United adding almost 25,000 flights in August - but still only 40% of pre-covid levels

United triples the schedule size compared to June 2020 - but still scheduled to only fly 40% of August 2019 levels

United Airlines announced this week that it is tripling the size of its August schedule compared to its June 2020 schedule, adding nearly 25,000 domestic and international flights compared to July 2020, and plans to fly 40% of its overall schedule in August, as compared to August 2019. While travel demand remains a fraction of what it was at the end of 2019, customers are slowly returning to flying with a preference for leisure destinations, trips to reunite with friends and family, and getaways to places that encourage social distancing. According to TSA, more than 600,000 passengers passed through airport security checkpoints on Monday, June 29, the first time since March 19 that those numbers exceeded 25% of pre-COVID levels.

Alaska Airlines gets strict on mask enforcement.....you don't want to get a yellow card.

Photo by Alaska Flight Attendant Molly Choma. @mollychoma

Alaska Airlines will start to get strict regarding the wearing of face masks during flights.  For the safety and health of everyone onboard its flights, the carrier has said its flight attendants will be able to issue a final notice to any guest who repeatedly refuses to wear a mask or face covering.

With that warning – in the form of a yellow card handed to them – the guest's travel will be reviewed and could be suspended for a period. It's a decision that would not be made lightly.

The carrier said that "Overwhelmingly, those who fly with us understand and appreciate the importance of wearing masks and face coverings during this time of COVID-19. We also rely heavily on our guests to do the right thing for the greater good of everyone onboard our flights."    However, there have been times when some travellers have disregarded or disobeyed the mask requirement. It creates tension and anxiety for many of the other passengers on the flight,  who have taken heed of the requirement and are wearing masks, so, a change is needed.

“We take pride in our excellent customer service, a main reason so many of our guests enjoy flying with us. That stays the same,” said Ben Minicucci, Alaska’s president. “We’re counting on both our guests and employees to be considerate of one another to wear face coverings and contribute to our constant effort to keep everyone healthy and safe.”

All Alaska Air's passengers will now be asked during check-in to sign off on a required health agreement to acknowledge and attest to their willingness to adhere to the mask policy.

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UK updated Coronavirus COVID-19 guidance General Aviation

The UK has updated its guidance to help the UK's General Aviation (GA) sector prepare to reopen safely for business on 4th July. 

General Aviation flying is allowed where social distancing measures can be observed and from 4 July, the safe return of dual flights and training flights, and the reopening of GA businesses, will be permitted in England. 

A safe and comfortable journey with the KLM Bus to Schiphol Airport

As of 1 July, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will gradually resume the KLM Bus network in accordance with Dutch health guidelines. This means that once a day, the KLM Bus will travel to and from Schiphol Airport from Maastricht, Maastricht Aachen Airport, Eindhoven Airport, Nijmegen, Arnhem, Enschede, Hengelo and Apeldoorn. This makes it possible to book an airline ticket departing from these cities via Schiphol to one of KLM's destinations or to destinations of KLM partners, such as Air France and Delta Air Lines. The use of the KLM Bus is free of charge and the airline ticket also serves as the bus ticket.

Dstl release research on stability of COVID-19 in the air

Comparison of cells with and without infection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus 

Dstl research on the stability of the COVID-19 virus in the air also supports the scientific advice provided to the Government on COVID-19 control measures

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has published a research paper on the stability of the COVID-19 virus in the air through the Emerging Microbes and Infections journal.

The paper “Experimental aerosol survival of SARS-CoV-2 in artificial saliva and tissue culture media at medium and high humidity”, written by a team of Dstl scientists, outlines the research completed on the stability of the COVID-19 virus in the air. It also supports the scientific advice provided to the Government on COVID-19 control measures.

Brussels Airlines to expand September and October schedule

                                            Brussels Airlines launches its flight schedule for September and October, offering more destinations and extra frequencies on both leisure and corporate routes. During these months, the Belgian airline will operate 45% of its normal schedule with 27 aircraft. Due to ongoing travel restrictions, the relaunch of Brussels Airlines’ long-haul operations – originally planned for June 22nd, has been delayed until August.

Adapted to the market demand and ongoing travel restrictions, the new Brussels Airlines network for September and October includes a range of holiday destinations as well as corporate ones. The airline adds frequencies to the already relaunched destinations and adds the following destinations to its network map:

Medium-haul:

• Basel
• Birmingham
• Bologna
• Edinburgh
• Goteborg
• Milan Linate
• Warshaw

Commercial flights resume at Norwich Airport as demand builds

Commercial flights from Norwich Airport are now available to book once more, with KLM resuming daily flights to Amsterdam Schiphol from 3 August 2020, offering onward international connectivity.

TUI Tenerife returns in time for the winter season from 8 October 2020, whilst Loganair will increase the frequency of its Aberdeen route in August and recommence Edinburgh in September (dates TBC).

The first flight to recommence is to Bourgas, Bulgaria, operated by Balkan Holidays, scheduled for Thursday, 16 July 2020.

Norwich Airport has remained open for offshore helicopter flights, medical and military flights and General Aviation, whilst Loganair operated a reduced Aberdeen schedule. The airport has welcomed the return of commercial flying with proactive measures in place to ensure the safety and well-being of staff and passengers.

Using an app to assess hygiene measures at Lisbon airport

LisbonAfter rolling out an autonomous robot that uses UV light to disinfect, VINCI Airports (VINCI Concessions) has introduced an app at Lisbon airport. Passengers can now give their feedback regarding the hygiene measures in place in real time, using 146 QR codes at 43 different points throughout the airport.

Furthermore, on 15 June, the 10 Portuguese airports managed by VINCI Airports were awarded the Clean & Safe award by the President of Turismo de Portugal, Luis Araujo, and the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rita Marques.

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Lufthansa Executive Committee of the Supervisory Board new allocation of responsibilities

The Executive Committee of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG today approved a new allocation of responsibilities for the Executive Board. The former "Finance & IT" department will not be replaced following Thorsten Dirks' departure. The responsibilities will be assigned to the other management departments of the Executive Board.

Carsten Spohr will assume additional responsibility for the finance functions in the CEO's department, until further notice. Following the departure of former CFO Ulrik Svensson in April, due to illness, the position of CFO is to be filled again in the coming months. In the future, the finance functions will be bundled in a separate department. 

Beverage service returns: Delta reintroduces select beer and wine on domestic flights with added safety measures

Beginning July 2, domestic First Class and Delta Comfort+ customers will begin to see complimentary beer and wine on all flights greater than 500 miles as Delta begins reintroducing adult beverage offerings after recent service adjustments made in March.  

Delta teams listened to feedback from customers and consulted with health professionals before bringing single-serve red and white wine, as well as Heineken, Miller Lite, SweetWater 420 and SweetWater IPA * back on-board.  

“In keeping with the Delta CareStandard, our goal is to serve all of our food and beverage offerings in the safest way possible – both for our customers and employees,” said Allison Ausband, Delta’s Senior Vice President of In-Flight Service. “We take pride in always listening to our customers, and we know beer and wine are the adult beverages our customers want most. These selections are the first step towards a normalized beverage offering while we continue to keep customer and crew safety at the centre of everything we do.” 

Easing coronavirus health measures at the UK border

Exempting passengers from self-isolation requirements in certain circumstances on arrival in the UK.

Grant Shapps MP  released a statement on the future lifting of 14-day quarantine restriction for UK arrivals.

Boeing Delivers 2,500th AH-64 Apache Helicopter

Boeing recently delivered its 2,500th AH-64 Apache helicopter, an E-model Apache for the U.S. Army, from the company’s production line in Mesa, Arizona.

The first production AH-64, an A-model Apache, rolled off the assembly line on September 30, 1983, and was delivered by Boeing heritage company McDonnell Douglas to the U.S. Army in January 1984. Today, Boeing is producing and delivering AH-64E helicopters to a growing list of customers around the world.

“The Apache has built an impressive legacy of success, and is well-positioned to bring relevant technologies and capabilities that defense forces require today and in the future,” said Kathleen Jolivette, vice president of Attack Helicopter programs and senior Mesa site executive. “Company teammates and suppliers worldwide are focused on assembling, delivering and supporting U.S. and global customers working to deter aggression and defend freedom. Apache is ready to have a key role in the future of multi-domain operations.”

Qantas to reopen lounges

The Australian airline Qantas has announced it will reopen a number of its domestic and regional lounges around the country following the easing of travel and venue capacity restrictions.

The airline closed its domestic and international lounges on 23 March, as a result of government-enforced restrictions that shut down the majority of domestic and international flying.

With the relaxing of state-based restrictions and an increase in domestic capacity, Qantas is able to begin a phased reopening of those lounge facilities which support the current domestic network, starting with 11 of its 35 Australian domestic lounges from 1 July.

Airbus has formally delivered the first of eight Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft ordered by the NATO Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF)

                                                   Airbus has formally delivered the first of eight Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft ordered by the NATO Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) after a ceremony held at the Airbus Getafe site in Spain. The official acceptance of this first aircraft marks a decisive milestone towards the entry into service of this multinational unit formed by the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Germany, Belgium and the Czech Republic. 

The aircraft will take off tomorrow towards its Main Operating Base located in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The MMF fleet will also operate from a second location, the Forward Operating Base in Cologne, Germany.

European Union to reopen borders to 14 nations but the US is excluded

 The European Union will reopen its borders to travellers from 14 countries, and possibly China soon, the bloc announced Tuesday, but most Americans have been refused entry for at least another two weeks due to soaring coronavirus infections in the U.S.

As Europe’s economies reel from the impact of the coronavirus, southern EU countries like Greece, Italy and Spain are desperate to entice back sun-loving visitors and breathe life into their damaged tourism industries. American tourists make up a big slice of the EU market and the summer holiday season is a key time.