pirit Airlines led the legal charge to ensure the slots Southwest Airlines abandoned at Newark would be reallocated. Now, after much legal wrangling, the carrier won the rights to those 16 slots.
Newark
Frontier bails on Newark, blames high operating costs
Frontier Airlines is pulling out of Newark. Just two years after it arrived, hot on the heels of Southwest’s withdrawal, the ultra low cost carrier says the economics of continuing operations in Newark no longer make sense. Washington-Dulles will also lose service as part of the company’s shift.
Vistara secures slots for Newark service
Vistara might finally be ready to fly to the United States, albeit with a connection en route. According to the latest regulatory filings for slots at London’s Gatwick Airport, Vistara plans to serve Newark from the UK, with continuing service to India.
Newark slots on the market for this Winter
One lucky airline will soon have access to 16 peak evening runway movement slots at Newark International Airport. The US Department of Transportation, as encouraged by a recent federal court ruling, will reallocate the slots previously held by Southwest Airlines and abandoned in late 2019.
Caribbean key in 15-route expansion for Frontier
Add another 7 Caribbean island routes to the Frontier Airlines route map. The latest expansion is part of a 15-route growth spurt and includes a new island destination – Aruba – as part of the plans.
Spirit Airlines bests FAA in Newark slots spat
Spirit Airlines could soon secure more slots at Newark Airport. A ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit found that the FAA acted improperly in choosing to not reallocate slots vacated by Southwest Airlines its Newark station closed in late 2019. As a result of that decision Spirit was unable to increase its presence at the airport. With this ruling, however, the FAA likely will be forced to allocate the slots and Spirit (or other airlines) could pick them up.
United launches pre-flight COVID testing to London
United Airlines is adding a new sort of pre-flight check to one of its routes: COVID-19 testing. All passengers (over the age of 2) on one of the company’s Newark-London flights will be required to take a test at the airport prior to departure. The test will be free of charge to travelers, with results returned before departure.
American, JetBlue team for NYC, Boston feed
American Airlines and JetBlue are to launch a “strategic partnership” in Boston and the New York City area, aligning flights and loyalty program benefits to boost their recovery. It reads well in the press release, but how it evoloves in practice is very much up in the air, with few details available from either side.
JetBlue’s crazy summer of new routes
If ever there were a time to try something completely crazy in the route planning department, this is it. JetBlue’s new route plan brings the carrier deep into competitor hubs and away from its own as the carrier aims to bring planes and crew back to the skies.
Deeper cuts, reprotect options coming for JetBlue
JetBlue will further consolidate operations in April, The move will see service suspended at eight stations and even larger cuts to capacity than previously planned. There is some good news, however, with domestic re-protect options coming online.