One of the pillars of the low-cost airline concept, the one developed first by Southwest Airlines in the ‘60s and ‘70s, was the absence of frills and supplementary services in order to keep costs low and pass the savings on to passengers in the way of lower fares. However, especially during the past couple of decades, we have seen airlines that were born as low-cost (or no-frills) carriers “hybridize” to become more and more similar to traditional or full-service carriers.…
There had been some hints throughout the past several months, but this time there is an official communication by the carrier itself: following a failed negotiation with the pilots’ union BALPA (British Air Line Pilots Association), British Airways had decided to cancel almost all its short-haul flights from London Gatwick…
The change of the guard between the historic Alitalia and the newly created ITA as Italian flag carrier is less than a month away, but the situation is far from defined. Alitalia is going through its bankruptcy procedure and will stop flying on Oct. 15; on the same date, the…
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency, Australia has been among the countries imposing the most restrictive limitations to international travel, with borders still remaining essentially shut down almost a year and a half since the start of the pandemic and no relaxation in sight until at least the…
The time may have come to say goodbye to Alitalia. The new state-owned company created by the Italian government to replace the chronically money-losing Alitalia is now taking shape and is on track to obtain its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) during the week, and after then it will be possible…
In an unexpected move that has revitalized the hopes of fledgling Canadian carrier Porter Airlines, an order for 30 Embraer E195-E2 aircraft with an option for 50 further units has been announced by the Toronto City Airport-based airline and the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer. The Embraer E195-E2, nicknamed “The Profit Maker,”…
Although in recent times bilateral agreements have become largely less restrictive, there have been relatively few attempts on behalf of legacy carriers to take advantage of market opportunities outside their traditional home market. That is why the latest announcement coming from Finnair is a breath of fresh air in the…
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been embarking on a modernization process that is aimed at upgrading all the infrastructure in the country to attract tourism and trade flows and develop local businesses. The country has recently introduced a new visa-free system to facilitate the influx of foreign visitors and…
British flag carrier British Airways is considering permanently shutting down its operations at London Gatwick airport in order to consolidate all its operations at London Heathrow and therefore maintain the pool of slots it holds at the airport even after temporary waivers are lifted. As the airline industry struggles to…
As international traffic is starting to show signs of a yet-sluggish recovery, airlines are doing their best to take advantage of opportunities available in the marketplace after the COVID-19 pandemic has produced a shake-up like never seen before in the airline industry. One of these companies is Qatar Airways, the…
