Chalk up another 230+ Delta Air Lines aircraft to be converted to the Viasat in-flight connectivity platform.
Delta Air Lines
Delta adds Premium Select to 767, A330 operations
Delta Air Lines plans to boost its premium economy offering headed into the summer travel rebound. The carrier announced the addition of a Premium Select cabin to its 767-300s and A330s, among other improvements.
Hawaii’s big summer: More flights, bigger planes
Travelers looking to visit Hawaii this summer will have plenty of flight options. Airlines expect high demand to the islands and everyone wants to cash in. More than 1100 weekly flights from the mainland are slated to operate in June 2021.
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.
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.
2Ku antenna challenges hit the A220
Air vortices off the 2Ku antenna system are once again causing troubles. This time it is the Airbus A220 affected, with some 65 fitted aircraft up for additional inspection and hardware replacement as a result.
Small airports seek big bucks for new services
When it comes to launching new service at smaller airports revenue guarantees to airlines are a key factor. The US Department of Transportation offers Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) grants to help airports cover the costs of those guarantees. And with another round of applications released this week we can see which markets are compelling to airports and airlines.
Going long at LAX
More than a dozen longer domestic routes added at LAX in the past year are likely to bring about a different sort of recovery as the pandemic subsides.
Virgin Atlantic see free WiFi on the horizon, seeks better selling opportunities in the interim
Virgin Atlantic reiterated its expectation that in-flight WiFi connectivity will eventually be free to passengers. But don’t expect that in the immediate future. The company is much more focused today on improving the paid take rates than transitioning to a free model.