Author: Andrew Bashuk

United and Mesa Feel Electric About 19-Seaters

United Airlines and Mesa Air Group are investing in Heart Aerospace, a Swedish company developing 19-seat electric aircraft that surprisingly is not affiliated with Southwest Airlines.

Both airlines agreed to order up to 100 aircraft once they are built – as taking delivery of the planes before they’re built proved to be a logistical nightmare. The carriers are hopeful that the new aircraft, known as the ES-19 will be ready to enter service as soon as 2026.

The planes have a range of 250 miles, which would allow it to operate such routes as San Francisco to Modesto or Chicago/O’Hare to South Bend or Milwaukee. United has over 100 routes in its network that the ES-19 could operate, mostly to small cities and towns near its hub airports that a handful people actually do want to visit.

Boeing Discovers New Flaw in 787 Dreamliner Production

While working on undelivered 787 Dreamliners on the production line which contained previously-known flaws in the fuselage joints, Boeing discovered a new problem in the noses of the aircraft.

Boeing engineers uncovered gaps around the forward pressure bulkhead that are too large. The forward pressure bulkhead is a dome-shaped structural barrier that is imperative to maintaining air pressure in the cockpit and passenger cabin.  The gaps are tiny – thousandths of inches – and are not a flight safety issue according to Boeing and the FAA – unless you’re one of those whiny, ungrateful passengers who insist on breathable air while on-board.

The manufacturer will begin working on the 100 planes it has awaiting delivery to address the issue before turning to planes still on the assembly line. It expects to slow its rate of delivered Dreamliners to about five per month until it finds the next manufacturing defect.

American to Recall Flight Attendants

American Airlines will recall all flight attendants on extended leave from the pandemic and is planning to begin hiring new crew members as it looks to solve the crew shortage it’s facing for the present and future.

AA is expected to send out notice canceling long-term leave for all flight attendants, including those who took the airline’s offer of one to two year’s unpaid extended leave at the onset of the pandemic last spring. Flight attendants currently on leave are now expected to return to the skies by the end of 2021, which is the same time their delayed flight to Dallas from their hometown airport is hoping to depart.

As domestic travel rebounds quickly, American is also considering offering buybacks of vacation time for the first quarter of 2022 to keep its staffing levels up with the demand it is seeing. By the end of July, American will be flying 95% of the seats it flew prior to the pandemic, even with the 1% reduction in flying it instituted to alleviate its staffing shortage.

United Stops Spraying So Much, Speeds Up Deplaning

United Airlines is eliminating two practices the airline put in place last spring in an effort to fight against the pandemic.

First, United will no longer require passenger to deplane in groups of five upon arrival at the gate. The airline had instituted the policy to decrease crowding in the aisle and during the deplaning process, but between most people not paying attention to the policy and the vaccination rate continuing to climb, United made the decision to drop the practice. The only place the slower deplaning process was even followed seemed to be in Newark where passengers were in no real hurry to leave the plane and enter the state.

Additionally, United is eliminating the electrostatically spraying of its interiors before every flight, instead offering a once-weekly Zoono antimicrobial surface treatment. This was another pandemic-era practice that likely was more theater than actually helpful. If removing it allows the airline to turn planes around faster on the ground, then it should be win-win for everyone.

JetBlue Operates First Flight to London

JetBlue Airways’s first flight to London/Heathrow operated last night — albeit without passengers — one month before the airline is to begin passenger ops on the route.

JetBlue Flight 9400 left New York/JFK last night and landed this morning at Heathrow at 7:35 a.m. The flight was operated by aircraft N4022J, a brand-new A321LR that JetBlue took delivery of earlier this year.

The airline has two more proving flights to London scheduled for later this month as it acclimates itself and its aircraft to transatlantic flying for the first time. Upon landing in London this morning, the JetBlue crew that operated the flight and the airplane itself were welcomed with a full English breakfast at the airport followed by a lesson on identifying the various accents of UK citizens.

• Aeroméxico announced in a stock filing that a group of Mexican shareholders are intending to invest in the company amidst its Chapter 11 Bankruptcy process in the United States.
• Air France-KLM is in negotiations with Boeing for an order of up to 160 new jets for KLM.
• Flair Airlines finds itself in a Canadian courtroom defending itself from a lawsuit by a shareholder over its fleet expansion plans announced during the pandemic.
• Israir is moving towards an IPO.
• Korean’s merger with Asiana will now cost about $522 million more than previously expected. Most of the overrun is due to bloated costs in the merger of the technology systems of the two airlines.
• Qantas operated a B787-9 Dreamliner from Brisbane to Fairbanks on Monday. The plane flew the 7,089 miles in a cool 12 hours and 56 minutes.
• Ryanair is hiring up to 2,000 new pilots. Those interested in the position will pay the airline €100 to apply and, if hired, will owe the airline €1000 per week in order to receive a paycheck.
• Sky Alps received its second Dash-8 aircraft.
• Sunrise Airways resumed domestic ops in Haiti today as Port-au-Prince (PAP) airport reopened to commercial flights following the assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse.
• Thai’s bankruptcy administrators approved the airline’s reduction in capital from $830 million to $670 million.

I just got hired to work in a salad factory. The hours are long but the celery is great!

Porter Grows Fleet and Route Map with Embraer E195-E2

Porter Airlines is adding 30 new aircraft to its fleet as it becomes the North American launch customer for Embraer’s new E195-E2 aircraft. The airline hasn’t operated a passenger flight in 16 months, but that didn’t deter it from adding on to its fleet. In addition to the 30 firm orders, Porter has an option to purchase another 50 if it so chooses/hasn’t gone bankrupt.

This order will require an expansion into new territory for Porter since jets are banned from Porter’s base at Toronto/City (YTZ). It will look to Toronto/Pearson (YYZ), Ottawa, Montréal, and Halifax to open up new destinations in Canada, the US, and beyond.

Porter had originally ordered the A220 back in 2013, but quietly canceled that when it was unable to get the rule banning jets overturned. Now it is tired of the City Airport shackles and is turning to the E2, which it must have acquired a rock bottom prices. The delivery of the aircraft is expected to begin in the second half of 2022, assuming Porter has actually restarted operations by then.

Breeze Blows Beyond U.S. Borders

Breeze Airways has issued an RFP to explore adding operations into the Americas, Caribbean, and Western Europe using its new fleet of 60 A220 aircraft. The first aircraft will arrive starting this October and then keep coming at the rate of one plane every month for five years.

The airline says it has identified even more underserved cities “ripe” for its unique service outside of the United States. Airports with cost structures and facilities suitable for its fleet of A220-330 have been asked to complete a questionnaire by July 23.

When Breeze mentions suitable cost structures, what it really means is “cheap.” The questionnaire is designed to weed out those airports who do not offer bargain-basement operating costs for airlines and also those that lack literate employees.

Silver Sees Cargo Market as Golden

Silver Airways is planning to enter the cargo market this fall, with the airline adding its first dedicated freighter aircraft. It is expected to add ATR freighters — likely the ATR42-500 or the larger ATR-72-500(F) — but is still determining which looks better in hot pink.

It is running out of time to pick an aircraft, because the airline expects to begin cargo ops as soon as this September, less than two months away. The airline will base its cargo ops out of Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW) in the Dallas metroplex.

Silver operates most of its passenger ops in Florida and the Caribbean with its fleet of six ATR42-600s, three ATR72-600s and five Saab 340B aircraft. Whichever aircraft it selects for its cargo operation will need to be resized for its new base since everything is bigger in Texas.

Aer Lingus UK Secures Operating Certificate

Aer Lingus UK had everything a new spinoff airline needs to begin operating – airplanes, routes, interest in selling tickets, and a confusing name that sounds very similar to its parent airline. But there was one thing lacking… an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Until now, that is.

The airline received its AOC from the CAA on Friday after weeks of waiting. Immediately after receiving approval from the UK, the airline filed a disclosure with the US DOT as it was waiting on the AOC before allowing the new airline to sell tickets in the United States.

Aer Lingus UK requested an expedited process to receive its foreign air carrier permit from the government – a bold request considering “expedited request” and “US federal government” rarely go together in the same sentence. The airline is planning on using the EI code of Aer Lingus and the BA code of British Airways code when it begins flying from Manchester to the United States.

Manchester’s New Terminal Opens This Week

Manchester, UK Airport’s (MAN) new T2 extension opens this week, six years after the airport broke ground on the project. The first airlines to operate out of the facility will be Jet2, TUI, and Singapore in a staggered approach over the next few days to give the terminal a bit of a dress rehearsal before opening at full capacity next week.

The terminal’s price tag ended up right around £1 billion, which, oddly enough, is the same price as a six-pack of Toblerone bars at the airport’s duty-free shop.

The terminal extension was originally supposed to open last year but was delayed because nobody was actually flying anywhere anyway. The new terminal features an 81-square meter digital screen to provide flight information and content for passengers. Dozens of local and international dining options are on offer including exotic bird restaurateur KFC.

• Air New Zealand’s limited offerings to fly New Zealand citizens out of Sydney sold out in minutes. Those that couldn’t get a seat were given a life vest and a pair of flippers from the airline and told to “get going.”
• American operated a special cargo flight last Thursday to deliver 1.5 million COVID vaccines to Guatemala City (GUA). The vaccines arrived safely but complained about not being offered a pre-departure beverage in first class and that the catering on the flight seemed “mediocre at best.”
• Asiana and Korean are partnering on a cargo hub at Seoul/Incheon. In reality, Asiana is likely trying to show its new Korean Air overlords that it can play nicely in advance of the merger of the two airlines.
• Bamboo will operate its first flight to the United States on Thursday, a charter from Hanoi to San Francisco.
• Bellagio Air (this one, not this one) is adding B737 freighters as it looks to build out its cargo operation.
• Bulgaria Air has been given permission to issue a $9.1 million bond issue.
• flydubai will add Naples and Salzburg to its network this month. 4x-weekly service to Salzburg will begin July 15 and Naples will resume operations on July 31.
• Georgian Airways (this one, not this one), resumed B737-900 operations after a two-year hiatus.
• LATAM’s passenger operation for July is expected to reach 46% of what it flew in June 2019, its biggest month since the onset of the pandemic.
• Oryx Jet, a virtual passenger charter specialist in the UK virtually retired its only B737-300 aircraft.
• SAS will begin A321-200(LR) operations later this summer.
• Scoot scooted four A320-200 aircraft from its fleet on to the open market.
• SKY Express signed a deal for six ATR72-600 aircraft to be added to its fleet.
• Thai AirAsia suspended domestic flights.
• VivaAerobus is moving ops for four destinations from Monterrey – Mexico City, Cancun, Guadalajara, and Tijuana from its own budget Terminal C to the airport’s Terminal A.

A wife says to her husband that moose are falling from the sky. The husband says “no, it’s reindeer.”

United Adds Warm Weather Flights this Winter

United Airlines is adding 150 flights to warm weather destinations this winter, with all the flying from hubs and focus cities, eschewing the airline’s strategy from last year where it added point-to-point flying that bypassed hubs.

The flights will operate to domestic destinations in five states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, and Nevada. Outside the United States, the airline will bulk up its presence for the winter to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.

Newark leads the way with 25 new flights because there’s nowhere people want to leave more than Newark. The additional flights from EWR will operate to Ft. Myers, Jacksonville and Savannah. Denver is next with 14 to Charleston, Ft. Lauderdale, and Savannah. Chicago/O’Hare adds 11 to Key West, Las Vegas, and San Diego, while Washington/Dulles adds 11 to Charleston, New Orleans and Phoenix.

Houston/Bush, Los Angeles, Cleveland and San Francisco are each adding a few flights also. 12 new international routes will launch from a combo of Denver, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Dulles to Belize City, Cozumel, Liberia, and Nassau.

EPA Pumps the Brakes on AA’s DisinfectAAant

The EPA is halting the sales of Allied BioScience Inc’s SurfaceWise2 product after concerned were raised about its effectiveness to fight the virus on airplanes and airport facilities.

The agency also revoked its emergency exemption which permitted the product to be used in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The agency declined to revoke the exemption for Louisiana because the spray made a nice compliment to a tasty crawfish boil.

Lab testing from the EPA showed that the spray was less reliable when exposed to moisture or abrasion, and if you’ve seen the passengers AA is attracting these days, there’s a lot of moisture and abrasion.

AA said it stopped using SurfaceWise2, even though it had only be using on flights that operate through Texas – which for AA is almost all of them. The airline says it will continue to follow all EPA and federal guidance on the matter. In the meantime, anyone interested in bulk purchases of SurfaceWise2 should contact AA on Telegram or the dark web where the airline is running a 2-for-1 sale for interested parties.

Nigeria Takes Drastic Step to Curb Delays

Nigeria has instituted very passenger-generous policies for delayed and cancelled flights, as its aviation minister announced airlines would be required to offer full refunds to passengers on any domestic flight delayed two hours or more.

Upon hearing the news, most U.S. airlines senior leadership were seen going into anaphylactic shock.

More than half of the 14,662 domestic flights operated in Nigeria from January to March were delayed, which was a key catalyst to the edict. Spirit and Allegiant upon seeing the numbers shook their head and said “yeah but almost half of them operated on-time, everyone always focuses on the negative.”

The government is also ordering airlines to provide passengers with a phone call or text message on delays up to one hour. Any delay between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. will require the airline to offer free hotel accommodation, food & drink, two free phone calls, complimentary transport to and from the hotel, and six month trial subscription to Disney Plus. In other news, most Nigerian airlines are now shutting down.

American’s LAX-Sydney Service Becomes One-Way

With Australia reducing the number of international arriving passengers by half, American Airlines is changing its LAX-Sydney service to be one-way in regards to passenger service, beginning July 12. The flight from Los Angeles to Sydney will operate with cargo and a flight crew, but no passengers. The aircraft will pick up passengers in Sydney and fly them to Los Angeles.

The crew operating the return flight will need to get to Sydney, so they will fly with the empty plane to Australia along with the cargo and then work the return flight back to Los Angeles.

The July 12 departure from Los Angeles arrives in Sydney on July 14. On that day, the country is cutting the number of arriving passengers down to 456 people per day, 215 which can fly into Sydney.

Mongolia’s Newest Airport Open for Business

Chinggis Kahn International Airport, the sparkling, new airport in Ulaanbaatar (UBN) opened this week when its first flight, Mongolian Airlines flight 501, B737-800 service to Tokyo/Narita successfully departed off its lone runway.

The airport, which has the capacity to handle up to three million passengers a year, was built by four Japanese conglomerates including the Narita International Airport Corporation. The new airport will be operated by New Ulaanbaatar International Airport LLC for at least 15 years. The company is 51% owned by the four Japanese conglomerates while the Mongolian government owns the remaining 49%.

The airport is located 30 miles southwest o downtown, boasts a 12,000 ft. runway and six boarding gates – five of which are international capable.

• Blue Air is planning to list on the London Stock Exchange in early 2022 through a reverse takeover that is sure to leave someone green with envy.
• Cathay Pacific has launched its lifestyle brand, which it has given the clever name “Cathay.” The new brand will target hospitality, shopping, dining, and hotels in an effort for the airline to identify and capture new revenue streams. Okay.
• Eurowings is adding four new destinations in Northern Europe this summer from Düsseldorf and Stuttgart for travelers who are fans of snow, ice, and cold temps. The airline is also considering a rebrand to Frigidwings.
• Finnair is adding three fifth freedom flights from Stockholm this fall. It will operate 5x-weekly to Bangkok, once weekly to Phuket, and 2x-weekly to Miami.
• Jeju Air in Korea has proposed a 5:1 capital cut of the value of its stock, pending shareholder approval on August 13.
• Lufthansa raised €1 billion in liquidity in a corporate bond sale on Wednesday.
• SpiceJet owes De Havilland $43 million from a ruling earlier this year by the High Court of Justice in London. Because of the ruling, De Havilland wants the money that should be cumin to them. The decision to take the London ruling to a Delhi court was a sage one by De Haviland, no matter how much thyme it takes.
• TUI will close its Edinburgh base after the summer 2021 travel season with no plans to reopen in 2022.
• Virgin Australia’s lounge in Melbourne is scheduled to re-open within weeks.

The salesman told me that the couch would seat five people without any problems. And all I could think was “if I buy this couch, where the hell am I going to find five people without any problems?”

U.K. to Allow Quarantine-Free Travel for Vaccinated Travelers…With a Catch

The U.K. government finally announced plans to allow fully vaccinated travelers to forego quarantine requirements upon arrival in the UK when flying in from countries on the amber list. The catch, however, is that the policy applies only to travelers who received their vaccines in the United Kingdom.

Travelers who have been vaccinated anywhere else in the world – including the United States – will not be permitted to opt out of quarantine regardless of their vaccination status.

The new policy, which will go into effect on July 19, treats those vaccinated in the U.K. the same whether returning from a country on the green list or the amber list.  This will provide a boost to the travel industry in the U.K., specifically British Airways and Virgin Atlantic as it will encourage local residents to travel abroad without the specter of quarantine handing over their heads.

More than 34 million British residents are fully vaccinated and nearly all of them have not left the U.K. in 15 months, creating record demand to get on a plane and find a decent meal to eat.

LATAM Battles Creditors Over Aircraft Cancellations

LATAM Airlines is mired in a struggle with its creditors over deals it cut with Delta and Qatar – two of its largest shareholders – to raise liquidity just before the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States.

The airline claims that it worked with its two shareholders by terminating two deals for A350 aircraft in exchange for cash, while its creditors claim that Delta and Qatar conspired to take advantage of the cash strapped LATAM to cut their own costs at the expense of their partner.

Delta recently was tied to a deeply discounted purchase of A350 aircraft from lessor AerCap, likely the same aircraft it was supposed to purchase from LATAM last spring at much higher prices. Delta was originally supposed to purchase four aircraft from LATAM last spring and take over 10 delivery options pending from Airbus, but instead broke the deal in exchange for a one-time $62 million payment to LATAM one day before it filed for bankruptcy.

Qatar also ended the lease agreements on five A350-900s it was leasing from LATAM last spring in exchange for an undisclosed lump sum payment.

Ravn Alaska Moves Closer to Transpac Flying

Commuter carrier Ravn Alaska is one step closer to transforming itself to a long-haul LCC flying across the Pacific as it registered three new names with the DOT for us immediately. The three are: Northern Pacific, Northern Pacific Airlines, and Northern Pacific Airways. For unknown reasons, Ravn Pacific or Ravn Alaska & Beyond were not selected.

The DOT approved the request for all three names while deregistering the name RavnAir Alaska.

The airline, whatever it ends up calling itself, plans to expand its current AOC, add the B757 to its fleet, and acquire international route authorities. It then plans to develop the North Terminal at Anchorage’s Ted Stephens International Airport as its transpacific hub while keeping up its intra-Alaska flying as well.

Destinations would likely include Orlando, Newark, Las Vegas, Oakland, and Ontario on the U.S. side, to go with its Anchorage hub. International flying would begin going to Tokyo and Seoul with Osaka to follow but likely never receive service after the airline shuts its international operation down due to losing millions of dollars before it can add its third international gateway.

Flair Heads South of the Border

Flair Airlines, a Canadian-based ULCC and the official airline of the 16-time World Champion Ric Flair announced six U.S. destinations as the airline operates to the United States for the first time.

Flair will serve the U.S. destinations from eight Canadian gateways: Halifax, Montreal, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa and Abbotsford. The six U.S. cities are all warm-weather destinations popular with Canadians: Burbank, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Orlando/Sanford, Palm Springs, and Phoenix/Mesa,

Flair’s flights to the United States will begin in October.

Fiji’s Olympic Team Shares Flight to Tokyo with Frozen Fish

Fiji Airways Flight 1351, an A333-operated cargo flight stocked to the brim with frozen fish departed Nadi (NAN) just after midnight Friday morning to make the nine-hour journey to Tokyo/Narita as it does on a regular basis. But this time, the flight also contained a different kind of cargo – the 50-person Olympic delegation from Fiji.

With commercial and passenger traffic at a standstill to and from the nation due to a recent virus outbreak, the delegation had to get clever in finding a way to Tokyo for the Olympic games that will open in two weeks. The plane held Fiji’s 29 athletes and 21 coaches, administrators and staff making their way to the games on an aircraft that had just enough seating added to accommodate the delegation along with the truly precious cargo – the frozen fish making its way to Tokyo to be served up as sushi across the country in the coming days and weeks.

The plane included 24 members of the men’s and women’s Rugby Sevens teams – the men’s team brought home gold in Rio, Fiji’s first medal of any color in its history.

The plane touched down at Narita a short while ago at about 6:30 a.m. local time. The Olympic delegation will undergo three-days of self-isolation upon arrival as part of the IOC’s deal with Japanese authorities. The fish – who have not won any Olympic medals —  will not be required to self-isolate and will instead find themselves dispersed across Japan to grocery stores, restaurants, and fish markets right away.

• Aegean and Volotea have signed a codeshare agreement that will see the two partner on 100 routes within Italy, France, Spain, and Greece.
• Aer Lingus UK added the first A330-300 to its fleet, acquiring the plane from Aer Lingus. The paperwork on that transaction must have been extensive. Aer Lingus UK now has one more A330-300 aircraft to its name that it does Air Operator Certificates or Operating Licenses.
• Alaska managers and office personnel pitched in to help load and process baggage at the airline’s Seattle hub over the holiday weekend and are expected to assist through the end of the summer as needed.
• Air Seychelles named Sandy Benoiton as the new acting CEO and Tyrian Gendron as the acting CFO. The pair are expected to continue in their dual roles as airline executives and stage performers indefinitely.
• American, JetBlue, and Spirit are waiving fees and fare differences for those scheduled to fly to Haiti. So now we know – all it takes for Spirit to waive a fee is for the president of a country to be assassinated in the middle of the night.
• Cabo Verde Airlines was nationalized by the Cabo Verde government.
• Cathay Pacific is bracing for a shuffle amongst its senior leadership as Customer director Simon Large and Chief Risk Officer Philippe Lacamp made the large and risky decision to resign.
• China Airlines (this one, not this one) plans to debut the A321neo in its fleet this winter.
• Emirates will return to Mauritius beginning July 15 with twice-weekly flights.
• Hong Kong Airlines defaulted on interest payments for the third time, taking a page out of Norwegian’s strategy of not paying its bills and hoping no one notices. It has not been successful for Norwegian and doesn’t appear to be going well for HK Airlines either.
• Qantas is resuming service to Proserpine (PPP) with daily flights from Brisbane beginning September 17.
• SriLankan will begin flying once-weekly service to Moscow/Domodedovo (DME) beginning July 30, marking the airline’s first foray into Moscow in more than six years.
• United reaffirmed its commitment to keep stowaways off its plane when it delayed UA43 from Maui to Newark for 28 minutes while passengers and staff forced a bird off the aircraft. The bird was immediately taken to a mental hospital for birds to undergo an examination as to why it wanted to leave Maui to fly to Newark.

What’s a crafty dancer’s favorite hobby? Cutting a rug.

Delta Set to Grow Fleet With Cheap, Used Airplanes

Delta Air Lines is reportedly adding seven Airbus A350s and 29 B737-900ERs to its fleet, according to The Air Current, as the airline takes advantage of rock bottom prices from lessors in the aftermath of the pandemic.

The A350s will come from Delta’s partner LATAM via a third-party lessor since LATAM doesn’t want them anymore. Long-haul jets including the B787 and the A350 are currently experiencing the opposite of rental car prices across the country as they are being offered to airlines at less than half their pre-pandemic value. Delta is taking advantage of the deal like your aunt does at an estate sale, always able to sniff out a bargain.

The 29 B737-900ER aircraft have been collecting dust since their previous operator – Indonesia’s Lion Air – reduced its flying last spring. These planes will roar into Delta’s fleet joining the 130 of the aircraft that are already flying for the airline, presumably after a very thorough maintenance check.

Temporary No More? Washington/Dulles Considers New Concourse

United’s home at Concourses C and D at Washington’s Dulles Airport has been called a temporary facility since its opening in the mid-1980s, much like the American League temporarily adding the designated hitter in 1973. The proposal to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) for a new, three-story, 535,000-square foot concourse… will do absolutely nothing to change that.

MWAA said that the proposed concourse is needed (understatement of the century), but it will be used to replace the existing Concourse A gates which were built in 1999 for smaller regional aircraft and are now functionally obsolete, not the C/D gates.

The new concourse — which if approved would be completed in 2025 — would sit on top of vacant land south of the C/D concourses on top of the current C/D terminal train stop. The airport had long ago expected to replace C/D with a new concourse further south, so that’s where it built the station.

American Flew 2.7 Million Passengers Over July 4 Weekend

American Airlines flew 2.7 million passengers over the weekend, the airline disclosed in an internal memo on Wednesday. Of the 2.7 million, AA managed to get some to the location it said on their ticket, and some of those even operated on-time.

The airline operated over 26,000 flights — more than double last year’s Independence Day Weekend — with the 2.7 million travelers representing nearly three times the passengers from a year ago.

American had previously ramped up its summer schedule more than competitors Delta and United but was then forced to cut its flights by about 1% for July to give itself wiggle room due to staffing shortages.

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Heathrow Airport Team Up

The old saying “my enemy’s enemy is my friend” is proving true with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic teaming up with London/Heathrow against their common enemy – the UK government and its border policies.

The trio have joined together on a trial program to show the government that they can quickly and easily verify visitors into the UK are fully vaccinated. The trial program will target fully vaccinated travelers from four destinations: Athens and New York/JFK (BA), and Los Angeles and Montego Bay (VS).

Travelers taking part in the program will use a specific arrivals lane at the border checkpoint after landing. At that point, the visitor will need to have proof of vaccination via the UK’s NHS app, a U.S. CDC card, or EU Digital COVID Credential. Visitors will also be asked to name all four Spice Girls in less than 60 seconds, or they will be denied entry.

Global Domestic Air Traffic Achieves 76% of Pre-Pandemic Levels

Global domestic air traffic recovered to 76% of its pre-pandemic levels, comparing total available seat kilometers from May 2019 to May 2021. The total demand of worldwide travel has only recovered to about 38% of where it was in May of 2019, with the international recovery figure of just 15% dragging the overall figure downwards.

Russia led the way on the domestic recovery, actually earning 22.6% more in revenue than May 2019 while operating a 28.2% increase in available seat kilometers. China also saw an increase, with 12.7% more capacity earning 6.3% greater revenue.

The United States operated 82% of its domestic capacity from May of 2019 this year, earning 74% of the income. The major hit worldwide was India, which operated half of what it did two years ago, earning just 29% due to the emergence of the Delta strain of the virus in the country.

• Avelo extended its schedule through January, and it includes buckets of changes for Burbank including three destinations being dropped altogether, no flights at all on Wednesday and Saturday, and just one morning round trip on Tuesday.
• Aura Airlines added its first A330, considerably improving the aura around the airline.
• Avianca plans to retire and then sell its entire fleet of ATRs. If you’re in Ecuador and in the market for an ATR, now is your time to shine.
• British Airways settled a lawsuit filed by customers and employees who were victims of a data breach in 2018.
• Carson Air has been acquired by aviation investment firm Exchange Income Corporation for $50 million. The sale occurred despite the fact no one has ever actually heard of Carson Air.
• Eurowings is adding destinations from four gateways: Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Stuttgart, and Salzburg.
• Finnair had a 54.5% jump in traffic in June as compared to May.
• HOP! retired its final E145 aircraft! The airline removed the plane from revenue service in late 2019 after once operating 13 of the type! Mainline carrier Air France still operates three E145 on a wet lease on its regional routes from Paris/Orly!
• JetBlue has repaid the $750 million loan it took out last June in full, making the final payment on the debt on June 17. The airline held a small celebration at its Long Island HQ with Dunkin coffee and blue chips.
• Lufthansa Cargo is converting A321s from passenger to freighter aircraft. While operating as a dedicated freighter, the aircraft will still transport passengers who choose to book basic economy.
• Norwegian’s bankrupt Swedish subsidiary owes $287 million. Unfortunately for the airline, its strategy of hoping no one would notice is not proving effective.
• Ryanair will open a new base at Agadir, Morocco (AGA). The airline will add 16 new routes to seven European countries when it bulks up at the airport this winter.
• United is rolling out a pilot program to offer pre-ordered snacks and drinks, available on United’s app and website in the days leading up to departure. This is sure to go off without a hitch.
• Virgin Australia is selling airport lounge access for A$399. Rex has filed an objection that this will dump excess capacity into Virgin Australia’s lounges.
• WestJet penciled in Diederik Pen as its new COO and appointed Robert Antoniuk as its new Chief Safety, Health, and Environment Officer.

Why are elevator jokes so much funnier? Because they work on many levels.

Apparently You Can Go Home Again: Heathrow’s T3 Reopening

Delta and Virgin Atlantic will return to their T3 home at London/Heathrow next week when the terminal reopens on July 15.

On opening day, Virgin Atlantic will reopen its Clubhouse lounge which has been closed for 15 months. The lounge is expected to reopen with most pre-pandemic services available including a full food-and-drink menu which will debut with a new QR-code based ordering system from guests’ mobile phones. Unfortunately for guests, the lounge will be clearing out its entire stock of food and drink left from March of 2020, with no plans to order anything new to serve until the current stock is depleted.

Travelers into Heathrow T3 will be greeted by a lot of empty space. Both airlines are currently offering significantly reduced schedules to the United States while they await the U.S.’s arrival on Britain’s “green list.” Delta is only offering non-stop service to Atlanta and New York/JFK, as opposed to the seven destinations it operated from LHR prior to the pandemic. VS is operating a more robust schedule including four “green list” destinations of Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, and Tel Aviv.

Maui: Be Careful What you Wish For…

Maui Country Michael Victorino is asking airlines to reduce the capacity they operate to the island amid large influxes of visitors to Maui as the state of Hawai’i loosens its pandemic restrictions. The request comes just days after the state announced it would remove most testing restrictions on July 8 as it looks to return to normal. The mayor said that residents of Maui have not had time to staff up for the scores of tourists to the island, and those tourists would certainly agree after they experience it in person.

Unfortunately for the mayor, his request is likely to fall on deaf ears. As he knows, he has no authority to reduce the number of flights to the island, and airlines are in recovery mode just as the island’s tourism infrastructure is. If there is demand for the flights, the airlines are going to fill their airplanes. Not to mention, his request is for a reduction of flights from the mainland – which would do nothing except have passengers route through Honolulu as needed.

A spokesman for the mayor’s office said that he has also asked McDonald’s to slow down the number of burgers it produces while the island’s residents beef up their tolerance for meat and he’s asked the ocean to not produce as many waves while many return to the water for the first time in months. Neither McDonalds nor the ocean have responded to the requests.

SFO’s Runway Project Finishing Ahead of Schedule

San Francisco International Airport has been resurfacing its longest runway since April, working 20 hours a day, six days a week to complete the project on-time and on-budget — which, amazingly enough — is going to happen.

The project cost $160 million and was originally supposed to take place next year, but the airline moved the project up due to the slowdown in travel from the pandemic, though oddly waiting until the slowdown was over to begin work. The airport said the work was equivalent to paving 75 football fields with asphalt, which would be a very weird thing to do, not to mention unsafe for the players.

When it opens around Labor Day, the new runway will be covered with three feet-thick asphalt, enough to cushion the blow of a fully-loaded 747 landing – or the weight of the tears of all of San Francisco when the Raiders announce they’re considering a move back to the Bay Area.

Emerald Airlines to Fill Aer Lingus Regional Void

Aer Lingus Regional has been shelved since last month when operator Stobart Air went under following the failed sale of the airline. But Irish travelers need not fret any further as Emerald Airlines is poised to take over regional flying for Aer Lingus early next year.

Emerald won a bid to operate on behalf of Aer Lingus Regional for ten years beginning in 2022. Emerald is the perfect carrier for the contract– except for the tiny issue that it does not have an Air Operator’s Certificate. It expects to have that taken care of by the end of 2021, with BA CityFlyer picking up much of the slack in the interim.

Emerald has taken delivery of its first two ATR72-600 aircraft. It has also hired its first few pilots and flight attendants. It’s in negotiations for four more aircraft with options to add another eight – giving it 14 by the end of 2021. The airline is also in talks with three airports – Dublin, Cork, and Belfast – about establishing a base of operations, opting to see which offers the greater pot of gold at the end of its rainbow.

Sydney Airport Receives Takeover Bid

Sydney Airport received a proposal by a group of Australian investors to buy the airport and its holding company – Sydney Airport Holdings Pty Ltd – for $16.7 billion. If the sale were completed, it would be one of the largest sales in Australian history, just short of the sale price of Captain Hoppypants, a prize-winning kangaroo in 1994.

The sales price would be the second-largest airport purchase in history, behind only the $30.2 billion purchase of London’s Heathrow airport in 2006, with the caveat that that sale also came with four annual free nights at Buckingham Palace.

The group – named the Sydney Aviation Alliance – is offering what amounts to a 42% per share premium on Sydney Airport stock at A$8.25 each. An airport spokesperson said that the offer still amounted to a figure below what the share price was pre-pandemic leading some to believe the deal is not a slam dunk.

The airport holds a monopoly on traffic to Sydney, but that is only until 2026. Western Sydney airport — which may or may not just be Perth Airport trying to get more traffic — will open then and will provide a competitor to SYD’s market share of domestic and international traffic.

• Aeromexico resumed 3x-weekly service to Managua last week, operating the route for the first time since last spring.
• Air Astana is taking Embraer to court over alleged failures of the E190-E2 aircraft. The airline is seeking $12 million in damages. Ryanair is watching the case closely, despite not being a customer of this specific aircraft. But the airline is intrigued about the concept of finding reasons to sue aircraft manufacturers.
• Air Canada is flying to more places this summer than it did last summer.
• AirAsia Indonesia is grounding all flights for one month, effective today.
• airBaltic had a €16 million claim against it dismissed in court. Despite not being involved in the suit, Ryanair has appealed.
• Asiana raised $97 million in a privately placed corporate bond issue.
• Aviair received a subsidy from the Western Australia government to commission a study on operating 3x-weekly service between Derby (DRB) and Broome (BME). Derby, located in Australia’s outback does not have any commercial service currently, while Broome is the 20^th busiest airport in Australia (that means it’s not very busy). Despite this, Rex has filed an objection that Avair is over-saturating the Broome to Derby market.
• Dash Air Shuttle secured three Cessna 402Cs to add to its fleet.
• Delta signed its first sustainable aviation fuel agreement from Corporate Travel Management, permitting the airline to purchase 300,000 gallons over the next three years. The vendor denied Delta’s offer to pay in SkyClub day passes and drink vouchers.
• Frontier denied boarding to a woman simply for being on its no-fly list and attacking a check-in agent with a stanchion post.
• Garuda Indonesia’s $585 million bailout from the Indonesian government is currently being held up by lawmakers.
• Kenya Airways will save $45 million after changing the lease terms of its fleet, switching from fixed costs to hourly rates. With the $45 million saved, we assume the airline plans to take all Cranky Daily readers to brunch.
• Luke Air unveiled its new A330-200 in a ceremony at Milan/Malpensa. The startup will operate long-haul destinations to beach destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean along with short-haul service to Central Europe and Tatooine.
• Qantas extended its status match qualification period through September 30.
• SKY Express added its first ATR72-600.
• Smartwings launched its new 2x-weekly route between Prague and Nice last week.
• Transair Hawaii added its first B737-400 freighter, which is good because it’s short one aircraft considering the Coast Guard just located its B732 at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Why is it spelled “camouflage” and not ?

Cranky Daily will take the day off Monday for the Independence Day Holiday. We wish everyone a relaxing, delay-free weekend and a Happy Fourth. We’ll be back on Tuesday.

Transair 737 Safely Makes Emergency Landing

Transair flight 810, a B737-operated cargo flight with two crew on board, neither of which was named Sully as far as we know, was en route to Maui early this morning when it was forced to ditch in the Pacific off the coast of Oahu.

Both pilots were rescued by the Coast Guard after the water landing at approximately 2:30 a.m. HST (8:30 a.m. Eastern). The aircraft encountered engine problems shortly after takeoff and the pilots were unable to safely make it back to the airport, forcing the water landing.

Both pilots survived the landing but did suffer injuries. One pilot was helicoptered by the Coast Guard to Queens Medical Center in Honolulu and is in the ICU while the other pilot was brought to shore via a rescue boat. He was treated for multiple lacerations and is in serious condition.

The air traffic control audio is posted on liveatc.net and in it, the pilot can be heard telling the tower that they lost their number one engine and were concerned about losing engine number two. The pilot then asked ATC to alert the Coast Guard, a decision that likely saved him and his partner’s life.

Passenger Levels Surpass 2019 for First Time

For the first time since the pandemic, the number of passengers screened by the TSA on Thursday exceeded the number from the same day in 2019.

2,147,090 passengers spent quality time with TSA officers on Thursday, taking their mask off when handing over their ID and awkwardly throwing away the water bottle they “forgot” was in their carry-on. That’s 3% higher than the 2,088,760 that were screened on July 1, 2019, back when “social distancing” wasn’t a phrase and hand sanitizer was a luxury, not a basic staple.

With the numbers climbing upward so dramatically and a holiday weekend upon us, the TSA is reminding travelers to arrive at the airport very early because staffing shortages are still causing very long lines at checkpoints. The agency also receives $1,000 every time it reminds passengers to arrive very early from the Airport Retail Association of America.

Federal Government Considers Requiring Refunds for Delayed Bags

The Biden administration plans to propose a new federal policy that will require airlines to offer refunds for bag fees on delayed bags that are not delivered within 12 hours of arrival from a domestic flight or 25 hours off an international flight.

Delta and Alaska offer light compensation when bags aren’t delivered within 20 minutes of arrival, but no other airline matches the pair. Airlines are currently required to offer compensation when bags are completely lost but not for delayed luggage that eventually winds its way through the country to the right airport.

Canada already requires payment on bags that are delayed on flights in the country, a policy U.S. airlines must abide by on flights north of the border. But Canada is the home of Air Canada, the airline that doesn’t believe in refunds for canceled flights, so your mileage may vary…literally.

Australia Slows International Arrivals

The Australian government laid out its four-part plan to reopen the country for international travel today, and it opens with a phase one that goes in the opposite direction.

The first phase of the four phase plans slashes the number of international passengers per week per airport from 6,000 down to 3,000. The lower number will allow a limited trial of seven-day home quarantine – as opposed to 14-day hotel quarantine – for fully vaccinated Australians returning home to Adelaide only. The reduced arrival capacity will be in place until at least the end of the year.

Phase Two will involve arrival caps restored to 6,000 per airport per week and vaccinated Australians being permitted to travel overseas to select countries. Phase Three will exempt Australians from restrictions on domestic travel and no limit on international arrivals – essentially a travel bubble arrangement. Phase four would be when things are “back to normal” with no restriction on vaccinated travel for Australians, visitors, or kangaroos.

It’s expected that the country will not transition into Phase 4 until late 2022 at the earliest, or perhaps 2045. In the meantime, Australia will continue to have one of the most restrictive COVID border policies in the world while turning a blind eye to the real scourge, scores of Vegemite being eaten by Australians on a daily basis.

JetBlue Technology Ventures’ Big Day

JetBlue Technology Ventures named Amy Burr as its new president today, placing in her a role where she will work to see what new technologies work well at 30,000 feet while being several different shades of blue. The group also announced an investment in Transparent, a vacation rental market intelligence company.

Burr will shape the direction of investments made by JetBlue with regards to innovation and new technology. She will oversee the integration of new technology and processes into the airline’s overall structure. She came to JetBlue from Virgin America where she started in 2004 and left after taking the lead on integrating VX’s merger with Alaska.

JetBlue will leverage its relationship with Transparent as it looks to grow its business of bundling lodging with air travel. Transparent’s intelligence platform allows its customers to analyze forward-looking rates and occupancy levels while driving revenue in the short-term rental market. JetBlue is currently looking how it can connect with its new partner to offer space on its airplanes as they’re parked overnight at airports across the country.

• Air France is adding three new destinations this winter – Zanzibar (ZNZ), Muscat (MCT), and Colombo (CMB).
• American had a passenger take matters into their own hands after no longer wanting to wait out a delay and cancellation in Charlotte last night.
• Comair is suspending all South African flights for three weeks.
• French Bee received a pot of honey and cash to keep it afloat from the French Polynesian government.
• Frontier’s return to Costa Rica took place yesterday, with a flight from Orlando. The airline will also resume service from Miami, beginning today.
• ITA (this one, not this one), operated its first commercial flight on Thursday.
• Lion Air and Sabre said W‡ to extending their partnership which was first signed in 2016.
• VivaAerobus is preparing for a possible IPO in the United States by the end of this year.

I got fired from my dream job as a set designer on Broadway. But I tried to be respectful so I left the theatre without making a scene.

Sun Country’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Sun Country Airlines grounded all flights this morning, leaving passengers stranded across the country while they scolded themselves for booking the ULCC in the first place.

The airline blamed the grounding on its third-party contractor AIMS International which aims (poorly) to handle crew scheduling for Sun Country. A Sun Country spokesperson would not confirm if the actual cause of the grounding was that the airline mistakenly contracted with Ames International, a Fife, Washington-based company that manufactures gourmet nuts, teas, and confections instead of the Dubai-based crew scheduler.

Sun Country has been manually clearing its pilots and flight attendants to get their planes in the air, but it’s a drawn-out process that cannot keep up with the demand of its daily schedule. It’s days like this the airline is very thankful it hardly operates any routes on a daily basis.

The outage is not just affecting its passenger flights – four Sun Country cargo flights scheduled to operate on behalf of Amazon are delayed as well. As angry as the scores of delayed passengers in Minneapolis are, just wait until people don’t receive their Prime packages in the 48-hour window tomorrow because Sun Country hired a nut and confection company to manage its crew scheduling.

The airline has fully thrown AIMS under the bus, directing all questions from media and interested parties to call AIMS – at a Miami phone number that’s now been disconnected.

Air Canada Tells DOT to Keep Moving, Nothing to See Here

In early June, the DOT announced it would pursue a $25.5 million fine and penalty against Air Canada for the airline refusing to provide refunds during the pandemic for flights that were canceled or hit with a dramatic schedule changes. The DOT issued the ruling because it is federal policy that cash refunds be provided when a flight cancels, and Air Canada was notoriously one of the worst airlines when it came to paying people back in cash and not airline credit or maple syrup futures.

Well, Air Canada is not impressed with the DOT’s ruling, telling the U. S. government that the penalty should be dismissed for a bunch of reasons that don’t make a lot of sense. For one, the airline says that if its customers wanted refunds, they should have purchased refundable fares – that people got exactly what they paid for. It concedes that yes, it offered refunds to all customers for canceled flights prior to the pandemic, but did so only as a courtesy, not because it was required.

Air Canada also argues it was “forced” to cancel flights to the United States, — which actually isn’t true since the border was never closed to air traffic. The airline did so because demand was at rock bottom levels. The airline ends by taking a swipe at the DOT saying that the government didn’t engage in “the required thorough, well-reasoned analysis or, frankly, any analysis,” in its investigation which will surely result in an equally snarky response from the DOT when it denies Air Canada’s appeal – likely about 15 minutes after the agency reads the document in full.

Etihad and El Al Begin Codeshare

Etihad Airways and El Al Israel Airlines launched their codeshare and loyalty reciprocity programs today, following the MOU signed by the airlines late last year.

Beginning today, El Al will place its LY code on Etihad’s twice weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv. Beginning next month, El Al will place its code on Etihad flights to destinations in Australia, Bahrain, India, Korea, Philippines, and Seychelles.

Coming soon, Etihad will place its EY code on El Al flights, with that half of the agreement awaiting final government approval. Beginning today, members of either airlines loyalty program will be able to earn and burn miles on both airlines. Etihad Guest members will be able to use their miles to visit Israel’s beaches on historic religious sites in the country, while El Al’s Matmid members can use miles to fly on Etihad to take a vacation from their Jewish mother.

European Commission Investigates Air Europa/IAG Deal

The proposed acquisition of Air Europa by IAG is facing extra scrutiny by the European Commission over concerns that the deal would squash competition, especially on routes to the United States and Latin America.

IAG and Air Europa agreed in January for the conglomerate to purchase the airline for 500 million GBP and then merge it with Iberia. The agreement offered better terms to IAG than previously agreed upon in November 2019 due to the onset of the pandemic.

The EU is concerned that Iberia and Air Europa are the first and third largest operators in Spain, with Ryanair in the middle looking to sue someone for something. The tie-up could reduce competition on as many as 70 city pairs in Spain, with many of the routes only operated by the two carriers.

The commission has until November 5 to decide. In the meantime, both airlines will continue to move forward with the merger, working feverishly for a couple hours a day, strategically placed around a lengthy afternoon siesta.

Airline that Doesn’t Fly Hopes to Fly Again

Porter Airlines hasn’t operated a flight since it shutdown at the onset of the pandemic last spring. The airline has repeatedly extended its grounding about a month a time since then, keeping its fleet of 27 Q400s grounded.

Things are finally looking up after the airline announced it reached an agreement with the Canadian government for a loan of $218 million, a pair of old ice skates, and two tickets to tonight’s virtual Canada Day fireworks show in Ottawa.

Of the $218 million, Porter is going to allocate $16.5 million to issue COVID-related refunds and to shame Air Canada for not wanting to do so. The airline currently hopes to resume operating on July 20 which is the date the current U.S.-Canada border closure expires. Despite the closure being extended a month at a time for almost a year and a half now, many on both sides of the border – including Porter – are hopeful that it will reopen this month.

• Air Antilles is resuming service to eight international markets beginning this Sunday.
• Air Do won shareholder approval to do a share issue.
• Alliance Airlines has purchased two E190 aircraft. The airline took the risk and did so without permission from Rex, so we can all expect Rex to file a complaint with the Australian government soon.
• American is offering a 12:45 a.m. redeye flight from Palm Springs (PSP) to Dallas/Ft Worth three nights this week around the July 4 holiday and the city of Palm Springs wants to make sure everyone is aware. Consider yourself briefed.
• Delta is investing an additional $185 million into Aeromexico in support of its restructuring and because Delta seemingly had $185 million laying around with nothing better to do.
• Emirates reopened its Concourse B First Class lounge in Dubai for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
• French Bee will be buzzing around New Jersey as the airline is adding Newark to its route map, beginning service on July 15.
• Go2Sky now targets sometime this fall to go2sky with its airplanes for the first time. The airline had planned to be named Went2Sky by now, but has been slowed by regulatory and other issues that come with launching a new airline in Slovakia during a pandemic.
• JetBlue is offering $800 bonuses or four one-way confirmed seat passes for crew that have no call outs from work between now and September 6. Those that do call out during that time will be assigned to the “check-in at JFK, but fly from Newark” crew.
• Jordan Aviation launched new service from Amman to Muscat earlier this week.
• Lift will not be lifting off any aircraft from July 5 through July 31 as the South African carrier is canceling all flights.
• Neos Air received approval to operate scheduled and charter passenger services and cargo ops between the US and EU.
• Pakistan International Airlines is planning to replace a few B777s with A320 aircraft, likely because it’s an easier plane to fly for its untrained pilots.
• Surinam Airways wet-leased an MD-83 to operate to the United States.
• TUI added its first B737 MAX 8 aircraft.
• Wizz Air is shopping for Alitalia’s slots at slot-controlled airports in Europe as it becomes less and less likely each day at ITA will ever be an airline that actually flies airplanes to airports with airplane passengers on them.

I made a pencil with two erasers. It was pointless.

Sun Country Hits Back at Allegiant

Minneapolis/St. Paul may be the Twin Cities, but Sun Country has no interest sharing the spotlight with another ULCC moving into its territory. Yesterday, it responded quickly to the news that Allegiant was homing in on its turf.

Allegiant announced ten new routes yesterday to four cities, but only one matters here: Minneapolis/St. Paul.  Allegiant will begin flying to three cities from MSP: Asheville, NC, Palm Beach, FL, and Punta Gorda, FL. In response just hours later, Sun Country announced publicly that it thinks those are fine places to visit. So fine, in fact, that it will fly to them as well.

Sun Country was planning on bringing Punta Gorda (PGD) into its network already — and Allegiant probably didn’t take too kindly to that plan when it came out — but it’s now doing so more quickly to beat Allegiant to the punch. PGD will operate twice weekly from MSP beginning October 8. Asheville (AVL) and Palm Beach (PBI) will also be served twice weekly with both beginning on October 7.  Spirit and Frontier, it’s your move.

Ravn Alaska Dreams Big

Ravn Alaska, an Anchorage-based airline that operates serving as a key lifeline to many small communities, has set it sights on operating far beyond the borders of the Last Frontier State.

CEO Rob McKinney said in a video that was briefly public before being pulled down that the recently resurrected airline now intends to open a hub in Anchorage, flying passengers between Asia and the U.S. mainland. To do so, Ravn expects to expand its current operating certificate to add B757 with ETOPS and the authority to operate international flights.

As far as destinations, McKinney specifically mentioned Tokyo, Seoul, and Osaka – three cities which we’re pretty sure are beyond the regularly operable range of the 757 going against the winds. Domestically, McKinney mentioned the coastal destinations of Orlando, Newark, Las Vegas, Oakland, and Ontario.

He says the airline can take on this ambitious plan without taking on debilitating debt. How that’s possible, he isn’t saying, hoping the “just trust me” approach will work here.  The idea seems similar to what Icelandair has done over the Atlantic – using Anchorage as a stopover point for travelers between the United States and Asia – but the distances involved are much longer, so we remain highly skeptical.

US to Block Travel to Belarus

Belarus just can’t catch a break anymore. The DOT has decided to prohibit the sale of tickets for travel to Belarus from the United States. The ruling includes interline itineraries, so Americans dreaming of spending their summer in Minsk are going to have to fly to a third country first and purchase a separate ticket to begin the holiday of their dreams.

The government will carve out an exception for any travel deemed to be in the national interest of the United States or humanitarian grounds. Whether that includes mileage runs is unclear as the DOT did not specifically prohibit them – and if earning enough miles to be able to travel in a premium cabin on longhaul flights isn’t humanitarian grounds, then nothing is.

There’s a two-day period for interested parties to file objections to the DOT. The Belarusian embassy in Washington is expected to do so on behalf of its government, as is Ryanair on behalf of itself because that’s what Ryanair does.

South Africa Tells Delta & U.S. to Pound Sand

Despite pleas from Delta and the U.S. government, South Africa affirmed its decision to deny Delta the rights to operate between Johannesburg and Cape Town as a tag flight on its 3x-weekly service from Atlanta.

The DOT responded by denying an application for SAA to operate beyond its U.S. gateways in a similar fashion. South Africa confirmed its denial of Delta’s request stating that the Air Transport Agreement between the two countries does not give U.S. airlines the right to operate co-terminals. The U.S. DOT sees the agreement differently and is accusing the South African government of misinterpreting the agreement to make the protectionist ruling that hinders Delta.

Delta was appreciative of the government’s attempt to intervene on its behalf with the South African government. As a thank you, the airline sent a case of Biscoffs (two per package, not the one cookie crap AA is serving now) and one 750 mL bottle of Woodford Reserve to the DOT’s headquarters in Washington, DC.

Korean Passes Hurdle to Complete Asiana Merger

Korean Air received approval from the Korean Development Bank (KDB) for its post-merger integration plan with Asiana. The merger has been marked by delays since it was first announced earlier this year, but this key hurdle will allow the two parties to continue to move forward.

The proposal was sent to the KDB in March and earned approval from the bank as well as the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport.

Even with this approval, the merger is still awaiting the thumbs-up from five federal antitrust regulators in Korea, China, the EU, Japan, and the United States. The merger is on track to begin in earnest next year, with both airlines hoping it to be complete by 2024.

• Air Berlin’s insolvency administrator (imagine having that title on your business card) is planning to sue Clearstream Banking in an attempt to recover about $600 million.
• ANA is introducing B767 Freighters to operate between Beijing and Tokyo/Narita.
• Jazeera Airways is launching twice weekly service to Antalya, Turkey (AYT) and Kiev (KBP) beginning July 13.
• Jet Airways will refund those who held tickets on the previous incarnation of the airline with the same name, up to $200.
• KLM’s network to Africa has been restored to 100% of its pre-pandemic levels from 2019.
• Lufthansa is beginning 3x-weekly flights from Munich to Dubai utilizing A350-900 aircraft, beginning October 1.
• Republic Airways is preparing for an IPO sometime this fall.
• Royal Brunei converted an A320neo into a temporary freighter to temporarily transport temporary cargo.
• SpiceJet has decided the thyme is now to add a big dill of cash to its coffers via an issuance of shares or a debt instrument.
• United is dropping its plan to serve Santa Maria, California (SMX). Both people who would have flown the airline out of that airport are surely disappointed.

I saw an obvious typo on a headstone today, spelling the person’s name wrong. What a grave mistake.

Big Airline Announces That it Plans to Buy Big Airplanes

The wait is over as United Airlines finally announced the aircraft order that’s been rumored for weeks. The airline is acquiring 270 new narrowbody aircraft, bringing its total narrowbody orderbook to a whopping 498. The aircraft will be delivered by 2027 which means they are expected to arrive before the airline completes the installation of its “new” Polaris Business Class.

The order consists of 200 Boeing MAX jets and 70 Airbus A321neos. Of the 200 Boeing aircraft, 150 will be MAX 10s with the remaining 50 being MAX 8s and some of them are expected to operate without issue.

United says it will add about 25,000 union jobs including pilots and flight attendants to work the new airplanes. That figure will grow higher when the airline takes gate agents into consideration who will be needed to announce delays, gate changes, and cancellations.

The planes will feature new interiors that will have seat back entertainment at every seat and larger overhead bins. United will also retrofit the existing fleet with these same amenities for a consistent experience. The airline says the overhead bins will be large enough to accommodate everyone’s bags on a full flight, to which the traveling public says, “Challenge accepted.”

For more on today’s announcement from United, visit today’s post at CrankyFlier.com.

Southwest Concerned About July 4 Staff Shortages

Southwest Airlines is asking its employees to take extra shifts this weekend due to concerns over staff shortages over the coming holiday weekend. With passenger levels expected to exceed all pandemic-era highs, Southwest is bracing for another week of potential chaos. The airline has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights in the last week due to bad weather and two seemingly unrelated technical problems.

Southwest flight attendants who pick up extra shifts between July 1 and July 7 will receive double-pay, a vintage pair of hot pants, and a nip of Wild Turkey to help through the holiday. The airline detailed the offer in a note posted for staff on Monday.

Southwest’s needs extend beyond cabin crew, as it has offered the same double pay opportunity to ground and cargo crew. The airline is also expected to make a plea to its customers to please behave themselves while onboard, wear their masks, and not end up on the news. The reward for those who comply won’t be double pay, but they will instead be given the gift of not being banned from flying the airline.

Allegiant Adds 23 New Routes and Four New Cities

Allegiant announced 23 new nonstop routes — ten of which will touch four new cities — to operate in-time for the fall and holiday travel season. The four new cities for the airline are Amarillo, TX (AMA), Melbourne, FL (MLB), Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Washington/Dulles.

The Delta hub and Sun Country base in Minneapolis/St Paul will get flights to Asheville, NC (beginning Oct. 7), Punta Gorda, FL (beginning October 8), and Palm Beach (beginning October 7). Sun Country flies to Punta Gorda while Delta flies to Palm Beach, and neither airline is likely thrilled. Meanwhile, the United hub at Dulles will now have to compete with Allegiant on flights to both Jacksonville (beginning Nov. 19) and Sarasota (beginning Dec. 18).

Amarillo will be served by Allegiant from Las Vegas (beginning Oct. 14) and Austin (beginning November 18). Melbourne get flights to Pittsburgh (beginning Nov. 11), Nashville (beginning November 18), and Concord, NC (beginning Nov. 18).

Of its existing cities, Austin is the big winner, adding seven new cities: Amarillo, Louisville, Orange County, Provo, UT, Sioux Falls, SD, Springfield, MO, and Tulsa.

Alaska and Qatar Announce Codeshare

Alaska Airlines and Qatar Airways announced a codeshare agreement between the two airlines, further strengthening Alaska’s relationship with its new oneworld buddy and giving the Eskimo a new beach destination on the Persian Gulf.

Qatar will serve as Alaska’s only partner in the Middle East, a specific reference to the end of Alaska’s partnership with Emirates that — though expected and unsurprising — was announced only recently.

Beginning July 1, which is Thursday, Qatar passengers will be able to book on more than 150 routes up and down the West Coast. Alaska passengers booking travel on Qatar to connect beyond Doha will be finalized in phase two of the codeshare.

Mango Gets Paid…Finally

The South African government passed a new law that will finally release funds to South African Airways’s LCC subsidiary Mango. The struggling carrier has been waiting months for the funds which had been held up by a technicality that prevented money sent to SAA intended for Mango to be passed on to the airline.

The Special Appropriation Act signed by the president into law makes $57 million available to Mango immediately in addition to $115 million to maintenance provider SAA Technical and $15.1 million to caterer SA Airchefs.

The money is coming in right on time as the airline was unsure if it would be able to fly or make payroll in July. Mango employees were not paid when the airline missed its June 25 payroll date, and no flights had been scheduled beyond tomorrow.

The passing of the law by the federal government should facilitate the flow of the cash to the airline in the next 24 hours, allowing it to pay its employees and schedule flights for July and beyond. In celebration, the airline will offer a free mango to all customers who purchase a round trip ticket for the month of July provided the airline actually operates the itinerary as booked.

• Air France-KLM raised $954 million in additional capital through the issuance of new bonds.
• American will revise its boarding groups to allow Exec Plats to board with Group 1, which is of course the second group to board the plane on American. Basic Economy passengers have been downgraded to Boarding Group 350.
• Brussels is adding three A320neo to join its fleet in 2023.
• Envoy Air, which flies on behalf of American Eagle took delivery of its first E170.
• Finnair completed a slot swap with American for this winter at London/Heathrow.
• Hong Kong Airlines has laid off nearly two-thirds of its staff after the airline implemented significant capacity cuts.
• Jazeera Airways is resuming twice weekly flights to Beirut from its Kuwait City (KWI) hub tomorrow.
• Rex is adding two new B737 jets as it looks to eye new routes, provided no other airline accuses it over adding too much capacity.
• Sunwing Airlines is receiving C$100 million as a loan to help meet its needs for COVID refunds.

A policeman pulled me over today and said “Papers!” I said “Scissors!” and drove off victorious.