Connect Airlines has been quiet of late, but that does not mean the company has not been busy. As it continues to work with the FAA towards certification of its operations, the company also scored new funding, adjusted its organizational structure, and expects that a major US airline will buy in to the plan.
regulations
US DOT suspends consideration of Allegiant, VivaAerobus JV application
Since December 2021 Allegiant and VivaAerobus have been pursuing antitrust immunity from the US Department of Transportation to operate a transborder joint venture between the US and Mexico. Today that application took a somewhat unexpected turn, with the DOT suspending the procedural review, owing to factors well outside the control of either airline.
Korean Air plans mini-suites for 787-10, 777-300ER
Korean Air will introduce a new business class suite as part of the 787-10 induction, with service entry planned for November 2023.
DOT finalizes single-aisle accessible lavatory rules
Some new single-aisle aircraft will be required to have an accessible lavatory. While this is somewhat good news for accessibility on board, it remains limited, both in aircraft size covered and in timing.
Rolling delays hit inflight connectivity over China
When it comes to inflight connectivity growth opportunity China is hard to ignore. It is a massive market, but one with almost no short-haul aircraft carrying Wi-Fi hardware on board. And despite repeated promises that the online world is finally ready to imminently take flight, at least one supplier is finally backing off the hype and recognizing significant additional delays in getting its systems off the ground.
JetBlue secures permanent Schiphol slots
JetBlue will have access to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to continue its flights from Boston and New York City for the winter season. And, unlike the slots it secured to launch the market this summer, the winter slots comes with “historical” rights, allowing it to keep them for future years, so long as it continues to operate.
Breeze plans Mexico service in a very crowded market
Breeze is ready to make a run for the border. The carrier has applied to the US Department of Transportation for permission to fly to Mexico.
ViaSat-3 Americas launches successfully
The first ViaSat-3 satellite successfully launched from Cape Canaveral on Sunday night, beginning its short ride to geostationary orbit where it will open the next generation of satellite communications, including the inflight market.
JetBlue announces Amsterdam routes, with surprisingly good flight times
JetBlue will fly to Amsterdam from August 2023. After significant public bickering with Dutch regulators, the carrier confirmed it will launch flights later this summer.
FAA admits staffing issues, asks airlines for help
The US Government spent plenty of time in recent months chiding airlines for scheduling flights they ultimately did not have the staff to operate. Now the FAA now admits that it, too, has staffing issues, and it needs help from the airlines.