Being short-staffed for summer schedules is not a unique problem for airlines. EasyJet’s approach to addressing it, however, is rather different from the others.
EasyJet
An easyJet(ish) lounge opens at Gatwick
Looking to lounge before your next easyJet departure from Gatwick? The airline now has an option for that. Or at least for a lounge with its branding.
EasyJet shrinks cabin baggage allowance
The carrier is pitching the move as a push to improve on-time performance, but easyJet’s new hand baggage policy looks an awful lot like an ancillary revenue push.
Willkommen am #BER: Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport finally opens
It is eight years late. It is billions of euros over budget; more than triple the original estimates. It is probably not necessary given the pandemic-induced downturn in the industry. But Berlin’s Brandenburg Airport finally opened on Saturday afternoon.
A stalled recovery: Airline traffic retreating
The commecial aviation industry as we once knew it faces a dire situation. And none of the recent data offers much of the way in optimism for the coming months.
American Airlines seeks buyouts of thousands of workers
Thousands of American Airlines employees face a difficult decision in the coming weeks. Federal payroll support funding is running out and some 17,000 employees must now decide if they’re willing to take a buy-out package from the company or risk being laid off.
Inflight social distancing will kill short-haul LCC travel: IATA
Blocking middle seats or even sitting passengers every other row is not a problem when load factors hover in the mid-teens, occasionally peaking at 30% for an especially busy flight. But if social distancing rules remain in place IATA executives believe the LCC market could collapse as a financially unsustainable endeavor.
IndiGo signs for 300 more A320neo aircraft
India’s largest domestic carrier plans to continue it meteoric growth pace. The carrier announced an order for 300 more A320neo family aircraft. This latest order contains a mix of A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR planes. With the new order the carrier’s total book with Airbus reaches 730 frames.
PaxEx Update: World Aviation Festival 2019
So much happening at the World Aviation Festival this year but a few bits stood out above the rest for direct impact on passengers. Here are a few of the highlights from Air Canada, TAP Portugal, EasyJet and more.
Sky-high dreams or firmly grounded: The business of connected aircraft maintenance remains in question
“Inflight connectivity doesn’t just create revenue, it could save the airline industry US$15bn a year.”
That’s a bold claim from Inmarsat and the research it commissioned from the London School of Economics (LSE). Much of the savings comes from better weather forecasting and the associated effects: reducing delays and fuel burn. Part of the forecast savings comes from predictive maintenance opportunities, allowing the plane to track its own performance and use on-board connectivity solutions to report back to headquarters when operations are less than nominal. The so-called Internet of Things for Aviation (IoT/A) has long been held up as the financial savior of the connectivity platforms, delivering the necessary financial support to justify installations. What will it take to realize the $3-46bn in annual savings the research revealed? A lot of work, and it is unclear which connectivity vendors are truly committed to that effort.