Two U.S. regional carriers are largely prevailing as victors in a battle for survival as airlines globally continue to weather an unprecedented downturn in travel demand. Phoenix-based Mesa Airlines and St. George, Utah-based Skywest Airlines have both posted profits for the last quarter while larger airlines report losses in the millions of dollars per day. This achievement boils down to one contingency for these two regional airlines: contracts. Air travel numbers are rebounding in the U.S., albeit gradually. As projected…
Located north of Tucson, Ariz., Pinal Airpark is a small, single-runway airfield that bears witness to some of the world's most iconic jets. The airport has several vendors on-site who manage the storage and reclamation processes for these aircraft. For years, Pinal Airpark has served as a so-called "boneyard," where…
As the airline industry struggles to find its footing during an unprecedented travel downturn worldwide, many air carriers are finding new ways to cope during this period. Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Sun Country Airlines is no exception to this. While commonly seen as a leisure carrier, the airline has recently enacted contracts…
The airline industry has ailed in pain for the last several months because of a virtually unprecedented downturn in travel demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Airlines across the globe have been reporting multi-billion dollar losses and load factors in the single digits. This week, though, a new trend emerged.…
Amid a global crisis that has practically reduced global travel to a skeleton of what it once was, a small, single-runway airpark smack-dab in the middle of the Arizona desert is an unlikely portrait of productivity. Pinal Airpark, situated along the Interstate 10 corridor between Phoenix and Tucson, in Marana,…
I recently came across an opinion piece by a fellow aviation reporter, arguing that domestic air travel in the U.S. essentially needs to be halted as COVID-19 cases grow by the day. I am certainly not discrediting Mr. Sumer’s opinion as the article itself does make several valid claims, nor…
It’s no secret that the past week has been tumultuous, uncertain and a bit disheartening for just about everyone as this pandemic has affected nearly everybody in our lives. As we watch our world gradually grind to a halt due to the COVID-19 outbreak, especially as the airline industry continues…
Since 2006, American Airlines has partnered with the Gary Sinise Foundation to bring families that have lost members in combat together Originally, the company operated charter flights to its Dallas/Fort Worth base where children were transported to the "North Pole," also known as hangar specially decorated for the holidays. Just…
Delta Air Lines is one of the world's largest air carriers and, now, certainly the most formidable force in the global aviation market. In a shocking announcement on Thursday afternoon, the Atlanta-based company said it would be taking a 20 percent stake in LATAM, Latin America's biggest airline conglomerate. Delta will…
Call me dramatic, perhaps a bit over-emotional, or nostalgic, but I am indeed in love with American’s long-time workhorse MD-80 fleet. While other airlines, including Delta, will continue to operate the type after American retires theirs on Wednesday, Sept. 4, there are many things that make AA’s ‘Super 80s’ stand…
