Nearly five years ago Virgin Atlantic dropped its services to India’s financial center, Mumbai. Just five months from now the airline will bring it back. Starting 27 October 2019 Virgin Atlantic will fly from London to Mumbai on a daily basis.
joint venture
Delta, United win big in Haneda slot allocation
Delta Air Lines and United Airlines came home the big winners in the most recent allocation of coveted route authorities at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport. The pair combined for nine of the twelve available slots, with American Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines picking up the other three. The new flights should begin operation in Summer 2020.
Virgin Atlantic’s new A350 cabin delivers upgrades nose to tail
“There are new planes and then there are Virgin Atlantic new planes.” That’s the tag line the carrier used this week to introduce the cabin of its new A350-1000, set to fly at the end of the summer. The entire interior gets a refresh, with updated seats, entertainment and connectivity systems. Virgin Atlantic takes advantage of technology to refresh […]
Welcome to the 2019 Haneda Slot Lottery!
Which airlines and passengers will win the next round of Haneda slot allocations? Four carriers applied to add 19 flights for Summer 2020. Alas, only 12 slots are available.
United revamps Basic Economy in Transatlantic market
Just six months ago United Airlines introduced a not-quite-Basic Economy fare option for transatlantic travels. Next week the company will complete the transition, formally rebranding the offering as Basic Economy. NOt surprisingly, the new version is even more restrictive than before.
China Southern quits SkyTeam, seeks stronger partnerships
SkyTeam lost its largest mainland China airline this week. China Southern announced it will quit the alliance in 2019. The non-renewal of the membership contract will see the carrier transition out of its alliance relationships in the coming year. This is not a hard stop of relations; rather, the changes are likely to roll out over time. It is also not a surprise.
American Airlines cuts international from Chicago, adds seasonal services
American Airlines continues its cuts to Asia service from its hub at Chicago O’Hare. After previously announcing that it would drop Beijing service, Shanghai flights will also be terminated this October. Seasonal adds across the Atlantic in 2019 will help offset these cuts.
Alitalia is out, Virgin Atlantic is in: TATL JV changes proposed
Alitalia’s struggles continue. The carrier still needs a fresh infusion of cash to pay off the bridge loan from the Italian government and some sort of long-term plan. And, for the latter, Alitalia will soon find itself forced to be more independent than it is today. Ouch.
Boeing and Embraer: More than just a CSeries play
Boeing and Embraer inched closer to a tie-up in their commercial aircraft efforts this morning. The pair announced a Memorandum of Understanding that will allow them to pursue a joint venture for the Brazilian manufacturer’s 70-100 seat single-aisle jets, assuming the deal is consummated and meets regulatory hurdles. The new partnership will be 80% owned […]
Hawaiian, JAL go all-in on joint venture application
Can a joint venture truly deliver passenger benefits in the form of better connections and reduced fares? The proposal from JAL and Hawaiian Airlines might be the best chance we’ve seen yet to deliver on such promises.