A “Letter of Intent” making the rounds online last week suggested that Avatar wants to buy thirty 747-8i planes from Boeing. Despite being shared as a credible potential order by some outlets nothing could be further from the truth.
Airplanes and Airports
American Airlines, Alaska Airlines team up for West Coast international alliance
American Airlines and Alaska Airlines are longtime partners. That relationship is set to get a lot deeper as the two establish a “west coast international alliance” with more long-haul lift coming.
What we learned about Breeze in this week’s DOT filing
Breeze Airways is ready to take flight. Or at least it is very close. The new carrier hopes to launch service later this year. And we now know (a tiny bit) more about what the service will – and will not – be.
American Airlines signs GOL as codeshare partner in South America, expands Miami service
American Airlines and Brazil’s GOL will establish a reciprocal codeshare agreement and frequent flyer program partnership. The deal is expected to open 20 additional South American destinations to the AA network and deliver more that 30 US destinations to the GOL route map. As part of the move American also announced a dozen new flights at its Miami hub, the primary gateway to Latin America.
Air China aims to slash US services
Air China wants to radically alter its route network to the United States. Facing a dramatic drop in traffic, as well as restrictions around passengers who can be admitted to the USA, the carrier is proposing to slash the cities served and the flight frequencies. It also is seeking a rather unconventional overall operational plan.
AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes, Din Meranun caught up in Airbus bribery scandal
Last week’s news that Airbus will pay nearly $4 billion in penalties associated with a long-running bribery investigation was huge. This week AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes and Chairman Din Meranun find themselves caught up in the scandal as well.
United Airlines drops Paine Field-San Francisco flights
United Airlines gave the route nearly a year to mature but the numbers never showed up. The San Francisco-Paine Field route will end for the carrier next month.
American Airlines adds 20 Embraer E175s with SkyWest
Chalk up another 20 E175s for the American Eagle fleet. These planes will be operated by SkyWest and join the fleet over the coming year-ish.
South African Airways secures funding, cuts lightly loaded flights
Nearly $240 million in bridge funding should help South African Airways continue its operations. But even with that funding the carrier continues to trim some frequencies from its operations.
American Airlines seeks to boost Havana presence
Demand from the USA into Cuba appears to be dropping from most gateways but American Airlines is not too worried. Indeed, the carrier sees an opportunity in the market still and hopes to grow.