Skift Take Despite not having a permanent administrator for almost a year, FAA nominee Phil Washington has been deemed unqualified as the aviation regulator. When nominated last July, Washington was touted to bring transportation managerial skills even as he lacked extensive aviation-specific experience. Srividya Kalyanaraman U.S. President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the Federal Aviation […]
Skift Take Another closed door for the mega-merger proposal as the department cites previous arguments that it would have anti-competitive effects. Matthew Parsons The U.S. Transportation Department on Friday denied an exemption request by JetBlue and Spirit to operate under common ownership, citing the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit filed this month seeking to block the […]
Skift Take Although some aerospace suppliers have concerns about private equity investments, they’d surely welcome the capital needed to meet the growing demand for more planes and parts as travel continues its rebound. Rashaad Jorden Financial sector headwinds are creating fresh openings for private equity investments in aerospace, as suppliers’ need for capital to meet […]
Skift Take The FAA’s safety alert is a loud message to the aviation industry that it needs to act quickly — and enact recommended safety measures — to prevent a catastrophe in the skies. Rashaad Jorden The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday issued a safety alert to airlines, pilots and others about the “need for […]
Skift Take U.S. senators want to allow an estimated 5,000 pilots who qualify for retirement in the next two years to keep working to cushion against the ongoing flight cancelations due to a shortage of available pilots and crews. Selene Brophy A group of seven U.S. senators on Tuesday proposed legislation to raise the mandatory […]
Skift Take U.S. airlines all say that demand continues to stay super strong as they look ahead to spring and summer. But just how long will the happy demand story persist and might the party be ruined by rising costs? Jay Shabat, Skift It’s like that bunny in the old Energizer battery commercials: Still going. […]
Skift Take Although the United Nations believes carbon offsets can help reduce airline emissions, its approach has major skeptics in some industry executives who don’t see them as an effective solution to worsening aviation-related pollution. Rashaad Jorden Rising airline traffic is expected to trigger global emissions-related requirements for some carriers as early as next year, […]
Skift Take Nine years after the horrific downing of the Malaysia Airlines jet that killed all 298 people on board, families of the victims are one step closer to holding those alleged to be responsible to account. Tom Lowry The United Nations aviation council on Friday voted to hear a case against Russia over the […]
American Airlines has ruled out delaying the removal of 40 percent of its airfares from traditional retail channels next month. That’s despite lobbying by the American Society of Travel Advisors, which asked the carrier to push back its move date of April 3 to the end of the year. The society, which represents 160,000 travel […]
Skift Take The Federal Aviation Administration has a budget to maintain, but now is not the moment to dwell on the figures as staffing and safety issues emerge. Matthew Parsons The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) needs more air traffic controllers to address rising passenger demand, the chair of a U.S. Senate panel overseeing aviation issues […]
Skift Take Turkey is eyeing $56 billion in tourism revenue this year, with Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa joint-venture carrier SunExpress now optimistic about summer travel demand. Selene Brophy SunExpress, a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, said on Tuesday that summer bookings to Turkey spiked as of this month after a brief drop following […]
Skift Take “You can’t run your airline like it’s 2019 or you will fail,” United CEO Scott Kirby told Wall Street on the carrier’s fourth-quarter earnings call. Some of that post-pandemic reality hit home at United on Monday as it adjusted its guidance for the first quarter. Tom Lowry United Airlines Holdings Inc on Monday […]
Skift Take Saudi Arabia is sparing no expense in its aim to attract to 100 million visitors annually by 2030, with the Boeing order poised to be another in a series of huge investments in its tourism infrastructure. Rashaad Jorden Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is close to a deal for Boeing Co. commercial […]
Skift Take As CEO of Breeze Airways, David Neeleman would clearly like to get this TAP investigation behind him. Dennis Schaal A former owner of Portugal’s flag carrier TAP, David Neeleman, denied on Friday making a deal in 2015 to overpay for Airbus planes after prosecutors said last month they were investigating the complex leasing deal, as […]
Skift Take Australia’s second-largest airline, Virgin Australia, is said to be looking for funds to settle its private equity debt ahead of its potential IPO listing that will test the country’s financial market and aviation sector. Selene Brophy Virgin Australia is in talks with banks for a loan of up to $296.4 million (A$450 million) […]
Skift Take Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at JetBlue-Spirt challenges, Airbnb’s advantages, and Air France’s air and rail opportunities. Rashaad Jorden Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, March 8. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. Listen Now 🎧 Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Google Podcasts Episode Notes The U.S. Department […]
Skift Take The ride-hailing company said it wants to “redesign” the entire airport experience, and has business travelers in its sights with a new 90-day reservation feature and business-class ride category. Matthew Parsons Uber is extending the reservation period to pre-book rides from 30 days to 90 days to help boost its airport business. The […]
Skift Take Today’s edition of Skift’s daily podcast looks at globalization and tourism, Azul’s quarterly luck, and Uber’s business travel push. Rashaad Jorden Good morning from Skift. It’s Tuesday, March 7. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today. Listen Now 🎧 Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Google Podcasts Episode Notes Author and geopolitical […]
Skift Take As expected, the Justice Department is moving forward to block one of the biggest proposed tie-ups in U.S. airlines in years. Can the deal be saved? Edward Russell The U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday filed a suit to block the proposed $3.8 billion merger of JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines citing competition […]
Skift Take CEO Christine Ourmières-Widener, as well as chairman Manuel Beja, have been fired by the Portuguese government over a $500,000 payment to former government official Alexandra Reis, who was previously an executive board member. Matthew Parsons Portugal’s government has sacked the CEO of the state-owned airline TAP in the wake of a scandal involving […]
