The Main Squawk: Boeing still hasn’t resumed 737 MAX production
Boeing has yet to crank out a single airplane at its 737 plant in Renton, Washington, despite settling a 52-day strike with its aerospace workers over a month ago. The manufacturer intends on restarting production later this month, but it’s unclear at exactly what rate production may resume.
In an interview with Lester Holt on NBC Nightly News, FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker claimed the manufacturer will have to go through “a pretty substantial reset” to resume normal operations. One part of that reset involves the implementation of a Safety Management System (SMS) which provides a mechanism for workers to proactively identify and address potential issues.
“They’re focused on their workforce, training, and supply chain.”
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker told Reuters last week
The FAA is currently restricting the manufacturer from producing more than thirty-eight 737s per month. While Mr. Whitaker did not reveal when he would lift that restriction, he said he would be surprised if it took less than a few months for the Company to reach that limit.
Rumors on Wall Street say analysts are not expecting Boeing to produce more than twenty-five planes per month, however. Analysts expect to release their predictions about the Company’s 2025 production timeline by the end of the year.
JetBlue is adding service to two European cities from Boston, bringing its European operation to an all-time high of twelve Transatlantic routes for the Summer 2025 schedule. Service to Edinburgh and Madrid, the Airline’s newest destination, will begin in May 2025.
The Queens-based carrier is working hard to become the premier leisure carrier of the Northeast, and to do that, it has to serve some of the Continent’s hottest markets. Edinburgh and Madrid certainly meet those metrics, but they won’t be without their challenges.
Also serving the Boston to Edinburgh route is Delta, which currently operates a Boeing 767-300ER between the cities. The widebody aircraft affords Delta the opportunity to capitalize on the upsell, with up to eighteen seats in Premium Economy. JetBlue, on the other hand, will utilize its Airbus A321neo on the route, with sixteen seats in Mint.
JetBlue’s newest route—Boston to Madrid—will be served by its Airbus A321LR, with twenty-four seats in Mint. It will compete with Iberia along the route, utilizing its only Airbus A321XLR and no First class cabin whatsoever.
Editor’s Note: JetBlue has outstanding orders for two additional Airbus A321LRs, and thirteen additional Airbus A321XLRs. The XLR can fly about 700 nautical miles further than the LR.
Delta is pushing the pause button on its “Basic Business” product for 2025, or well, at least for the first half of the year. At the Airline’s Investor Day last month, president Glen Hauenstein shared with his take on “market segmentation.” Let’s read what he had to say.
“If you said that within each one of [our cabins], there are people who have different needs, and you had a good product, a better product, and a best product, could we invent subcategories of each one of these products that had more value?”
Delta president Glen Hauenstein at the Airline’s Investor Day last month
Currently, Delta has various product offerings ranging from Delta One, First Class, Comfort+, Main Cabin, and Basic Economy. What Mr. Hauenstein is asking is: how can the Airline further separate these cabins into even more “subcategories?” All in the name of pairing the ultimate product with the ultimate consumer.
I suppose the question is worth asking, but just how many times can you divide a plane into different cabins? Seth Miller from PaxEx.Aero is asking that exact question.
American is apparently the Nation’s most reliable airline for Holiday travel, according to Airalo, and is a title the Fort Worth-based carrier totally did not pay for. Airalo touts that way back in December 2022 and December 2023, less than 1% of the Airline’s flights were cancelled at the last minute, which it claims is the only necessary metric for determining the Nation’s “most reliable” airline.
But let’s look at the data objectively. Are cancellations truly the only metric that determines the Nation’s “most reliable” airline? I don’t think so. What about on-time arrivals? Where American underperformed its peers over the same two periods with less than 73% of its flights arriving on-time.
American has reasons to cheer up this Holiday travel season, however. For the first time this year, the carrier joined Cirium’s Top 5 On-Time Performance list for last month’s Thanksgiving travel season. It might have joined the Top 5 in the fifth-place position, but hey, with more than 79% of flights operating on-time, good for them.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker will resign on Inauguration Day, according to Politico. The Administrator’s decision to depart the Administration ahead of President Trump assuming office next month is hardly unusual. It does, however, leave the regulator without a clear replacement.
Mr. Whitaker referred to his work at the FAA as the “honor of a lifetime” and “the best and most challenging job” of his career. He previously worked at TWA as an associate general counsel and at United as a senior vice president.
Air Canada is adding more U.S. service from Vancouver in the upcoming summer months.
Copa is cutting four routes from Panama City due to a lack of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. (Thanks, Boeing.)
Discover, a subsidiary of Lufthansa and an airline no one in Minnesota ever heard of, is launching service between Frankfurt and Minneapolis next year.
The FAA is changing a rule that will allow certain types of pilot training to be conducted in experimental aircraft without the need for a Letter of Deviation Authority (LODA).
Icelandair is expanding service to Nuuk, Greenland, later this month. The Airline will utilize the six Dash 8s that it forgot it had lying around its hangar.
Lufthansa will operate an Airbus A350 between Hamburg and Munich next month. This is roughly the equivalent of running widebody service between Phoenix and San Antonio, strictly in terms of population.
Singapore is increasing service to Sri Lanka next year.
United filed an application with the DOT to operate service between Los Angeles and Beijing three times per week, year-round.
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