Category: Weekly Recap
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You’re On Guard! Weekly Recap: Spirit is Still Doomed, and Airbus Officially Takes Over Boeing for the Most-Delivered Narrowbody Ever
The Main Squawk: Spirit’s New Motto: Shrink It ‘Til You Sink It The airline that was once the darling of the “only pay for what you need” model is once again slashing flights and cutting costs in an attempt to exit its second bankruptcy in the past year. For a company that perfected the art…
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You’re On Guard! Weekly Recap: U.S. Government Shutdown is in Full Effect, Endeavor Says “I Got Your Nose!” at LaGuardia
The Main Squawk: U.S. government shutdown is poised to cook up turbulence Last week marked the start of yet another government shutdown, proving once again that a smooth travel experience is contingent on Washington doing its job (a concept about as reliable as finding an empty middle seat on a commute out of Orlando). Even…
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You’re On Guard! Weekly Recap: American’s Summer Operation Was AAtrocious, and Spirit Finds a New Revenue Stream
The Main Squawk: Management at American was shocked to learn they finished (almost) last in on-time reliability this summer Management at American is constantly touting that its number one strategy to success is running a reliable, on-time operation. But according to new data published by The Cranky Flier in partnership with The Air Current, the…
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You’re On Guard! Weekly Recap: Republic and Mesa Decide to Get Hitched, and Delta CEO Ed Bastian Talks About Political Buyer’s Remorse
The Main Squawk: Republic to absorb Mesa by the end of the year Regional airlines Republic and Mesa announced an agreement to combine operations last week to form what they’re calling “America’s Regional Airline of Choice.” The all-stock transaction is expected to be complete by the end of the year, pending agreements with labor groups,…
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You’re On Guard! Weekly Recap: Spirit 2.0 Plans a Part-time Operation, Fists Are Thrown in DCA Tower
The Main Squawk: Spirit is transitioning to a “peak-day only” operation with zero flights planned mid-week and on Saturdays Spirit exited bankruptcy last month with a plan to revitalize the “bare fare” by implementing a permanent part-time schedule. No longer will the Airline be known for flights that delay until 2:00 AM, only to cancel…
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You’re On Guard! Weekly Recap: Heartbreak at Southwest, and Frontier Takes on American and United
Southwest is cutting 1,750 jobs in management in an effort to ramp up its “transformational plan” to create a “leaner and more agile organization.” The cuts are expected to save the Airline up to $300 million by the end of 2026 and will affect roughly 15% of its corporate workforce, including Chief Transformation Officer Ryan…
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You’re on Guard! Weekly Recap: Potomac River Mid-Air Collision Stirs a Safety Debate, Spirit Furloughs Another 200+ Pilots
The Main Squawk: The aviation industry is mourning the loss of sixty-seven who perished in a Potomac River mid-air collision A U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with a PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 in the final approach path to Runway 33 at Washington-DCA on Wednesday, killing all sixty-four people aboard the CRJ700 and the three…
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You’re on Guard! Weekly Recap: Alaska Opts to Keep Hawaiian on Hawaii, American Tackles an Early Morning Christmas Eve Software Glitch
The Main Squawk: Alaska is opting to isolate the Hawaiian brand to Hawaii-only flying At some point next year, Alaska and Hawaiian will no longer operate as two airlines. They will have one operating certificate, one crew scheduling department, one technical operations center, one boardroom, and one set of standards. Under the hood, the Airline…
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You’re on Guard! Weekly Recap: Boeing is (Still) Struggling to Get Into Gear, JetBlue Expands in Europe
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…
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You’re on Guard! Weekly Recap: Thanksgiving Travel Season Is a Success All-Around, Spirit Develops Its Bankruptcy Strategy
Editor’s Note: I’m back, wedding ring in hand! I know at least some of you missed me. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be sharing my thoughts on a few stories that piqued my interest while I was away, including the latest contract at Boeing and what it means for aircraft deliveries, Spirit’s…
