Southwest cut the number of 737 Max jets it will take through next year to 35, as it joined other carriers in reducing revenue forecasts amid a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases. Southwest, the largest operator of the Boeing Co. aircraft, also settled with the manufacturer over deliveries scuttled this year, after the plane was grounded following two crashes that killed 346 people. While the terms of the agreements are confidential, delivery credits and other factors mean Southwest will have “an immaterial amount” of capital spending for aircraft this quarter and for all of 2021, the airline said in a regulatory filing. The announcements Wednesday reflect adjustments that airlines are making worldwide: first to the Max’s extended flight ban, and then to a coronavirus pandemic that has gutted demand for travel and shows no sign of letting up in the near term. The 35 Max planes that Southwest will receive include seven expected this month and just 28 next year. The carrier in April cut delivery plans to as many as 48 through 2021. At one point, Southwest was on tap to get 123 of the workhorse narrow-body jet over the period.<br/>
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Southwest plans to begin serving Santa Barbara Airport and Fresno Yosemite International Airport next year. The airline said Wednesday it expects to begin flying in and out of the Central Coast and Central Valley airports in Q2 2021. Southwest flew its first flight into Palm Springs last month, and the addition of Santa Barbara and Fresno will give the airline a presence at 13 California airports. “For our residents, our partnership with Southwest will energize the economic rebound to come in 2021,” Santa Barbara Mayor Cathy Murillo said. Fresno’s aviation director, Kevin Meikle, said the service will expand the aiport’s role as a gateway to Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.<br/>
Brazilian airline Azul SA projected in a Wednesday securities filing that Q1 2021 available seat kilometers, a measure of capacity known as ASK, should be more than 85% of Q1 2019 levels. ASK for December 2020 will come to roughly 70% of December 2019 levels, the company said.<br/>
Jetstar expects to operate more domestic flights than ever in February and March, on the back of low fares and demand for domestic travel. The low-cost carrier is scheduling more than 850 return flights per week to 55 domestic destinations by the end of Q1 2021, it said Tuesday. The extra services will be operated by Airbus A320s previously deployed on its international network, to destinations such as Bali and Singapore. “The boost in flying represents more than 110% of Jetstar’s pre-Covid domestic schedule (compared to March 2019), and follows research recently conducted by Jetstar that showed that 86% of respondents intend to travel domestically in 2021,” the carrier states. Based on the same survey, Jetstar sees Hobart and Melbourne as gaining the most popularity as destinations, while Cairns and Gold Coast appeal to families.<br/>