requirements at slot-controlled European airports through October 29, 2022, despite concerns that the body would end the exemption prior to next summer.

IATA Director General Willie Walsh was pulled away from reading about the destinations British Airways* would operate from London/Gatwick when it launches to thank the commission for its decision. With the waiver in place, carriers will be forced to operate money-losing, slot-squatting routes at 64% of historic levels, rather than the normal 80%. This will allow carriers to focus on losing money the old-fashioned way: poor fleet management and spiraling personnel costs.

With the slot waiver extended, Walsh and IATA are now free to go back to lobbying EU governments for tax breaks and kickbacks like they did pre-pandemic.

Qantas Reportedly Chooses Airbus to Replace B737 Fleet

Qantas is expected to announce Thursday that it will go with Airbus and its A320 family for a significant airplane order to replace at least 75 older-generation B737 aircraft in its fleet.

The carrier had been courted by both major manufacturers for the order, but seems to have sided with Airbus over Boeing and its 737 MAX. In addition to this order, the carrier is also examining options to replace its fleet of B717 narrowbodies that operate for QantasLink, its regional carrier. The winner for the QantasLink planes seem to be between the A220 and Embraer’s E2.

The order, which is expected to consist of over 100 planes, will likely be announced Thursday morning in Australia (Wednesday evening in the United States). Airbus was more willing to meet Qantas’ demands for the new planes, which included passenger enhancements such as Vegemite dispensers at every seat and kangaroo-shaped tray tables.

IAG’s Acquisition of Air Europa Put on Ice…For Now

IAG is in advanced discussions with Air Europa’s parent Globalia to end the on-again, off-again acquisition saga that’s been going on since at least 2019.

On November 4, 2019, the two signed an agreement for IAG to purchase its rival for $1.13 billion, and then at an amended price of $564 million this past January following the downturn in demand due to the pandemic. The two parties then revealed today in a disclosure to the Madrid Stock Exchange that they are planning to terminate the agreement and redownload dating apps to find a new partner.

Both parties also feared a veto from the European Commission which was going to require significant concessions from IAG on anti-competitive grounds to allow the transaction to go through. IAG is paying Globalia $85 million to end the negotiations – double what it is contractually obligated to pay, in order to hopefully be first in line when Air Europa goes back on the market in the future.

• Air India could hire Fred Reid as its CEO under its new Tata Sons ownership. It also could choose someone else.
• Air New Zealand received a $338 million aid package from the NZ government.
• Austrian released its summer 2022 schedule which will feature up to 1,300 weekly flights.
• Breeze took delivery of the first A220 it has on order.
• Delta announced Pamela Fletcher will join the airline as its first Chief Sustainability Officer. Fletcher was flown to the announcement on a private jet where attendees enjoyed refreshments on paper plates and in paper cups to ensure easy clean up.
• easyJet and Virgin Atlantic have signed an agreement allowing customers to connect between flights on both airlines at London/Gatwick.
• Lufthansa acquired four former Philippine Airlines A350-900, expected to enter service next spring.
• Polar Airlines is sub-leasing a Q300 to Yakutia.
• Singapore signed a LOI for seven Airbus A350F Freighters powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines.
• Trade Air is wet-leasing a Q400. It gave up two baseball cards and a PB&J in exchange.
• Virgin Australia announced a new, Aussie-focused onboard menu to debut later this month. Enjoy the Vegemite, people.
• Winair received a $1.5 million loan from the Dutch federal government.

How did the picture end up in jail?

It was framed.

NY Governor Signs off on New JFK Terminal

New York/JFK will receive a new Terminal 1 sometime this century after Governor Kathy Hochul announced a $9.5 billion plan to build a new international terminal at the airport. The governor is hopeful for a groundbreaking on the project next year with a targeted completion date of 2030.

The new international terminal had been slated to begin construction in 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic. The Port Authority says that it will undertake several infrastructure upgrades as part of the project including work on including roads, parking, utilities, a new electrical substation, and a memorial to Gov. Cuomo’s LGA AirTrain project.  

The new terminal will be built on the site of the current T1 and T2 and the former site of T3, the old Pan Am Worldport which was demolished in 2013. The first phase of the project could open as soon as 2026 provided the project is completed on-budget, there’s no labor staffing issue, nor are there any weather delays. So…maybe not 2026.

When fully completed, the new terminal will have 23 new gates, plenty of seating for passengers to wait out their delayed flights due to NYC airspace congestion, and overpriced bars and eateries. In fact, a Delta 767 just pushed back from its gate at T4 and is hopeful to takeoff sometime around the opening of the new terminal.

American AAnounces Senior LeAAdership ChAAnges

In the wake of current CEO Doug Parker turning into a pumpkin on March 31, American Airlines announced changes in its senior leadership team that will report to incoming CEO Robert Isom when he takes the reigns of the airline.

Derek Kerr, currently the CFO of the carrier will add the title of Vice Chair and President of American Eagle. His role will be to make sure no RJ ever takes off with an empty seat next to you. American then made the strategic decision to promote Steve Johnson to Executive Vice President and strategic advisor to the CEO, the leadership team, and the board of directors. His business cards are expected to be the size of posterboard.

Maya Leibman will continue to serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer and will oversee all technology efforts for the airline. She’s the person with the magic button that slows the wifi on your flight just enough so you can see you’ve got an email but it won’t download no matter how many times you refresh.

Lastly, the carrier is adding six people to its senior leadership team. Combined, this group of six boasts decades of experience at AA and other airlines, but despite that, none of them can tell you why the DFW skylink is timed so that it pulls away just as you come up the escalator every time. They are:

• Priya Aiyar, SVP, Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal Officer
• Cole Brown, SVP, Chief People Officer
• Ron DeFeo, SVP, Chief Communications Officer
• Nate Gatten, SVP, Corporate Affairs and Chief Government Affairs Officer
• Vasu Raja, SVP, Chief Commercial Officer
• David Seymour, SVP, Chief Operating Officer

British Airways Announces LCC* Destinations

British Airways announced the initial 35 destinations for its new short-haul, London/Gatwick-based LCC that will begin flying next spring. The subsidiary, named British Airways* will see flights operated by BA for the first several months, but by Fall 2022 will be operated by its new brand BA Euroflyer.

The carrier will operate to seven destinations on its first day of operation on March 29: Amsterdam, Lanarca and Paphos in Cyprus, Seville and Tenerife in Spain, and Verona, Italy. The new airline will continue to add destinations over the next five weeks before getting to its starting number of 35.

Service to Athens, Berlin, Faro, Ibiza, Madrid, Malaga, Marrakech, Milan/MXP, Santorini, and Tenerife will now operate from Gatwick on British Airways* and continue operating from Heathrow on British Airways.

Club Europe customers will receive complimentary food and drink aboard British Airways*, while those in the back can purchase overpriced and underflavored options from the carrier’s Speedbird Café.

• airBaltic is opening a new base in Tampere, Finland (TMP).
• Cathay Pacific is moving B777 pilots’ base from Hong Kong to Los Angeles beginning next month to avoid Hong Kong’s strict quarantine policies.
• Corendon Airlines Europe applied for DOT permission to begin charter flights to the United States.
• Delta will continue its flight between Los Angeles and Sydney despite its breakup with Virgin Australia.
• Eastar Jet paid off $57 million worth of debt.
• JetBlue‘s flight attendants ratified a five-year deal with the carrier.
• Lufthansa is adding 3x-weekly nonstop service from Frankfurt to St. Louis beginning in June. It will also operate from Munich to both Rio de Janeiro and San Diego beginning on March 27.
• Lumiwings is opening a new base in Parma.
• Mandarin Airlines will end E190 ops on December 31.
• Qantas will begin nonstop 3x-weekly seasonal service from Sydney to Rome, via Perth on June 22.
• Spirit will begin flying from Memphis on April 20, with daily nonstops to both Las Vegas and Orlando. It will add a third daily flight, to Los Angeles, on June 8.
• SWISS added six new European destinations for next summer.
• Ukraine International Airlines is going to damp-lease a B767-300 from euroAtlantic Airways to operate long-haul charters.
• Virgin Atlantic will receive two new A350-1000 aircraft on lease — one in 2023 and one in 2024.

What do you get when you mix alcohol and literature? Tequila mockingbird

Delta Spends $1.2 Billion to Shore Up Stake in Three Airlines

Delta Air Lines, the airline that prides itself on acting as a sugar daddy for carriers around the world, announced it would drop a cool $1.2 billion to maintain a stake in three of the airlines in its harem.

As Aeromexico, LATAM, and Virgin Atlantic emerge from their respective bankruptcies, Delta will re-invest in all three to keep its partial ownership alive for the restructured carriers. Delta’s share of Virgin Atlantic will remain at 49%, while its portion of Aeromexico will equal a 20% equity stake, and LATAM will be at just 10%.

A bankruptcy judge sent Aeromexico’s restructuring plan, including Delta’s 20% stake, to a vote from its creditors last week. The confirmation hearing is set for early next year. LATAM submitted its bankruptcy plan late last month and is awaiting a timeline for confirmation from the bankruptcy court. Virgin Atlantic is just happy Delta kept its investment and didn’t get it confused again with Virgin Australia.

These investments will not affect Delta’s ownership stakes in Air France/KLM, China Eastern, Korean, that oil refinery, and anything else is accidentally bought during a drunken buying spree shortly after that drunken Woodford Reserve tour back in 2019.

Virgin Australia, United Latest Airlines to Go Steady

What’s old is new again, as United and Virgin Australia will renew a codeshare partnership early next year. The tie up between the two will include benefits for loyalty program members and codeshares. United and Virgin Australia once partnered together beginning in 2000 when the then-named Virgin Blue partnered with UA following the collapse of Ansett Australia.

United currently offers two daily flights to Sydney, one from San Francisco and one from Los Angeles, while it also plans to operate between its Houston/IAH hub and Melbourne later in 2022. Virgin Australia doesn’t currently fly to the United States, but it will offer United fliers connections across Australia, while VA customers will receive one-stop access to hundreds of great U.S. destinations plus Newark.

Elite members in both programs will be able to earn and burn miles on the other carrier, and they’ll receive the following reciprocal benefits as part of the new partnership:

• Priority check-in
• Priority boarding 
• Priority baggage delivery and additional baggage check allowance
• Priority security clearance 
• Lounge access

This will mark Virgin Australia’s first codeshare agreement under Bain Capital and it comes just over a year since Delta suspended its JV with the carrier and on the same day it reaffirmed its commitment to three airlines not named Virgin Australia.

Hawaiian Releases Revised 2022 Outlook

Hawaiian Airlines filed its most recent 8-K report to the SEC today as it gives an investor update into expectations for 2022. The carrier’s crystal ball shows small growth and delivery delays for two aircraft from Boeing.

The carrier, which recently signed a long-term contract with Amadeus to handle its reservations, departure control, data intelligence, payment process, on-board lei distribution, and POG juice reserves, expects capacity to be between flat and up 4% in 2022 compared to 2019.

Hawaiian was expecting two B787 Dreamliners to be delivered by the end of next year but is now working with Boeing on a revised delivery schedule. When Hawaiian CEO Peter Ingram called AA’s incoming CEO Robert Isom to see if they had any extra Boeing widebodies that Hawaiian could borrow for next year, Isom reportedly hung up on Ingram and blocked all 808 area code numbers from his phone.

• British Airways is beginning 5x-weekly service from Heathrow to Portland. on June 3. It will also resume 4x-weekly flights to Pittsburgh on the same day.
• Citrus Air, a Russian startup that intends to count Mango and Peach amongst its rivals, plans to start with bases in Kazan (KZN) and Omsk (OMS).
• Cobra Jet secured its AOC from the Egyptian government. Now it needs airplanes so it can implement its plan to strike first and strike hard. No mercy.
• Finnair might be debuting a new premium economy and business class cabin. Also it might not.
• Flying Green, a theoretical airline in France now plans to launch in Q2…of 2023.
• Frontier signed an agreement with FLYHT to equip its A320 and A321 delivers with the company’s Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS) for flights over water.
• Jazeera Airways took delivery of its ninth A320neo over the weekend.
• La Compagnie will codeshare with Afrijet on flights to Libreville, Gabon (LBV).
• Qantas reopened its Singapore and London/Heathrow lounges.
• Ryanair will operate twice weekly service this spring from Birmingham to Knock (NOC).
• T’Way Air outlined its plans to operate t’wo-class A330s.
• Ultra Air added the first plane to its fleet, an A320.
• United and Alaska have cash to burn, demonstrated by their investment in ZeroAvia which claims to be moving closer to commercialization of its hydrogen-electric technology.
• Virgin Atlantic and British Airways are being banned from flying to Nigeria after the UK government placed Nigeria on its red list.
• World2Fly received tentative approval2Fly between the United States and EU.

How far can a dog run into the woods?

Halfway. After that, the dog is running out of the woods.