Allegiant Further Reduces 737 MAX Delivery Expectations

The ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) is now planning for four airframes to be delivered, down from the six that were previously expected.

Andrew Chen

Wednesday, August 07, 2024 at 09:20 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

An Allegiant 737 MAX at Boeing Field. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)

Allegiant Air has once again revised the number of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that it expects to receive this year. According to ch-aviation, the ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) is now planning for four airframes to be delivered, down from the six that were previously expected.

The Las Vegas-based airline was supposed to receive its first MAX in January 2024, but production and delivery slowdowns at Boeing have delayed this date. Allegiant now expects its first Boeing 737 MAX to enter into service in October.

This is the second time that the company has reduced its delivery expectations for the year. Back in May, the carrier announced that it was halving its 737 MAX delivery estimates for 2024 from 12 to six.

An Allegiant 737 MAX on Boeing’s Renton flightline (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)

Allegiant has 50 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on order – split between the 737-7 and 737-8-200 variants – as well as an option for 80 more MAX jets. The airline currently operates an all-Airbus fleet with over 120 aircraft.

The carrier’s Boeing 737-8-200s will have 190 seats, including 21 extra legroom seats. Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) is slated to be the first base for Allegiant’s Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Andrew Chen

Andrew is a lifelong lover of aviation and travel. He has flown all over the world and is fascinated by the workings of the air travel industry. As a private pilot and glider pilot who has worked with airlines, airports and other industry stakeholders, he is always excited to share his passion for aviation with others. In addition to being a writer, he also hosts Flying Smarter, an educational travel podcast that explores the complex world of air travel to help listeners become better-informed and savvier travelers.

United to Phase Out Inflight Print Magazine

United is reportedly phasing out the print version of its inflight magazine, becoming the last legacy U.S. carrier to offer the onboard reading material.

Ryan Ewing

Tuesday, August 06, 2024 at 10:34 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

United is reportedly retiring its inflight magazine. (Photo: Shutterstock | Mendenhall Olga)

United is reportedly phasing out the print version of its 32-year-old inflight magazine. Called Hemispheres, the Chicago-based carrier’s magazine is set to suffer the same fate as print publications at both Delta and American, which were phased out during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move to retire the print magazine was first reported by Modern Retail. Hemispheres has a circulation of 139 million people per year and is published monthly by Ink.

In a statement, a spokesperson from United told the outlet, “A digital experience allows us to make Hemispheres even better — we can reach a wider audience, offer more personalized content and tell richer stories. We’ve even hired additional United staff to help us bring this new vision to life. We’re excited about the future possibilities and look forward to sharing more details soon.”

The magazine’s website — hemispheresmag.com — now redirects to the United website, a more recent change according to Modern Retail.

Hemispheres is the latest inflight magazine to be shuttered, joining a slew of other print casualties in the airline industry. As airlines aggressively cut costs during the pandemic, Delta halted the publishing of its Sky Magazine in 2020. American followed suit in 2021, retiring American Way, a staple of the carrier’s seat-back pockets since 1966.

In 2021, United announced plans to retrofit its entire mainline fleet with seatback entrainment screens. The carrier is in the process of rolling out personalized ads on its inflight entertainment system and mobile app.

Some airlines still offer hard-copy inflight magazines, including Japan Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Lufthansa on long-haul flights. When Finnair removed its print magazines three years ago, the carrier estimated it would save between 110 and 276 pounds per aircraft.

Editor’s Note: This story was corrected on Aug. 8, 2024 at 11:43 a.m. ET to remove “a handful” in reference to airlines with hard-copy magazines.

Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has spent more than a decade covering the airline business. His work has been featured by CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. His aviation experience spans airport operations, Part 135 regulatory compliance, and airline crew workforce planning, along with time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 and interviews with airline executives. Ryan now serves as Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group. He holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and teaches Airline Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Microsoft Makes Additional Claim Delta Denied Assistance During July Outage

A lawyer representing Microsoft responded to Delta’s public blame of the company and CrowdStrike for IT outages, echoing CrowdStrike’s statements.

AirlineGeeks.com Staff

Tuesday, August 06, 2024 at 04:45 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Delta Boeing 757-200 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

A lawyer representing Microsoft responded sharply to Delta’s public blame of the company and CrowdStrike for IT outages that reportedly lost the airline $500 million in revenue the week of July 19.

Microsoft Attorney Mark Cheffo said on Tuesday that Delta’s public comments are incomplete, false, misleading, and damaging to Microsoft and its reputation in a written response to the airline posted on X/Twitter by aviation reporter David Slotnick.

This comes a day after CrowdStrike Attorney Michael Carlinsky told Delta it was misleading to say CrowdStrike was responsible for the airline’s IT decisions after nationwide outages in mid-July. A letter to Delta by Carlinsky stated CrowdStrike has worked diligently to address the outages, as well as offered onsite assistance to Delta – which Carlinsky says the airline refused.

In Cheffo’s written response to the airline on behalf of Microsoft, Cheffo states that while Microsoft’s software had not caused the CrowdStrike incident, the company immediately jumped in and offered to assist Delta at no charge following the July 19 outage.

“Each day that followed from July 19 through July 23, Microsoft employees repeated their offers to help Delta,” Cheffo said in the letter to the airline’s attorney David Boies. “Each time, Delta turned down Microsoft’s offers to help, even though Microsoft would not have charged Delta for this assistance.”

Additionally, Cheffo states that on the morning of July 22, a Microsoft employee who was aware of Delta’s difficulties recovering from the outage reached out to a Delta employee to offer further assistance.

“The Delta employee replied, saying ‘all good. Cool will let you know and thank you,’” Cheffo said. “Despite this assessment that things were ‘all good,’ public reports indicate that Delta canceled more than 1,100 flights on July 22 and more than 500 flights on July 23.”

Cheffo said that more senior Microsoft executives also repeatedly reached out to help counterparts at Delta, again with similar results. On July 24, Cheffo said that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella emailed Delta CEO Ed Bastian, who has never replied.

“In fact, it is rapidly becoming apparent that Delta likely refused Microsoft’s help because the IT system it was most having trouble restoring its crew-tracking and scheduling system-was being serviced by other technology providers, such as IBM, because it runs on those providers’ systems, and not Microsoft Windows or Azure,” Cheffo said.

Microsoft’s attorney echoed CrowdStrike’s list of demands to preserve all relevant documents, records, and communications of any kind in the possession of the airline.

“Given Delta’s false and damaging public statements, Microsoft will vigorously defend itself in any litigation if Delta chooses to pursue that path,” Cheffo said.

AirlineGeeks.com Staff

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.

Qatar Airways Ramps Up Pet Handling Cargo Services

Qatar Airways has scaled up its live animal handling facilities, enabling the airline to handle an increasing number of animals flying as cargo on its flights.

Lorne Philipot

Tuesday, August 06, 2024 at 11:56 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)

Qatar Airways has scaled up its live animal handling facilities, enabling the airline to handle an increasing number of animals flying as cargo on its flights.

Growing Number of Animals on Flights

Airlines are often involved in flying live animals on their aircraft. Flying an animal – be it a pet or a wild animal – is quite a task, involving intensive organization and compliance.

That said, once the animals are in the airline’s care, owners and guardians want to be sure that their animals will arrive safely at the destination.

The number of animals Qatar Airways transports is increasing each year. Last year the airline transported more than 550,000 animals, including 9,500 horses.

Qatar Airways’ Animal Center

Qatar Airways has recently opened a new animal center to facilitate the carriage of live animals. The launch of the facility is a milestone for Qatar Airways, which says it follows a holistic approach to animal care and welfare.

The facility is the largest and newest in the world. It greatly enhances the experience for all animals arriving in or transiting through Doha’s Hamad International Airport.

The 5,260 sqm facility is equipped with many features, including:

A modern “Groom’s Room” attendant lounge for specialists accompanying animals, providing a comfortable living space within the animal center.
Fully temperature-controlled facility.
Manned by trained veterinary staff.
Kennel Capacity: 140 dog kennels and 40 cat kennels.
Horse Stables: 24 stables distributed in five zones with separate airflows for proper segregation.
Separate rooms for birds, live fish, reptiles, day-old chicks and animals loaded on unit load devices.
Airside interface with five truck docks and six dolly docks (for horses and livestock).

The new facility is designed to ensure that live animals are assured of seamless and comfortable journeys by air.

To ensure peace of mind for pet owners Qatar Airways offers an exclusive pet card service, where the carrier informs customers how their pet is doing on the journey. In addition, it will provide a photo of the animal in Qatar’s care.

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.

Delta Connection’s Single CRJ-200

The 50-seat CRJ-200, one of the most unanimously hated aircraft in the skies today, is still flying within the Delta network after its late 2023 retirement.

Joey Gerardi

Tuesday, August 06, 2024 at 11:27 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Delta Connection CRJ-200 in Minneapolis/St. Paul (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)

The 50-seat CRJ-200, one of the most unanimously hated aircraft in the skies today, is still flying strong by SkyWest under the United Express brand, and Air Wisconsin operates a handful of them for American Eagle after the airline retired them during the pandemic and then decided to bring back the fleet.

A United Express CRJ-200 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)

Delta is the only major U.S. airline that had retired the type from its network, or at least it was supposed to be. The airline retired the last of the type back on Dec. 1, 2023, with its final flight operating as an early morning departure out of Elko, Nev. to the airline’s hub in Salt Lake City.

Back in the Fall of 2023, the airline mandated that all scheduled routes under the Delta Connection brand must have a premium cabin. The CRJ-200s have a 50-seat single-class configuration.

For six months the airline didn’t operate a single CRJ-200 under its banner, then in late June 2024, a couple of eagle-eyed planespotters noticed a single CRJ-200 with the Delta Connection livery buzzing in and out of the airlines’ Detroit hub to Essential Air Service (EAS) airports in northern Michigan. This aircraft carried the registration N936EV.

Days later a second one was noticed on FlightRadar24 out of the airline’s Salt Lake City hub with the registration N506CA. This aircraft was one of the last CRJ-200s under the Delta brand back in the final days before ‘retirement’ in late November 2023. Between November 2023, and when it was put back into service, the aircraft was painted into the SkyWest livery.

A Delta CRJ-200, N506CA, in Cedar City, Utah in late November 2023 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)

In June, a spokesperson from SkyWest told AirlineGeeks that the un-retired CRJ-200s would be used on an “as-needed basis” as the company works to keep up with summer travel demand. SkyWest also noted that the 50-seat aircraft would only be used for a few months adding, “all associated aircraft substitutions are temporary in nature and will not affect flight schedules or frequencies.”

At some point between the end of June and now, N506CA stopped operating Delta flights and has gone on flying with United Express flight numbers. But N936EV, which still wears the Delta Connection livery as confirmed by a picture from someone on Reddit, is still operating flights from Detroit.

However, flights with the Delta CRJ-200 are sporadic, indicating the aircraft is subbing in on short notice when a CRJ-700 or a CRJ-900 isn’t available due to the high summer travel season. While it didn’t operate any flights after July 29, the aircraft appeared again on Aug. 5, 2024 to Alpena, Mich.

The aircraft is still in Detroit meaning that until SkyWest gets enough of its new CRJ-550s up and running and the high summer travel demand drops off, the carrier could continue to throw a CRJ-200 flight into the mix randomly.

Joey Gerardi

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.

Money-Losing Intel Grounds Corporate Air Shuttle Fleet

Following shaky second-quarter earnings and a dreary forecast, Intel is permanently grounding its fleet of four Embraer jets.

Ryan Ewing

Monday, August 05, 2024 at 04:04 PM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

An Intel Air Shuttle aircraft (Photo: Shutterstock | Sundry Photography)

Following dismal second-quarter earnings and a bleak forecast, Intel is grounding its fleet of four Embraer jets. This move comes after the company announced aggressive cost-cutting measures, including layoffs for 15% of its workforce.

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company has operated a corporate shuttle for decades, which moves employees through its various West Coast facilities. Commonly referred to as ‘Intel Air,’ the aircraft fly on regular schedules with up to 24 flights per day before the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Cirium Fleet Analyzer data, the Intel Air Shuttle has four active aircraft in its fleet, including two Embraer E145s plus two E175s. The company has hangars at Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport, Sacramento Mather Airport, and Hillsboro Airport. It also operates flights to San Jose, Calif.

N486FM Intel Air Shuttle Aircraft Embraer ERJ-175STD about to depart Exeter Airport Devon U.K on the morning of the 6th March 2024 on delivery. It is the first of type for the airline and joins 3 Embraer ERJ-145s. pic.twitter.com/ElzaCK3Kof

— ian simpson (@iansimpsonsimmo) March 6, 2024

First reported by The Oregonian/Oregon Live, the shuttle’s permanent shutdown joins a long list of other scaled-back employee benefits. “We really aren’t in a situation where we could continue to afford benefits and programs that are above market practice,” Intel’s human resources chief Christy Pambianchi told employees.

Intel just recently resumed operating the shuttle in April 2024 after a year-long pause. At the time, a company spokesperson said the shutdown was intended to “reduce employee travel as part of our ongoing cost-cutting efforts.”

The four aircraft are operated by GMJ Air Shuttle, LLC, which uses the callsign “High Tech.” GMJ is part of the Florida-based private aviation firm XOJet and operates under FAA Part 125 rules.

Intel did not immediately respond to AirlineGeeks’ request for comment on the shutdown.

Ryan Ewing

CrowdStrike Disputes Claims of Negligence in Letter to Delta Attorney

CrowdStrike attorney Michael Carlinsky said in a letter that it was misleading to say CrowdStrike was responsible for Delta’s IT decisions.

AirlineGeeks.com Staff

Monday, August 05, 2024 at 03:41 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Delta A220 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Temperatures are rising in the blame game between software company CrowdStrike and Delta over responsibilities for the massive IT outage that impacted air traffic across the U.S. on July 19.

According to a letter posted on X/Twitter by aviation reporter David Slotnick on Sunday, CrowdStrike attorney Michael Carlinsky told Delta attorney David Boies that it was misleading to say CrowdStrike was responsible for Delta’s IT decisions in response to the outage. Boies was reportedly retained by Delta to seek damages from both CrowdStrike and Microsoft after the airline’s CEO Ed Bastian said the outages cost the company $500 million.

“CrowdStrike reiterates its apology to Delta, its employees, and its customers, and is empathetic to the circumstances they faced,” the letter from Carlinsky states. “However, CrowdStrike is highly disappointed by Delta’s suggestion that CrowdStrike acted inappropriately and strongly rejects any allegation that it was grossly negligent or committed willful misconduct with respect to the Channel File 291 incident. Your suggestion that CrowdStrike failed to do testing and validation is contradicted by the very information on which you rely from CrowdStrike’s Preliminary Post Incident Review.”

The letter states that CrowdStrike has worked tirelessly to help its customers restore impacted systems and resume services to their customers. Carlinsky states in the letter that within hours of the incident, CrowdStrike reached out to Delta to offer help and make sure the airline was aware of an available fix.

Additionally, Carlinsky says that CrowdStrike’s CEO personally reached out to Delta’s CEO to offer on-site assistance, but received no response. After following up on the offer for on-site support, Carlinsky said Delta declined the offer for help.

“Delta’s public threat of litigation distracts from this work and has contributed to a misleading narrative that CrowdStrike is responsible for Delta’s IT decisions and response to the outage,” the letter continues. “Should Delta pursue this path, Delta will have to explain to the public, its shareholders, and ultimately a jury why CrowdStrike took responsibility for its actions— swiftly, transparently, and constructively-while Delta did not.”

Carlinsky argues in the letter that Delta will have to explain why its competitors facing similar challenges all restored normal operations faster and why the airline turned down free on-site help from CrowdStrike. He also states that any liability by CrowdStrike is contractually capped in the single-digit millions.

Carlinsky stated that CrowdStrike demands Delta preserve all documents, records, and communications of any kind in the possession of the airline, including:

Delta’s response to the Channel File 291 incident.
Delta’s emergency backup, disaster recovery, and IT business continuity plans, and any related testing of those plans.
All assessments of Delta’s IT infrastructure, including any gaps and remediation recommendations, for the last five years, including in the wake of the Channel File 291 incident.
All decisions to upgrade or not upgrade Delta’s IT infrastructure in the last five years.
All scripts and software that Delta has deployed before and after the Channel File 291 incident to address possible Windows group policy corruption issues across the IT estate.
All system event logs for the weeks preceding and succeeding the Channel File 291 incident.
All encryption-level software that Delta deployed on all its IT infrastructure and the management of this software.
All technology and operating systems that Delta utilizes to assign workflow, routes, crews, flight schedules, etc. and any information, documents, or analysis on how that technology interacts with any software that Delta employs on its IT infrastructure.
Any data loss following the Channel File 291 incident related to Delta’s workflow routes, crew and flight schedules, and all communications with crew members following the Channel File 291 incident.
Delta’s response and recovery to any previous IT outages in the past five years.

“As I am sure you can appreciate, while litigation would be unfortunate, CrowdStrike will respond aggressively, if forced to do so, in order to protect its shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders,” the letter states.

AirlineGeeks.com Staff

Delta, SkyWest Plan More CRJ-550 Routes

Starting next month, the newly introduced aircraft type is set to operate a handful of flights from Delta's Minneapolis/St. Paul hub.

Ryan Ewing

Monday, August 05, 2024 at 11:57 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A SkyWest Airlines Bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft on final approach at O'Hare International Airport. (Photo: Shutterstock | Carlos Yudica)

More SkyWest-operated CRJ-550 routes are joining Delta’s network. Starting next month, the newly introduced aircraft type is scheduled to operate flights from Delta’s Minneapolis/St. Paul hub.

Schedule data from Cirium Diio shows the aircraft scheduled on two routes from Minneapolis. SkyWest’s CRJ-550 already operates scheduled flights from Salt Lake City.

Beginning on Sept. 1, 2024, the aircraft is scheduled to serve International Falls and Bemidji, Minn., both of which are subsidized under the Essential Air Service (EAS) program. These flights are currently only scheduled through the end of September.

From Salt Lake City, SkyWest’s CRJ-550s serve Butte, Mont., Casper, Wyo., Cedar City, Utah, Elko, Nev., and West Yellowstone, Mont. The type is slated to operate nearly 700 scheduled flights in September, according to the schedule data.

SkyWest first detailed plans to operate the CRJ-550 under the Delta Connection brand earlier this year. The aircraft is a modified version of the CRJ-700 with only 50 seats, including 10 in first class and 40 in economy.

In July, the regional carrier began operating the CRJ-550 fleet, which is being converted from an expiring CRJ-700 contract with American. SkyWest expects to convert most of the 19 aircraft by the end of 2024, the company said during a recent earnings call.

According to planespotters.net data, SkyWest currently has two Delta Connection CRJ-550s in service, registered as N708EV and N738SK. Two more are currently undergoing the conversion process.

Ryan Ewing

Tailwind Air to Cease Seaplane Operations

Tailwind Air, a seaplane carrier based in Manhattan, has ceased scheduled operations but plans to continue charter operations.

Arya Karnik

Monday, August 05, 2024 at 09:02 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Tailwind Air Cessna 208B. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)

Tailwind Air, a seaplane carrier based in Manhattan, has ceased scheduled operations but plans to continue charter operations. The company is reportedly seeking a new investor to help revitalize its business model. Tailwind Air’s unique seaplane service connected New York City with destinations including Boston and Bridgeport, Conn., offering a novel alternative to traditional air travel.

However, the carrier has struggled to turn a profit with its scheduled seaplane operations, not having a load factor that is high enough to continue operations. With that, the airline had been searching for a new investor to keep the operation running but could not finalize a contract at the deal table.

Tailwind operated flights from Manhattan to Boston and other New York/Massachusetts region seaplane bases. The airline’s unique service offered a convenient alternative for business travelers and tourists, reducing travel time between major East Coast cities.

The company’s decision to focus on charter operations may allow it to utilize its fleet and resources better while exploring new business opportunities. Tailwind was the only airline with rights to fly into Boston Harbor, which will provide value for a future investor with the high demand the New York to Boston route carries.

Arya Karnik

Ever since he was a kid, Arya has been interested in aviation. With his entire family overseas, he has taken many family trips worldwide to places like the United Kingdom and India. He lives in Colorado but attends The University of Alabama, studying Computer Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. He hopes to obtain his PPL and eventually translate his engineering degree to working in operations at an airline.

Azul Adds U.S. Fifth-Freedom Route

Brazilian airline Azul has planned an expansion of its network with a new fifth-freedom route between Curaçao and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Ryan Ewing

Sunday, August 04, 2024 at 11:11 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

An Azul Airbus A320neo aircraft. (Photo: Airbus)

Brazilian airline Azul has planned an expansion of its network with a new fifth-freedom route between Curaçao and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., set to begin in December. According to Air Data News, the airline will increase frequencies between Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and Curaçao from two to four weekly flights and expand the route to Fort Lauderdale.

The flights will be operated with an Airbus A320neo, offering 174 seats, and will depart from Belo Horizonte on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. The flights will land in Curaçao at 3:40 p.m. local time and then continue to Fort Lauderdale, with a scheduled arrival time of 7:00 p.m.

The return flight will depart from Fort Lauderdale at 8:00 a.m. the following day, arriving in Curaçao at 11:55 a.m., before returning to Belo Horizonte. Flights are slated to begin on Dec. 9, 2024 with year-round service.

The airline will also continue to operate two weekly flights between Belo Horizonte and Fort Lauderdale with the A330neo. From Fort Lauderdale, Azul also flies to Belém, Campinas, Manaus, and Recife.

Ryan Ewing