It is not often that a senior airline executive departs that role, and even less often that the news is semi-buried in a press release. Which makes what comes next for Scott Laurence, formerly Head of Revenue and Planning at JetBlue, all that much more interesting.
Airplanes and Airports
Allegiant picks Boeing 737 MAX for fleet expansion, refresh
Allegiant is mixing up its fleet plans. The carrier announced an agreement to purchase 50 new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, diversifying from its current all-Airbus A320 family operation.
JetBlue plans February schedule adjustments
Fresh on the heels of a New Years schedule cut, JetBlue expects to further trim operations into February. The company informed crew on Friday of impending “adjustments to our February schedule” in light of shifting customer demand.
WestJet, Transat push codeshare to US markets, with a catch
WestJet and Transat applied to the US Department of Transportation for permission to codeshare on flights between the US and Canada. The move is part of the carriers’ planned transatlantic codeshare pact announced last month.
KLM, Transavia tap Airbus for single-aisle refresh
Chalk up another 100 aircraft order for Airbus (plus 60 options). Air France-KLM announced a firm order to refresh the KLM, Transavia, and Transavia France fleets with A320neo family aircraft.
Baltimore, Boston picked for PLAY’s US debut
Travelers from Baltimore and Boston now have a new option to Europe. Iceland’s PLAY intends to launch both markets in Spring 2022, connecting the US to Europe via its hub at Keflavik.
Qantas picks Airbus for fleet refresh
The next several decades will see a lot of Airbus planes in the skies over Australia. Qantas announced its intention today to renew its single-aisle fleet with a mix of up to 134 A220 and A320neo family aircraft.
United, ZeroAvia see hydrogen-powered regional jets by the end of the decade
United Airlines wants to power some of its regional jets with hydrogen by the end of the decade. The company announced a deal with ZeroAvia to purchase up to 100 of the new zero-emission, 100% hydrogen-electric engines (ZA2000-RJ). The engine could be retrofit to existing United Express aircraft as early as 2028.
Vaayu secures A320 P2F deal, expects early 2022 EIS
The first A320 freighter conversion took flight this week, a major milestone in the project as it moves towards entry into service in the first half of 2022. Vaayu Group expects to take delivery of the first plane early next year, part of a five plane deal announced during the Dubai Airshow last month.
Connect Airlines plans 2025 hydrogen conversion
Upstart Connect Airlines sees a lower carbon operation very soon in its future. The company, part of the Waltzing Matilda Aviation group, signed a letter of intent with Universal Hydrogen to convert a dozen Dash 8-300 turboprops to hydrogen fuel cell powertrains, hopefully by 2025.