AW Daily

Happy Holidays From Airline Weekly

December 24, 2020

As this strangest and most tumultuous of years in the airline industry — and world — comes to a close, all of us at Airline Weekly and Skift wish you a happy and safe holiday season. We wish you all...

U.S. Airport Screenings Near Pandemic Highs Despite New Virus Fears

December 22, 2020

Despite several states reporting an increase in coronavirus cases and California intensive care units at zero capacity, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has screened nearly 4.2 million holiday travelers at airports across the United States since Friday, edging toward...

JetBlue Follows Pandemic Migration to Raleigh-Durham

December 21, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic is proving the perfect catalyst for some dramatic changes in U.S. airline maps. Southwest Airlines has unveiled 12 new cities and counting since the crisis began. United Airlines is returning to New York’s JFK airport. And JetBlue...

Launching an Airline in a Pandemic: Folly or Brilliant?

December 18, 2020

Against all the odds, a new airline is launching in South Africa this month, aiming to offer low-cost domestic travel to the country's 50 million inhabitants. The carrier's launch comes as South African Airways sputters with financial and labor difficulties....

JetBlue Adds Miami, Strikes at Delta Focus Cities With 24 New Routes

December 17, 2020

JetBlue Airways' confidence in its multi-route expansion spree shows in its latest plan to add 24 more new nonstops during the coronavirus pandemic. Many that strike at the heart of Delta Air Lines’ focus-city strategy. On Thursday, the New York-based...

A 99 Percent Collapse in Business Prompts Cathay Pacific to Boost Loss Projections

December 16, 2020

There is no end in sight for Cathay Pacific's troubles, as the Hong Kong-based carrier grapples with an almost complete collapse in passenger traffic. Its latest investor update further underscores just how bad Cathay has had it since the before...

Airlines Want Workers Deemed Essential as Vaccines Roll Out

December 15, 2020

Frontline healthcare workers in several countries already are being inoculated with the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine, and the Moderna vaccine is expected to be approved and distributed soon. But a limited supply of doses has groups representing all sectors from farm...

Do Airlines Need More Government Aid Now That Vaccines Are Here?

December 14, 2020

Travel may start to rebound in the months ahead as effective Covid vaccines are distributed and administered. That should mean the airline industry can breathe a sigh of relief — not so fast, the industry says. More government aid is...

Airlines in Latin America Face Tax and Travel Ban Challenges in Pandemic

December 11, 2020

Latin American airlines experienced an 86% year-over-year fall in demand in October, but this is an improvement over September, when the region reported a 92% drop in demand, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said. Overall, October travel was down...

Destination Travelers Drive Hawaiian Airlines New Florida, Texas Service

December 10, 2020

Hawaiian Airlines is the latest carrier to think outside route planning box during the coronavirus pandemic. With most of its international flights to Asia and Australia suspended for the foreseeable future, the Honolulu-based carrier is turning east. Hawaiian will add...

What’s Old Is New Again as Eastern Returns With Flights to Philly

December 9, 2020

The latest incarnation of an aviation legend is expanding. Eastern Airlines — no, not Eastern Air Lines — is launching new routes from Philadelphia to Santo Domingo in the Dominica Republic and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. But bewarned, this is not the...

Seattle Emerges as Oneworld Hub With Qatar Airways’ Entry

December 8, 2020

Qatar Airways on Tuesday announced it is launching Doha-Seattle flights on March 15, the carrier’s second new U.S. route since announcing flights to San Francisco earlier this year. The route is the airline’s seventh new destination since the onset of...