American to cut regional routes, ramp up cargo flying this fall
American Airlines, facing dual new realities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, signaled that it will be forced to drop passenger service to a host of regional airports this fall even as it continues to expand its revitalized cargo business. American and other US carriers are facing a financial cliff on Oct. 1, when payroll […]
China domestic air travel close to 2019 levels
ForwardKeys is predicting that domestic air travel in China, which has been growing progressively in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, will reach a full recovery by the start of September. In the second week of August, domestic arrivals at Chinese airports reached 86 per cent of 2019 levels and bookings (issued air tickets) hit […]
Dominican Republic unveils new Covid-19 measures
The president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader Corona, has announced a set of initiatives designed to address challenges faced by the local tourism industry. It is hoped the measures can overcome the Covid-19 pandemic and to ensure that the country is a safe travel destination. The Plan for the Responsible Recovery of Tourism in […]
Southwest Airlines signals US passenger traffic market is weakening
Southwest Airlines reported a deteriorating demand environment following a brief period of optimism, suggesting the US air travel rebound has stalled as the country has struggled to control the COVID-19 pandemic. In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dallas-based Southwest—which carries the most domestic passengers in the US—warned that its September […]
Support for industry workers
IATA estimates that the coronavirus pandemic has put at least 25 million aviation-related jobs at risk. With pop-up quarantines, lightening lockdowns, and continuing uncertainty that number will only increase. People in aviation are losing jobs and many are suffering from mental health issues. Aviation Action—launched by Chris Wild, Head of Airfield Operations at the UK’s […]
JetBlue Delays London Debut to Late 2021
For years, JetBlue Airways had hoped to create its first trans-Atlantic route and, finally, last year, the New York-based airline announced it would fly to London. That was supposed to happen early in 2021 but, well, we all know what the coronavirus pandemic has done to the airline industry. Instead, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes told […]
European COVID-19 Impacts Continue to Worsen as Border Restrictions Remain
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released an update to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on air passenger numbers, employment and economies across Europe, and urged governments to coordinate to lift border restrictions and find alternatives to quarantine measures to avoid further economic damage. Although the European market has seen an increase in the […]
JetSMART eyes quicker Latin American expansion amid pandemic
Low-cost carrier JetSMART is fast-tracking its expansion plans to Peru and potentially Colombia and Brazil, its chief executive told Reuters, even as airlines, in Latin American in particular, are scaling down their fleets and ambitions. Chile-based JetSMART is in the enviable position of having well-funded private equity backers such as Indigo Partners, which also owns […]
What Travel Will Look Like After Coronavirus
When will we be traveling again in large numbers? And what will travel be like in the future? The first question depends on a medical solution to the coronavirus pandemic. The second is best answered with experience. I asked eight travel pioneers for predictions on what the future of travel will be—current and former chairmen […]
Virgin Atlantic Believes Business Travel Will Take The Longest To Recover
The Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic has shared some of his thoughts on the short-term future of aviation, saying that business travel will take the longest to recover post-pandemic. Speaking on June 4th, Juha Jarvinen said that though he was forecasting some travel would bounce back by 2021; it would be anything other than […]
