South American airline LATAM faces a $1 million fine from the US Department of Transportation for failure to refund passengers in a timeline manner after cancelling flights during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19
Eastern Airlines plans Shanghai flights
Eastern Airlines wants to fly to China before the end of the year. The carrier applied to the US Department of Transportation for allocation route frequencies connecting New York’s JFK Airport with Shanghai.
Northern Pacific visits Saipan in search of partners
With its first aircraft fully retrofit and ready to fly, Northern Pacific Airways is on the hunt for a destination market. The company is touring islands in the Pacific, hoping to find the right partners with which the service can take off.
JetBlue plans February schedule adjustments
Fresh on the heels of a New Years schedule cut, JetBlue expects to further trim operations into February. The company informed crew on Friday of impending “adjustments to our February schedule” in light of shifting customer demand.
Air Canada fined $2 million in DOT settlement
Air Canada and the US Department of Transportation agreed to a $4.5 million fine related to the airline’s failure to provide timely refunds to passengers after cancelling flights in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ethiopian, Aero HygenX partner to deploy UV-C cabin disinfection
An autonomous robot may soon be part of the aircraft cleaning process. Ethiopian Airlines Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Aero HygenX outlining a plan for fleetwide deployment and regional marketing of the autonomous UV-C light disinfecting robot: RAY.
JetBlue sees only 300 unvaccinated as deadline looms
Only 300 JetBlue employees indicated intentions to not receive a COVID-19 vaccine or exemption. That’s the number cited in a memo shared with employees earlier today.
Cathay Pacific giving away "Plane for a Day" in vaccination push
Cathay Pacific is getting in on the vaccination prizes game in a big way. Among other things, Hong Kongers can win access to one of the company’s planes for a joy ride with friends.
Air Canada fights back, disputes $25 million DOT fine
A year ago, as passengers started pressing Air Canada for refunds against cancelled flights, the airline fought back. Now, in the wake of a proposed $25 million penalty for its actions, the carrier is repeating those positions directly to the US Department of Transportation.
Aer Lingus delays Manchester-US service launch
The Aer Lingus hub at Manchester, UK is taking a delay. Citing slower than expected reopening of the US-UK travel corridor, Aer Lingus will delay the launch of US routes two months, now planning New York and Orlando flights to begin on 30 September 2020.