The US Department of Transportation is proposing significant changes to how and when passengers are due refunds for canceled or changed travel plans. Under a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) issued this week the Department would require full refunds when an airline cancels or significantly changes a flight, regardless of reason.
Airplanes and Airports
No MAX 7s for Southwest this year
At the beginning of 2022 Southwest Airlines anticipated taking delivery of more than 70 new Boeing 737 MAX 7 aircraft through the year. Seven months into the year, with FAA certification timing still unclear, the carrier revised that number to zero.
JetBlue, Spirit agree to $3.8 billion deal
Four months after starting the conversations, and just a few hours after the Frontier Airlines bid was formally rejected, Spirit Airlines and JetBlue announced a definitive agreement to merge.
Porter Air boosts Embraer E2 commitment in advance of service launch
Porter Airlines has not yet taken delivery of its first Embraer E195-E2 jet, but the carrier already wants more. It announced an order for an additional 20 planes this week at the Farnborough International Airshow.
Boom Overture adds engines in design revamp
Boom Supersonic announced the final design selection for its planned Overture supersonic jet. Now sporting four engines mounted on gull wings, as well as a contoured fuselage, company executives announced the revised configuration at the Farnborough International Airshow outside London this week.
Delta confirms 737 MAX 10 order
Delta Air Lines confirmed an order for 100 new Boeing 737 MAX 10 jets this morning, the first big order announced at the 2022 Farnborough International Airshow. Assuming the plane is really built.
Delta, United both win access to serve Cape Town this winter
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines spent the past five months bickering over a scarce resource: access to fly from the US to Cape Town South Africa. The US DOT managed to negotiate a solution where both come away winners.
Emirates strikes back, fights Heathrow passenger caps
Overwhelmed and understaffed, Heathrow Airport says it cannot guarantee safe and reliable operations without massive cuts to the number of passengers passing through. The airport proposed a cap of 100,000 departing passengers per day for the remainder of the summer to alleviate pressures. Emirates is refusing to cooperate.
airBaltic bullish on spoke growth
When it comes to creating a new base for an airline choosing a spoke on the network is an uncommon choice. And doubly so when most of the destinations served are hubs of other airlines. But airBaltic likes to do things a bit differently. And CEO Martin Gauss believes the carrier can repeat that model thanks to airline partners and cities keen to grow a far-reaching version of air connectivity.
Air Canada, Emirates link up with codeshare, loyalty reciprocity
It is not, perhaps, quite the level of strange bedfellows pondered by Shakespeare in The Tempest, but a new strategic partnership agreement between Air Canada and Emirates is certainly an interesting development.