A federal judge in Texas denied Southwest pilots union’s request to temporarily block a vaccine mandate for employees, which is a requirement under new government rules. Southwest must require staff to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 by Dec. 8 unless they receive a religious or medical exemption, according to rules for federal contractors that the Biden administration issued last month. Southwest and other major airlines like Delta, United and American fly federal employees, US mail and provide other services to the government. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, which represents some 9,000 aviators, sought a temporary restraining order against the mandate. The union had argued that the mandate, as well as other Covid-related company policies, needed to be negotiated with the union. “Requiring Southwest employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 will likewise improve the safety of air transportation, efficiency of Southwest’s operations, and further the [collective bargaining agreement’s] goal of safe and reasonable working conditions for pilots,” U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn wrote in her Tuesday ruling, denying the union’s restraining order request and dismissing the case. The labor union said it is disappointed in the ruling and “we are currently considering next steps.”<br/>
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JetBlue Airways said it expects transatlantic “gravy” to add flavor to its menu of flights in the upcoming holiday travel season and beyond -- even as it faces indigestion from rising costs. The carrier, which recently introduced service to the UK, expressed high hopes Tuesday for its New York-to-London flight and for a continued rebound in domestic travel as people acclimate themselves to flying amid the lingering affects of the pandemic. “The peaks are strong. Holidays are looking good,” Joanna Geraghty, president and COO, told analysts on a conference call. “We’re excited about what next year brings, and we think the transatlantic is frankly gravy on top of what we’re already doing.” JetBlue posted a narrower-than-expected loss for the third quarter but predicted some turbulence for the current three-month period. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization may range from a $50 million loss to a $50m profit, down from the $140m earned in the most recent quarter, the company said. The carrier cited higher fuel prices and labor costs as issues that may chip away at its bottom line. Jet fuel prices averaged $2.08 a gallon last year, up 1.2% from a year ago. And this quarter, JetBlue expects to pay $2.49 a gallon. “We will maintain a competitive cost structure and return to our roots as a low-cost airline,” Robin Hayes, the New York-based airline’s CEO, said on the call. “Demand is once again poised to reaccelerate into the peak holiday periods and beyond as people adjust to a new normal.”<br/>
Hawaiian Holdings, parent of Hawaiian Airlines, experienced an uneven Q3 after fears about the coronavirus’ more-virulent Delta variant battered the carrier’s advance bookings and the state’s governor told tourists to stay away. The Honolulu-based airline says on 26 October that it earned $509 million in revenue during the three months ending on 30 September, down 33% from the same three-month period in pre-coronavirus 2019. Net profit for the quarter came in at $14.7m. Excluding US government aid, the airline lost $48.7m during the quarter. “The surge in in Covid cases associated with the Delta variant has dampened our financial performance,” says CE Peter Ingram “As much as we would like to see a straight-line recovery, the pandemic delivers twists and turns.” That said, the carrier seems to have the worst of the “Delta variant interlude” behind it, Ingram says. The quarter started strong, with the airline operating 115% of 2019 capacity to the US mainland in July. Hawaiian readjusted a few weeks later.<br/>
After making do with smaller planes for its launch earlier this year, Breeze Airways on Tuesday collected its first Airbus A220, with novel plans to change the capacity of its premier cabin as the seasons change. The startup carrier expects to have three dozen business-class seats in the initial configuration but will change that count in rapid makeovers to as few as 12 seats to accommodate shifting demand. “We’re going to experiment with it, we’re going to see how it goes,” CE David Neeleman said at Airbus’s Mobile, Alabama, assembly plant. Most US airlines keep their cabin layouts stable. Neeleman, who founded Breeze, said other carriers price their premium cabins in ways that limit demand. He hopes to encourage passengers to trade up to plusher seats with more legroom by charging just $50 or so above the economy fare. The A220 is the first new airplane to enter Breeze’s fleet. The Utah-based airline began flying in May with used Embraer E190 regional jets.<br/>
Latam Airlines Group’s CE wants to steer his company out of bankruptcy next year with a shrinking carbon footprint and lower costs that can help it grow in a travel market still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. Roberto Alvo said Latin America’s largest air carrier is making progress on a financing plan that it will submit to a judge next month, putting it on track to exit bankruptcy protection as soon as the first half of 2022. During the Chapter 11 process, which it entered last May, the company retooled its fleet and slashed operating costs to compete with low-cost carriers. But Alvo, a two-decade company veteran who took over as CEO last April as the pandemic was upending air travel, is stressing its role as a corporate citizen, including its pledge cut carbon emissions. Latam “will be financially much stronger than how it entered and very willing and able to take market opportunities to grow,” Alvo said in an interview in Bogota on the sidelines of an airline conference. “But most important is that the countries where we operate understand the company as an asset to society.” <br/>