Airport Receives Millions in State Funds to Lure More JSX Service

The town of Taos, New Mexico, announced that it secured $8.2 million in state funding to expand air service with semi-private carrier JSX.

Ryan Ewing

Wednesday, October 02, 2024 at 07:00 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A JSX Embraer E-145 on the FBO ramp at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Mateen Kontoravdis)

The town of Taos, New Mexico, announced that it secured $8.2 million in state funding to expand air service. Taos has a population of just under 6,500 residents and is best known as a seasonal skiing destination.

According to a news release from the town, the new funding joins $3.2 million that was awarded earlier this year for a total of $11.4 million. New Mexico’s Department of Transportation provides these grants under its Rural Air Service Enhancement program.

This funding, the town says, has opened the door for recently added JSX routes to Denver and Dallas. With the added $8.2 million, Taos is slated to get even more service.

JSX is the only carrier serving Taos Regional Airport. The semiprivate operator currently flies to Dallas Love Field and Denver-Rocky Mountain Airport from the northern New Mexico town.

Starting on Dec. 9, 2024, through March 31, 2025, the town said it will again see JSX flights to Carlsbad and Burbank, California, as well as Austin, Texas. Flights to Las Vegas will only operate in October.

“This expansion aligns with our ongoing efforts to promote economic growth and meet the demand for travel in the region,” said Taos’ chief procurement officer, Bailey Andrea, in the news release. “The additions will support the continued success of our air services program while ensuring maximum use of our grant funds with the community in mind, contributing to the broader goal of enhancing Taos as a year-round destination.”

The carrier has yet to load the flights on its website. In April, the Taos Ski Valley resort allowed its air service contract with the town to expire, ending the “Taos Air” public charter brand. Now, the town has a direct contract with JSX.

Ryan Ewing

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.

Airlines Scramble to Reroute Flights Following Iran Missile Attack

Early reports on Tuesday of an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel have prompted many airlines to reroute flights.

Ryan Ewing

Tuesday, October 01, 2024 at 02:53 PM ET

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Emirates aircraft in Dubai (Photo: Emirates)

Early reports on Tuesday of an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel have prompted many airlines to reroute flights around one of the world’s most congested sectors of airspace.

According to flight tracking platform FlightRadar24, both Jordanian and Iraqi airspaces are among those closed in the region. Flights currently airborne between Europe and the Middle East have either returned to their origins or diverted.

Airspace at 18:30 UTC, 1 Oct 2024. pic.twitter.com/INjMfV6kW6

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) October 1, 2024

Lufthansa flights to Mumbai and Hyderabad, India, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, turned back to Frankfurt, Germany. Swiss’ flight between Zurich and Dubai diverted to Antalya, Turkey.

British Airways flight 107 from London Heathrow to Dubai diverted to Larnaca, Cyprus, on Tuesday evening. Multiple Emirates flights en route to the carrier’s Dubai hub were also impacted per flight tracking data.

“Following tonight’s airspace closures, Emirates has cancelled some flights and diverted others. We are closely monitoring the situation and are making all efforts to ensure minimal disruption to customers, while assisting those impacted,” an Emirates spokesperson said in a statement. “Emirates advises customers departing or arriving at Dubai International Airport to check their flight status on emirates.com for the latest information regarding their flights.”

Arrivals and departures from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport in Israel were halted following the attack.

The news comes just hours after several European airlines — including Lufthansa and KLM — extended flight suspensions to Tel Aviv; Beirut, Lebanon; and Tehran until at least the end of October.

Editor’s Note: This story is developing.

Ryan Ewing

Virgin Australia Eyes Return to Long-Haul Flying

Qatar Airways Group has announced its intention to acquire a 25% minority stake in Virgin Australia, opening the door for new growth opportunities.

Ryan Ewing

Tuesday, October 01, 2024 at 01:43 PM ET

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A Virgin Australia Boeing 777 in Los Angeles. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Qatar Airways Group has announced its intention to acquire a 25% minority stake in Virgin Australia from Bain Capital. The investment is subject to approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board.

This strategic partnership aims to strengthen competition in Australia’s aviation sector, the airline said, offering consumers more choice and better value. It will also provide Virgin Australia with access to Qatar Airways’ “scale and expertise,” allowing for future growth opportunities.

As part of the agreement, Virgin Australia plans to launch wet-leased flights from Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney to Doha, connecting with Qatar Airways’ network. These new routes will offer Australian travelers access to over 100 additional destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The flights are expected to begin in mid-2025.

“This partnership brings the missing piece to Virgin Australia’s longer-term strategy and is a huge vote of confidence in Australian aviation. Importantly, it will further strengthen Virgin Australia’s ability to compete over the long term, which will inevitably translate into more choice and even better value airfares for consumers as well as additional Australian aviation jobs,” said Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka in a news release.

According to the release, this expanded partnership will also include increased codeshare arrangements, improved schedules, and connectivity options, along with enhanced loyalty program benefits for members of Velocity and Qatar Airways’ Privilege Club.

Virgin Australia says that the partnership will allow it to “assess the longer-term merits and viability of wide-body aircraft flying.” The carrier parked its entire fleet of Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 aircraft during the COVID-19 pandemic, therefore pausing all long-haul routes.

Ryan Ewing

Southwest, City of San Antonio Quarrel in Terminal Lease Dispute

Southwest sued the city of San Antonio and its airport director alleging it was unfairly denied allocation for the airport’s new $1.4 billion terminal.

Ryan Ewing

Tuesday, October 01, 2024 at 01:17 PM ET

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A Southwest Boeing 737-700. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)

Southwest sued the city of San Antonio and its airport director, Jesus Saenz, alleging the carrier was unfairly denied allocation for the airport’s new $1.4 billion terminal.

In its complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas last Thursday, Southwest stated that the city was not legally allowed to consider the nature of services and air carrier routes, nor the city’s opinion that Southwest’s “fit” with San Antonio made it less eligible than other airlines for accommodation at the new Terminal C.

The complaint alleged that the defendants preferred airlines that have more or different international routes, premium services, and airline lounges, which factored into their decision to refuse Southwest’s permit to move to the new terminal.

Additionally, the complaint stated that relief is sought in a timely manner because Terminal C is not yet built and available for air service.

“The City is planning to enter into a new airline use and lease agreement (“AULA” or “Lease”) with seven airlines serving SAT effective October 1, 2024, which will create vested legal rights that may significantly complicate the ability of Southwest to move its operations to the new Terminal C,” The complaint stated. “In addition, the City’s publicly-stated intention to exclude Southwest from Terminal C based on its impermissible, subjective assessment that Southwest’s services and/or routes are not as good of a “fit” with San Antonio as other airlines is actively harming Southwest’s brand reputation and goodwill within the community.”

The New Terminal

The complaint provided background information on SAT, stating that regular flights began in 1944, and a new terminal (ultimately replaced by what is now Terminal B) was added in 1953.

The existing Terminal A was commissioned in 1984 and has 16 gates. The complaint stated that this terminal is in severe need of reconstruction, and even if the city renovates the facility, it will be more narrow and less functional than the new Terminal C.

Terminal B, meanwhile, was constructed in 2010 to replace the older 1953 terminal. The complaint stated that this terminal is not nearly as modern or useful to airlines as Terminal C will be.

According to SAT’s website, the airport’s new $1.4 billion Terminal C is slated to feature 17 gates when it opens in 2028. It is over 30% larger than Terminals A and B combined.

Negotiations for leasing this new terminal began in mid-2022. The complaint stated that over the course of two years, Airport Director Saenz repeatedly told Southwest that the carrier would have all or the majority of its 10 gates located in the new Terminal C.

Based on these verbal assurances, Southwest chose not to focus on what might happen with Terminal A, or how the city would pay for renovations to that terminal.

“Had Southwest been timely informed that Defendants were not actually planning to offer Terminal C to Southwest, the airline would have adopted a different bargaining position and would not have assumed that it was not remaining in Terminal A,” the complaint stated.

Choosing Airlines for Terminal C

On June 20, 2024, the city of San Antonio provided Southwest and other airlines at SAT with a document titled “Summary of Decision-Making Process for Post-DBO Gate and Club Locations.” This document set forth the criteria for the city to decide where to locate airlines at SAT. The complaint emphasized the following criteria listed in the document:

Whether an airline club was requested
Whether an airline operates or commits to operating international routes
The airline’s “fit” into San Antonio
The airline’s service, growth, and experience
The existence of a written commitment by an airline to city pairs, specific flights, or minimum levels of enplaned passengers

Citing the above factors, the complaint stated that SAT decided Southwest was not entitled to move to the new Terminal C while other competing airlines were invited to do so. The complaint argues that these factors were non-quantifiable.

Southwest Sues

In its complaint, Southwest alleges that the defendants’ use of the gate assignment criteria to deny Southwest a lease for gate space at Terminal C violated the Supremacy Clause and the Airline Deregulation Act. It stated that basing the allocation of the terminal gate space on subjective preferences and criteria are prohibited by the Act.

The complaint cites the Airline Deregulation Act, which states the following:

“Except as provided in this subsection, a State, political subdivision of a State, or political authority of at least 2 States may not enact or enforce a law, regulation, or other provision having the force and effect of law related to a price, route, or service of an air carrier that may provide air transportation under this subpart.” 49 U.S.C. § 41713(b)(1)

Southwest requested that the court issue a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, and ultimately issue a permanent injunction against the defendants, prohibiting them from continuing to violate the Supremacy Clause and Airline Deregulation Act.

Speaking to the San Antonio Report, a spokesperson from the airline said the airport’s current terminal layout isn’t sufficient for capacity growth. But, Southwest has no plans to leave the city.

“By no means are we just going to pack up shop,” Southwest spokesperson Chris Perry said. The airport is “very near and dear to the Southwest heart, the Southwest story.”

San Antonio was one of Southwest’s first-ever routes from Dallas when it began flying just over 50 years ago.

Ryan Ewing

Colorado Airport Lands New Low-Cost Service

Vail/Eagle County is slated to get a new airline, just weeks after Alaska announced new service to the single-runway airport in Colorado.

Ryan Ewing

Tuesday, October 01, 2024 at 12:03 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Frontier Airbus A320neo in Las Vegas. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Vail/Eagle County is slated to get a new airline, just weeks after Alaska announced new service to the single-runway airport in Colorado. Served by all three U.S. major carriers, the airport sits at an elevation of over 6,500 feet and is surrounded by mountainous terrain.

Starting in December, Frontier will begin service to Eagle County Airport near Vail, becoming the airport’s first regularly scheduled service from an ultra-low-cost carrier. As first reported by Ishrion Aviation on Twitter/X, the airline will serve the airport from Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth and San Francisco.

According to the carrier’s latest schedule, flights to Dallas/Fort Worth begin on Dec. 16, operating two times per week. The 120-mile route between Vail and Denver is set to start on Dec. 19, also operating twice weekly.

Service to San Francisco is slated to begin on Dec. 21 with one weekly flight on Saturdays.

Currently, only American, Delta, and United offer regular service to Vail/Eagle County. Alaska plans to launch service to San Diego and Seattle in December.

A Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 climbs out of Eagle County Airport.
(Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Other Frontier Routes

Along with the carrier’s new service to Vail, Frontier is adding a batch of other new routes across the U.S. The airline plans to return to Burlington, Vermont, and Palm Springs, California, in the coming months.

Frontier is also expanding from Los Angeles, adding service to Seattle, Salt Lake City, Houston, and Portland, Oregon.

Ryan Ewing

Qantas Deploys A380 on Africa Route

On September 30, the Australian airline operated its inaugural Airbus A380 superjumbo flight between Sydney and Johannesburg.

Lorne Philipot

Tuesday, October 01, 2024 at 11:05 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Qantas A380. (Photo: Qantas)

Australia’s national carrier Qantas has flown the superjumbo to Johannesburg for the first time, which is the airline’s only destination in Africa. Qantas will operate the Airbus A380 across the Indian Ocean six times per week from September 30.

The aircraft seats up to 485 passengers across four classes, including first, business, premium economy, and economy. That said, the A380 replaces the Boeing 787-9 which Qantas has used to serve the route since March 2021.

Flight time from Sydney to Johannesburg is 14 hours and 40 minutes while Johannesburg to Sydney comes in at 11 hours and 55 minutes. This Qantas service is actually the world’s only A380 flight that regularly crosses the southern Indian Ocean.

Adding Capacity to Africa

The deployment of the Airbus A380 on this route adds a significant number of seats between Sydney and Johannesburg. In fact, it almost doubles capacity on the route, adding an extra 130,000 seats between Australia and Africa every year.

“We are seeing strong demand for our Johannesburg services and, by upgrading to the Superjumbo, we will nearly double capacity during peak periods, adding over 130,000 seats per year between the continents,” said Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace in a news release.

That said, Qantas is one of a couple of airlines operating flights to Johannesburg with the Airbus A380. Emirates and British Airways also fly Airbus A380s to the South African city.

Qantas’ A380 Aircraft

Qantas currently has eight Airbus A380s in active service, out of a total of 10. Its other two A380s are still in storage but are expected to return to service within the next 18 months. In addition to its Johannesburg services, Qantas operates the superjumbo aircraft to destinations including Los Angeles, London, and Singapore..

Lorne Philipot

Lorne is a South Africa-based aviation journalist. He was captivated and fascinated by flying from the day he took his first airline flight. With a passion for aviation in his blood, he has flown to destinations in all corners of the globe. Lorne has traveled extensively and lived in various countries. Drawing on his travels and passion for aviation, Lorne enjoys writing about airlines, routes, networks, and new developments.

Lufthansa Scales Down China Presence

Lufthansa is discontinuing its flights from Frankfurt to Beijing as Russian airspace ban continues to create cost pressures.

Anthony Bang An

Tuesday, October 01, 2024 at 10:38 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Lufthansa A350-900XWB (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

German carrier Lufthansa has announced that its route from Frankfurt to Beijing will be discontinued from October 26 of this year. The airline currently flies between the two cities five times a week, and will continue flying to Beijing from its other hub in Munich. Overall, the airline will be operating half of its current frequencies to the Chinese capital.

Due to the unavailability of Russian airspace, Lufthansa and its subsidiaries are forced to take a longer route to get to East Asia, thus resulting in longer flying time and higher costs. These drawbacks have impacted the airline’s profitability and competitiveness in the market, especially when its Asian counterparts are able to access the Russian airspace.

Lufthansa’s other destinations in the region, Shanghai and Hong Kong, are currently unaffected. Aside from the flights into Beijing from Munich and Frankfurt until late this month, Lufthansa Group also flies to Shanghai from Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, and Zurich, and to Hong Kong from Frankfurt and Zurich.

A Lufthansa A380 departs from San Francisco International Airport (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Ben Suskind)

Lufthansa in China

China has long been an important market for the European airline giant, and the carrier was showing confidence in the Chinese market as recently as August when Shanghai became the first destination in Asia to receive Lufthansa’s latest Allegris services onboard the A350. The airline’s CEO Jen Ritter told Shanghai Daily at an event that “China has always been one of our most important travel markets, not only in Asia but worldwide. And it shows signs of remaining important in our network.”

Rewinding the clock back to 2010, Lufthansa named its third A380 ‘Peking,’ the first aircraft to be named after a non-German city, and flew it on the soon-to-be-cancelled route between Frankfurt and Beijing, its second-ever international A380 destination.

Lufthansa’s tie with China does not end with ceremonial aircraft and product launches. The airline has two Star Alliance partners in the Chinese Mainland and has many business ventures. Among them is Ameco Beijing, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Air China, with its headquarters in Beijing, which is one of the largest MRO providers in Asia.

Before the pandemic, Lufthansa had flights to five cities in the Chinese Mainland, including Nanjing, Qingdao, and Shenyang, along with multiple daily flights on routes to Shanghai and Beijing. Its largest aircraft, the A380, was routinely deployed on flights to both Beijing and Shanghai.

Unleveled Playing Field

The Lufthansa Group has been a dominant player in the Euro-China market, consistently providing more capacity than rivaling Air France-KLM or IAG. After the cancellation of the Beijing route, the group will still have 37 weekly flights to the Chinese Mainland, compared to IAG’s seven weekly flights and Air France-KLM’s 28 flights, according to flightrader24.

Virgin Atlantic serves Shanghai daily using 787s, until it bids farewell to the country later this year. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

However, its capacity in the Euro-China market still lags far behind its Chinese counterparts. For example, Air China offers 18 flights on the Beijing-Frankfurt route alone. The difference in cost and flying time has driven many Western airlines to scale down or withdraw from the Chinese market. Vrigin Atlantic will leave the country in October of this year, and British Airways will pull out of Beijing in the same month.

Anthony Bang An

Anthony is an aviation enthusiast who grew up around the world from St. Louis to Singapore, and now lives in Amsterdam. He loves long-haul flying and finds peace in the sound of engine cruising. He aspires to share his passion for the sky though writing and providing another angle on the stories.

United Adds New Caribbean Route

The Chicago-based airline will be the second major U.S. carrier to serve the island nation of Dominica alongside American.

Ryan Ewing

Monday, September 30, 2024 at 03:11 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A United Boeing 737-700. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Noah Escobar)

United is adding a new route to the Caribbean beginning next year. The Chicago-based airline will become the second major U.S. carrier to serve the island nation of Dominica, starting on Feb. 15, 2025.

Flights to Douglas–Charles Airport will operate once per week on Saturdays from the carrier’s Newark, New Jersey, hub.

Schedule data from Cirium Diio shows United planning to fly a Boeing 737-700 on the new route, which would be among the largest aircraft to serve the airport’s 6,352-foot runway. American also operates up to two daily flights between Miami and Dominica on Envoy Air Embraer E175 aircraft.

In addition to American and soon United, the airport sees regular U.S. service from Silver Airways via San Juan.

“United is proud to partner with the Discover Dominica Authority to add beautiful Dominica to our leading global route network,” said Matt Stevens, vice president of international network at United, in a news release. “This addition further positions United as the airline of choice for customers looking to travel to unique destinations around the globe.”

The airline’s current scheduled flights to Dominica extend through at least August 2025 with plans to operate the route on a year-round basis.

Ryan Ewing

Gulf Air Renews Partnership With Thai Airways

Bahrain’s flag carrier, Gulf Air, has announced that it will further renew its partnership with Thailand’s national airline.

Sam Jakobi

Monday, September 30, 2024 at 11:32 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Gulf Air Boeing 787-9 in a retro livery. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)

Bahrain’s flag carrier, Gulf Air, has announced that it will renew its partnership with Thailand’s national airline. This has resulted in additional routes to the Gulf Air network for passengers willing to connect via Bangkok on Thai Airways.

The Bahrain News Agency reported that this partnership would now allow passengers to travel to an extra 10 destinations, many of which are domestic flights within Thailand, bringing the total codeshare routes to 14.

The destinations include domestic flights to Phuket and Chiang Mai in Thailand, or to international destinations in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Australia.

In return, Thai Airways will have a codeshare agreement with Gulf Air for Thai passengers to connect through its hub of Manama in Bahrain. This means that passengers can fly from Bangkok with one stop to six new destinations. These are Cairo, Kuwait City, Manchester, Athens, Casablanca, and Aman.

The agreement was first reached in 2018 by the two airlines. However, it was later extended in the following year, allowing for Gulf Air passengers to fly to Singapore.

A spokesperson for Gulf Air told the Bahrain News Agency that the partnership with Thai Airways “Underscores the airline’s partnership to delivering seamless and enriching travel experiences.”

Sam Jakobi

Sam Jakobi is a young aviation journalist based in London, U.K. A lifelong Airbus fan, he has adored aviation for as long as he can remember. Sam writes articles and conducts interviews with members of the aviation community.

Delta Doubles Down in Austin

Delta is gearing up to grow its Austin operation by over 17% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.

Ryan Ewing

Monday, September 30, 2024 at 11:14 AM ET

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A Delta Airbus A220-300 aircraft. (Photo: Delta)

Delta announced the addition of five new routes from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The new routes join a slew of others that the airline has added just this year.

Starting in 2025, the carrier is adding daily flights between Austin, Texas, and Panama City, Florida. Delta will also add service to Indianapolis; Memphis, Tennessee; San Francisco; and Tampa, Florida.

Service to Panama City is scheduled to begin on March 9, 2025, operated by a SkyWest Embraer E175 aircraft. Daily flights to Memphis and Indianapolis start on May 7, also operated by E175 jets.

Mainline Airbus A220-300 aircraft will serve both Tampa and San Francisco on a daily basis starting June 8.

“Delta has made its commitment to Austin known, and these new routes and the 55 peak-day departures planned for Summer 2025 reaffirm that,” said Joe Esposito, Delta’s network planning chief, in a news release. “This is on top of the already 20% seat capacity increase we put into service in April connecting Austin to new destinations in major corporate and leisure markets both within Texas and outside the state — onward throughout our global network.”

Continued Growth

Last month, Delta planned new service between Austin and New Orleans. Along with service to all of its hubs, the carrier currently flies between the Texas capital and Las Vegas; Orlando, Florida; Cincinnati; Harlingen, Midland and McAllen, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina.

Delta’s June 2025 route map from Austin (Photo: Cirium Diio)

The Atlanta-based airline’s plan to add five more routes from the central Texas city comes just weeks after American axed four routes. Once a focus city for American, the Fort Worth-based carrier has scaled back service in the market to only its hubs along with Cancun and Los Cabos, Mexico, and Aspen, Colorado.

By the second quarter of next year, Delta is slated to eclipse American as the second-largest carrier in Austin behind Southwest. According to Cirium Diio schedule data, the airline will offer roughly 23,000 more seats and 1,000 additional flights compared to American.

Delta is gearing up to grow its Austin operation by over 17% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.

Ryan Ewing