Southwest Airlines said on Tuesday it would start charging some customers for checked bags, ending a unique free policy, as the company's lackluster earnings have fueled pressure to revamp its business model. The changes mark yet another departure for the Texas-based carrier's passenger-friendly policies. Last year, Southwest announced plans to end open seating, which had been central to its brand image for more than 50 years. Its "bags fly free" policy has been an outlier in the airline industry. Southwest is the only major U.S. carrier that allows customers to check two bags at no cost, a strategy that company executives have said differentiates it from rivals. But the policy change, which would take effect on May 28, runs the risk of driving away customers. Delta Air Lines President Glen Hauenstein said on Tuesday some of Southwest's customers are now up for grabs. Some analysts also expressed concerns about its impact on the airline's brand. "We were not supporters of bag fees," said Savanthi Syth, an analyst at Raymond James. Southwest had been defending its no-bag fee policy, saying it was the No. 1 reason customers chose it. Last September, it had warned investors that eliminating the policy would impact its "customer first" brand image. Its analysis showed while charging for bags could bring in $1.5b in additional revenue every year, it would cost the airline $1.8b in lost market share. CEO Bob Jordan defended the about-turn on Tuesday, saying Southwest's new booking data did not show that it was getting the same benefit from its free-bags policy.<br/>
unaligned
Southwest Airlines cut its unit revenue growth forecast on Tuesday, as concerns over discretionary spending amid tariff pressures and government spending uncertainties affect domestic travel demand. The carrier now expects its unit revenue growth to be between 2% and 4% during the first quarter, compared with its prior range of 5% to 7% increase.<br/>
Court records say a passenger on a small regional flight to Miami attacked a flight attendant, kicked and punched the seat of the person in front of him and swallowed rosary beads as pilots returned to the airport in Savannah, Georgia. The passenger was traveling with his sister, who said her brother told her before the violent outburst to “close her eyes and pray because Satan’s disciple(s) had followed them onto the plane,” according to an FBI agent’s affidavit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court. No one was seriously hurt on the Monday night flight operated by Envoy Air, a regional carrier for American Airlines. The 31-year-old passenger was jailed on charges including misdemeanor battery, misdemeanor obstruction of police and a felony count of criminal property damage. FBI Agent Savannah Solomon described the violent episode in her affidavit, saying there was probable cause to charge the man with a federal crime of interfering with a flight crew. Solomon wrote that eight passengers were on the plane and flight attendants became concerned immediately after takeoff when they noticed one of them appearing to have a “fit of epilepsy” that included “stomping, incoherent yelling, and shaking.” When a flight attendant approached the man, he turned in his seat and kicked the attendant in the chest, sending the worker flying into a window across the aisle, the agent wrote. The passenger then started kicking and punching the seat of the person in front of him, who moved before the back of the seat collapsed. The pilots returned to the Savannah airport. After the plane landed, the man who had kicked the flight attendant charged toward the exit and threw punches at another flight attendant before being subdued by other passengers, the affidavit says. He was apprehended by airport police and taken to a local hospital for “ingestion of rosary beads,” the affidavit says. Then the passenger was booked into the Chatham County jail.<br/>
Sun Country Airlines would prioritise Boeing 737 operators that have similar approaches to scheduled passenger service and hauling freight in a potential airline combination partner. That is according to CE Jude Bricker, who identifies Alaska Air Group – parent of Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and regional carrier Horizon Air – as a likely partner for the Minneapolis-based low-cost carrier. “I think there are a lot of aspects that would make us fit well with others, but the thing about the business model that may be complex to some others is probably the cargo business,” Bricker said during the JP Morgan industrials conference on 11 March. “It’s unique,” he continues. ”I think other airlines who do charter flying and a scheduled-service business could fit in well… We would fit in best with other carriers that schedule in a similar way.” “That said, Alaska just bought Hawaiian, and Hawaiian’s got a big Amazon deal; that’s probably the thing that comes to mind.” It is unclear whether Alaska and Sun Country have engaged in acquisition discussions. Alaska Air Group closed its deal to acquire Hawaiian last year and is in the process of merging the airlines onto a single operating certificate. Some synergy could be had in a potential Alaska-Sun Country combination. Sun Country is ramping up flying cargo on behalf of Amazon and anticipates flying 20 cargo-equipped Boeing 737-800s on behalf of the retailer by year-end. Alaska has a standalone cargo arm and was an all-737 operator prior to acquiring Hawaiian, which operates a growing fleet of cargo-converted Airbus A330s for Amazon.<br/>
Brazil’s aviation agency on Tuesday suspended the operating license for local airline Voepass, citing security risks as an investigation continues into a crash in August that killed all 62 people on board. One of the company’s six planes crashed outside Sao Paulo as signs of ice buildup mounted on its wings. Brazilian authorities in October ordered Voepass to make changes including increasing ground time for maintenance and changing administrators. Four months later, an update showed the situation had not improved. The aviation agency noted “Voepass’ inability to solve irregularities identified during the supervision, as well as the violation of previously established conditions for the continuity of the operation within the required safety standards.” It said the suspension will continue until the airline conforms with regulations. The company did not comment on the decision. Voepass offers regional flights in 15 cities in Brazil. Investigators say the pilots of the plane that crashed in August reported failure in the system to remove ice from the plane. They were careful to avoid calling that the cause of the accident and stressed that more investigation was needed.<br/>
Jeju Air reclaimed its lead position among Korea's low-cost carriers last month, government data showed Wednesday, following a temporary decline in passengers due to a fatal crash that claimed the lives of 179 passengers in December. According to the data from the transport ministry, Jeju Air recouped its position as the leading LCC in terms of the number of passengers with 879,000, followed by Jin Air and T'way Air, at 863,000 and 838,000, respectively. In January, Jeju Air had fallen to third place following the Dec. 29 crash at Muan International Airport. The airline reclaimed the lead despite having reduced the number of flights to enhance its operational safety. Air Busan, which also suffered a fire-related incident in late January, meanwhile, saw a significant decline in passenger numbers, according to the data. The airline carried 494,000 passengers in February, down 26.3% from the previous month. Domestic travel passengers plunged 52.8% to 122,000, while international passengers fell 9.6% to 371,000.<br/>
Indonesia’s aviation sector is set to welcome two new players this year with the launch of private airlines – Indonesia Airlines and Fly Jaya. The arrival of these carriers is expected to help bridge the gap between the country’s current operating fleet of 410 aircraft from the ideal 750 needed in order to meet growing passenger demand. Singapore-based Calypte Holding, which officially registered its Indonesian subsidiary PT Indonesia Airlines Group (INA) on March 7, aims to operate international flights to and from the country. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten, will become its main hub. Despite the similar name, Indonesia Airlines is legally distinct from PT Indonesian Airlines Avipatria, a carrier that started operation in March 2002 and shut down a year later. “In the first phase, we will operate 20 aircraft, which will be purchased gradually,” said Iskandar, CE of Indonesia Airlines and executive chairman of Calypte Holding, in a statement on Sunday, as quoted by Kumparan. Its initial fleet will include 10 narrow body aircraft, either Airbus A321neo or A321LR models, alongside 10 wide body jets, a mix of Airbus A350-900s and Boeing 787-9s, he added. Meanwhile, Indonesia-based PT Surya Mataram Nusantara, operating as Fly Jaya, is preparing to launch operations this year. Unlike Indonesia Airlines, which focuses on international routes, Fly Jaya is set to serve short-haul domestic flights using a fleet of ATR 72-500 aircraft. Last week, Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi revealed that two of Fly Jaya’s aircraft are already in operation.<br/>