JetBlue Airways reported that its traffic, capacity and load factor declined in the month of Sept 2017. The company said its traffic in September declined 4.4% from the year-ago period, on a capacity decrease of 0.9%. Load factor for the month was 80.2%, a decrease of 3.0 points from Sept 2016. JetBlue's preliminary completion factor was 90.7% and its on-time performance was 70.1% in Sept 2017. Robin Hayes, president and CE of JetBlue, said, "The Q3 presented unprecedented weather challenges for JetBlue, with two of the largest hurricanes in our history impacting our network. We remain committed to the rebuilding efforts, particularly in Puerto Rico. We are confident that the adjustments we are making to our network will minimise any ongoing financial impact in 2018." <br/>
unaligned
Norwegian is "on the cusp" of growing too fast, one of its bosses has admitted. Head of sales in the UK and Ireland Dominic Tucker said the carrier was increasing the size of its fleet by " a crazy number". But he insisted the firm had a " strong cash flow" and was profitable. Concerns have been raised about the future of Norwegian due to its policy of rapid expansion. The airline, has around 130 aircraft and more than 260 on order. Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary claimed in September that " Norwegian will go in 4 or 5 months" as it is "running out of cash". Tucker accepted that taking delivery of 19 new aircraft this year was "a crazy number which we're managing to juggle". He said the airline was "having to guess" where it should fly because it lacked the historical data of long-established rivals. <br/>
Air Baltic is temporarily grounding its entire fleet of Bombardier CSeries jets pending technical checks on the engines. Air Baltic has 7 CS300s, which are powered by Pratt & Whitney PW1500Gs. The carrier said that it has issued a "temporary suspension" of CS300 flight operations pending inspections on an "external engine accessory". Air Baltic has not elaborated on the specific nature of the checks or the components involved. But it says it is "working closely" with Pratt & Whitney on the issue and is "anticipating" restoration of CS300 services Oct 12. Air Baltic has another 13 CS300s on order. It is 1 of 2 European carriers using the CSeries. Swiss, the other operator, uses both the CS300 and CS100 but has not indicated that it is taking any similar course of action to Air Baltic. <br/>
Greybull Capital, the private equity group that has presided over Britain’s biggest airline bankruptcy, still has the potential to make a profit on its failed investment in Monarch Airlines. People close to the airline initially suggested the investor, which bought a majority stake in Monarch 3 years ago, had lost GBP250m when it pulled the plug on the failing carrier last week. But calculations by the Financial Times based on publicly available accounts and people familiar with the airline’s finances show the losses could be a fraction of that amount — and that Greybull, and the brothers, Marc Meyohas and Nathaniel Meyohas who run it, could even walk away with a modest profit. Politicians have been quick to call for an investigation into the private equity firm’s actions. <br/>
Icelandair has joined the increasing number of airlines segmenting their economy-class fares with the announcement of a new pricing structure. The carrier is introducing a new budget level, economy light, which aims to attract passengers traveling with carry-on luggage only. Unlike the basic economy fares increasingly being introduced in the US, Icelandair’s new fare will allow passengers the same on-board service and amenities as other economy-class passengers, including the ability to pre-select their seats, plus non-alcoholic drinks and Wi-Fi. Economy Light provides a carry-on allowance of up to 10 kg (22 lbs). With the introduction of economy light, the airline’s former economy class will become economy standard, and Icelandair economy class flex will become economy flex. <br/>