June 7th 2021

From the Control Tower

Is it simply a matter of putting things back the way they were, or is now the time to truly rebuild with a new plan? For many of this week's top stories it is the latter. Significant, structural changes are in play, though the timing on them ranges from a few months to a decade away.

Other Industry News

United Airlines plans supersonic Boom with new order

United Airlines plans to purchase at least 15 supersonic jets from Boom. If everything goes to plan the jets could be carrying passengers between the US East Coast and Europe by the end of the decade.

That's a big if.

Delta, airBaltic to launch codeshare partnership

Delta Air Lines plans to add more than 20 new codeshare routes in Europe, partnering with Air Baltic. The move, if approved by regulators, will see Delta's DL code applied to flights from 16 European cities to Air Baltic's three gateways at Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius.

JetBlue’s London launch brings an unexpected disruption to fares

JetBlue's new London service brings many potential disruptions to the transatlantic market. And one unexpected one to the way the carrier operates.

Malaysia's AirAsia X gets shareholder go-ahead for restructuring plan

AirAsia X Bhd shareholders have approved the Malaysian budget airline's debt restructuring, allowing it to pursue a scheme it viewed as key to survival as billions of dollars in debt is wiped out.

Vistara scores tentative DOT approval for US operations

Just five weeks after submitting its application the US Department of Transportation, India's Vistara received tentative approval to begin operations to the United States. Assuming no objections from other carriers a final decision could be delivered by the end of the month.

Labor unions protest Breeze hiring program

A trio of labor unions requested the US Department of Transportation review its approval for Breeze Airways to operate as a commercial airline, just one week after the airline formally launched service, citing discriminatory hiring practices for flight attendants in their request, with questions arising around age, race, and other factors.

Bamboo Airways requests access to launch US routes

Vietnam's Bamboo Airways wants to bring its 787 fleet to North America. The carrier filed an application with the US Department of Transportation to offer service to five US cities on its own aircraft, with service potentially launching as soon as Q3 2021.