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Southwest pilots union is considering picketing at US airports over Thanksgiving and Christmas to protest what it described as a frenetic increase in schedules, among other complaints, its president said Thursday. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association told members in a video late Wednesday that it was weighing pickets and demanded the company address scheduling and fatigue. Casey Murray, president of the pilots union, said the company schedule means pilots are working additional shifts with little notice. The union’s message highlights the increasing tensions between Southwest’s pilots as well its flight attendants and the company over the airline’s push to ramp up flying to meet a revival in travel demand following the pandemic slump. American Airlines pilot and flight attendant unions have also complained this summer about a lack of food and hotels and poor scheduling. Airline staffing shortages this summer have exacerbated flight disruptions for tens of thousands of travelers. “Southwest Airlines has always strived to put our people first. This summer, the airline and travel industry have seen a multitude of operational challenges as we navigate the effects of the pandemic,” said Bob Waltz, Southwest’s VP of flight operations. “We routinely work with the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association on a variety of matters that affect our pilots, but we also have a responsibility to consider a number of factors before implementation of suggestions.”<br/>

Avelo Airlines is expanding to the East Coast with service connecting four Florida cities with New Haven, Connecticut, in a bid to entice customers tired of trekking to airports in New York and Boston. Flights to Orlando begin Nov. 3, followed within days by service to Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Fort Myers, Avelo said Thursday. The startup plans to announce another destination from Tweed New Haven Airport next month, and possibly additional frequencies, CEO Andrew Levy said. “We expect to have service to many other markets over time” from New Haven, said Levy, who founded the company. The airport’s only regular service is to Philadelphia with American Airlines Group Inc., but that route is set to end Sept. 30. Most travelers in southern Connecticut now drive or take trains to New York’s LaGuardia airport or John F. Kennedy International, he said. Avelo will make New Haven its second base after making its debut April 28 with flights from Burbank, California, to destinations in the western US. The company has left three markets -- Bozeman, Montana; Grand Junction, Colorado; and Mesa, Arizona -- because of weak financial performance. Avelo said it has an 85% on-time rate based on more than 1,200 flights in its initial 100 days of flying. For the New Haven expansion, Avelo will acquire five Boeing 737-700 jets through early next year, each fitted with 147 seats. The Houston-based company will also acquire two larger 737-800 planes by early 2022, bringing its fleet of that version of the Boeing single-aisle workhorse to five. The 737-800 jets, with 189 seats apiece, will continue to fly routes from Burbank.<br/>

The newest US airlines are showing signs of growth while at the same time hoping that the surge in coronavirus infections is only a short-term obstacle. On Thursday, Avelo Airlines announced that it will expand to a little-used airport in Connecticut that will serve as a jumping-off spot to destinations in Florida. It will be the Houston-based startup’s first venture east of the Rockies. A day earlier, Utah-based Breeze Airways said it raised $200m in funding from sources including investment manager BlackRock on top of $135m in earlier funding. Avelo and Breeze began flying this spring and targeted leisure travelers. That looked like a smart move when vacationers flocked to airports for much of the summer. Now, however, they worry about the surge in COVID-19, which is hurting ticket sales at bigger airlines including Southwest. “We saw a little dip in our bookings” as virus cases increased, said David Neeleman, the Breeze founder and CEO who also started JetBlue Airways and Brazilian airline Azul. “We ran a sale, and bookings were back up again.” Andrew Levy, the CEO of Avelo, said it became clear a few weeks ago that a drop in bookings was partly due to the virus, not just the usual end-of-summer slowdown. “It’s not surprising that some people are deciding to defer their travel plans,” Levy said, calling it “a bump in the road.” The two startups are looking for routes that are mostly ignored by larger airlines.<br/>

Alsie Express is set to foray into the international market with plans to launch seasonal scheduled services between its base at Sønderborg and Sälen, an airport in Sweden serving several Swedish and Norwegian skiing resorts. The flights will begin on January 13, 2021, and will operate 2x weekly through February 27, 2021. They will be operated by Alsie Express' parent company, Air Alsie, with ATR72-500s. Alsie Express does not have its own Air Operator's Certificate (AOC). Alsie Express said it would partner with tour operators Skistar from Sweden and Norsk Rejsebureau to provide seamless transfers and package deals to travellers. It will also partner with local resort operators and hotels. The Danish virtual carrier's only scheduled service at present is an 11x weekly domestic service between Sønderborg and Copenhagen Kastrup. It also operates charter flights in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe.<br/>

Turkish budget carrier Pegasus expects its operations to be cash-positive during the second half of 2021, as it reports an “encouraging recovery in demand” in domestic markets in particular. “Forward ticket sales gained pace in June and are foreseen to further support cash reserves in the third quarter,” the Istanbul-based carrier states in its Q2 2021 earnings presentation on 17 August. Yields, however, are still “notably low” compared with pre-Covid levels, Pegasus observes. While Q2 ASKs and passenger numbers were 58% and 49% of 2019 levels respectively, revenues were at just 40%. Historically, international services have tended to account for double the revenue of domestic markets for Pegasus, but travel restrictions are weighing on opportunities to serve overseas markets. Domestic ASKs were at 84% of pre-crisis levels during the second quarter, versus international at just 47%, on load factors of 76% and 64% respectively. In Q3, Pegasus expects to operate 90% of pre-crisis capacity on an ASK basis, followed by 80-85% in the final three months of the year.<br/>

Norse Atlantic Airways is due to start operating from London Gatwick when it launches operations between Europe and the US in 2022, the British and Irish transport workers union Unite revealed after meeting representatives of the low-cost long-haul start-up. The airline is expected to hire former employees of Norwegian staffing firm Norwegian Air Resources UK Limited, which halted its operations earlier this year, the union said in a statement on August 17. “Unite met with Norse Atlantic Airways last week and is set to agree a timetable for further discussions on the collective bargaining agreements for our members following the signing of a recognition agreement earlier this year,” explained Unite regional officer Claire Simpson. The news is “a much needed boost for the UK aviation industry” as the embattled sector navigates its way out of the pandemic, she added, and “for Gatwick Airport in particular.” “Norse Atlantic is looking to start operations next year and this will be a vital opportunity for former Norwegian Air Resources employees, many of them Unite members, who were made redundant in January,” she said.<br/>

SpiceJet, India’s second-largest private airline, kicked off the process of hiving off its logistics business to its subsidiary SpiceXpress as it looks to raise much-needed capital. On Tuesday, the company sought its shareholders’ approval to complete the process and to raise up to Rs 2,500 crore via a qualified institutions placement (QIP). It is in talks with multiple private equity investors as it tries to sell shares in the logistics arm to raise money. While sources in the airline had earlier indicated that they value the business at $1 billion, the company on Tuesday pegged it at Rs 2,555.77 crore based on an independent valuation. People aware of SpiceJet’s plan indicated that investors have made it clear that they want the cargo business to be at an arm’s length from the passenger business. “Prospective investors wanted ring fencing of the cargo and passenger businesses,” said a source. The airline has also approached the Ministry of Civil Aviation for a new Air Operator Permit for the cargo arm and has also set up a management separate from the passenger business. However, the sources added that the airline has to seek multiple approvals, including from lenders. The airline said it expects SpiceXpress to operate as a separate entity upon transfer of business on or around October 1.<br/>

Virgin Atlantic has signed an MOU to become a customer for a proposed direct air capture (DAC) facility in Scotland. The UK carrier says the technology – which strips carbon dioxide from air and deposits it underground – could be a “powerful tool” as it seeks to reach net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. “Innovation and sustainability leadership is firmly in our DNA and we’re excited to be the first in the aviation industry to partner with Storegga to progress the development of direct air capture solutions in the UK,” says Virgin Atlantic CCO Juha Jarvinen. “We hope that early adoption of this technology and development of a facility here in the UK will demonstrate the commercial potential of DAC and inspire other businesses to be involved.” According to the two businesses hoping to develop the facility – Storegga and partner Carbon Engineering – “DAC provides a high quality, cost-effective way to permanently eliminate CO2 emissions from the atmosphere”. They note that the technology could also remove CO2 emissions “from the past”, meaning it could go further than net-zero targets “to achieve net negative emissions and full climate restoration”.<br/>

Ryanair has issued a warning to its customers that anyone arriving with a non-official Ryanair boarding pass will be denied entry to their flight. In the announcement on 18 August, the airline said that only passengers who have completed the official Ryanair check-in process and been informed of safety and security protocols can board its flights. The airline claims that passengers booking through the third-party website Kiwi.com - which provides customers with its own boarding passes - are circumventing that process, and will not be allowed to fly. “It is an obligation under EU regulations that an airline informs passengers directly of all safety and security policies regarding their flight,” said Ryanair’s director of marketing Dara Brady. “Kiwi.com are circumventing this by checking passengers in and replacing the Ryanair Boarding Pass with a fake boarding pass issued by Kiwi.com.” A Kiwi.com spokesperson described Ryanair’s statement as “petty” and “evil”, insisting that its boarding passes were identical to Ryanair’s apart from a branded background and colour scheme. “Kiwi.com complies with all the requirements to ensure safe travel for our customers and have done so for years,” said the spokesperson. “Threatening not to board customers is petty and an evil Ryanair practice to try and stifle customer choice. The real reason for this action is because Kiwi.com often sells Ryanair tickets cheaper than Ryanair and they don’t like it.”<br/>

Philippines AirAsia intends to restart international flights by Q1 2022 after resuming domestic services in Q4 2021, says CEO Ricky Isla. He told The Philippine Star newspaper that the airline’s priority is to rebuild its domestic network from Manila Ninoy Aquino Int'l, manage capacity, and control costs. “What is important is (that) we have to maintain our cost of operations. That’s the reason why we’re concentrating right now mostly on our Metro Manila hub.” The airline will look to restart flights from its hub at Clark in mid- to late 4Q21. “We will most likely reopen with our Clark trips towards the peak season of November and December,” he told The Philippine Star. “The best time is when there is already what you call a good herd immunity in Manila and Central Luzon like Clark. Then we will be confident that we will be extending also our Clark hub as our point of destination,” he said. The AirAsia Group unit has been conducting only essential flights recently in light of the government’s directive to place the capital Manila, officially called the National Capital Region (NCR), under quarantine with heightened restrictions from July 30, 2021, to August 5, 2021, and enhanced quarantine from August 6 to 20, 2021. <br/>

Virgin Australia has announced a significant shift back towards budget travel by offering a new cheap ticket that doesn’t include a baggage allowance. New Economy Lite fares will start from just $59 one-way between Sydney and Byron Bay, putting it on a par with low-cost rival Jetstar. It comes despite Jayne Hrdlicka repeatedly insisting that the airline would pursue a hybrid strategy that would see it sit in between rivals Qantas and Jetstar, and the closure of its previous low-cost subsidiary, Tigerair. However, the airline will still offer economy seats with baggage on ‘Economy Choice’ and ‘Economy Flex’ as well as business-class options. According to Virgin, while every ticket lets customers earn Velocity Frequent Flyer points and Status Credits, it appears Economy Lite will include fewer of both. The airline said almost one in three customers don’t require check-in baggage on domestic routes, with this number increasing on the country’s busiest Golden Triangle routes between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.<br/>