The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. – South African Airways Details are still emerging, but it appears that South African Airways may not be dead after all, though it is anyone’s guess as to what will emerge...
United Airlines Sells 22 Jets To China
United Airlines, in an effort to raise cash, sold 22 of its jets to Bank Of China Aviation. It plans to lease them back. Bank of China (BOC) is one of the largest state-owned commercial banks in China. The...
United Airlines Suspends Catering From Most Line Stations
While passengers won’t notice much difference, United Airlines is suspending catering operations at most line stations in an effort to cut costs and respond to reduced demand and service onboard. In a note to catering employees (most of whom...
Lufthansa And Cathay Pacific May Cancel 777-9 Orders
With passenger demand low and resources scarce, Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa are reportedly in talks with Boeing to defer or cancel 777-9 (777X) deliveries. Cathay Pacific Wants To Cancel 777-9 Order Cathay Pacific ordered 21 777-9 aircraft, set to...
Wow: Emirates Now Only Serves Three Destinations
With the exception of a handful of repatriation flights, Emirates is only offering scheduled flights to three destinations. COVID-19 has eliminated most travel demand and government restrictions on travel further diminish whatever demand remains. Consequently, Emirates will operate regularly...
Fearing U.S. Tourists, European Union Travel Ban May Extend Until September
If we take French President Emmanuel Macron at face value, it seems clear he views American tourists as more of a liability than a reward. Hence, he’s pushing the idea of keeping European borders shut through September. European Travel...
Why Was An Air France A330 Shot At In Congo-Brazzaville?
Why was an Air France A330-200 shot at twice after landing in Congo-Brazzaville? The working theories are interesting…to put it mildly. On April 11th, an Air France A330, registration number F-GZCK, landed at Point-Noire in the Republic of the Congo...
United Airlines Restoring Several International Routes In May
While United’s May schedule will still represent a 92% cut in international capacity, a handful of international routes will return to service. United Restores Service On Several International Routes In May 2020 In addition to the international routes already...
KLM Reactivates Two 747-400s To Serve Cargo Missions
Just days after suddenly retiring its entire 747-400 fleet a year ahead of schedule, KLM has backtracked and restored two specially-configured 747-400s to service. KLM operated a subfleet of 747-400M or 747-400 Combi aircraft. Unlike traditional passenger configurations, these...
Lufthansa Seeks State Aid From Four Nations
Lufthansa will ask Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and Austria for a bailout as it seeks to stabilize itself and its subsidiary carriers in a time of uncertainty. Speaking to staff, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said: “I am optimistic that the...
Teen Pilot Flies Critical Supplies To Rural Hospitals
TJ Kim is too young to drive alone, but he can fly…and he has put his pilot’s license to good use, delivering critical medical supplies to rural hospitals. 16-year-old Kim lives in Virginia and delivers supplies including masks, gloves,...
Pessimistic Lufthansa Will Retire Some 747s, A340s, A380s
Lufthansa does not see demand bouncing back for years and has responded by announcing the retirement of several longhaul and shorthaul aircraft. When I accuse my German wife of being pessimistic, she corrects me and says she is just...
United Significantly Reduces Flying Schedule At San Francisco + Los Angeles
Much like it did in Newark, United Airlines is dramatically scaling back flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco. In a note to SFO and LAX employees, United’s Executive Vice President Greg Hart announced the cutbacks, set to begin...
Turkish Airlines Shuts Down Until At Least April 20, 2020
As the spread of COVID-19 accelerates in Turkey, Turkish Airlines is temporarily shutting down operations. Chief Executive Officer Bilal Eksi announced on Twitter that Turkish is suspending all domestic flights until April 20, 2020. International flights were already cancelled and...
American + JetBlue + United Drastically Slash New York Service
With COVID-19 raging in New York and demand continuing to sink, airlines are responding by drastically slashing already-reduced service from the Big Apple. Over 120,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in New York State, with over half of...
Americans Trapped In Moscow Airport After Aeroflot Flight Ordered Back To Gate
After abruptly and unexpectedly suspending international air traffic yesterday, hundreds of Americans and thousands of others find themselves trapped in Russia. One asthma-stricken man remains stuck without a visa in Moscow Airport almost out of medication. Yesterday, April 3,...
Germany Backs Lufthansa Effort To Stop Issuing Refunds
The German government has endorsed Lufthansa’s argument that it cannot survive if it must issue refunds for cancelled tickets. Just last week the European Commission re-affirmed regulation that mandates airlines to promptly refund tickets for flight cancellations. Lufthansa, among...
United Suspends Service To Four Hawaiian Cities
With airplanes running virtually empty, United will further reduce domestic flights and axe service to four stations in Hawaii. Between April 8 and May 3rd, United will suspend service between the U.S. mainland and: Hilo (ITO) Kona (KOA) Lihue...
A Five-Page Application Worth Billions To U.S. Airlines
In case you’re curious how the aid process works for U.S. passenger airlines, the Treasury Department has made the application process quite transparent. Posted on its website (.pdf) with detailed instructions, airlines have until 5:00PM EDT on April 3,...
British Airways Suspends All Service To London Gatwick
London Gatwick was poised to grow in 2020. Then COVID-19 hit. EasyJet suspended all flights and now British Airways has followed. With the United Kingdom encouraging citizens to avoid all non-essential travel and travel demand greatly depressed due to...
