Southwest Airlines agrees to buy 100 of Boeing’s smallest 737 Max planes
Southwest Airlines on Monday said it agreed to buy 100 of Boeing’s 737 Max 7 planes as it plans to retire older jets, sticking with the manufacturer that has been the backbone of its fleet for 50 years. The Dallas-based low-cost airline said under the agreement it would convert 70 of its firm orders for […]
Etihad now expects global air travel demand to recover only by 2024
Etihad Airways on Sunday slashed its outlook for a full recovery in air travel demand. The carrier now expects passenger numbers on its routes to return to pre-COVID levels only by 2024. “We’re expecting to see stronger demand certainly in the second half of the year (2021),” said Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Sales & […]
Travel industry urges Biden to set health passport standards, plan to lift international travel bans
U.S. airlines and more than two dozen other industry groups on Monday urged the Biden administration to form a plan by May to lift international travel restrictions, including digital vaccine passport standards, after cross-border travel was devastated in the Covid pandemic. Airlines for America, which represents major U.S. airlines like American, United, Southwest and others, […]
JetSMART increases Colombia presence
JetSMART is expanding its presence on routes between Chile and Colombia as it seeks to take market share from Avianca and LATAM Airlines Group. Frequencies will be increased on the two routes it already operates from Santiago, while a third is also being launched from Chile’s capital later this year. JetSMART CEO Estuardo Ortiz said […]
U.S. air travelers top 1.5 million for first time since March 2020
The number of U.S. air passengers screened topped 1.5 million Sunday for the first time since March 2020, as air travel continues to rebound from a pandemic-related drop, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said Monday. COVID-19 devastated air travel demand, with U.S. airline passengers down 60% in 2020. But with a growing number of […]
IBS Software’s New iFlight Platform Transforms Global Flight Operations at LATAM Airlines
LATAM Airlines Group has deployed IBS Software’s iFlight digital platform to optimize their flight and crew operations across all its Spanish Speaking Carriers (SSC) and cargo subsidiaries. All the LATAM SSC and cargo subsidiary carriers (LATAM Chile, Colombia, LanExpress, Peru, Ecuador, Chile Cargo, Cargo Colombia, and Cargo Brazil) are already operating on the integrated iFlight […]
JetBlue is calling flight attendants back to work to handle increase in travel demand
JetBlue Airways told flight attendants who took leaves of absence this spring that they would be called back to work early to handle rising travel demand, according to a company memo sent Tuesday. The move comes a day after several airline CEOs, including JetBlue’s reported that bookings are on the rise, extending to the summer. […]
U.S. airlines say recovery taking hold, pushing shares to pre-pandemic levels
U.S. airlines on Monday pointed to concrete signs of an industry recovery as a slowing pandemic drives spring and summer leisure bookings, pushing shares to their highest level since the coronavirus crisis hit the sector a year ago. “I do think we’re near the end of the virtual world,” United Chief Executive Scott Kirby said […]
Hawaiian Airlines Launches New Orlando-to-Honolulu Flights
Hawaiian Airlines today announced new, twice-weekly nonstop service between Orlando (MCO) and Honolulu (HNL) that will conveniently connect the Sunshine to the Aloha state. Passengers boarding the first scheduled flight on this new route—the very first commercial flight connecting Florida and Hawaii—were welcomed this morning with floral leis, Hawaiian music and dance. «We are excited […]
American Airlines Applauds the Passage of the American Rescue Plan
In a statement today, American’s Chairman and CEO Doug Parker and President Robert Isom thanked Congress for approving the American Rescue Plan, which includes additional funding for the Payroll Support Program (PSP). “Since the pandemic began one year ago, Congress has repeatedly stepped up to support our team members and keep critical airline infrastructure in […]
