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This May, Frontier Airlines will be launching new non-stop services from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to destinations across North and Latin America, including Guatemala City, Guatemala, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and San Diego. It comes as a result of a booming market, and these seasonal routes will offer passengers more choice and greater flexibility when travelling. Additionally, by May, Frontier Airlines will restart seasonal non-stop service from Atlanta to Ontario, Calif., and Salt Lake City. The expansion will increase Frontier’s weekly international departures at ATL from 21 to 39 and will serve a total of 38 non-stop destinations. To celebrate, Frontier Airlines are offering fares as low as $79. “Atlanta is one of Frontier’s fastest growing markets,” said Daniel Shurz, Senior Vice President of Commercial at Frontier Airlines. “We are proud to connect Atlanta to 10 international destinations and 28 U.S. destinations. We are working hard to make our already robust network at ATL even bigger and, in fact, by summer, Atlanta will be our third largest operation. We know those in the Atlanta area appreciate Frontier’s ‘Low Fares Done Right,’ and now they can take advantage of even more affordable and convenient options when planning their next vacation.” <br/>

A new discount charter carrier called Red Way plans to launch flights on 8 June from Lincoln, Nebraska to seven US cities. The airline’s fleet will include multi-class Airbus A320s and A321s operated by Miami-based charter carrier Global Crossing Airlines (GlobalX), Red Way said on 30 March. “Red Way and GlobalX Air Tours will be adhering to a cost-efficient structure to offer affordable fares, flexibility and choice,” the airline says. “Customers can choose their own experience with basic economy or premium options that include perks such as spacious legroom and additional baggage.” “Amenities such as food and beverage will also be available on the aircraft for purchase,” the fledgling carrier adds. Red Way did not immediately specify how many narrowbody jets GlobalX will operate on its behalf. Flights will be public charters, with initial destinations including Orlando, Las Vegas, Dallas Fort Worth, Nashville, Austin, Atlanta and Minneapolis. “Through this model, known as Part 380 operations, we can offer seasonal flexibility and keep the operations simple,” Red Way tells FlightGlobal. “We have a strong community focus and look forward to making an economic impact in Lincoln and the surrounding areas.” During a ceremony in Lincoln, David Haring, executive director of the Lincoln Airport Authority, said the expanded air service “is not just a new chapter for our airport and our community, but is actually a tremendous opportunity for our state”. In 2014, Delta Air Lines began offering flights between Lincoln and Atlanta. More recently, United Airlines has been operating to Houston, Haring says. “Those successes have been few and far between,” Haring says. “There is also a nationwide capacity shortage disproportionately impacting airports the size of Lincoln.” Delta stopped flying to Lincoln in early 2022 amid a broader pullback from smaller markets. However, “the size and continued growth of Lincoln is impressive and supportive of a robust air service network”, says Ed Wegel, GlobalX’s CE. Red Way will begin flying on 8 June and continue adding destinations through 24 June.<br/>

Colombian discount carrier Ultra Air suspended all flights on 29 March, a move following news that the carrier was short of cash. Ultra confirms the shutdown in a statement on its website but provides no additional information. Colombia’s ministry of transportation also confirms the operational halt. The carrier on 29 March notified the regulator that it planned to stop flying by midnight that night, says the transport ministry. The shutdown comes after the regulator on 23 March warned that Ultra was at risk of defaulting on its financial obligations due to a cash crunch. At that time, the transport ministry ordered Ultra to detail steps it was taking to maintain a viable operation. It also required Ultra, if needed, to implement a plan related to managing passengers affected by an operational halt, including by providing reimbursements or alternative travel options. Ultra’s fleet includes five Airbus A320s leased from companies including Ireland’s Avolon, DAE Capital (a division of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise) and Kuwait’s ALAFCO Aviation Lease and Finance, Cirium data shows. The carrier had served about 15 Colombian destinations and had sizeable operations at Bogota and Medellin. Until recently, Ultra had been working on a plan to be acquired by Chilean carrier JetSmart. Based in Santiago, JetSmart disclosed its acquisition plan on 16 March, though on 22 March the carrier said it had abandoned the effort. “We have made progress in the process and consider that, due to various factors, it is not possible to continue with the intention to purchase Ultra Air and we have cancelled the letter of understanding and terminated the process,” said JetSmart CE Estuardo Ortiz.<br/>

Argentinian low-cost airline Flybondi is integrating Web3 into its ticketing process by issuing e-tickets as non-fungible tokens (NFT). The new integration announced Thursday is called Ticket 3.0 and is an expansion of its existing relationship with NFT ticketing company TravelX, which launched in September 2022. The NFT ticketing technology, built on the Algorand blockchain, allows passengers to change their name, transfer or sell their "NFTickets" independently. Flybondi says the NFT ticket "offers a more flexible travel experience that allows passengers to even buy in advance without having to define their travel plans or who the travelers will be." In return, the airline is able to reduce customer service costs and increase its revenue from trading fees. TravelX chief blockchain officer Facundo Martin Diaz told CoinDesk in September that the company does not charge a fee when users initially purchase a ticket but it does receive a 2% transaction fee when trades are made on the secondary market. Airlines also get a 2% cut, he said.<br/>

Birmingham-headquartered Flybe was losing an average of up to GBP5m during each month of its brief existence, the administrators of the collapsed UK regional carrier have disclosed. On the back of those losses and outstanding loans or credit facilities, the airline’s total deficiency is over GBP82m. Flybe entered administration and ceased all flights on 27 January, having only commenced operations the previous April. An attempt to resurrect the Flybe brand following the failure of its predecessor in March 2020, the latest incarnation had ambitious plans to create a thriving regional aviation business with bases at Birmingham, Belfast International and Glasgow, but also with a presence at hub airports London Heathrow and Amsterdam Schiphol, alongside other UK sites. Flybe was owned by Thyme Parentco, a UK-registered holding company, the majority of whose shares were in turn held by DLP Holdings – a Luxembourg-based fund associated with Cyrus Capital, the owners of the original Flybe at the time of its collapse. Flybe acquired the assets of its predecessor for just £1. But detailing the collapse in their statement of administrators’ proposals, Mike Pink and Amy Rose from Interpath Advisory reveal that Flybe struggled virtually from the moment it was relaunched. Initial funding in the form of a GBP20m loan was received from DLP and GBP20m in equity from its shareholders, of which DLP was the largest. On top of which, DLP provided a GBP5m credit facility, which was not initially drawn. “At the time the financing package was agreed it was forecast this would be sufficient for the company [Flybe] to bridge to become financially self-sustaining,” the report says. But procuring aircraft proved challenging: when Flybe began operations in April 2022 it had secured just two leased De Havilland Canada Dash 8 twin-turboprops. <br/>

Emirates airline has trained tens of thousands of staff to help passengers with disabilities such as autism enjoy a stress-free journey. The Dubai-based carrier on Thursday announced it also implemented additional measures to help passengers during the flight. It comes ahead of World Autism Awareness Day on April 2. In the UAE, people with autism and other disabilities are known as people of determination. For some travellers with such disabilities, the airport and aircraft experience may feel too noisy, too bright, too unfamiliar or too busy. To help them, Emirates has trained more than 24,000 of its cabin crew and ground staff on its “Introduction to Autism and Hidden Disabilities” programme. The online course covers a range of topics from the UAE National Policy for People of Determination such as tips on how to assist passengers with hidden disabilities. Emirates also said it aims to facilitate passengers as much as possible in the complimentary selection of suitable seats. Other measures include the ability to apply a special “DPNA” code when booking to show the airline a passenger with needs will be flying; being able to order a special meal; help with boarding; and helping to seat passengers with disabilities next to their companion. Emirates also collaborated with Dubai International Airport on a comprehensive guide for passengers with hidden disabilities.<br/>

Scoot CE Leslie Thng says the carrier has a good business case for regional aircraft, which will help it expand in the region. Speaking to FlightGlobal at a wide-ranging interview on 30 March, Thng says the airline will likely deploy its new Embraer E190-E2s to “potential new points” in Asia from 2024, amid preparations for the type’s service entry in Singapore. He says: “When you look at the whole network that Scoot can actually serve, there is a business case for a regional jet. [It] would give us additional growth opportunities to continue to expand our network, which will provide us with the network connectivity that we have been building.” “For the Singapore market, a regional jet…[you can fly to] potential new points in the region. It will give us you will give us more selling opportunities, more excitement back here,” adds Thng. These are Thng’s first comments since the low-cost unit of the Singapore Airlines Group in February announced it would be taking nine E190-E2s on lease from lessor Azorra. The jets will seat 112 passengers in a single-class layout – the smallest aircraft in the SIA Group’s fleet. In February, the airline said it will deploy the aircraft on short- and medium-haul flights of up to five hours, serving “thinner routes to non-metro destinations out of Singapore”. Asked by FlightGlobal which cities these could be, Thng remains coy, noting that the airline will announce them “when ready”. <br/>

Low-cost carrier AirAsia has launched a new live call feature to address urgent customer needs, in response to requests for real-time call assistance. The airline said Thursday the feature allows guests to speak directly with a human agent during their "Ask Bo Live Chat” interaction for immediate resolutions. The option to connect to a call will become available to guests at the end of their chatbot interactions if the situation is identified as urgent or critical, such as flights departing within 24 hours or sudden changes in travel plans due to medical reasons or emergencies. For general enquiries and non-urgent issues, AirAsia encourages its guests to use the self-service tools and Live Chat assistance available on its Super App and AI-powered chatbot, Ask Bo. AirAsia has also made available a new refund tracking feature on its Super App and website. Guests can now click on the "My Cases” tab and enter their case number to get a more detailed status on their refunds. AirAsia Aviation Group chief airport and customer experience officer Kesavan Sivanandam said the service will be available in English, Bahasa Melayu, Chinese, Thai and Bahasa Indonesia.<br/>

Australian low-cost start-up Bonza has opened a second operations base in Melbourne – two months after it commenced operations – as it rolls out 11 new routes from the city. The airline will also base two of its four Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft in Melbourne, and kickstart recruitment for an unspecified number of roles, it states in a 30 March press release. Bonza marked the opening of its Melbourne base with a flight from its Sunshine Coast hub, a route that it will fly four times a week. Among the routes it will fly from Melbourne, Bonza says seven of them currently lack air connectivity, including to Mildura in Victoria state, as well as Tamworth in neoghbouring New South Wales. Airline chief Tim Jordan says the carrier is keen to tap into opportunities from Melbourne, noting that the city is poised to overtake Sydney as the largest city in Australia in the next 10 years. Bonza launched operations from Sunshine Coast on 31 January, less than three weeks after clinching its air operator’s certificate. The airline, Australia’s first independent low-cost carrier in nearly a decade, is backed by Miami private equity firm 777 Partners, which also owns embattled Canadian operator Flair Airlines. Bonza, Australian slang for excellent or first-rate, touts a different operating model from other low-cost operators: point-to-point services from secondary cities in Australia, eschewing operations within the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.<br/>

Less than 12 months after its launch, Marianas Southern Airways (Saipan) is ending operations on April 1, 2023. The cessation of services follows the Northern Marianas Islands government terminating a US$8m sole-source contract with the airline earlier this year. Marianas Southern Airways broke the news on its social media accounts on March 30. The airline, a joint venture between Southern Airways Express (9X, Memphis International) and Saipan-based MP Enterprises, used a trio of Southern Airways Express-supplied Tecnam P2012s to link Rota International, Saipan, Tinian, and Guam International. The controversial axing of the federally funded contract followed a change of government in the Northern Marianas Islands. The airline then indicated it might end services if a resolution could not be found. Speaking to a Northern Marianas Commonwealth Senate hearing on March 16, a Marianas Southern representative said "there was a complete neglect of response from anyone (in government)" regarding the cancelled contract and its consequences. "We're open, we're willing to talk, lets at least have a dialogue." Southern Airways Express has issued its own statement regarding the demise of Marianas Southern. They confirm that they are withdrawing as the operating airline from Marianas Southern Airways. "The decision is based on the unwillingness of Gov. Arnold Palacios to honour the contract signed by the previous administration," the statement says.<br/>