Northwest has exited bankruptcy…its shares have started trading on the New York Stock Exchange Thursday morning. Unlike Delta, Northwest has kept a low-profile during bankruptcy and is moving forward with plans to eliminate its oldest and most costly planes now that it has exited. However, Northwest employees are less than happy with the situation…as new labor contracts lock its employees into lower pay and more company-friendly work rules until 2011. Northwest has made some modifications during bankruptcy, however…including acquisition of its regional partner, Mesaba…and the launching of another regional subsidiary called Compass…
Alaska Airlines is adding nonstops to Hawaii, with daily nonstops to Honolulu and Lihue from Seattle starting in October, and seasonal service from Anchorage to Honolulu beginning in December. Alaska’s new 737-800s, delivered last year, are equipped for the extended overwater routes, which Alaska has been eyeing for a decade.
Skybus feels so confident after its first week of flying that it has announced new cities. Starting July 16th, they will begin service to San Diego and Springfield, MA. Service to St. Augustine, Florida will begin July 18th. Today in the Sky have a good roundup of local news coverage of the expansion. Service to Springfield will be via Westover Airport in Chickopee, only a few miles from downtown Springfield and from Hartford, CT. 120,000 students at 32 colleges and 2 universities…who may be interested in the cut-rate service provided. St. Augustine Airport is in between Jacksonville and Daytona Beach. Both of these airports have had no commercial service. We’ll see how it works out…
Meanwhile, at Skybus’s hometown airport of Columbus…A 30-foot advertisement has been set up displaying a 24-foot, 303-pound python that just swallowed someone’s suitcase. The advertisement invites passengers to meet “Fluffy”(the python) at the Columbus Zoo. Fluffy is the world’s largest python.
Air Canada will launch nonstop service from Ottawa to Las Vegas twice-weekly on September 6th. Service will use an Airbus 319.
Ryanair ordered 27 Boeing Next-Generation 737s, using options they already had.
Delta Airlines will add service from its “western gateway” at Los Angeles airport with a nonstop flight to Will Rogers Airport in Oklaholma City, effective September 4th. Service will be operated by Expressjet, which has been leading Delta’s LAX expansion, operates 50-seater regional jets both for other carriers and under its own brand.
Service on Delta from Atlanta to Dubai began this evening. Service will be five times per week, operated by a 777-200ER aircraft. Service also began to Pisa, with a 767-300ER aircraft operating four times per week.
