As airlines around the globe debate just how long the travel downturn will be an unlikely outlier opinion was mooted this week from Allegiant. Company executives anticipate a quick bounce back of the leisure travel segment and particularly its specific niche market within the leisure traffic world, thanks to its unique customer base.
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DOT further relaxes airline CARES Act obligations
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) will offer airlines increased flexibility under their CARES Act obligations. But rather than choosing individual airports that will be exempt the DOT is now going to let the airlines select which stations will see service suspended.
JetBlue suspends six cities through June
With approval to reduce service to as many as 16 airports in its network JetBlue is taking a measured approach. The carrier will suspend service to six of these airports beginning next week through the end of June.
United plans to resume (cargo for now) Hong Kong-Singapore service
In 2017 United Airlines dropped its long-running service between Singapore and Hong Kong, choosing to fly passengers nonstop between Singapore and the US West Coast instead. That plan appears to be changing, as the carrier requested DOT permission for daily (cargo to start) service between the two cities as soon as this coming Sunday.
JetBlue, Spirit score exemptions to drop service at major US airports
JetBlue and Spirit Airlines received permission to remove as many as 16 destinations from their route US networks and still maintain compliance with the CARES Act. This lets the airlines reduce their service while still remaining eligible for the Payroll Support Program grants that help fund employee costs through 30 September 2020. Both airlines are permitted to halt service to their approved destinations immediately.
United’s long-haul operations focus on a new "workhorse"
United Airlines is not formally retiring any aircraft yet, but the company hinted at what its future fleet will look like in a memo to pilots identifying where bases will close and aircraft will reposition.
Allegiant scores leniency from DOT in CARES Act obligations
Allegiant is a different sort of airline. It certainly is not a network carrier and only partially fits in the definitions typically ascribed to the ultra low cost carrier model. This presents a special set of challenges when it comes to meeting the minimum service obligations of the CARES Act. Fortunately the US Department of Transportation has seen fit to grant leniency to the carrier, though its obligations still remain significant.
JetBlue aims to drop 16 "major hub" destinations from its network
JetBlue wants to scale back its operations drastically. Faced with reduced demand the carrier is now looking to take advantage of Department of Transportation guidelines that could see the company remove 16 large airports from its network.
Spirit Airlines asks DOT again to drop destinations
Spirit Airlines was one of the first carriers to request a limited schedule from the Department of Transportation as the CARES Act service obligation requirements took effect. It was mostly denied, but Spirit still wants its exemptions. The company appealed to the Department late today, asking again for certain destinations to be removed from its obligations.
Frontier Airlines pushes new route plan for CARES Act compliance
With nearly all of its requested exemptions rejected, Frontier Airlines faces a harsh new reality. It needs the CARES Act funding to avoid massive furloughs but many destinations in its route network no longer have much demand, if any. Like others, the carrier will adjust, combining multiple destinations on to a single flight from its hubs. These