passenger airlines

‘Ghost’ freighters provide marginal boost to shippers

A white passenger jet with stairs leading up to front door.

Ghost freighters, passenger planes flying around the world with no paying customers on board, do not frighten logistics companies. That’s because the planes aren’t empty. They’re packed with valuable cargo that producers, retailers and their transportation intermediaries need to move fast.

Freight forwarders and consolidators were in a jam three months ago when the coronavirus pandemic forced passenger carriers to ground fleets, but the launch of cargo-only flights has proved a valuable — if...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ghost-freighters-provide-marginal-boost-to-shippers

Airlines restore some service, but finances remain grim

White and red plane banking to the right above the clouds.

U.S. and international airlines are gradually rebuilding their networks as travel demand perks up, but the latest financial results demonstrate the road to recovery from the pandemic will be long and difficult.

Carriers this week showed increasing optimism that passenger business is coming out of a three-month slumber by resuming more service in the summer compared to May, led by American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) announcing plans to operate its domestic schedule in July at 55% of its prior-year...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/airlines-restore-some-service-but-finances-remain-grim

Airlines fight to exit ‘intensive care’

A white United Airlines plane in storage on tarmac.

Despite signs of modest improvement in passenger traffic and the lifting of many coronavirus restrictions, airlines aren’t relaxing efforts to shore up balance sheets and restructure in hopes of remaining solvent until demand returns in a meaningful way years from now.

Since Friday, several U.S. and international airlines have announced they are receiving more government assistance to stay afloat, implementing reorganization plans and laying off workers. Still, some airline executives are...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/airlines-fight-to-exit-intensive-care

Breaking: American Airlines to eliminate 30% of mid-level staff

Red, white and blue tails of American Airlines planes at terminal gates.

American Airlines said it is making plans to reduce management and support staff by 30%, a precursor to more extensive frontline cuts expected in the coming weeks as the airline tries to stop using up cash for overhead and remain solvent beyond 2020.

The moves are part of an effort to remake itself into a smaller airline for the foreseeable future with the realization that leisure and business travel will be stunted for several years. Towards that end, American plans to fly about 100 fewer...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/breaking-american-airlines-to-eliminate-30-of-mid-level-staff

LATAM Airlines files for bankruptcy protection

Cargo being unloaded from a large white cargo jet.

Following regional rival Avianca Holdings’s footsteps, LATAM Airlines, the largest carrier in Latin America, is reorganizing and restructuring debt under court-supervised bankruptcy protection in the United States because of the unprecedented downturn in business caused by the coronavirus.

Today’s filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy covers LATAM Airlines Group (NYSE: LTM), headquartered in Santiago, Chile, as well as its affiliates in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and the U.S., but not those in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/latam-airlines-files-for-bankruptcy-protection

Breaking: FAA approves cargo to ride in passenger seats

Cargo strapped in passenger seats.

U.S. airlines will soon fly temporary freighters with cargo, instead of passengers, in the seats.

Since domestic passenger carriers began operating some aircraft in cargo-only mode two months ago, they have been largely restricted to loading freight in the lower hold where baggage and shipments normally ride. On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an exemption allowing airlines to carry cargo on seats.

Airlines had requested a two year break from existing regulations, but the FAA...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/breaking-faa-approves-cargo-to-ride-in-passenger-seats

Airlines highlight hygiene efforts to win back customers

A sign at the ticket counter tells travelers to space out so they don't spread germs.

With the Memorial Day weekend approaching, U.S. airlines are making a bid to recapture business by emphasizing extensive hygiene protocols and practices designed to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission. 

And European authorities issued guidance Wednesday to assure the health safety of air travelers and aviation personnel once quarantines ease and airlines resume flying. 

There is renewed hope that pent-up demand for travel will spur new bookings, but industry officials know they must ease...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/airlines-highlight-hygiene-efforts-to-win-back-customers

Vision of higher net sales for airlines could be a mirage

A big white Delta plane takes off in cloudy sky.

Don’t mistake green shoots in travel demand for the summer as a sign that recovery from the coronavirus crisis is around the corner for the airline industry, an executive for a major U.S. airline cautioned Tuesday.

After suspending most flight activity because of widespread quarantines, air carriers this week announced plans for incremental capacity increases in June and July to accommodate an uptick in passenger interest, with bookings some days slightly outpacing refunds for the first time in...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/vision-of-higher-net-sales-for-airlines-could-be-a-mirage

U.S. airlines add June capacity as passenger bookings inch back

Bright blue and orange Southwest jet comes in for landing wheels down.

Airlines are beginning to show small signs that they’ve escaped the market’s rock bottom and are attracting more customers as states begin easing coronavirus stay-home orders. 

The flickers of returning passenger demand are leading them to add back some capacity into their networks. The additional flights also will help shippers that need air transport for their goods.

United Airlines on Tuesday said it has seen a reduction in customer cancellation rates and a moderate improvement in demand in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/us-airlines-add-june-capacity-as-passenger-bookings-inch-back

Delta to retire 777 fleet by year’s end

A white Delta plane crosses the sky.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) announced Thursday that it plans to permanently retire its 18 twin-aisle Boeing 777s by the end of the year and write off $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion in the second quarter after determining that the airplanes, as well as its remaining MD-90s that are going to a boneyard, have no recoverable value.

Meanwhile, cargo demand is making possible the introduction of three new passenger flights per week from Atlanta and Detroit to Frankfurt, Germany, and London,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/delta-to-retire-777-fleet-by-years-end

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