Travelers will have more opportunities to escape the Upper Midwest this coming winter as Sun Country expands its route offerings. The Minneapolis-based carrier will add 9 new airports and 18 routes overall, including 10 where the carrier is the only non-stop service in the market.
Airplanes and Airports
Hawaii’s big summer: More flights, bigger planes
Travelers looking to visit Hawaii this summer will have plenty of flight options. Airlines expect high demand to the islands and everyone wants to cash in. More than 1100 weekly flights from the mainland are slated to operate in June 2021.
AirBaltic rides the NFT hype, minting an emissions mess
Sensing an opportunity to cash in on the hype, Latvian airline AirBaltic is now issuing non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to celebrate its destinations. The company intends the campaign to “serve as a tourism campaign for Latvian cities” with the funds raised a small side benefit. Emissions impact, be damned.
JetBlue, American extend alliance growth plans in Boston, NYC
Slots are swapping. Routes are growing. And JetBlue is about to venture into uncharted territory. Phase two of the North East Alliance with American Airlines brings much of the change we were promised back in February, plus a few extra bits to digest.
EVA to retire "Hand in Hand" Hello Kitty livery
As EVA Air maps its post-pandemic recovery one thing is clear: Flying will be a little less kawaii. The carrier will retire its “Hand in Hand” Hello Kitty livery on 15 May 2021, returning it to the standard EVA paint scheme.
United adds Europe routes in hopes of a recovery
United Airlines added a trio of routes to Europe for the upcoming Summer season, banking on borders reopening and vaccinated passengers being able to vacation. Additional capacity to Croatia, Iceland and Greece is planned starting in July.
Turkish scales back MAX fleet plans
Turkish Airlines is the latest carrier to adjust its 737 MAX order book, and the news is not good for Boeing. The carrier’s restructured order includes cancelations, conversion to options, and deferral of future deliveries for the single-aisle aircraft.
ExpressJet plans comeback this Spring
ExpressJet is ready to return to the skies. The carrier plans to launch independent service this Spring according to recent DOT filings, growing its fleet of Embraer ERJ-145 planes to serve short-haul markets.
Collusion to Ecuador?? Airlines spar over slots and service
As drama around the American Airlines/JetBlue Northeast Alliance continues to swell, the battle is spilling over to an unlikely location: Ecuador. Recent requests for adjustments triggered accusations of collusion by American Airlines and JetBlue, outside the approved partnership parameters.
Connect Airlines to launch as Porter clone
Can the US-Canada transborder aviation market handle another competitor? And can Porter Air handle a copy-cat operation at its home base of Billy Bishop Airport in downtown Toronto? Connect Airlines plans to find out later this year.