Canadian passenger carriers Air Transat and WestJet have expanded their respective networks through codeshare agreements with smaller regional airlines. Air Transat launched a codeshare – agreements under which airlines sell each other’s flights as their own – with Porter Airlines 18 October. Porter operates a fleet of 29 De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprops out of Toronto. Now, Porter carries Air Transat’s code on flights between Montreal and Toronto’s secondary airport, Billy Bishop, and Halifax. In an “upcoming phase”, Air Transat will carry Porter’s code on 31 routes from Montreal – including those to Europe, the USA, Mexico and the Caribbean. “Connecting passengers in two of our most important markets, Toronto and Halifax, with Air Transat’s European and North American network is a great benefit,” says Kevin Jackson, Porter’s chief commercial officer. “This is just the beginning, as we intend to expand Porter’s own network to create many more travel opportunities between our two airlines.” Michele Barre, Air Transat’s vice-president of revenue management and pricing, calls the airlines’ networks “highly complementary”. Meanwhile, WestJet on 18 October launched a “reciprocal interline relationship” with Pacific Coastal Airlines, allowing passengers to “purchase a single ticket from either airline for travel involving connecting flights between their networks”, the airlines say. <br/>
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Aer Lingus is chasing winter sunseekers with the restart of its Dublin-Miami, Florida, service from Friday, October 21st, boosting the Irish carrier’s transatlantic network. The airline will fly twice a week to the US city, increasing the service to three times from Monday, October 31st. Miami’s year-round sunshine means it is a popular winter holiday destination. Aer Lingus will offer connections via Dublin to British and European travellers to the US city. According to the airline, one in four of those on Friday’s flight will have begun their journey at an airport outside Ireland. Susanne Carberry said the relaunch was further proof of Aer Lingus’s hopes to continue growing its transatlantic business. The move will also boost cargo services as the Airbus aircraft will have space for up to 20 tonnes. <br/>
Three people have been arrested on suspicion of making a bomb hoax on board a stationary Easyjet plane. Essex Police said specialist officers boarded the flight, destined for Amsterdam, at Stansted Airport, after receiving a security concern at about 19:40 BST on Wednesday. The plane, which was still on the ground, was moved to a secure area and the runway was closed for a short time. Two men, aged 18 and 22, and a woman, 18, remain in police custody. After a search the force said there was nothing "of concern on board". Essex Police said it worked "quickly and robustly" with its partners at the airport to resolve the issue, whilst inquiries were carried out. A spokesperson for Stansted Airport confirmed the runway was closed for 50 minutes between 19:45 and 20:35 BST, and said six inbound flights were diverted to other airports. An Easyjet spokeswoman said flight EJU7920 was "delayed overnight". "We did all possible to minimise the impact of the disruption for our customers, providing hotel accommodation and meals where required and anyone who sourced their own hotel accommodation will be reimbursed for any reasonable expenses", she said.<br/>
Icelandair Group generated third-quarter operating profit of $92.7m, after a strong period in which it took revenues of more than $487m – including record passenger revenues of $408m. Net profit stood at $57.8m. The company reached 82% of pre-crisis capacity. “We had robust results on the back of strong post-pandemic travel demand during a period where Icelandair’s business model proved its worth,” says CE Bogi Nils Bogason. He says the transatlantic market has recovered quickly, accounting for 43% of passengers. Although punctuality was negatively affected by personnel issues at key airports over the summer, the company says it managed to minimise the impact through high frequency and diverse departure times. Fuel costs remained high over the quarter, reaching $137m – some 38% of operating expenditure. But Icelandair Group says its cash position at the end of the quarter on 30 September was its strongest ever. “We believe there will continue to be great opportunities for Iceland as an attractive destination and we have a strong foundation to build on,” says Bogason. “Delivering such robust financial results, driven by record revenues, clearly demonstrates the strength of our business model.” Icelandair Group is claiming strong bookings in Q4, and expects capacity to recover to 98% of pre-crisis figures, although it cautions that cost and interest-rate pressures are likely to impact demand. Booking flow continues to be “resilient” for early 2023, it adds.<br/>
Greater Bay Airlines is edging closer to a final decision on which aircraft it will add to its fleet, with a “sizable” order much more likely to go to the manufacturer that can provide the jets the soonest. The new Hong Kong-based airline is in talks with both Airbus and Boeing and wants to bring in next generation aircraft to dovetail with its expansion “as early as we can,” CEO Stanley Hui said. “If we are looking at deliveries in 2024-2025, a decision has to be made in the foreseeable future,” said Hui, who was appointed CEO in June. Greater Bay Airlines currently operates three second-hand leased Boeing 737-800NG aircraft, with plans to add at least two more before summer 2023, Hui said. A person familiar with the matter said earlier this year that the carrier was considering ordering up to 30 narrowbody jets. Founded by property magnate Bill Wong, Greater Bay Airlines started services to Bangkok in July. It plans to introduce daily flights to Taipei in December and Tokyo in January. Boeing hasn’t offered the airline any 737 Max aircraft that were initially slated to go to Chinese carriers but haven’t been delivered, Hui said. <br/>
Thai Smile Airways will launch direct daily flights from Bangkok to Luang Prabang (the first Unesco World Heritage site in Laos) later this month, according to the TTR Weekly report. Flights are scheduled to begin on Oct 30 following the introduction of a second daily Thai Smile flight from Bangkok to Vientiane. The airline now serves the Vientiane route with morning and afternoon flights. “Using a fleet of A320s, Thai Smile will fly daily to Luang Prabang departing Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport at 0845 (WE576) and arriving in Luang Prabang at 1020. The return flight (WE577) will depart Luang Prabang at 1120 and arrive in Bangkok at 1255,” stated the TTR Weekly. According to a web search, the cheapest roundtrip fare on Thai Smile is US$197. The flight time is one hour and 25 minutes. Bangkok Airways will resume daily flights to Luang Prabang just one day after Thai Smile on November 1 from its Bangkok Suvarnabhumi base quoting a roundtrip fare starting at US$473, according to the TTR Weekly report.<br/>
Regional Australian airline Rex said operating costs on short flights will drop as much as 50% with the introduction of electric- and hydrogen-powered aircraft in coming years. Rex plans to start trials in early 2024 using King Air 200 planes, retrofitted with the new power trains, before later tests with Saab 340 aircraft, Deputy Chairman John Sharp said at a conference in Sydney Thursday. The expected lower operating costs will open up new routes that aren’t viable with turbine engines, while fares will fall and services will become more frequent, Sharp said. The converted planes will suit short hops of about an hour, such as Sydney-Wagga Wagga, he said. Rex announced a partnership with drive-train manufacturer Dovetail Electric Aviation in July. Dovetail said at the time it expected to achieve certification for the converted aircraft within four years. Rex will still use turbine-powered Saab 340s on longer flights.<br/>