Buried in a release about an expansion of codeshare routes between JetBlue and Qatar Airways is news that the pair will also establish recipocity for frequent flyer points earning and redemption. Details are scarce, but any growth on that front should be welcome for TrueBlue program members.
Airplanes and Airports
Air Canada refunds (finally) coming with government bail-out
After more than a year of waiting, tens of thousands of Air Canada customers are poised to finally receive COVID-related refunds. The carrier agreed to convert outstanding credits to proper refunds as part of a C$5.8 billion financial aid package funded by the Canadian government.
France bans short-haul flights, minimal route impact expected
Short flights are no more in France. A new climate-focused bill is on the path to becoming finalized, and among the new policies is a prohibition on air service for domestic routes that can be served by train in less than 2.5 hours.
Where the wide-bodies are
As domestic travel demand rebounds in the US and international borders generally remain closed the US airlines are reshuffling their wide-body operations. Many routes that typically operated with a single-aisle aircraft in the before times are scheduled to see twin-aisle service in the coming months.
LATAM scraps A350 fleet
LATAM never could really figure out what to do with its fleet of A350s. And now the fleet is no more. The company plans to remove the A350 from its Brazilian operations effective immediately.
Avelo Air launches with west coast focus
America’s newest operator, Avelo Airlines, is ready to fly. The carrier intends to launch service on 28 April from its home base at Burbank airport with an initial portfolio of 11 destinations.
Air France secures €4 billion, (maybe) cedes Orly slots
The French government likely just spent the most money ever on airport landing slots. A €4 billion deal to recapitalize the Air France-KLM group will see a token divestment of operating slots at Paris-Orly airport, assuming a competitor is keen.
Regulators squash Transat/Air Canada merger plans
Questions about the impact to competition hampered the proposed Air Canada/Transat merger from its announcement. Ultimately they killed the deal.
Norse Atlantic snags former Norwegian planes for launch
Picking up some of Norwegian’s old 787s was always part of the plan for Norse Atlantic’s launch later this year. Picking up its troubled history gaining access to the US market, however, is less useful.
JetBlue secures Heathrow slots for London service
The highly anticipated launch of JetBlue’s service to London continues to draw attention as the carrier remains mum on which airport it will serve. But we now know that Heathrow has some slots available, though the carrier says it is keeping Gatwick open as an option as well.