We’d like to remind our readers that the links embedded in each article go to a press release or news article with more details than our news briefs. Each week we scour the press releases and such for these articles.
- Regional airline SkyWest has sued Delta Air Lines over the airline’s withholding of $25 million in payments. Delta claimed the funds, which had been paid to their passengers as “irregular operations expenses” were not reimbursable under their contract with SkyWest.
- US Airways began daily service on Friday between Daytona Beach, FL and its hub in Charlotte, NC. Service will operate thrice daily using 86-seat Embraer 175s.
- JetBlue has announced a groundbreaking partnership with Irish carrier Aer Lingus. The partnership will allow passenger on Aer Lingus flights from Ireland to New York’s JFK Airport to connect to Jetblue flights to over forty additional destinations. The booking process will be available online on the Aer Lingus website. While Jetblue and Aer Lingus also both fly to Boston, Orlando, Washington-Dulles, Chicago, and San Francisco, there is no indication at this time that passengers will be able to connect through these cities as well. The move is a first for Jetblue, being its first international partnership, and a significant boon for low-cost carrier Aer Lingus.
- Virgin founder Richard Branson is in talks to create a local Virgin airline in Russia. The Virgin brand has local airlines around the world.
- Porter Airlines, which flies from Toronto City Centre Airport, will be expanding its operations across the border to Newark Liberty Airport beginning March 31st. Service will be operated using their fleet of 70-seat Q400 turboprops and will be seven times daily on weekdays, twice on Saturdays, and thrice on Sundays.
- Spirit Airlines began thrice weekly service from Ft. Lauderdale to Panama City last week. Daily service will begin May 1st.
- JetBlue announced it will add a second daily flight between Orlando and Aguadilla, Puerto Rico beginning May 1st. This will be JetBlue’s sixth daily flight from Orlando into Puerto Rico.
- Jetblue will also be adding two new routes from Boston beginning May 1st. Once daily service from Boston to Chicago, with a morning departure and an evening return(ideal for Boston businessmen), and a morning roundtrip from Boston to New Orleans. We are curious how the Chicago route will work, considering the competition, demand in the market, and Jetblue’s limited presence.
- Spirit Airlines will be adding twice daily nonstops from Boston to Ft. Lauderdale. The first flight will begin April 17th, with the second on May 1st and will allow for improved connections to the Caribbean and Latin America.
- Continental Airlines has signed up with JetBlue subsidiary LiveTV to offe 36 channels of DirecTV and onboard wireless connections for email and instant messenging, the same offerings currently offered by JetBlue(the wireless is still in testing). Service will be offered on all flights operated by Continental within the continental US beginning in January 2009. The new services will be installed on Continental’s fleet of Boeing 737 New Generation aircraft, including the 737-700, -800, -900 and -900ER aircraft, and the Boeing 757-300. The LiveTV will require a $6 access fee.
- Cape Air will launch three daily flights from Boston to Plattsburgh and Saranac Lake, NY, two Essential Air Service(EAS) routes abandoned by Big Sky Airlines. Cape Air is becoming moderately successful in the EAS program by using nine-seat Cessnas, as opposed to the more common aircraft for EAS routes, 19-seater Beechcrafts. The smaller aircraft allow better options on these routes. Cape Air partners with JetBlue in Boston for onward connections.
- Boing Boing reports that the brand new Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow airport has no electrical outlets available for passenger use. We agree with them. For a new terminal building, this is unacceptable.
- AirTran Airways will add nonstop seasonal service from Milwaukee to Los Angeles, Seattle-Tacoma, San Francisco, and Boston as well as additional service to Las Vegas. Nonstop seasonal flights to Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco will begin on May 6th; San Diego, Boston, and a second daily flight to Las Vegas will begin May 21st.
- Beginning May 1st, Air Canada Jazz will offer twice daily service from Ottawa to Washington-National Airport, using 50-seat regional jets; Ottawa-Saskatoon service will operate daily using a 75-seat CRJ-705; Toronto to Austin, TX using a 75-seat CRJ-705; Toronto-Richmond, VA will start twice daily using a 37-seat Dash 8; and Ottawa-Charlottetown, once daily on a 50-seat jet. On May 15th, Calgary-Chicago service will begin once daily using a 93-seat E190 with In Flight Entertainment.
- American Eagle will begin once daily nonstop service from Dallas-Ft. Worth to Tampico, Mexico beginning May 7th. The service will operate with 40-seat ERJ-140 jets.
- Richard Branson may also have his sights set on a Virgin group airline in India.