American Airlines is forming a commercial partnership with JetBlue Airways to spur growth in New York, years after largely ceding the city’s two largest airports to rivals. The deal includes a codeshare agreement that enables the two carriers to book travelers on each other’s flights and offer reciprocal loyalty program benefits. Passengers will be able to use either company’s website to purchase a single itinerary that includes flights on both airlines, American and JetBlue said in a statement Thursday. The arrangement also covers Boston. The agreement heralds a new face-off between American and Delta, which boasts a major presence in Boston and New York. American has ambitions to rebuild John F. Kennedy International into a major trans-Atlantic hub, fed in part by JetBlue’s popularity with domestic travellers. JetBlue will secure a broader network, and the partners expect the deal to help speed recovery from the travel collapse caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The alliance is “a confirmation that these airlines see a lot of excess capacity in domestic markets over the next few years,” said George Ferguson, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. “American could rationalize some capacity in the Northeast as JetBlue feeds its international business with lower-cost seats.”<br/>
oneworld
British Airways, the world's largest operator of Boeing 747, said on late Thursday it would retire its entire jumbo jet fleet with immediate effect due to the downturn in travel industry caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Global curbs imposed to stem the spread of the virus led to a turbulence in air travel, placing the future of many airline companies in doubt. "It is unlikely our magnificent 'queen of the skies' will ever operate commercial services for British Airways again," the company said. BA added that it will operate more flights on modern, fuel-efficient aircraft such as its new A350s and 787s and expects such aircraft to help in achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Boeing's 747, a plane that democratized global air travel in the 1970s but fell behind modern twin-engine aircraft, marked its 50-year flying anniversary in February 2019.<br/>
Cathay Pacific expects an H1 net loss of HK$9.9b ($1.3b), including impairment charges on 16 planes, the airline said Friday, as the coronavirus pandemic crushed travel demand. Earlier, the airline had flagged a “substantial” H1 loss and that it had burned through cash of HK$2.5b to HK$3b each month since February. The H1 loss estimate compares to a profit of HK$1.347b profit in H1 2019, before widespread anti-government protests and the virus withered demand.<br/>
Amid Emirates triumphant reintroduction of the Airbus A380, Gulf rival Qatar Airways has restated its intention to keep its superjumbo fleet firmly grounded, citing environmental and commercial concerns. Qatar Airways grounded its 10 Engine Alliance GP7200-powered A380s in March in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. The aircraft, which are configured in a three-class 517-seat layout, will not return to service until the level of passenger demand justifies it, says the airline’s group chief executive Akbar Al Baker. “Having closely studied the environmental impact numbers, flying such a large aircraft with a low load factor does not meet our environmental responsibilities or make commercial sense. Our young fleet of Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 aircraft are a much better fit for current global demand,” he says. In June, Al Baker said he did not expect the A380 fleet to return to service “for at least a year, if not more” due to low passenger demand. “It will only be a miracle if we operated some of those aeroplanes earlier, depending on how the rebound in air travel will come.” <br/>