JetBlue’s long and convoluted history at Long Beach comes to a close in October. The carrier will move its LA crew and maintenance bases to Los Angeles International Airport and halt service at the smaller, nicer airport.
Airplanes and Airports
OWG to launch as new Canadian leisure carrier this Fall
Canada’s Nolinor Aviation has a long history of providing charter air services, mostly in the country’s far north. Now the company wants to bring its special sort of flying to leisure markets further afield, and under new branding. OWG aims to operate flights to tropical destinations from September 2020.
Peek inside the largest converted cargo aircraft flying today
Given that the A380 has no real future as a true cargo aircraft (i.e. containers on the main deck, not just in the belly) this is likely the only time we’ll see the Whale flying with so much freight on board. And that’s awesome, even if it is for less than wonderful reasons.
July’s magic: The Weekly Wrap–3 July 2020
As the calendar rolled over to July the global aviation community saw significant wins. Borders reopened, airlines resumed or increased flight levels. And, perhaps most exciting, lounges are reopening, too. Get details on that and lots more in this edition of The Weekly Wrap
LIAT’s future in further doubt as CARICOM looks to outside airlift
With its regional airline LIAT slated for liquidation the Caribbean is looking to outside resources to help maintain air connectivity among the islands rather than investing further in the failed operation. At least six airlines from the region are keen to back-fill the capacity gap from LIAT’s collapse.
JetBlue hits most targets in voluntary staff reduction plan
Most of JetBlue’s employee groups hit targets for voluntary departures, helping the company to avoid layoffs as the CARES Act Payroll Support Program funding expires at the end of September. In a message to crewmembers today Chief People Officer Mike Elliott detailed the situation among each of the work groups.
American’s long-haul revamp surrenders Los Angeles
For years airlines have battled to dominate international markets from Los Angeles International Airport. This week American Airlines effectively conceded defeat in that market. As part of its long-haul network revamp the carrier will shed most of those routes from LAX.
JetBlue pilots secure no furlough deal through April 2021
With CARES Act Payroll Support Program funding set to expire at the end of September 2020 many airline employees are facing the very real risk of layoffs or furlough. But JetBlue pilots secured a major win this week.
This plane can taxi, take off and land all on its own
Most conversations about autonomous aircraft focus on smaller planes. But Airbus decided to go large when it comes to taxi, take off, and landing automation. Very large. The aircraft manufacturer announced this week the successful conclusion of its Autonomous Taxi, Take-Off and Landing (ATTOL) project using the A350-1000 XWB aircraft.
COMAC delivers for three new ARJ21 operators
China’s COMAC added a trio of new airline operators for its ARJ21-700 aircraft over the weekend. China Eastern, China Southern, and Air China each took delivery of their first aircraft during a joint ceremony. And, still, COMAC’s grand ambitions to challenge Western manufacturers remains years away.