JetBlue Airways fell more than 11% Tuesday after the airline slashed its growth plans to avoid a repeat of headaches for travelers and crews during peak season. The New York-based carrier canceled hundreds of flights earlier this month during bad weather in Florida, disruptions that affected other airlines like Fort Lauderdale-based Spirit Airlines, which JetBlue is attempting to acquire. JetBlue told crews it expects to cut its spring and summer schedule by 8% to 10%, CNBC previously reported. JetBlue said in a quarterly release that its capacity could be flat to up 5% this year compared with 2019, down from a planned expansion of 15% this year. Spirit Airlines and Alaska Airlines have also trimmed their schedules. Airlines have been forced to rethink growth plans as they grapple with seasonal weather delays, tight staffing and higher fuel costs even though travel demand — and fares — have soared in recent months. JetBlue said its average fare rose to $195.99 in the first quarter compared with $149.97 in the same period of 2021. JetBlue, like other airlines, is also scrambling to staff up. Carriers have shed thousands of workers since 2020, urging them to take buyouts to reduce labor costs, since a $54b government payroll support package to weather the coronavirus pandemic prohibited them from firing workers.<br/>
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Hawaiian Airlines expects record revenue from its domestic operations in the second quarter of 2022, as well as an increase in international demand as the year progresses, and travel rules are eased. The Honolulu-based carrier says on 26 April that it posted a $123m loss for the first three months of the year, but that the the rest of 2022 should prove favourable, with its international business looking to benefit most. “Strong demand for leisure travel to Hawaii is poised to propel our domestic revenue to record levels as the effects of the pandemic are more muted now than at any point in the past two years,” Peter Ingram, the company’s CE, tells analysts on the airline’s quarterly earnings call. “Based on these trends, we anticipate a resurgence of international demand as restrictive travel policies continue to loosen.” The carrier experienced strengthening demand throughout its domestic network during the three months that ended on 31 March, as the impacts of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 eased through the quarter and related restrictions for travel to the US archipelago in the Pacific Ocean were lifted.<br/>
Emirates will refurbish more of its existing fleet than previously planned, its chief commercial officer said on Tuesday, as the airline faces delays to deliveries of new Boeing jets and seeks assurances over concerns with the Airbus A350s it ordered. The Gulf carrier is spending over a $1b to refurbish the fleet which includes installing a new premium economy cabin. Adnan Kazim told reporters in Dubai that Emirates would now refurbish 120 aircraft from its existing fleet of A380 and 777s, up from the 105 that the airline had previously announced. Of those, 67 A380s would be retrofitted, up from 52 initially announced, while the 53 refurbished 777s is unchanged. Kazim said Emirates had always planned to refurbish some of its older jets, but that the airline would now operate more older aircraft for longer as a "stop gap" to delivery delays. He said Emirates was still in talks with Boeing over delays to the 777x programme, without providing further details. Emirates has said it now expects delivery of its first 777x in 2025, five years than originally scheduled.<br/>
Long-haul, low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia X is set to resume operations in June, more than two years after suspending flights amid the coronavirus pandemic. The carrier will resume flights to Tokyo Narita on 1 June and to Seoul Incheon on 5 June. In a statement issued 26 April, Thai AirAsia X says it will also be relocating its operations from Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport to Suvarnabhumi airport. “The move would create new opportunities for growth by establishing more travel connections with best value fares for Thai AirAsia X guests,” the carrier, which recently appointed a new CE, says. The move follows a similar announcement from Malaysian sister carrier AirAsia X, which in early April relaunched flights to India and South Korea. Thai AirAsia X chief Patima Jeerapaet hails the carrier’s relaunch as “an incredible milestone”, adding: “With Thailand officially reopening and the Covid-19 situation now under control thanks to widespread vaccination, we are thrilled that Thai AirAsia X is finally returning to the skies commencing with two route to be the much anticipated destinations, namely Seoul, South Korea and Tokyo Narita, Japan both departing from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, Thailand.” <br/>