Author: Andrew Bashuk

Qantas Outlines International Resumption Plans

Qantas announced its plans to restart international service, potentially as early as this December. The airline will fly to destinations with high vaccination rates which rules out the possibility of the airline launching that Sydney to Mobile, AL nonstop that many were hoping for.

It will return five of its A380s into service earlier than expected to meet high demand to both Los Angeles and London by the middle of next year, eventually bringing 10 of its 12 A380s back to service. The airline is also extending the range of its A330-200 fleet to operate transpacific routes including Brisbane to both Los Angeles and San Francisco. This process of extending the range involves putting a piece of tape over the fuel tank meter so the pilots are never really sure how much gas is left in the tank and push it to the destination.

Destinations with low vaccination rates and high positive infection rates will be pushed to an April 2022 resumption, including much of Southeast Asia and South Africa.

BA Ponders New Low Cost Subsidiary

Because another LCC subsidiary is exactly what British Airways-owner IAG needs… BA told employees Thursday it plans to start a new budget airline based at London/Gatwick. The carrier opted for Gatwick over Heathrow because everything about this new airline will be budget, and BA won’t pay the exorbitant price for the Heathrow Express.

The new airline wouldn’t begin flying until at least next summer and would offer short-haul service from Gatwick along with BA’s traditional, leisure-based long-haul operation it runs from the airport. The airline has not restored any short-haul service to Gatwick since the pandemic, so it will need to do something if it wants to keep holding on to those slots. You might think handing them over to IAG’s low-cost carrier Vueling would make sense, but apparently that’s not complicated enough.

By creating a new airline BA could hire a new set of pilots and cabin crew on cheap contracts and subcontract ground services to the lowest bidder, similar to what it does now, but this time with a different livery. The reduced labor costs would allow the new airline to drive greater profits while debuting new ways to lower service standards on-board the aircraft.

Air New Zealand plans to Phase out B777s

A decade after phasing out Rico and the 747, Air New Zealand is planning on phasing out its B777 fleet, choosing to fly its B787 Dreamliners on long-haul routes in lieu of the 777s.

The airline sent eight B777-200s to retirement last year during the early days of the pandemic, but today’s announcement seals the fate of its newer B777-300ERs as well. The outgoing planes flew the airline’s flagship route between London/Heathrow, Los Angeles, and Auckland and were the first to feature NZ’s Skycouch and the Spaceseat.

The announcement was made as part of Air New Zealand’s fiscal year 2021 annual report, where it revealed a loss of NZ$411 million for the year on an operating revenue of NZ$2.5 billion. The revenue figure is a 48% drop from last year and came despite the airline reaching the 93% capacity threshold from 2019 for the three months ending in July.

Air New Zealand ended its fiscal year with NZ$1.3 billion in liquidity including NZ$183 million in cash and the rest in undrawn funds on a loan from the government. It has much of its cash tied up in kiwi futures and as a down payment for a new marketing campaign for 2022, “at least we’re not Australia.”

European LCCs Battle Italian Regulator

EasyJet, Ryanair, Volotea, and Wizz Air are firing back at Italy’s civil aviation authority (ENAC) for fines of up to €50,000 to each carrier for violations of the regulator’s free seat requirements for minors and those accompanying passengers with special needs.

The regulator charged an additional €35,000 fine to Ryanair for what it said was circumventing regulations and continuing to charge for the assignment of nearby seats for minors and caregivers, and purposely making it complicated for passengers to file for a refund. Wizz Air, easyJet, and Volotea all said they are now in compliance with ENAC’s regulations. The three carriers claim they have taken all the appropriate measures and they consider the measure closed.

Ryanair, on the other hand, is taking a more aggressive approach towards the government, saying ENAC’s claims are “incorrect” and “misleading.” The airline wasn’t sure exactly what the government was claiming but knows that any time a government entity accuses it of anything, the claims are always incorrect and misleading.

Gulf Air Eyes US Flights

Gulf Air is considering a resumption of service to the United States for the first time in a generation as it filed a Designation of Agent form with the DOT, a first step for the carrier to receive permission to operate to the country.

Gulf Air served New York/JFK from its hub in Manama, Bahrain (BAH) from 1994 to 1997. Surprisingly, the airline is not interested in serving New York this time around, but instead has its heart set on Houston. Bahrain is one of the world’s leading producers of trash cans and trash can parts, making it a perfect fit for the oil town — home of the sign-stealing Astros — in southeastern Texas.

The flight from BAH to Houston/Bush would come in at just under 8,000 miles and be the airline’s longest flight west by a wide margin. Currently it only flies as far as west as London and as far east as the Philippines.

• Air Serbia is launching flights to Beijing in January.
• Aran Airlines is starting the certification process and is hoping to debut early in 2022.
• EasyJet UK announced Stephen Hester as its new Chairman of the Board replacing Frank Sinatra who died in 1998.
• DHL Air Austria will debut later this winter.
• Green Airways is in court facing a challenge to its ownership structure just two weeks after launching, continuing the tradition of Nigerian airlines always keeping things interesting.
• Kargo Xpress is adding two B737-800 freighters to its fleet. In other news, the airline is sending its senior leadership team to spelling camp.
• Qantas is reopening its lounges in Los Angeles, London, and Singapore when it resumes flying to those destinations while permanently closing its lounge in Hong Kong.
• Philippine Airlines returned two unspecified aircraft to their lessors last month. Presumably the airline will figure out which two aircraft it was at some point.
• Polar Airlines is adding two Dash 8-300s.
• Spirit‘s stock is now considered stable, something that can’t be said about its operational capacity.
• United introduced Miles + Money, a new way to use Mileage Plus miles for customers who prefer getting horrendous value.
• Volaris received an operating certificate for its El Salvadorian subsidiary, Volaris El Salvador. The airline received its name after being chosen in a name the airline contest.

I bought a new reversible jacket today. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Delta Adds Surcharge for Unvaccinated Employees

In a move being applauded by Spirit, Delta Air Lines notified employees today they will be charged an additional $200 monthly health insurance premium beginning November 1 if they choose to not take the COVID-19 vaccine.

The average hospital stay for an employee has cost the airline $50,000 per person, or roughly what it charges for a Delta One seat from Los Angeles to Sydney. The charge was detailed in a company memo where CEO Ed Bastian said it was necessary due to the rise in cases from the B.1.617.2 variant of COVID-19, known everywhere else in the world as the Delta variant.

Beginning September 30, Delta will only offer payroll protection to fully vaccinated employees who experience breakthrough infections. Unvaccinated staff who test positive will be required to use applicable sick leave to continue to be paid while infected. Approximately 75% of Delta’s 75,000 employees are vaccinated, with the remaining 25% unable to make a decision because the healthcare professionals flying on Delta had to gate check their bags due to boarding in zone three and are still waiting at the carousel in Atlanta for their bags to appear.

Gatwick Looks Toward Its Runways to Increase Capacity

London’s Gatwick Airport technically has two runways, but one is an emergency runway that doesn’t see regular use. That has given the airport the honor of being the busiest single runway airport in the world… a title that the airport is now hoping to relinquish. Gatwick has put forth a plan to use its shorter, north runway for departures which would add capacity and reduce congestion at the airport, something that’s apparently more important than being #1.

The trick to the move would be to relocate the centerline of the runway by 12 meters to north to meet the standard for parallel departure operations. The new departure runway would be used exclusively for smaller aircraft, while departures for larger aircraft and all arrivals would continue to operate on the southern runway.

The airport believes the change would permit it to accommodate just over 75 million passengers a year, a figure that doesn’t even include the millions who mistakenly show up at Gatwick each year instead of Heathrow. The airport had an operating capacity of 62 million prior to the pandemic, an especially impressive figure when you see the list of airlines and destinations offered from Gatwick.

United Swaps Aircraft on JFK Routes

United Airlines released a schedule change which shows the airline will now operate all of its flights out of New York/JFK with B757-200 aircraft beginning October 4. Since returning to JFK this spring, the airline had been exclusively using B767-300s for its operation.

The 752s have a slight increase in capacity vs the 763s, going from 167 seats to 169. But the layout of the aircraft is a downgrade for premium fliers, as the 763s featured 46 new Polaris Business class seats in a 1-1-1 configuration, but the older 763s feature just 16 seats up front, and they’re in a 2-2 configuration. Adding insult to injury, the first-class seats come wrapped in barbed wire, making for a very uncomfortable ride in the premium cabin.

It’s also worse behind the curtain, as the configuration goes from 22 premium economy seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and 99 economy seats in a 2-3-2 layout to 153 economy seats in a 3-3 layout. The flooring in the economy section is molten lava and passengers must avoid touching the floor at anytime during flight or risk severe injury.

South African Plots Return

It’s been a rough year for South African Airways. The airline went into business rescue before the pandemic in December 2019, and then stopped flying altogether in September of 2020. After exiting business rescue this April, it’s now solvent (temporarily, we assume) and the government gave control of the airline back to its board and senior leadership team.

The airline announced today it will return to the skies on September 23, initially operating to six destinations from Johannesburg: Cape Town, Accra, Kinshasa, Harare, Lusaka, and Maputo. It will expand its route network over time, if demand is there.

SAA will resume flying with eight aircraft, three A319-100s, two A320-200s, one A330-300, and two A340-600s… or basically whatever it could scrounge up after stiffing its partners over the past year. The airline owns the two A340s and leases the other six. In its business rescue plan it outlined a 26-aircraft fleet, which gives it room to grow as needed. It will begin with a limited on-board service package to keep costs down. The airline plans to offer juice, soft drinks, and snacks in all cabins, with the notable exception that nothing mango-flavored will be catered.

American Levels Back Up

American Airlines is resuming its codeshare agreement with IAG LCC LEVEL. The partnership between the two airlines first began in 2017 but hit a bump in the road with LEVEL entered bankruptcy protection last summer. The news came as a surprise to us since we had forgotten LEVEL even still existed.

The airline continued to operate a limited long-haul operation out of Barcelona to New York/JFK and San Francisco. In addition to those two, it will resume flying to Santiago, Chile on November 1 and Boston on November 2.

LEVEL carried just 28,000 passengers in the first six months of 2021, a 96% drop from 2019, and the lowest level for passengers since the airline began operating. Upon hearing about the resumption of the codeshare, a spokesperson for JetBlue sighed, took a sip of his Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and mumbled something about thinking they were enough for AA, but apparently not.

• Aer Lingus is delaying the start of its transatlantic operation from Manchester. Barbados is being delayed to October 20, New York/JFK to December 1, and Orlando to December 11.
• Africa Airlines began scheduled flight operations this past weekend.
• African Express Airways staff is unable to access their offices at Nairobi’s airport due to an ongoing legal battle between Kenya Airways and 748 Air Services.
• Air Caraibes is on the lookout for additional aid to keep it solvent and operating. Interested parties should contract the airline with their bank account and routing number.
• Air Chathams will retire is final Convair CV-580 later this year.
• American would prefer you not AAccess its AAdmirals Club in Orlando if you’re a Priority Pass member.
• Cathay Pacific is splitting The Wing into separate lounges for transit and outbound passengers.
• Fly All Ways was granted DOT permission to operate charter flights all ways it chooses to the United States from Suriname.
• German Airways is red with anger over €800,000 it believes its owed from Green Airlines
• Hans Airways needs all hands on deck as it recruits flight crews to operate its long-haul A330 services to India.
• IranAir‘s $8.1 million outstanding fuel debt was paid by the Iranian government.
• ITA, Italy’s newest racket airline is allegedly beginning flights this October, and the airline will begin selling tickets to suckers customers tomorrow.
• Turkish will begin serving Dallas/Ft. Worth with 4x-weekly service beginning September 24.

I grilled a chicken for two hours today. It still wouldn’t tell me why it crossed the road.

Delta Commits to an Additional 30 A321neos

Delta Air Lines converted purchase rights for 30 additional A321neo aircraft into a firm order. This gives the airline a total of 155 on order over the next few years.

Delta will take delivery of the first neos early in 2022, adding to its current fleet of 120 A321s flying for the airline today. Many of the new planes headed Delta’s way are being delivered from Airbus’s manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama because Airbus saw what Delta was charging for a SkyMiles redemption from Toulouse to Atlanta and decided MOB-ATL would be far cheaper.

The aircraft will come with 194 seats in three classes – 20 in first, 42 in Comfort+, and 132 in the main cabin. The planes will be used by Delta to replace older, less efficient aircraft in its fleet because using them to replace newer, more efficient aircraft doesn’t make sense.

Where There’s Smoke There’s an Overheated Cell Phone

Passengers on Alaska Airlines flight 751 were forced to deplane via emergency slides shortly after landing in Seattle Monday when a passenger’s cellphone caught on fire and a hazy smoke filled the cabin.

While a haze from smoke is not an unusual thing for Seattle, it’s still frowned upon in airplanes, and the captain made the decision to evacuate the aircraft instead of waiting to get to a gate. The flight attendants used fire extinguishers to put the flames out while putting the phone in a fire containment bag.

Some passengers did experience “minor bumps and bruises” from the evacuation, exposing which passengers had spent time on rusty jungle gyms as a kid and which had not.

A Nation Rejoices: American to Reopen FlAAgship Lounges

American Airlines is reopening its Flagship Lounges this fall, along with its Flagship First dining program where first-class passengers on three-class AA flights can enjoy a mediocre meal of less quality than is available at several eateries in the airport but feel important because it’s served on a white tablecloth.

The first Flagship Lounge to reopen will be New York/JFK on September 14, as the airline is currently working to evict the rats and other small animals who have made the lounge their home since it was shuttered a year and a half ago. The JFK lounge staff will need two days to prepare the meals for Flagship First dining, as it will return two days later on September 16. Miami will follow later in the month, with the lounge opening on September 28 and dining on the 30^th.

American is expected to open its Flagship locations in Los Angeles, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Chicago/O’Hare later this fall. The airline is partnering with the James Beard Foundation to serve curated menus inspired by the foundation’s chefs.

Other lounge upgrades include fancy new soap in the restrooms and Dyson Supersonic hair dryers in the shower suites. Travelers can expect an increased level of service in the shower suites as well, as the airline is forcing all Basic Economy passengers to work a shift in the shower suites prior to being given permission to board.

Flair Continues to Grow

Flair Airlines is opening a new base in Edmonton and expanding its network at the airport by four cities in the United States and adding flights to two Canadian destinations.

Flair will offer seasonal service to Burbank, Las Vegas, Palm Springs, and Phoenix/Mesa beginning December 16. The snowbird flights for Canadians will operate twice weekly with the exception of Las Vegas. The airline spun a roulette wheel and it landed on three, meaning it will operate three weekly flights to LAS. All things considered, that worked out well because Flair doesn’t have the demand to support 36 weekly flights had the wheel landed on 36 or a similarly high number.

In Canada, the airline will extend its summer service to Kelowna (YLW) and Victoria (YYJ) through the winter season as well. The extensions will compliment the airline’s current service to four domestic destinations from Edmonton: Abbotsford (YXX), Kitchener/Waterloo (YKF), Toronto, and Vancouver. It’ll base one B737-8 at the airport and keep two others at the local Tim Horton’s for coffee runs.

Starlux Hopes to be Wooed by an Alliance

Taiwanese startup Starlux Airlines is swooning over the idea of joining one of the big three alliances as it builds out its fleet and route network across the world.

The airline started flying the busy Taiwan-Singapore route from its launch, and finds itself competing with China Airlines, Eva Air, and Singapore Airlines on the route. The airline positioned itself as a “detail-oriented leisure airline,” which is a fancy way of saying low-cost carrier.

It was founded in 2018 and began flying in early 2020 – not the best time to begin a new Asian airline, it turned out. It currently operates a fleet of single-aisle A321neo aircraft with just eight seats up front, but beginning in 2022 the airline is adding eight A330s and A350s – the A350s will feature three classes of service including first and business.

With SkyTeam and Star already having a Taiwanese airline in their portfolios with China Airlines and Eva Air respectively, it would seem that oneworld is the most logical landing spot for Starlux. Upon hearing the news that Starlux is a future potential member a spokesperson from Alaska was seen rolling their eyes and saying “We don’t need any new members. New alliance members are the worst. A total drain on everyone’s time and energy. Just no.”

• AeroSucre added a sweet B737-300 freighter, its first.
• Air Canada‘s Aeroplan introduced Gulf Air as its 42nd airline partner.
• AirTaxi took delivery of its first CRJ900. Delivery was slightly delayed so the aircraft could be painted yellow and outfitted with a beaded seat cover for the cockpit.
• Alitalia will stop selling tickets for flights beyond October 15 tonight at midnight. It’ll probably forget tomorrow and put them back on sale until someone notices and takes them off sale again.
• Avianca returned its final two A321neos to their lessor. The two aircraft had been in storage since March 2020.
• Cathay Pacific is closing The Bridge lounge in Hong Kong, a blow to The Trolls which hung out below the lounge.
• Delta is testing an option to allow passengers to upload their vaccine cards prior to travel, piloting the program on flights to Ireland and Greece.
• Emirates plans on operating up to 77 weekly flights to the United Kingdom by the end of October. Service will include six daily flights to Heathrow, twice daily to Manchester, 10x-weekly to Birmingham, daily service to Glasgow and 4x-weekly to Newcastle.
• Lufthansa Cargo is about to retire its last remaining MD-11 aircraft. Once the plane is retired, the airline can focus on retiring its pet rocks and legwarmers as well.
• Qatar is considering purchasing a stake in Air Côte d’Ivoire.
• SAS will have resumed all domestic operations in Norway and Sweden from prior to the pandemic by next month.
• Sky Alps is beginning service to four new cities this winter: Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, and London. No one told the airline London has five airports, so it will need to pick one at some point or its pilots are going to have an awkward first flight.
• SWISS is mandating all pilots and cabin crew be fully vaccinated.
• United‘s vaccine mandate will now take effect on September 27 since the Pfizer vaccine has received full approval from the FDA.
• WestJet resumed once-weekly flights from Calgary to Paris/CDG last Saturday.

When going to a trampoline park, what’s the appropriate attire?

A jumpsuit.

U.S. Airlines Activated to Assist Afghan Airlift

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), a 70-year old program the government created in the wake of the Berlin airlift which requires commercial airlines to assist the government for a “major national defense emergency.” This is just the third time the CRAF has been activated – once in the early ’90s and again in the early 2000s, both in Iraq.

The government was slow to get the CRAF activated as its handbook hadn’t been updated since the early 2000s, and its calls to AirTran, Continental, Northwest, TWA, and US Airways all went unanswered.

The activation was for 18 aircraft – three each from American, Atlas Air, Delta, and Omni Air; four from United; and two from Hawaiian. The DoD asked Spirit for four planes, but the government wasn’t willing to pay Spirit’s $39 warzone fee, which turned out to be for the best because Spirit couldn’t find four planes to lend the government anyway. Southwest also was passed over because the government refused to pay for Early Bird and is so busy with the the situation in Afghanistan, no one would commit to checking in 24 hours before the flight.

Allegiant offered to help, but only if it could airlift passengers to Appleton, Grand Rapids, Minot, or Tulsa, while Avelo and Breeze just wish the DoD knew they existed.

US Extends Border Closings Again

The federal government extended the limits on non-essential travel at the nation’s land borders with Canada and Mexico another month to September 21.

The announcement was accompanied by frustration on the Canadian side, especially after Canada relaxed much of its restrictions for vaccinated Americans earlier this month… several weeks before it opened its borders to international visitors from other countries. But as has been the case with border closings elsewhere in the world, the US government has no interest in reciprocating with anyone.

Mark Agnew, senior vice president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce used the harshest rhetoric he could think of, saying he was “disappointed” in the U.S. decision. Agnew later apologized for flying off the handle and losing his cool.

Easy as Pie: Key Lime Air Earns EAS Contract

Key Lime Air cooked up a two-year EAS contract at Ironwood, MI (IWD) airport under its Denver Air Connection brand, replacing Boutique Air, the previous operator of the EAS contract at the airport.

Boutique’s two-year deal just started last summer and was set to run through July 31, 2022, but the airline was forced to leave earlier this spring after two incidents led the airport board to seek a new airline. A Boutique Air flight lost a wheel prior to landing at Chicago/O’Hare in June, and then in May a cargo door opened during takeoff from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Ironwood. You lose one wheel during flight and have one cargo door open during takeoff and suddenly everyone’s a critic.

Under the new contract, DAC will operate 12-weekly flights, six to Chicago/O’Hare and six to Minneapolis/St. Paul. The DOT sweetened the deal for Key Lime offering it $3.3 million for the first year and $3.4 million for the second year. The carrier beat out Multi-Aero and Southern Airways Express for the contract, earning the business due to its track record both in the skies and in the bakery.

Play Time is Over: Startup Targets 2022 US Debut

Icelandic startup PLAY is hoping to begin flying to the United States next summer, the airline disclosed in a filing with the DOT.

It intends to fly to the east coast of the United States from Iceland, using a fleet of A321-200neos carrying passengers, cargo, and mail. The airline began flying passengers earlier this summer on short-haul services within Europe. It hasn’t begun flying intra-European mail yet as it keeps forgetting to purchase stamps at the grocery store.

Its transatlantic plans are very similar to what WOW Air tried and failed at. But PLAY says it’s not playing around with widebody aircraft, separating it from what one of the many things that doomed WOW. The new carrier will remain going steady with the A320 family of aircraft and wants to utilize its planes for 13-14 hours per day to increase profitability. The airline expects that by 2023, its average flight length will be 1800 miles, or roughly the distance from Denver’s airport to downtown Denver.

Qantas Vaccination Incentive Program Goes Live

Qantas’s “Be Rewarded” vaccination incentive program is underway in Australia, and the airline will be handing out prizes and awards through the end of the year. Every member of the Qantas Frequent Flier loyalty program that uploads their vaccination certificate will be able to choose one from these three prizes: 1,000 Qantas points, 15 status credits, or a $20 discount on a Qantas or Jetstar flight.

Everyone who enters will have a chance to win the grand prize – a year’s worth of free flights on Qantas or Jetstar. The free flights are actually A$50,000 in flight credit and can be redeemed as 12 trips worth up to A$4,000 and one at A$2,000. The catch is that the winner can only redeem flights when borders open, and on Australia’s current timeline that probably won’t be until 2037.

Rex is expected to file a complaint with Australian authorities this week that the scheme will encourage people to get vaccinated and be more loyal to Qantas, creating an anticompetitive atmosphere in the country. It also is taking issue with hotel group Accor for its chipping in one million Accor points and a A$3,650 BP gift card, valid for fuel or a crap ton of pizza-flavored Combos.

• Air Astana will resume service to London/Heathrow on September 18 with twice-weekly flights.
• Air France and KLM are moving from T2 at London/Heathrow to T3 tomorrow, August 24, to reunite with long lost friends Delta and Virgin Atlantic. Their movers canceled at the last minute, so the airlines are offering free pizza and beer to anyone willing to come down to Heathrow tonight and help.
• Air Tanzania’s former director-general David Mataka was sentenced to a four-year stint in jail or a fine of $3,450 after being found guilty of shady financial dealings as head of the airline. Four years in jail or a $3,450 fine – that doesn’t feel like a tough decision.
• Emerald Airlines will take delivery of six ATR72-600 aircraft as part of its flying on behalf of Aer Lingus. The first of the six is expected to arrive this month with the remaining planes coming over the next year.
• Emirates cemented an interline agreement with South African carrier Cemair providing connecting options to six new destinations in the country.
• Fly Air41, a Croatian startup, received its AOC to begin regularly-scheduled passenger ops.
• Lumiwings is feeling very good about itself after signing a partnership with EGO Airways to sell tickets for the balance of the summer season.
• Virgin Australia owes lessor Avation $73 million from outstanding lease obligations and end-of-term maintenance. The airline reportedly returned aircraft over its mileage limit with chipped paint and fast food wrappers strewn about in the back.
• WestAF is launching as Algeria’s first private LCC carrier. It might want to rethink the name.
• WestJet is resuming its service to Orange County from its Calgary hub with 2x-weekly flights beginning November 4, increasing to 3x-weekly on December 7. The airline is also making its twice-weekly service to San Francisco year-round, beginning October 31.

Guess who I bumped into on my way to get my glasses fixed?

Everybody.

Southwest Pilots Union Considers Holiday Pickets

Pilots at Southwest Airlines are contemplating picket lines at airports over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays this year to protest what it says is a frenetic increase in schedules, poor food options, and a lack of hotels. Those are three items that seem to perfectly encapsulate holiday flying, making it an ideal time for their picket lines.

Southwest’s Pilots Association (SWAPA) shared with its members that the pickets were being considered on Wednesday, demanding the airline address the last-minute nature of scheduling and the fatigue it was causing. Southwest VP of Flight Operations Bob Waltz danced around the issue, blaming it on operational challenges this summer due to the increased surge of demand combined with lingering effects from the pandemic.

Southwest’s flight attendants also have voiced concerns about staffing and conditions on the road. The flight attendants have objected to the airline’s recent mandate that they check-in 24 hours prior to each segment they’re working or be subject to a C group boarding pass, causing delays as they board the plane late.

New Mobile Airport Takes Step Forward

Sorry to burst your bubble, but this isn’t a story about a new portable, mobile airport. Rather, the new downtown airport in Mobile, AL has a project manager on board. The unfortunately-named Hoar Program Management was approved to oversee the effort. The current municipal airport is expected to be operational as Mobile’s new commercial airport as early as 2024.

The Mobile Airport Authority approved the appointment of HPM on Thursday, beginning the aggressive three-year timetable to complete the project. When asked for comment about the timeline, officials from Berlin/Brandenburg Airport could only throw their hands up in astonishment and walk away.

The current price tag for the project is $250 million, a figure that’s sure to go up as the project gets underway. The $250 million includes upgrading the runways at the current site, expansion of roads leading in and out of the airport, and the construction of a commercial kitchen so Chili’s ToGo, Auntie Annie’s, and a generically-named tavern can be operational right away.

Asiana Plans Exit from Star Alliance

SkyTeam and Delta are winners today as Korean Air Chairman and CEO Walter Cho announced to the surprise of absolutely nobody that as part of its buyout by Korean, Asiana will exit Star Alliance, strengthening SkyTeam’s Asian hub at Seoul/Incheon (ICN).

The merging of the two airlines is not expected to be complete until 2024 at the earliest, but Asiana’s brand will begin to recede into the night beginning next year when the two begin their integration. Asiana will become a subsidiary of Korean once approval for the merger is formalized – which Korean expects to receive next year.

Korean plans to streamline the network of the combined airline, eliminating redundant routes to create a more efficient and cost-effective operation. The transpacific JV between Delta and Korean will grow stronger following the merger, giving the two carriers nearly 50% of the available passenger slots at ICN. While Korean has rejected Delta’s idea of hourly flights between Seoul and Atlanta, it will create more opportunities for SkyMiles customers to redeem flights to Asia. Delta customers can expect premium class seats on Korean to start at two million SkyMiles once the merger is complete, a bargain to Delta flyers.

Delta Partners with Restaurants to Upgrade Meal Service

Delta Air Lines is partnering with select restaurants to upgrade its premium class dining options as meals return to first class and Delta One. The partnerships are in lieu of Delta’s previous catering method of gathering whatever was available at a Gate Gourmet facility and throwing it on a tray before anyone else noticed.

Premium passengers will be served curated meals from locally-sourced restaurants based on the route flown. September flights from New York/JFK to Seattle, Los Angeles, and Seattle will be loaded with meals from New York’s Union Square Events in first class, while passengers in basic economy will be served leftover condiments from a Manhattan hot dog cart grabbed by their crew while waiting for the shuttle to the airport.

Los Angeles flights to New York/JFK, Washington/National, and Boston will see first class menus from LA chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo with the menu in economy featuring week-old Dodger Dogs. In keeping with Delta’s current feelings about its former hub, Cincinnati-origin passengers will have a can of Skyline Chili thrown at their head as they board.

El Al Seeks Additional Funding

El Al won’t be making friends at Ryanair as the carrier’s most recent fiscal report says it needs more state aid if it’s going to continue operating without interruption.

El Al posted a loss of $80 million for the second quarter of 2021, a slight improvement from the $104 million loss it posted a year ago. Revenue was $222 million, up from $151 million last year over the same time period. Like many airlines, it was on an upward trajectory earlier this year before the Delta variant slowed worldwide travel demand.

The airline’s current market capitalization is about $173 million, which is 40% less than what 40% of the airline sold for last September. In other words, be glad you didn’t buy 40% of the airline last September.

El Al laid off nearly 2,000 workers since the beginning of the pandemic and currently employees about 4,200 staff with 1,400 of those on unpaid leave.  It received $210 million from the Israeli government earlier this year, using the money to pay debts and process all outstanding refunds, but the airline will need additional money to compensate for the downturn in demand in the second half of 2021.

• Air France introduced its new lounge in Terminal 2F of its hub in Paris today for travelers to enjoy when they inevitably miss their too-tightly scheduled connection.
• American and Alaska took their partnership to a new level this morning when a plane from each airline clipped wings in Burbank. No passengers were on-board either plane, and no injuries were reported.
• Comair – the South African version – has secured enough funding to resume flying next month.
• Copa is resuming its stopover in Panama program, offering connecting travelers a free stopover in Panama City during travels.
• EgyptAir put seven A320 aircraft for sale. The airline will feature the planes for interested buyers at a Cairo-area swap meet this weekend.
• Kam Air is in talks with the Taliban to restart commercial air service in Afghanistan in what are surely very pleasant discussions.
• Ryanair has filed a new complaint with the EU over state aid from Portugal given to TAP. In other news, an angry man yelled at a cloud earlier today.
• Singapore and Malaysia Airlines have both recently come out with vaccination mandates for staff.
• Uganda Airlines has a good news/bad news thing going on as it unveiled features of its new A330-800 aircraft which is due to be delivered soon, while its board of directors and senior staff are being brought up on corruption and bribery charges.
• Virgin Australia is now offering increased status credits for full-fare economy and business class customers on most flights. Rex is currently studying the new program rules to find something to complain to the government about.

I felt very nervous driving into the cemetery today. My GPS told me I had reached my final destination.

Go East, Young Man: Avelo Heads to Connecticut

Avelo Airlines announced the first four routes for its new East Coast base at New Haven’s Tweed Airport (HVN) with service beginning this fall. Avelo will serve primary airports in four Florida cities from the southern Connecticut airport — known as the COVID Quad.

Beginning November 3, Avelo will fly 5x-weekly from New Haven to Orlando. Fort Lauderdale launches the next day, November 5, with 5x-weekly flights, followed by 3x-weekly service to Tampa beginning November 8, and lastly, Fort Myers gets started on November 11 with 2x-weekly flights. That’s 15 total weekly flights with more surely to come once Avelo realizes how many people prefer Florida in the winter over Connecticut.

The airline is investing $1.2 million into the airport for upgrades as part of a $100 million project the airport has underway to update its terminal and an extend the runway. The upgrades to the terminal include new eateries and shops, with New York/LGA’s pricing model as inspiration, plus the largest selection of tweed jackets for sale at any airport worldwide.

Allegiant Launches Allways Rewards

Allegiant Air announced its new loyalty program – Allways Rewards – today, its signature non-credit card loyalty program. The airline says it’s the first airline loyalty program specifically designed for leisure travelers, which explains why points are only redeemable for sunscreen and half-off coupons for your local bus company.

The program will offer the purchaser — not the traveler as is usually the case — one point for every dollar spent on Allegiant.com (whether on purpose or by accident) and two points per dollar over $500. Points have no expiration for those who buy tickets on the airline at least once every 24 months – which is a roundabout way of saying points expire without travel on Allegiant at least once every two years. Members also receive a 5% discount on all airfare purchased on the airline’s website, provided the flight actually operates.

As part of the rollout, the program will randomly select a winner of those enrolled by September 13 to receive a year of concert tickets and a pair of tickets to the Las Vegas Raiders’ final eight home games of the year at Allegiant Stadium. The fine print of the contest says that the winner will be seated in the Black Hole and will be required to dress up appropriately.

Bonehead Passenger Fines Surpass $1 Million

Fines issued to numbskull passengers in 2021 by the FAA have surpassed $1 million, an occasion of both great excitement and shame at the same time.

The latest set of fines were issued against 34 people totaling $531,045, with each individual fine clocking in between $7,500 and $45,000. The winner of the $42,000 fine completed the Bonehead Triple Crown – he refused to wear a mask, assaulted passengers and flight attendants, and the cherry on top – snorted cocaine aboard the aircraft. Spirit immediately sent him an offer to fly with them on his next trip.

Other fines came in for classy behavior such as urinating on the restroom floor – why? – and refusing to disconnect a phone call during takeoff. If it was such an important call – get off the plane and take the next flight.

Smaller fines came in for shenanigans such a hiding a flight attendant’s jacket, which just sounds like a game of hide and seek run amok, one passenger punching parts of the aircraft including the windows and tray table, and passengers bringing their own booze on-board. Passengers have 30 days to file an appeal with the FAA which could be the best part – hearing defenses and explanation of this insane behavior.

American Extends Main Cabin Booze Ban

American Airlines is extending its ban on selling alcohol to passengers in economy until at least late January as it looks to curb the frequency of alcohol-fueled poor behavior on-board its aircraft.

The airline is also working with the FAA to ban the sales of to-go alcohol at its hubs in Dallas/Ft. Worth and Charlotte. American is considering banning other items for sale at airport, figuring once it got one thing banned, why stop there? The airline is taking aim at mealy-looking $13 egg salad sandwiches, the alarming-looking taco salad at Chili’s To-Go locations, and those unsanitary neck pillows sold for $29 at Hudson News outlets.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, AA’s FA union encouraged the ban extension while the Association of Amateur Flight Attendants wasn’t nearly as pleased. Some consumer groups have said the bans are unfair because first-class customers have access to booze, but they also have access to wider seats, more legroom and more attentive service (at least in theory), making that argument hold very little booze water.

What’s Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander: DOT Reduces Chinese Flight Capacities

The DOT is limiting the passenger capacity on a sampling of flights on Chinese carriers to the United States as retaliation after the Chinese government did the same to United Airlines earlier this month.

China’s Civil Aviation Administration forced United to select one of four available punishments for flying five passengers that eventually tested positive for COVID-19. United chose Door #4 which resulted in four inbound flights operating with just 40% capacity. The DOT was none too pleased, stating that the mandate placed undue culpability on airlines for what its passengers might do or not do when arriving in China.

So the DOT is getting payback, forcing one flight each for Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, and Xiamen Airlines to fly with just 40% capacity later this month. The FAA also imposed the restriction on a flight from China Airlines, before someone reminded the government that that China Airlines comes from “the good China,” so it’s OK.

• Alsie Express of Denmark plans to begin international flights early in 2021. The airline also will offer window seating.
• Caribbean Airlines resumed operations to St. Lucia with a nonstop flight from Port-of-Spain to Virgie Airport (SLU) on Monday.
• Chair Airlines is standing up for itself and taking delivery of its first A320 late this year.
• Frontier took delivery of the final two of four A320neo aircraft that it was due to receive.
• Interjet founder Miguel Aleman Magnani has had an international arrest warrant issued at Mexico’s request due to accusations of tax fraud and making the pitch on his airplanes really, really tight.
• Jeju Air is the beneficiary of a $77 million cash infusion from Korea’s AK Holdings.
• Korean plans to keep its A380 fleet flying for at least another five years.
• Lufthansa hired Dr. Williams Willms as CFO of Lufthansa Technik.
• SpiceJet’s cargo business could bring home a mint after being valued at $344 million, not a tarragon amount, considering all the challenging thymes facing the industry.
• TUI Fly is holding off on plans to add the B787 for now.
• Virgin Australia is introducing a basic economy fare that it’s calling Economy Lite. Rex will be claiming something about how this is anti-competitive at some point soon.

A frog I know got his DNA tested. Turns out he’s a mix of several backgrounds and nationalities including British, Irish, Spanish and a tad Pole.

Mask Up: Mandate Extended Into Next Year

President Biden is expected to extend the requirement for travelers to wear masks on planes, trains, and automobiles (buses only) through January 18. The mandate will also apply in airports, train stations, bus depots, and in whatever the holding area is called for one of Elon Musk or Richard Branson’s flights to space.

Major U.S. airlines were informed of the decision on a call with the CDC and TSA on Tuesday, with Spirit using that time to figure out where it last saw its A320neo fleet so it can get those planes in the air eventually. A separate call is scheduled for unions in the airline sector today, once their executives get back from a Costco run to buy duct tape.

Spokespeople for the TSA, CDC, and Airlines4America all declined comment, presumably because they were trying on new face masks at the time.

Southwest Offers Bonuses for Employee Referrals

Southwest Airlines is having trouble filling its open positions, as staff shortages continue to plague the airline in several facets of its operation. The airline says its struggle is due to a decline in qualified applicants due to low labor participation and competition for available talent – as the airline failed to mention it is offering to pay employees not in cash, but in honey roasted peanuts and Rapid Rewards points.

To drive new applicants, the airline is offering up to 20,000 SWAG points – its internal point redemption system – to employees who successfully refer an applicant who ends up being hired by the airline. The 20,000 points have a cash equivalent value of $300 but cannot be redeemed for cash. Instead, they can be used for Rapid Rewards points, gift cards, concert tickets and first class upgrades when flying on Southwest.

The referral program will run through November 20. If Southwest hasn’t solved its staffing problem by then, it plans to require passengers in the C boarding group to work as baggage handlers, B boarding group customers to work as flight attendants, and those in the A boarding group to fly the aircraft.

Qantas to Require Staff to Be Vaccinated

Qantas will make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for staff and customers as it navigates a return to long-haul international flying.

Customer-facing staff on Qantas and its two subsidiaries – QantasLink and Jetstar – will need to be fully vaccinated by November 15, 2021. This mandate will apply to pilots, flight attendants, airport staff and any kangaroos or koalas who come into constant contact with customers. All other employees including office staff will be required to be vaccinated by March 31, 2022.

“If they don’t have a medical reason, they just have other objections, we believe the aviation industry probably isn’t for them,” CEO Alan Joyce said. He also confirmed that the airline intends on making vaccination mandatory for passengers on international flights on either Qantas or Jetstar. Limited exceptions might be made for travel bubble destinations, but generally, passengers can assume that to fly on Qantas, they’ll need to be fully vaccinated.

Adding $200 Million is a Breeze

Breeze Airways grabbed an additional $200 million in funding, giving the airline more cash on-hand to support an upcoming expansion as well as the airline’s desire to take all its passengers out to brunch one day next month.

The Series B round was led by and managed by BlackRock and Knighthead Capital Management, LLC. The funds come just before the carrier plans to take delivery of its first A220 aircraft. The first plane is expected to arrive in October just in time for Pumpkin Spice Latte season and continue to arrive one plane per month for the next five years.

Anything Goes Ryanair Battles Online Travel Agent

Another day and another target for the ire of Ryanair. Today’s winner is Czech-based OTA Kiwi.com, which the airline claims is issuing fake boarding to flights on the airline its selling without authorization.

Ryanair Director of Marketing Dara Brady said Kiwi.com does not have the authorization to sell flights on the airline. It went without saying, but Ryanair’s stance also includes not allowing any OTA to issue fake boarding passes to its flights either.

The airline has taken aim at third-party booking sites like Kiwi for accessing Ryanair’s flights, posing as a fake customer and then selling the tickets at a markup. Ryanair believes no one should profit from marking up its fares except itself via fees and add-ons. Kiwi is facing a similar lawsit in the United States from Southwest after a federal court ruled last week that Southwest could go on with its claim.

Passengers who booked Ryanair flights on Kiwi could find themselves in the middle of the dispute, unable to check-in because Kiwi with holds the correct confirmation and e-mail address that the booking was made with.

• Air Mauritius plans on consolidating its loss-making route network. The new network won’t make money, but it will be consolidated.
• Blue Air announced 10 new routes for next summer its hubs at Bucharest (OTP) and Cluj-Napoca (CLJ).
• British Airways and Air India are increasing their frequencies between the UK and India after India was moved from the UK’s red list to the amber list.
• Cathay Pacific will work with JPA Design to design its first and business class seats on its B777-9 aircraft. In the meantime, passengers are expected to stand.
• Emirates is feeling blue today after signing a codeshare agreement with Azul.
• IrAero took delivery of its first A319.
• ITA, the reincarnation of Alitalia that’s expected to begin operations this fall received its operating certificate from the Italian government.
• Pobeda cancelled its contract with Boeing to acqwuire as many as 30 B737 MAX aircraft.
• Singapore is merging its two corporate travel programs – SIA Corporate Travel and HighFlyer into one program.

To start a zoo, you need at least three pandas, one grizzly and two polars.

That’s the bear minimum.

Expect Fees to Jump: Meltdown Cost Spirit $50 Million

The more than 2,800 flights Spirit canceled during its historic operational meltdown earlier this month cost the airline about $50 million, a figure it hopes to recoup quickly as it seeks 50 passengers desperate enough to check a bag for its new, temporary $1 million checked bag fee.

Spirit plans “tactical schedule reductions” for the rest of the third quarter – meaning through the end of September – to reduce the stress on its operation and its staffing shortcomings. Does that mean what happened previously were non-tactical schedule reductions?

The DOT reminded the carrier of its legal obligations including prompt refunds for cancellations and that it must continue provide seat belts at no additional charge, regardless of how much the airline wants to charge a seat belt fee.

The government also is monitoring the airline’s complaints to ensure consumers rights are not violated, which is a nice sentiment, but everyone knows once that put Spirit.com in their browser, they are foregoing any rights when it comes to air travel.

German Government Explores Lufthansa Sale

The German government is beginning the process to sell approximately 5% of Lufthansa – a figure that represents one-quarter of the government’s ownership stake in the airline.

Lufthansa took a 20% stake in the airline last summer in exchange for €300 billion in taxpayer funds to prop up the carrier during the worst of the pandemic. Thanks to positive signs relating to LH’s recovery, the government is planning on divesting itself of a portion of its holdings to fund what is sure to be its next bailout of the airline or one of its subsidiaries in the future.

Lufthansa lost €756 million in the second quarter, a figure that represented a €400 million improvement from the year’s first quarter. Cash burn decreased to just €6.5 million per day in June, totaling a €37 million improvement from Q1, with the airline hopeful for a positive cash flow in the third quarter.

The government does not have a timetable on the sale but does say it hopes to sell its entire stake, which is worth about $1.2 billion, by the end of 2023.

American Puts Pilot Training Move on Hold

Earlier this spring, American Airlines announced it planned to move all mainline pilot training from its Charlotte Flight Training Facility to its Flight Academy at its headquarters in Dallas/Ft. Worth. The airline still plans to make that move, but will not do so in the immediate future, due to the increased pressure to hire and train new pilots.

In a letter to pilots on Monday, the airline said it had not anticipated the increase in demand and unprecedented growth in passenger travel, causing the airline to re-examine its schedules and its pilot hiring and training practices. The Charlotte Flight Training Center will stay fully open and operational for the airline to allow it to increase the number of pilots it trains on a weekly basis.

AA has four A320 simulators in use in Charlotte and the four allow pilots to perfect their “disappointed voice” when announcing delays and cancellations to passengers for mechanical reasons. Pilots also use the simulators to practice breaking up fights in the cabin over mask wearing and how to explain to passengers not to gawk at the crazy guy in 33F who’s been duct taped to his seat.

Condor Challenges EW Discover US DOT Application

Lufthansa’s newest subsidiary, EW Discover applied for authority earlier this summer to codeshare with its Lufthansa Group cousins on transatlantic service to the United States. But on Friday, Condor submitted a motion to the DOT, filing an “unauthorized pleading and accompanying sur-reply,” which basically means Condor doesn’t want EW Discover codesharing to the United States.

The airline says the proposed codeshare is an anticompetitive scheme by Lufthansa to push Condor out on transatlantic routes and wants the DOT to investigate Lufthansa’s actions in being mean and hurtful. It also asked that if the codeshare is to be granted, that Lufthansa commit to sending passengers to Condor consistent with the current Special Prorate Agreement between the two.

Lufthansa recently extended the SPA through May of 2022 after the EU told it couldn’t unilaterally end the agreement to the benefit of EW Discover. The agreement covers Lufthansa’s, Austrian’s, and Swiss’ domestic and regional service feeding Condor’s long-haul service out of Frankfurt.

Condor is attempting to make the point that if allowed to occur as-is, the codeshare harms US passengers and US competition as it would leave Lufthansa in a monopoly, meaning that LH’s actions fall within the scope of US antitrust law. This one is sure to go a few more rounds with the DOT as two sets of German companies and their lawyers duke it out with precision and humorless arguments in the coming weeks.

Anything Goes at Uganda Airlines

Former senior-level directors and executives from Uganda Airlines have until the end of this week to convince the Ugandan government that they should not be prosecuted on charges of corruption and mismanagement.

Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni ordered the dissolution of the airline’s board after he called it “dysfunctional, if not incompetent.” President Museveni is clearly not aware of what kind of month Spirit is having here in the United States. Those being accused of misdeeds include former board chairperson Perez Ahabwe (a former Cabinet Minister from 2009 -2011), and ex-board members Benon Kajuna (director of transport at the Ministry of Works and Transport), Godfrey Ssemugooma, Catherine Asinde Poran, Charles Hamya, and Rehema Mutazindwa.

A federal government investigation resulted in 15 charges of corruption, collusion and mismanagement. Actions ranging from bribery, extorting money from job applicants, nepotism, maintaining ghost workers on the payroll and a Cranky favorite – giving jobs to unqualified pilots.

In procurement deals, auditors and investigators found fraud and forgery, falsification of documents, best-evaluated bidders presenting forged tax clearance certificates; unfair evaluation, unjustified use of direct procurement, missing payment records, contracts signed against expired bids, and irregular procurements – but other than all that, the airline is clearly on the up and up and is expected to sign an interline agreement with a US ULCC any day now.

• airBaltic received approval to receive a €90 million investment into the airline.
• Air New Zealand is waving change fees and suspending on-board service as New Zealand goes into another pandemic-related lockdown.
• Alaska added Ravn Alaska as a Mileage Plan partner for earn and burn.
• ANA has put its fleet of A380-800 aircraft back into service after being mothballed for since March of 2020.
• Eurowings is adding Prague to its route map this this fall.
• Gullivair operated its first scheduled domestic flight between its Sofia (SOF) hub and Burgas (BOJ) on Sunday.
• Jazeera Airlines took delivery of its 7^th A320neo.
• Ryanair announced 11 new winter routes from the UK for people who like their flights with a side of surliness.
• Samoa Airways is putting its acquisition of a B737 on hold as the new Samoan government reviews the deal.
• South African announced the appointment of Simon Newton-Smith into the position of SAA Interim Executive: Commercial. Reports from Johannesburg say that Newton-Smith’s favorite fruit is anything but mango.
• Wingo, the newest airline-o from Panama secured an AOC but has not announced when it plans to operate its first flights-o.

I just found out the company that produces yardsticks won’t be making them any longer.

Alaska Announces Addition of 12 New Planes

Alaska Airlines is expanding its fleet as it exercises options on 12 B737-9 aircraft. The option is being called in earlier than was expected, and will become firm commitments for 2023 and 2024. The additional planes bring Alaska’s firm order to 93, five of which are currently in service.

The airline restructured its agreement on the B737-9 with Boeing late last year to acquire 68 planes between this year and 2024, with 52 more on option from 2023-2026. Alaska has now exercised 25 options this year and is adding 25 more options to the end of the deal to replace the planes that have been ordered.

The planes will come with 178 seats in a three-class configuration – 16 in first, 24 in premium class, and 138 for the hoi polloi in the back.

UA’s Flight Attendant Union Will Not Assist in Vaccine Exemptions     

United Airlines is the only legacy U.S. carrier to announce a vaccine requirement for all of its employees, threatening termination for those who are not vaccinated by this fall. United will consider very limited exemptions for those with legit religious or medical reasons to opt out of the jab. But the airline’s flight attendant union – The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA-CWA) will not be helping its members earn exemptions.

The union, which has been supportive of United’s mandate, says that any exemptions are private issues between employer and employee and that those seeking an exemption must contact the airline directly.

Frontier and Hawaiian have both announced vaccine mandates for employers but have not gone to termination as a consequence for not being vaccinated like United has. Those two airlines will require non-vaccinated employees to take constant and frequent COVID-19 tests and continue to wear masks once the mask mandate is removed.

Allegiant Plans Revamp of Loyalty Program

Yes, Allegiant Airways does have a loyalty program, and according to reports, some people are members of it. The airline is going to transform its current myAllegiant Rewards into Allways Rewards, and it will enable points earning for any transaction with the airline.

The number one thing that passengers asked for in the new loyalty program is that the airline operate the flights it puts on its schedule. Many of Allegiant’s cost-conscious customers also fly Spirit, and know first-hand that just because an airline prints a schedule and sells tickets, it doesn’t mean it’s actually going to fly those flights.

Allegiant expects to increase its partnerships to allow its customers to use their buying power with partners outside of the airline world. The carrier announced a first-of-its-kind relationship with Live Nation and Ticketmaster last month, and the tea leaves indicate more is to come.

CMO Scott DeAngelo said 30-40% of Allegiant’s customers are members of a legacy loyalty program and that 90% said they didn’t benefit from being a member of that program to the point of having status or earning free flights. Allegiant having no status-based upgrades or international long-haul destinations to redeem for free flights is then right up their alley – and why the airline will instead create a points bank that can be redeemed at any time for any product.

Sydney Airport Rejects Buyout

Sydney Airport rejected a $16.8 billion bid claiming the offer undervalued the airport, but that in a act of total benevolence, it would consider another offer if it came in at a higher amount. The offer, which was nearly A$23 billion valued the airport and its holding companies at A$8.45 per share, a 2.4% increase on the most recent offer and a 9% premium to the stock’s previous close.

If an offer is made that the airport eventually accepts, it will rank as one of the largest buyouts in Australian history, behind just the Waltzing Matilda museum and a Vegemite production facility in suburban Adelaide.

The rejection was unanimous amongst the airport’s board, and it comes one month after the same group rejected a bid from the Sydney Aviation Alliance. The alliance said that it does not see a path forward right now due to the airport’s lack of engagement and immediate rejection of the most recent offer, which is a picture-perfect example of Negotiating 101 if there ever was one.

Analysts and investors believe the airport’s ask for a higher price is reasonable, which is easy to say when you’re not the one forking over more than $23 billion for a couple runways, a Hudson News and metal detectors. The airport will report its financial results from the first half of the year on Friday.

Heathrow Records Busiest Month Since Pandemic

London/Heathrow saw 1.5 million passengers pass through the airport in July, the busiest month for the airport since March 2020 and the onset of the pandemic.

The airport proudly announced that every passenger was forced to walk through layers of duty-free to their gates, and despite the on-going pandemic, the airport sold four tons of Toblerone chocolate bars, 37 barrels of whisky, and nearly 100 gallons of perfume to passengers en route to their departure gate.

Despite the positive numbers, the number still represents an 81% drop from July 2019. But the airport is using all four terminals again, ensuring no passenger has a convenient or quick connection. Delta and Virgin Atlantic returned to their home in Terminal 3 last month where they found a couple dozen passengers in the Virgin Clubhouse who were waiting for a flight last March when the terminal shut down and decided to wait out the pandemic in the lounge Big Brother-style.

• Air New Zealand announced its intention to complete a capital raise with components of both debt and equity by the end of September.
• airBaltic took delivery of its 28^th A220-300 over the weekend. The other planes took it out for drinks on Saturday before getting settled on Sunday and starting its first day of work on Monday.
• Allegiant is opening two new bases in the first quarter of 2022, with one in Flint, MI (FNT) and the other in Appleton, WI (ATW).
• Emirates and Airlink announced the expansion of their existing partnership into a unilateral codeshare agreement.
• Helvetic Airways took delivery of its 12th E-Jet E2 aircraft, completing a renewal program that began in October 2019 with an announcement that was written in Times New Roman.
• Interjet is being required to pay its $24.7 debt on an outstanding lease by a U.S. court.
• Jin Air plans a $157.5 million recapitalization.
• Prime Air’s new hub in Cincinnati opened for business over the weekend. So far, it’s received an average of 4.7 stars from verified users.
• Norse Atlantic painted its first aircraft. We cannot confirm, but do assume that it was painted by a guy named Bjørn.
• Turkish Flight 30 mistakenly tried to take off on a taxiway earlier this month. Luckily ATC noticed and there was no incident. In the pilot’s defense, taking the most direct route out of Newark, regardless of consequence, is often the best idea.
• Singapore is beginning family pooling with its KrisFlyer loyalty program allowing for families to pool their redeemable miles together.
• SKY took delivery of its first A321 neo.
• SpiceJet potentially has an air cargo division potentially cumin to fruition as it applied for an air operating certificate.
• Starlux will begin flights between Taipei and Singapore on September 23.
• WestJet is very pleased the Canadian government is requiring vaccines for travelers and is directing all complaints to the government.

Did you know the inventor of the Farris wheel and the inventor of the merry-go-round never met?

They operated in different circles.

Delta Variant Forces Southwest’s Outlook Lower

Southwest Airlines lowered its fiscal outlook in an 8-K filing with the SEC on Wednesday over concerns that the delta (this one, not this one) variant is finally causing a downturn in bookings.

Southwest is the second airline to issue a warning about the variant, following Frontier late last week. Southwest says it is experiencing weaker bookings, especially for close-in flights, and a greater number of close-in cancellations. The revised demand will lead to a 15-20% drop in revenue for August vs 2019, worse than the 12-17% drop it had previously forecasted.

Frontier said on Thursday it expects to do no better than break even for Q3 after predicting a profit at the end of Q2.

In its SEC filing, Southwest said it did turn a profit in July, but does not expect to do so in August or September. Its first estimate for September came with a 15-25% revenue drop from 2019. The airline said it’s studying Spirit’s unique strategy of just not operating any flights for a week at a time to see if that would help it save its way to profitability, but at this point no decisions have been made.

LGA AirTrain Proposal in Potential Jeopardy

Port Authority officials who have opposed the AirTrain project at New York/LaGuardia are using the resignation announcement of Governor Andrew Cuomo to attempt to scuttle the project before it gets any further.

A letter from Port Authority officials requests the Port Authority Inspector General investigate whether the governor exerted undue influence to have the AirTrain project approved. The FAA signed off on the AirTrain plan last month, and the rats at LaGuardia have also bedgrudgingly agreed.

Those in favor of the project feel that there’s no efficient way for travelers from Manhattan to get to the airport using public transit. The current plans forces travel to the Willets Point/Mets station and connects to another train to LaGuardia. Others say there are far better ways to do this, even if they are more costly or have stronger neighborhood opposition.

Governor Cuomo was in favor of the project as it would provide a cheap way for him to send political opponents to the airport to fly out of the state, but with his change in employment status coming in 12 days, that will no longer be necessary. If the project is cancelled or altered, it will uphold a great LGA tradition of making travel to the airport as complicated or expensive as possible, to go with the $27 beers it sells at in-terminal eateries.

Mango Placed in Bankruptcy Protection

The saga of Mango rolls on as the airline was placed in immediate bankruptcy protection by the South African High Court. It was a case of whiplash as the high court placed the low-cost carrier into business rescue, backdating its status to July 28.

The order followed a request by the airline’s unions – specifically the Mango Pilots Association, South African Cabin Crew Association, National Union of Metalworkers South Africa, and the Tropical Fruit Pickers of Africa. The airline itself opposed the designation, instead preferring to appoint its own administrator in the process. But the court wisely recognized that this airline likely couldn’t keep an actual mango out of bankruptcy and took the decision away from the airline.

The court’s decision was welcomed by the airline’s shareholder representative – the South African Department of Public Enterprises – which recognized the only way of getting any of its investment back is to trust the rescue progress to a professional and not the same group that continually runs the airline with the world’s best name into the ground time and time again.

Amaszonas is as Bolivian as Chevy, Apple Pie, and Baseball

Bolivia’s Amaszonas was sold to the American parent company of Brazilian start-up NELLA Linhas Aéreas, and NELLA is committed to financing the airline’s post-COVID recovery — at least until it sees how bad its books are.

The first job for the new ownership group is to fund the restructuring of the airline and settle its many debts from the pandemic. Once that’s complete, it hopes to expand the carrier’s network within Bolivia and Latin America. Amaszonas was openly critical of the Bolivian government’s lack of support during the pandemic and has taken its ball and gone to the United States for funding.

The airline currently has 15 aircraft in its fleet, but it’s only flying four regional jets right now as it waits out the pandemic and the return of the Bolivian air travel market. Most of the airline’s network is domestic, but it does operate twice-weekly to Iquique, Chile (IQQ) and to Asuncion (ASU) in Paraguay.

NELLA’s parent company and Amaszonas sugar daddy is JKL Holdings, an Orlando-based holding company. While NELLA has yet to be certified in Brazil or begin flying, its purchase of Amaszonas gives hope that the airline will continue to buy up distressed carriers instead of ever flying a plane itself, a tact that many wish Spirit had taken instead of choosing to try and operate its own flights in the United States.

Green Light for Green Africa Airways

Nigerian startup Green Africa Airways, received its AOC from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA – this one, not this one), on Monday and isn’t wasting any time – the airline expects to begin commercial operations on Thursday.

The certification was delivered midday on Monday and the airline put tickets on sale as soon as it was in possession of the AOC. Green Africa leased three ATR72-600s to start operations and plans to eventually operate as many as 15 of the aircraft by 2022. This would make the new carrier the largest ATR operator in the region.

The airline originally had an order for up to 50 A220s last February, but saw that nixed by the pandemic. It also had an order for up to 100 B737 MAX aircraft but that order was rescinded when Boeing grounded the aircraft following the two fatal MAX incidents. Now it’ll set its sights on a much smaller prize.

Green Africa will have seven destinations at launch including its base in Lagos. They are: Akure (AKR), Ilorin (ILR), Abuja (ABV), Enugu (ENU), Owerr (IMU), and Port Harcourt (PHC) with two of the destinations expected to become bases.

• Aeromexico will launch 3x-weekly nonstop service from Guadalajara to Madrid on December 15. The Boeing Dreamliner service will be the first nonstop option to Europe from Guadalajara.
• Cathay Pacific has reached 88% of its staff being vaccinated or scheduled to be vaccinated, including 99% of its pilots and 91% of its cabin crew.
• Fly2Sky will FlyInTheSky on behalf of an unnamed European airline this summer with two of its A320 aircraft. Presumably Fly2Sky knows the airline it’ll fly for, otherwise this contract will be difficult to fulfill.
• HK Express expects to begin flying the A321neo by October 2022.
• Plus Ultra will receive the remaining €34 million aid from the Spanish government after a court cleared it receive the cash. It had been held up due to a criminal investigation into alleged embezzlement of public funds by the airline.
• Ravn Alaska took delivery of its first Dash-8 aircraft. This is presumably not the plane it plans to use when it begins transpacific service to connecting the United States mainland with Japan and Korea through its hub in Anchorage.
• Silk Way West signed an interline agreement with Astral Aviation, so you can consider your travel needs between Azerbaijan and Kenya taken care of.
• Singapore is launching new service from Los Angeles to Taipei. The three-cabin A350-900 service will operate 3x-weekly beginning August 25.
• Uni-top Airlines‘s race to the bottom is complete as the airline has been declared bankrupt and will be liquidated.
• United’s flight 124 from Newark to Athens was delayed about 60 minutes which is nothing new for a United flight out of Newark – but the reason this time was a pigeon that had flown into the cabin. The pigeon did not have a ticket for the flight, and was reportedly seen settling into the Polaris Business cabin. The crew wanted to just take off with the bird aboard, but UA’s revenue management team would not allow the plane to depart with an unticketed passenger in business.
• Virgin Atlantic is adding four new long-haul routes. London/Heathrow to St. Lucia (UVF) begins 3x-weekly service on December 18. Manchester to Montego Bay (MBJ) will operate 3x-weekly beginning November 6. And two new routes from Edinburgh: Bridgetown, Barbados (BGI) operates 2x-weekly beginning December 5, and 2x-weekly flights to Orlando begin March 30.
• Volotea took delivery of the first two of three A320-200s it has on order today.
• Zambia Airways announced it plans to launch commercial operations on September 30. The airline is a JV between the Industrial Development Corp which owns 55% of the airline and Ethiopian Airlines which holds 45%. It will be based out of Lusaka (LUN).

If a Viking is reincarnated, is he Bjorn again?