Southwest canceled more than 1,000 flights on Sunday and just over 800 on Saturday, wreaking havoc on weekend travel plans for thousands of passengers. The airline had canceled 24% of all scheduled flights on Saturday, according to FlightAware, a tracking service. By noon on Sunday, Southwest had already canceled 28% of flights scheduled for the day, with hundreds more flights delayed. “We experienced weather challenges in our Florida airports at the beginning of the weekend, challenges that were compounded by unexpected air traffic control issues in the same region, triggering delays and prompting significant cancellations,” the airline said Sunday. “We’ve continued diligent work throughout the weekend to reset our operation with a focus on getting aircraft and crews repositioned to take care of our customers.” Southwest added that recovering from the disruption was more difficult than usual because it is operating fewer flights than before the pandemic, complicating efforts to reschedule passengers. “We know the frustration flight cancellations are creating for our customers and employees and we apologize, and we again thank everyone for patience as we work first to be safe, and second to be as quick as possible in solving disrupted plans.” The FAA said in a statement on Sunday that it had briefly suffered an air traffic control staffing shortage, but that the issue had long since been resolved. “Flight delays and cancellations occurred for a few hours Friday afternoon due to widespread severe weather, military training and limited staffing in one area of the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center,” the agency said. “Some airlines continue to experience scheduling challenges due to aircraft and crews being out of place.” In a statement on Saturday, Southwest’s pilots union said it was aware of the widespread cancellations. The union last week objected to the airline’s recent announcement that it would mandate vaccination against the coronavirus, but said that the cancellations were not the result of any pilot protest.<br/>
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Southwest pilots asked a court to temporarily block the company from carrying out federally mandated coronavirus vaccinations until an existing lawsuit over alleged US labor law violations is resolved. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association’s filing Friday also asked for an immediate hearing on the request before a federal court in Dallas, claiming the carrier has continued to take unilateral actions that violate terms of the Railway Labor Act, which governs airline-union relations. Those steps include the Covid-19 vaccination requirement. “The new vaccine mandate unlawfully imposes new conditions of employment and the new policy threatens termination of any pilot not fully vaccinated by December 8, 2021,” the legal filing said. “Southwest Airlines’ additional new and unilateral modification of the parties’ collective bargaining agreement is in clear violation of the RLA.” Southwest set the deadline on Oct. 4 under a federal vaccination mandate for employees of companies holding contracts with the U.S. government. Workers can seek medical or religious exemptions. The union represents 9,000 Southwest pilots. “The airline disagrees with SWAPA’s claims that any Covid-related changes over the past several months require negotiation,” Southwest said. The carrier is committed to working with its unions “as we continue navigating the challenges presented by the ongoing pandemic.” Other policies the union seeks to block include Southwest’s Covid quarantine rules for pilots and an infectious disease control policy that it says significantly altered work conditions, rules and rates of pay, until the two sides negotiate a resolution to alleged contract violations outlined in its original Aug. 30 lawsuit. The changes violate a “status quo” provision of the RLA by not maintaining terms of an existing contract during negotiations, the lawsuit claimed. <br/>
Spirit Airlines’ CEO Ted Christie on Friday told staff to get inoculated against Covid-19 ahead of forthcoming federal vaccine mandates for large companies. President Joe Biden last month said the government will require companies with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccines or regular Covid testing for staff. “The federal government has made it clear that Covid-19 vaccination or testing requirements will be mandated for companies with more than 100 employees, and we will comply with that order,” Christie said in an staff email. Christie said implementation of those rules will depend on government guidance “but we will be moving forward with new health and safety policies, in any case.” Spirit’s rivals American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Alaska Airlines and Southwest are federal contractors, which are subject to stricter rules that don’t provide the same testing option. Those airlines told employees over the past two weeks that they must be vaccinated to comply with those contractor rules by Dec. 8. A spokesman for the Miramar, Fla.-based airline confirmed the email and said the company expected to give employees more details in the next few weeks. Last month, Spirit asked staff to share attestations of their vaccination status to gauge how many of them are inoculated. The discount airline is still collecting those forms. The airline had more than 8,700 employees as of the end of 2020 but has been in the processing of hiring pilots, flight attendants and others this year.<br/>
A passenger whose erratic behavior prompted pilots to make an emergency landing at La Guardia Airport on Saturday afternoon was not charged after the authorities determined that he “did not make a verbal threat” and was not carrying a suspicious item, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said. The man, who was not identified by the Port Authority Police Department, was briefly detained and questioned by the authorities, including the FBI, and then released, the spokesman, Thomas Topousis, said on Sunday. “The Port Authority Police Department determined there was no criminality,” Topousis said Sunday. Shortly before 3 p.m. on Saturday, a pilot of the plane, which was a Republic Airways aircraft operating as American Flight 4817, told workers at a control tower at La Guardia Airport that he was “declaring an emergency,” according to a recording posted on LiveATC.net. “We have a situation where a person, a suspicious person, has an item that looks like an explosive device,” the pilot says, according to the recording. The pilot then says that he is going to land. “We’re planning to turn off the runway, and then we will plan to evacuate,” he says, according to the recording. The pilot later says that crew members “don’t know what this person has,” adding, “Everyone else is scared on this aircraft.” After the plane landed, firefighters and police personnel converged on the aircraft, which had traveled from Indianapolis with about 78 passengers aboard. Passengers exited the plane safely, said a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, Steve Kulm.<br/>
Air Belgium has taken delivery of the first of two Airbus A330-900s that will be used to replace A340s in its fleet. The Rolls-Royce Trent 7000-powered twinjet has been configured with 30 business, 21 premium-economy and 235 economy seats, Airbus says. Cirium fleets data shows that the two A330neos are managed by Air Lease. In July, Air Belgium said the first A330neo would be used to launch a twice-weekly service from Brussels to Mauritius on 15 October, and that the second was scheduled for delivery in November. The airline has three A340-300s – one listed as being in storage – and four A330-200Fs. The Trent 700-powered freighters are owned and managed by CMA CGM Air Cargo. Air Belgium’s website indicates that its A340s are being operated with two different cabin layouts – with and without premium economy.<br/>
Virgin Atlantic Airways is searching for a candidate to take over as chairman in the event plans for an initial public offering go ahead, a person with knowledge of the situation said. A London listing would compel current Chairman Peter Norris to stand down since he occupies the same post at Virgin Group, owned by the carrier’s founder and majority investor Richard Branson, according to the person, who asked not to be named discussing a private matter. Virgin Atlantic has appointed headhunting firm Korn Ferry to identify potential independent directors and a chair, the person said. However, a decision to push back any IPO into 2022 means the search isn’t currently a priority, they said. The airline is focused on rebuilding its business as the surprise lifting of a US ban on European visitors spurs bookings, Bloomberg reported last week. A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman declined to comment.<br/>
Hong Kong startup Greater Bay Airlines said on Saturday it had received an air operator’s certificate, a key step in the process toward launching commercial flights. The airline, which still needs an air transport licence for commercial flights, plans to start operations with three leased Boeing Co 737-800 planes, the company said. It hopes to have seven planes in service by the end of 2022 and more than 30 by 2026, subject to market conditions, the company added. Greater Bay Airlines will be competing against the financial centre’s dominant carrier, Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd and the far smaller Hong Kong Airlines. Greater Bay Airlines said it had applied for rights to operate to 104 destinations across the region, including mainland China, North Asia and Southeast Asia subject to a recovery in market conditions.<br/>
Virgin has announced it will restart its Sydney and Melbourne to Coffs Harbour service in November after it was suspended in April. NSW has already confirmed intrastate travel will resume when 80 per cent of its state’s residents have been double-vaccinated, while Victoria has suggested it will open its borders at the same point. The Sydney service will resume on 11 November, followed by the Melbourne service seven days later. In total, 21 weekly return services will provide 14,500 seats per month to Coffs Harbour, with fares starting from $45. The Melbourne service will run until 25 April 2022. Virgin’s chief strategy officer, Alistair Hartley, said, “We know many travellers, particularly those from New South Wales and Victoria, will be excited to experience the freedom to travel again and our flights will not only provide an opportunity to explore more of our wonderful country, but to reunite with friends and family in time for the summer holidays.” It comes as both Qantas and Virgin gear up for domestic borders to reopen and lockdowns to end.<br/>