A Contour aircraft in Oakland. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Washington Dulles is set for new airline service later this year. Contour Airlines plans to begin flights to the airport in May.
On Wednesday, the carrier announced that it would serve Macon, Georgia, and Plattsburgh, New York, from the Washington-area airport starting on May 1. Both markets were previously served from Baltimore and Philadelphia, respectively.
From Plattsburgh, Contour will offer 12 weekly round-trip flights to Dulles under the Essential Air Service program. Flights to Macon will operate at the same frequency under the federally subsidized program.
Plattsburgh previously had service to Washington Dulles on SkyWest under the United Express banner. Contour later received this contract and moved service to Philadelphia. The New York community also has flights on Allegiant and Breeze.
One of Four Recent Additions
With these two routes, Contour will offer service to Washington Dulles for the first time. The carrier does have a partnership in place with United, which operates a hub at the airport.
Dulles has seen a slew of new airlines in recent months, including Breeze, Avelo, and Aeromexico’s recently resumed service to Mexico City.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.
An Air Canada Boeing 767-300 in Los Angeles. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
Air Canada is set to delay the reintroduction of two Boeing 767s. The airline planned to utilize the aircraft on a handful of routes starting in February.
Last year, the carrier confirmed plans to use the 767s in its passenger fleet again. The fleet type exited revenue service in 2020.
Airline leaders called the move “temporary insurance” in the airline’s short-term fleet plan. “These are two older 767s that used to be part of our passenger mainline fleet,” said Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s executive vice president of revenue and network planning.
Initially, the two 767s were slated to start revenue service on Feb. 1 between Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta; Montego Bay, Jamaica; and Calgary, Alberta. Later, the aircraft were also scheduled to serve Las Vegas and Phoenix.
On board an Air Canada Boeing 767-300ER in 2014 (AirlineGeeks | Andrew Chen)
According to a recent Cirium Diio schedule update, the jets will now begin service on April 1. Routes will include Montego Bay, Edmonton, and Calgary with daily service.
At the time of writing, the aircraft are not scheduled beyond April. The two 767-300s in question appear to be registered as C-FOCA and C-GLCA.
Both aircraft had been stored at Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona, until they were ferried to Ontario’s John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport in 2024.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.
A JetBlue A320 in Las Vegas (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
JetBlue celebrated 25 years in business on Tuesday.
Two and a half decades after its first revenue flight took off on February 11, 2000, the New York-based carrier debuted its BlueUnity livery in tribute and recognition of its over 23,000 employees, according to a release from JetBlue.
An Airbus A321 aircraft – painted bright blue and featuring various team members – operated a celebratory flight on Tuesday as Flight 1 from New York to Fort Lauderdale – emulating the first flight made by the airline in 2000.
The livery design was created by JetBlue crewmember Ray Matthew, who also coined the tagline on its side-body: “Honoring the fly-est crew in the biz.”
JetBlue’s newest special livery (Photo: JetBlue)
“As we celebrate 25 groundbreaking years of JetBlue, I’m filled with gratitude and pride for the remarkable journey we’ve taken together,” said Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue’s chief executive officer, in the release. “Our mission of bringing humanity back to air travel has set us apart, and our amazing crewmembers are redefining what it means to truly care for our customers and each other.”
The release stated that customers, crewmembers and invited guests on board Tuesday’s birthday flight were treated to surprises and giveaways at JetBlue’s Terminal 5 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
AirlineGeeks.com was founded in February 2013 as a one-person blog in Washington D.C. Since then, we’ve grown to have 25+ active team members scattered across the globe. We are all here for the same reason: we love deep-diving into the fascinating realm of the airline industry.
A Finnair Airbus A330 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)
Finnair has warned it may furlough nearly one-tenth of its pilots with new contract negotiations between the airline and its pilots union beginning on Wednesday.
Finland’s flag carrier and the Finnish Air Line Pilots Association (SLL) have been negotiating a collective agreement for over five months now, with Finland’s National Conciliator’s Office also mediating the ongoing negotiations since November 2024.
“The negotiations have not yielded results, and the pilot union has rejected several settlement proposals that the employer would have accepted,” Finnair stated in an online news release published on Friday.
Finnair says SLL is reluctant to collectively agree on having stand-by duty in the collective agreement, so the carrier has opted to include it in the employment contracts of its pilots.
“…[T]he pilot union has refused to agree on stand-by duties collectively and proposed that stand-by should always be voluntary,” the airline stated. “For decades, stand-by duty has been part of the collective labour agreements for Finnair pilots. The stand-by duty is an essential part of ensuring reliable operation of flights at airlines.”
“Stand-by is an established practice in the industry and I believe that every Finnair pilot recognizes it as part of their job,” said Finnair Chief People Officer Kaisa Aalto-Luoto, in the release. “As the union has declined to agree on this, we are now preparing to include stand-by duty in the employment contracts of all pilots in order to secure regular and reliable flight operations.”
Qantas Lease
Finnair could furlough a maximum of 90 pilots during negotiations on Wednesday. The carrier stated that two of its Airbus A330 aircraft have had limited range in Finnair’s Asian network after Russia’s airspace was closed in 2022.
By wet leasing the aircraft to Qantas for routes between Sydney, Bangkok, and Singapore, Finnair said it was still able to put these aircraft to use that employed approximately 90 pilots.
Now the airline is saying its ability to operate these flights has been hindered by SLL’s extended industrial action, which includes a stand-by ban for flights operated by the partner carrier.
A termination of the carriers’ agreement, which Finnair says is currently on the table, would have a direct impact on the amount of work available to Finnair’s pilots, the airline stated.
“It is sad that the pilot union’s prolonged industrial action has led to a situation where we have to start change negotiations,” Aalto-Luoto said in the release. “Today is a tough day for all of us at Finnair. In our 101 years of history, we have never needed to reduce pilot positions due to operational reasons. Even when the Russian airspace closed and fundamentally changed our operating environment, we succeeded in securing employment for our pilots with collaboration arrangements.”
AirlineGeeks.com was founded in February 2013 as a one-person blog in Washington D.C. Since then, we’ve grown to have 25+ active team members scattered across the globe. We are all here for the same reason: we love deep-diving into the fascinating realm of the airline industry.
Aircraft at Reagan National Airport. (Photo: Ryan Ewing)
Runways 15/33 and 4/22 at Reagan National Airport in Washington have reopened nearly two weeks after January’s deadly midair collision, an FAA spokesperson said in a statement to AirlineGeeks.
A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority – which operates the airport – also confirmed the two runways returned to service on Tuesday.
With these runways back online, the FAA says it will boost the hourly arrival rate at the airport to 28 flights. This is an increase from the 26 planned as of last week. Normally, the airport plans for a maximum of 32 arrivals per hour.
However, the agency spokesperson did note that restrictions on helicopters near the airport will remain in effect.
On Jan. 29, a PSA Airlines CRJ-700 and Black Hawk helicopter collided over the Potomac River, killing all 67 on board both aircraft. The CRJ-700 was approaching Runway 33 when the accident occurred.
While the airport’s main runway – 1/19 – is more widely used for both arrivals and departures, its shorter runways help balance traffic flow and are mostly used by smaller aircraft. Reagan National has a total of three runways.
Reagan National’s runway layout (Photo: United States Geological Survey (USGS), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
Some higher-ranking FAA officials – including former Administrator Mike Whitaker – pushed to close Runway 4/22 following a close call between Southwest and JetBlue aircraft last year. According to CBS News, the agency temporarily halted flights on the runway following this incident.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.
A SkyWest Charter CRJ-200 aircraft (Photo: Shutterstock | Robin Guess)
After nearly three years of challenges, SkyWest is hopeful that new Federal Aviation Administration leadership will help its SkyWest Charter (SWC) subsidiary expand. SWC began in 2023.
The ultimate goal of this venture was to use 30-seat CRJ-200s to serve small communities throughout the U.S. which have seen a reduction in scheduled air service post-pandemic. SWC would operate under a different set of regulations from its scheduled counterpart, theoretically improving economics in already thin markets.
Currently, 18 CRJ-200s operate under the SkyWest Charter brand, with sports teams and other clients using the aircraft.
Despite these headwinds, Childs remains hopeful that the venture will be able to expand into small communities, especially under the new Trump administration.
“I think the term that you use ‘being reengaged’ in this is an understatement. We certainly do see a very good opportunity relative to the 2.5-year challenges at SkyWest Charter to get commute authority,” he stated during a recent earnings call.
“[We]e look forward with optimism to reengaging this incredibly important strategic opportunity that we have to better serve communities,” Childs continued. “And so yes, we are definitely reengaging in that process.”
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.
An Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 landing from a test flight at Paine Field.
(Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)
Dallas Love Field will lose an airline later this year, with Alaska exiting the airport in the coming months. Delta and Southwest will be left as the only two airlines regularly serving the North Texas airport.
As first noted by Ishrion Aviation and later confirmed by an Alaska spokesperson, the Seattle-based carrier will end service to Love Field on May 14. The airline will consolidate its operations at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
“DFW is centrally located with easy access to all points across the Dallas Metroplex and allows our guests to connect beyond Dallas to cities in the Midwest and along the East Coast with our codeshare partner American Airlines,” an airline spokesperson said in a statement. “Guests who have purchased tickets for flights between Seattle and Dallas Love Field after May 14 will be reaccommodated on flights to and from DFW.”
A Virgin America Relic
Virgin America first began serving Love Field in 2014, with coast-to-coast flights to markets including New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Alaska later acquired Virgin America in 2016. Operations at Love Field were scaled back to just five weekly flights to Seattle.
A Virgin America A319 at Dallas Love Field (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Parker Davis)
From Dallas/Fort Worth, Alaska currently serves both its Seattle and Portland, Oregon, hubs multiple times per week.
Of the remaining two airlines, Southwest’s headquarters is adjacent to Love Field, which is the carrier’s fifth-largest airport by number of daily flights. Delta also serves the airport with up to 14 daily round-trip flights to its Atlanta hub.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.
After spending a few days in London, following my flight on board Aegean business cabin, I was flying on board Norse in its premium cabin from London Gatwick to JFK in New York.
I made sure to get to the airport three hours ahead of time as I had heard horror stories of the long security and customs lines flying out of London. The airline does not offer kiosk or online check-in so you will need to see an agent at the airport before going to the gate.
Arriving at London Gatwick for my Norse flight (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
The reason I did not say Norse Atlantic Airways, is because that is not what they are here at London Gatwick. Although all of its logos still say “Norse,” all of its flights out of the United Kingdom are operated by a side company called Norse Atlantic UK, and even their boarding passes have a different airline code; Z0, which is the code for Norse Atlantic UK with N0 being the code for Norse Atlantic Airways.
My Norse Atlantic UK boarding pass (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
It turns out I did not need to get to the airport that early, as customs was relatively quick and so was security. They didn’t announce our gate till about an hour before departure, at which point there was a large crowd of people heading in the same direction. Once at the gate, they immediately scanned our boarding passes and put all of us into a holding area to wait until boarding started.
My Norse Atlantic UK aircraft over to JFK (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
My aircraft for the flight back to the United States was G-CKWS, a Boeing 787-9 named “Yellowstone,” which was originally delivered to Norwegian Air UK in February 2019, meaning it remained with a U.K. registration and actually has the exact same registration as when it was with the former airline.
Before I knew it, the time had come to board the aircraft for New York. I was sitting in the airline’s premium cabin, which is arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration, my seat was 5J, a window seat on the right side of the aircraft. Waiting for me at my seat with a pillow as well as a blanket.
My seat 5J, over to New York on Norse (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Before pushing back from the gate, they brought around drinks for those in the premium cabin. We had a choice of either juice, water, or champagne. Next came pushback and then a short taxi to the runway and take takeoff towards JFK Airport.
Taking off from London-Gatwick towards JFK on Norse (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Once in the air, I started to look at some of the features of the in-flight entertainment system (IFE). The screen came out of the armrest and had a wonderful color to it, with the welcome screen featuring the aurora borealis as well as my seat number. The screen featured a USB-A port as well as a headphone jack on the bottom of it.
My IFE screen on my Norse flight (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
The Boeing 787, featured the unique dimmable windows which were locked on clear for takeoff as well as landing. On overnight flights, they lock them in a darker setting so that passengers can sleep and not disturb others by letting the light in. Below you can see the difference in what the windows look like in clear mode as well as dark mode.
The contrast of the darkest and lightest setting on the Boeing 787 dimmable windows (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
They offered an eye mask as well as earplugs. The seats had a generous amount of recline as well as a leg rest. There was also a coat hook on the seatback to hang things from. On the armrest, there was a level that extended the leg rest to a longer position for those that are taller. About 45 minutes or so after the takeoff they brought around drinks and offered a wide selection, such as wine, beer, other alcoholic drinks, as well as soft drinks, and of course, water.
Onboard Dining
For the main course, they offered a choice of chicken or fish, and I chose the chicken option, which came with mashed potato with cheese, broccoli, and carrots. On the side, there was a quinoa salad, as well as a lemon dessert of some kind, along with bread.
The main course on my London Gatwick to JFK flight with Norse (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
From the IFE screen, you could order drinks, and snacks, as well as watch movies, TV or shop for duty-free items as well. There was a progress bar for the flight showing how much has passed and how much of it is left, but the airline has not yet added a moving map to their IFE system.
Now at our cruising altitude of 38,000 feet/11,582.40 meters, I settled in for the rest of the flight and spent it watching movies. At some point, while I was watching a movie, I fell asleep and woke up as we were passing over the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Enroute from London Gatwick to JFK (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
At one point during the flight, I woke up and happened to see another aircraft traveling with us in the same general direction. It turned out to be a Swiss flight headed from Zürich to Montreal.
A Swiss Air plane traveling from Zurich to Montreal (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
About an hour or so before landing, they brought around the pre-arrival meal. It was a quiche with two kinds of cheese, pickles, yogurt, as well as bread, and a cookie for dessert along with of course your choice of drink. By the time the pre-arrival meal was over, we were already on our descent towards New York City.
The pre-arrival meal on my Norse flight from London to New York (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
I spent the rest of the flight enjoying the views out of the window, along with the aurora borealis cabin light display before landing which didn’t look as cool during the daylight, but was still nice to see.
Descending into the New York area (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Just before landing, they collected garbage along with the blankets that they gave us during the flight. However, if you did want to keep one of the blankets they gave you, they do sell them to passengers.
The aurora borealis cabin light display prior to landing (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
Going into JFK we made an approach I had never done before, we approached the airport from the south and then made a right bank just before landing to land on 13L.
Making a right turn before landing on runway 13L (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)
We touched down at JFK airport at 3:08 p.m. after nearly 7 hours of flying time. It was a great flight on Norse from London Gatwick to JFK. The crew was wonderful and the food options were good as well. The carrier boasts its low fare option on one of the busiest sectors on the planet, even for its Premium cabin.
Despite the London to New York sector being one of the most competitive, with many different airlines operating flights from New York City to London, Norse, or better said Norse Atlantic UK, is currently the only airline offering flights from London Gatwick to JFK year-round. Delta flies the route from May to October, and British Airways from April to October.
During the winter months, Norse drops the Gatwick to JFK flights to about 4 to 5 flights a week depending on the month with the flight operating in the middle of the day, but during the summer months, they offer the route twice a day on most days of the week.
A video account of this London Gatwick to JFK trip report with Norse can be found below:
Editor’s Note: Norse Atlantic Airways provided AirlineGeeks with a seat on this flight, but this trip report is an objective portrayal of the events and is in no way swayed by that aspect.
Joey has always been interested in planes for as long as he can remember. He grew up in Central New York during the early 2000s when US Airways Express turboprops ruled the skies. Being from a non-aviation family made it harder for him to be around planes and would only spend about three hours a month at the airport. He was so excited when he could drive by himself, the first thing he did with his driver's license was get ice cream and go plane spotting for the entire day. He graduated from Western Michigan University in 2022 with a B.S. in Aviation Management & Operations and a Minor in Business, and currently works for a major airline in his hometown.
Search Teams Recover More Aircraft Debris From D.C. Crash
Divers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation are searching several underwater targets in the Potomac River for remaining aircraft debris.
Investigators examine wreckage from the CRJ-700. (Photo: NTSB)
Divers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation are searching several underwater targets in the Potomac River that could be more aircraft debris from the midair collision in Washington D.C. on Jan. 29.
According to a Sunday report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the targets are believed to be additional debris from both the CRJ-700 passenger jet and Black Hawk helicopter.
The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducted a LiDAR survey over the weekend and identified larger pieces of wreckage. The NTSB report stated these pieces were recovered by crane and were sent to a secure location for documentation.
“NTSB investigators continued to document the helicopter wreckage,” the report stated. “Several components were removed from the wreckage and arrangements are being made for detailed follow up examination of these items.”
PSA Airlines pilot Sam Lilley – one of the four airline crew members killed aboard flight 5342 during the crash – was posthumously promoted to captain on Sunday. All four of the crew members were honored by the carrier and will receive PSA’s Honorary Presidents Award.
The remains of all victims aboard both aircraft have been recovered and identified as of last week.
AirlineGeeks.com was founded in February 2013 as a one-person blog in Washington D.C. Since then, we’ve grown to have 25+ active team members scattered across the globe. We are all here for the same reason: we love deep-diving into the fascinating realm of the airline industry.
And beginning on May 26, the airline will connect Bogota, Colombia, and Dallas/Fort Worth. This new route will operate four times per week: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
“We continue to strengthen connectivity across the Americas, offering our customers more options to travel directly between the United States and Colombia. We are excited to give travelers a new way to reach Bogotá from Dallas, adding to our 21 routes between the U.S. and Latin America during peak seasons. Bogotá is undoubtedly a vibrant destination, rich in history, culture, and fascinating places to explore,” said Rolando Damas, Avianca’s sales director for North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe, in a news release.
Schedule for new Bogota to Dallas/Fort Worth route (Photo: Avianca)
An Airbus A320 will operate the route with up to 1,440 total seats per week. Avianca currently flies between Dallas/Fort Worth and San Salvador.
The airline will directly compete with American, which connects its Dallas/Fort Worth hub with Bogota on a daily basis.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.
