American Airlines Group Inc. and JetBlue Airways still want to team up in the Northeastern US after an earlier pact was scuttled by US courts. American CEO Robert Isom and JetBlue President Marty St. George on Tuesday each hinted that a new partnership was still possible, even after a federal appeals court last week upheld an earlier finding that their Northeast Alliance violated antitrust laws and had to be dismantled. “I do think it was pro-consumer for JetBlue and American to get together,” St. George said at the Skift Aviation Forum in Dallas. “I certainly think there is a structure that could work going forward. We could work with other carriers too.” The government’s case that ended the alliance was part of the Biden administration’s aggressive posture on corporate mergers in several industries to ensure combinations don’t hurt consumers or drive up prices. JetBlue’s planned acquisition of Spirit Airlines Inc. also was blocked for those reasons. Analysts have suggested that President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration will take a less-hostile stance on corporate deal activity. American is still reviewing the appeals court decision on its alliance with JetBlue and is weighing its options, Isom said, without specifying whether the carrier will appeal to a higher court. JetBlue did not join American in appealing the initial court ruling against the partnership. “We’re not done yet figuring out how to best serve our customers,” Isom said at the Skift Aviation Forum. “That doesn’t stop us from going out and taking a look at the marketplace.”<br/>
oneworld
American Airlines Group Inc. said a flight departing Haiti’s capital was hit by a bullet on Monday, making it the latest US carrier to sustain damage from a chaotic gang war in the Caribbean country. American Flight 819 landed safely in Miami and no one on board was injured, the carrier said in a statement. A post-flight inspection discovered that the exterior of the aircraft had been impacted by a bullet. The carrier suspended flights between Miami and Port-au-Prince, Haiti, through mid-February. Spirit Airlines Inc. and JetBlue Airways Corp. have also halted service after their jets were hit by gunfire on Monday. A Spirit flight traveling from Fort Lauderdale was diverted to the Dominican Republic after the plane was struck by bullets as it tried to land at Toussaint Louverture International Airport — causing minor injuries to a flight attendant. A JetBlue flight from Haiti to New York was also struck by a bullet. <br/>
British Airways’ decision to halt flights to two Gulf countries has angered politicians in the UK, but people in Bahrain are fighting back with a petition they hope will stop it from happening. By the end of the first quarter of 2025, the UK airline plans to pull daily flights to Bahrain and Kuwait from its schedule, as it says these routes are no longer commercially viable, due to Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine issues on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. In an official statement seen by The National, British Airways said it was “disappointed” to make this decision, but “we’ve taken this action because we do not believe the issue will be solved quickly, and we want to offer our customers the certainty they deserve for their travel plans”. When asked whether they will reinstate the routes once the engine issues are resolved, there was no response. Stanley Szecowka, managing editor of Bahrain’s national newspaper Gulf Daily News, is now trying to reverse the decision. He has started a petition on change.org, calling on readers and residents to help convince BA chairman and CE Sean Doyle to keep the direct route between London and Bahrain. So far, more than 2,000 people have signed it since it launched on Sunday. “British Airways has got such a long-standing, historic relationship dealing with Bahrain from the very, very earliest days you can imagine of aviation,” he told The National.<br/>
Qantas has “categorically” denied accusations of slot hoarding before a parliamentary inquiry. In a hearing by the Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport on Tuesday, Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie noted the Flying Kangaroo’s dominance over slots at Sydney Airport and accused the group of “gaming the system”. As reported by the Australian Financial Review, in figures from the middle of 2024, for the morning peak – 6am to 11am on weekdays – Qantas held 103 take-off slots, with Virgin holding 57 and Rex only seven. “It’s been part of your business plan to game that system, and you’ve been very successful at it, because you are the gorilla in the room,” said McKenzie. “You use that power to your advantage. That’s what we’re seeking to change here.” Qantas Domestic CEO Markus Svensson, however, pushed back forcefully on the accusations, insisting that Qantas intends to use every slot it applies for. “We only apply for the slots that we know we will operate, that we intend to operate. Yes, there are disruptions on the day, there are cancellations due to weather, engineering or whatever reason it might be,” he said. “I categorically deny that we slot hoard or trying to play any games here. We do use our slots, we intend to use them … and that’s why we have so many of them.”<br/>