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The head of American Airlines Group denied Monday that his company's alliance with JetBlue Airways Corp meant that the two airlines had created a de facto merger in the northeastern United States. CE Robert Isom, testifying in an antitrust trial in Boston, pushed back against assertions that the companies acted as a single airline in Boston and the New York area following creation of their Northeast Alliance in 2020. The Justice Department has asked a judge to order it undone. Justice Department attorney Bill Jones said that in the four airports covered by the alliance, customers would view JetBlue and American as a single company. "No, that's not true," Isom said quickly. "We have our own gate. We have our own planes. We have our own services that make us distinct." Isom also testified that he had been concerned about competition from Delta and United, particularly in Boston and the New York area. And he took issue with suggestions that American, the world's largest airline, could have expanded without JetBlue. The Justice Department's Jones suggested American did not have to worry about JetBlue going after premium customers in Boston, which Isom disputed saying he said both airlines "are going to go after all premium customers." The US Justice Department, six states and the District of Columbia have called the alliance a "de facto merger" of the companies' Boston and New York operations, in which they coordinate flights and pool revenue to the detriment of travelers, which it argues face $700 million in extra annual costs.<br/>

Spanish carrier Iberia has become the first to take delivery of the latest updated version of the Airbus A350-900. Airbus’s new production standard increases the use of advanced materials to trim the weight by 1.2t, while the maximum take-off weight has been raised by 3t. FlightGlobal had disclosed in June that the -900’s maximum take-off weight was being increased by 3t to 283t. “The new standard comes with a wider interior cabin at armrest level,” the airframer adds, providing the option to offer over 30 more seats in three-class configuration.<br/>Both the -900 and -1000 will benefit from the higher performance standard. Airbus CCO Christian Scherer had told FlightGlobal of the plans for seat densification of the two models during the Farnborough air show in July. Iberia’s latest aircraft – MSN567, registered EC-NXD – was flown from Toulouse to Madrid on 29 September. Its delivery brings to 500 the overall number of A350s handed over to customers. Iberia has 20 A350-900s on order, of which it has received 14. “These improvements provide operators with increased profitability and flexibility, while offering passengers more space and comfort in the quietest cabin of its category,” says Airbus. “It also positions the A350 platform ready for future trends including decarbonisation solutions.”<br/>

Hong Kong’s government has eased Covid-related restrictions on the movements of locally based crew when making overseas trips, on which the territory’s strict rules had previously confined them to their hotels. From Tuesday onward, pilots and flight attendants no longer need to isolate in their hotel when overnighting between the outbound and return legs of foreign flights, Cathay Pacific Airways said in a memo to staff o. They’ll still be expected to avoid bars and other mass gatherings. For those air crew whose flights return to Hong Kong without a layover, the rule relaxation also ends a requirement for them to wait at the airport for the result of coronavirus tests, though those who stayed the night must still do so. The changes, which also apply to Hong Kong Airlines, Greater Bay Airlines and Cathay’s low-cost affiliate HK Express, bring the rules for crews making overseas layovers into line with the removal of mandatory quarantine for employees arriving back in Hong Kong, a step that was also extended to passengers on Sept. 26. The new rules should make it more attractive for pilots and flight attendants based in the Asian financial hub to resume flying more frequently, and will reduce enforced downtime after trips, making rostering more efficient. They’ll also permit Hong Kong-based crew to live more normal lives, for example going to the restaurant on returning home, something which under the old regulations wasn’t permitted for three days.<br/>

Nearly two decades after the last flight of a plane that caught the world’s imagination with its elegance and speed, a jet that may lay claim to being the “son of Concorde” is taking shape in a state-of-the-art development facility in Greensboro, North Carolina, in the United States. Known as Overture, this jet is the brainchild of Denver, Colorado-based Boom Supersonic and may soon be capable of carrying 80 passengers at speeds of up to Mach 1.7 (or about 2,100km/h), at an altitude of 60,000 feet, or 18.3km. In Asia, the first of this new generation of aircraft heralding a return to supersonic flight is likely to be sporting the livery of Japan Airlines. An official for Japan’s flag carrier confirms that JAL invested US$10 million in Boom in 2017 and the two companies have been working together on the design of the aircraft and to “define the passenger experience for supersonic travel”. JAL has a pre-order agreement in place to purchase 20 of the aircraft. Another of the earliest batches off the production line is expected to be delivered to American Airlines. The largest airline in the world has put down a deposit on 20 jets, with the option to buy an additional 40. None of the companies involved in the project has revealed how many dollars – or yen – they expect to pay for each Overture airliner. The first of this new generation of supersonic planes could fly commercially for the first time as early as 2029.<br/>

Qantas has had its fair share of high-profile challenges in the last few years: industrial relations disputes, frequent delays and cancellations, a record $1.9b financial loss and luggage that goes missing with alarming frequency. But one challenge flying under the radar is its ageing fleet. Qantas says the average age of its planes is now 14.7 years, a figure that has increased significantly over the past 15 years. In 2006, the average age was just over eight years and before the pandemic it was just over 11 years. It’s also a figure that’s substantially higher than most of its competitors flying similar routes. Dr Ian Douglas from the University of New South Wales says there are a number of causes, including a pause on orders and deliveries during the pandemic, manufacturing delays and the secondary market for certain planes. “So [fleet age] has almost certainly increased over time. And that would have been a conscious decision about managing capital by the board,” he says. Douglas says differing philosophies between airlines influence their fleet choices. Operators may also choose to keep older planes for their lifetime simply because they know the plane and its maintenance history. Differing accounting rules across countries may also influence some airlines to turn over planes more frequently.<br/>