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.
Airplanes and Airports
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.
United targets leisure traffic in Summer hub-skipping pivot
A couple years ago air service to Maine was fading. But last year it was a safe summer vacation destination for many amid the pandemic. This summer Portland sees a reward for that, with seven new routes added from Midwest non-hub airports on United Airlines.
Can SE Aeronautics revolutionize commercial aviation?
Is the SE Aeronautics SE 200 the next big thing in aviation, or an AvGeek fever dream run amok?
Aer Lingus launches TATL routes from Manchester
The new Aer Lingus base in Manchester, UK is officially open for business. The carrier confirmed its first four destinations in the Americas – New York City, Orlando, Barbados, and Boston – with flights beginning from 29 July. These are the first non-stop flights from the UK across the Atlantic for the airline.