JetBlue appears to have secured a second permanent daily slot at London’s Heathrow Airport beginning in Summer 2023. This allows the carrier to operate double daily flights into one of the most difficult markets to secure access.
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Emirates strikes back, fights Heathrow passenger caps
Overwhelmed and understaffed, Heathrow Airport says it cannot guarantee safe and reliable operations without massive cuts to the number of passengers passing through. The airport proposed a cap of 100,000 departing passengers per day for the remainder of the summer to alleviate pressures. Emirates is refusing to cooperate.
Spirit wins Newark slots, with conditions to keep them
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.
JetBlue secures permanent Heathrow slots, expands London operations
JetBlue will operate up to five daily flights to London from this Winter. And, perhaps more significantly, the carrier secured its first permanent slots at Heathrow, ensuring that flights can continue there.
Spirit takes a pass on JetBlue’s buyout offer
Spirit Airlines sees a merger with JetBlue as unattainable. Not for lack of interest, mind you. JetBlue’s cash offer of $3.6 billion still stands. But doubts around the likelihood of regulatory approval have Spirit’s Board of Directors recommending that it continue to move forward with the previously planned Frontier merger instead. Assuming even that can get past regulators.
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.
Winter waiver issued for US airport slots, with an international twist
Airlines operating to some of the largest US airports won a reprieve from regulators, extending a waiver put in place as the COVID pandemic began in early 2020. But this time around the waiver comes with a change in terms, one that could prove significant for US airlines.
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.
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.