Routes: How Southwest handled its first major stress test and what it means for summer travel

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by Anna Munhin Jun 4, 2023 News
Routes: How Southwest handled its first major stress test and what it means for summer travel

The nation's air travel system performed well over the recent holiday weekend even as passenger numbers increased beyond pre-pandemic levels, a good sign for the summer, when airlines predict traffic will set new records

According to the Washington Post, the cancellation rate for the weekend was less than 1% and less than 20% of flights arrived late. Southwest reported this week that from Friday through Monday of Memorial Day weekend it operated more than 15,000 flights and completed more than 99% of them. The company said that Southwest was prepared for the busy travel weekend and that employees ran a very reliable operation.

Things should be fine for travelers this summer if the airlines, the FAA and the TSA can keep up their pace. Airlines for America predicted this week that it will transport a record 257 million passengers in the summer. The organization said that US airlines will be able to accommodate demand by using larger aircraft. The US airlines are adding seats every day to accommodate more passengers. The number of full-time employees at U.S. airlines has risen to 487,000, the highest number since 2001.

San Jose Mineta will get a low-cost airline on June 7. The United Express/SkyWest service at Springfield, Illinois, and Erie, Pennsylvania was stopped this week. There will be three flights a day between Los Angeles International and Dallas Love Field. Delta begins daily flights to Colorado Springs, Colorado, from Atlanta and Minneapolis-St. Paul on the same day. They came from Minneapolis-St. Paul and went to Virginia. There is a man named Paul. Breeze Airways plans to add twice-weekly flights to Pittsburgh in September. Breeze started flights from John Wayne Airport in Orange County.

The French Bee is increasing the number of flights on the San Francisco-Paris Orly route from three to six using an A350-900. On the East Coast, Egyptair has a new service to Cairo from Newark Liberty International on June 3 with three 787-9 flights a week. The Points Guy is reporting that United Airlines will stop flying from Boston to London Heathrow in October. The Boston-Heathrow route is unusual in that it doesn't operate from one of the airline's big hubs.

In the upcoming winter schedule, United will reduce some transborder service to Canada, including from San Francisco, where SFO-Toronto and SFO-Calgary service will be dropped from two daily flights to one. The low-cost European carrier is moving its Fort Lauderdale, Florida, route to Miami in September. The company will continue to offer service to London and the UK.

The Italian government has agreed to sell a 41% stake in the corporate successor to Alitalia to Germany's Lufthansa Group. The company said that the two parties agreed on options to enable a potential acquisition of the remaining shares by the airline at a later time. Once the deal is approved by the government, the airlines will immediately start their cooperation. In order to benefit from group synergies, ITA will work closely with the Lufthansa Group.

The addition of ITA to the stable will make the group even more powerful. The network airlines of the group include Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines. Eurowings is a subsidiary of the parent group. The airlines are members of the Star Alliance. Rome Fiumicino is expected to be a new southern hub that will add more intercontinental service to points in North America and Latin America.

All travellers in all cabin classes, including Premium Economy Class and Economy Class, will be able to use in-flight wi-fi for free. Almost the entire global SIA route network is covered by the offer. Premium cabin customers had free wi-fi and time- limited wi-fi in the rear cabins. Customers who are members of the airline's KrisFlyer loyalty program will be able to use the free wi-fi. When booking, members should use their account number. The airline said that non-KrisFlyer members can sign up for their free membership online or on board their flight via the SIA digital content portal on their personal mobile devices. San Francisco and Singapore are both served by Singapore Airlines.

The price of Frontier Airlines' GoWild is being adjusted again. The All-You-Can-Fly Pass is only available for a limited time. The fall and winter pass is good for unlimited trips on Frontier from September to February. The pass only allows domestic reservations to be made one day before departure, and international reservations can only be made 10 days in advance. Pass holders can book flights from Sept. 5 through Nov. 15 without being restricted.

A federal judge ordered an end to the Northeast Alliance between American Airlines and JetBlue by June. Robert Isom said this week that his company would appeal the district court decision. The benefits of the alliance will prevail according to Isom. American and JetBlue maintain that their partnership is necessary to provide effective competition against Delta and United in the Northeast and that it helps consumers by giving them a greater choice of flights.

In order to make their partnership even more compatible for customers, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines are reportedly planning to link their mobile apps so that passengers can use either one to check in for their flights. Jain didn't give a timetable for the enhancement, which she said will just make things easier for connecting passengers: "They don't have to go to different places, they don't have to learn a new app just to travel with a partner."

The Justice Department is challenging the proposed acquisition of Spirit Airlines by JetBlue. In order to preserve ultra-low-cost carrier competition at that airport, the new agreement calls for JetBlue to sell all of its holdings to Frontier. Six gates in the Marine Air Terminal are part of those holdings. Frontier CEO Barry Biffle said the deal will allow them to expand their operations and deliver even more low fares to consumers in the New York City area.

Mark Nasr, Air Canada's executive vice president of marketing and digital, said that the new lounge will be able to accommodate more than 120 guests. Star Alliance Gold members, Aeroplan members, and signature class and business class ticket buyers are all allowed to use the Maple Leaf Lounges. The new SFO facility is part of a broader program of improvements to Maple Leaf Lounges, which include a 30% increase in seating at lounges in the Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal airports, and the addition of a second Air Canada Cafe in Montreal next year.

Delta passengers at Los Angeles International flying in the Delta One front cabin now have their own dedicated check-in area in Terminal 3. The new Delta One check-in area is located on the lower arrivals level of Terminal 3 and has access to the Delta Sky Club. Delta One customers will be greeted by a team of Elite Service agents dedicated to providing white-glove service and the space will offer refreshing towels as well as light food and beverage offerings. The West Headhouse for Terminal 3 has been completed and is now open to the public. Delta plans to implement digital ID technology at bag drop and security checkpoint later this summer, which will allow eligible customers to use their fingerprints more easily.