In news this week, Qantas plans to finally resume flights to San Francisco after a long hiatus due to COVID-19. Delta will add New Zealand to its route map in the fall and will be expanding its transatlantic schedule this spring. The European low-cost airline plans to add service from the United States to Italy. There are also international flight news from Ethiopian Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. Southwest Airlines’ holiday meltdown had a significant negative impact on its fourth quarter results, prompting the Department of Transportation to expand its investigation into the airline. Alaska Airlines plans to bring high-speed satellite Wi-Fi to its regional jets. San Jose’s airport has officially changed its name, but it’s not very big. SFO will close the runway for two months this spring. Seattle Tacoma’s Centurion his lounge closed. And travelers to New York have a new low-cost option for traveling from JFK Airport to Manhattan.

Rival United currently operates three routes from San Francisco to Australia, — New services to Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra — Qantas has some work to do to catch up and it will launch this spring.According to an Australian trade magazine Executive TravelerQantas has decided to resume service between SFO and Sydney, which was suspended on 22nd May, with three flights per week. The airline originally planned to resume service on the route three years ago, but it was postponed in October last year, until his March this year, and now he is scheduled to resume in May. has been postponed to No word yet on when Qantas will resume his SFO flights from Melbourne and Brisbane.

Auckland, New Zealand skyline during the 2015 Volvo Ocean Race.

Volvo Ocean Race by Ainhoa ​​Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race/Getty Images

In other transpacific news, Delta Air Lines — The company, which launched its first service from Los Angeles to Papeete, Tahiti last month, plans to introduce another new long-haul route later this year. the company said It will begin service from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand on October 28, using A350s for 13 hours of daily flights. Air New Zealand is currently the only airline offering direct flights between LAX and Auckland. Delta also has scheduled flights for the spring, including 767 daily flights from its Atlanta hub to Nice, France, starting May 12, and an increase to the daily frequency of the Atlanta-Tel Aviv schedule starting April 16. announced further additions to its transatlantic network. At New York JFK, the airline plans his third daily departure to Paris-Charles de Gaulle starting May 25. Previously announced his new JFK service to Geneva, Switzerland and London Gatwick in 2023. Return of the JFK-Berlin flight. 3rd daily frequency from JFK to Rome.

in the meantime, point guy As of February 27, the only non-stop flight from the United States to Nagoya, Delta reportedly plans to cancel flights from its Detroit hub to Nagoya, Japan. simple flying, Delta pulls schedule between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Paris have gone from seven to 10 flights a week after partner Air France dropped plans to fly that route this summer.

Norse Atlantic, a low-cost, year-old European airline, will add another transatlantic route this summer. career is set to start There will be 787 daily flights from New York JFK to Rome on June 19th. The route is also served by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and his ITA from Italy. The news comes months after Norse announced plans for his JFK-to-Paris flight, which will enter service on March 26. JetBlue also plans to add this route this summer. North Atlantic also flies from JFK to London He Gatwick, Oslo and Berlin.

Other international news, Ethiopian Airlines will add a new U.S. route with four weekly flights this spring, starting flights between Atlanta and Addis Ababa on May 16. The new route includes a westbound refueling stop in Dublin. Ethiopian Airlines is a member of the United Airlines Star Alliance. Routesonline.com The airline reports it hopes to reach a codeshare deal with Delta for the new Atlanta route. Delta Air Lines, which already flies from its Atlanta hub to Buenos Aires, Argentina, applied for permission We will launch a new service to the city from New York JFK in December of this year.american airlines Scheduled end of service As of Feb. 28, three destinations in the Caribbean/Latin America — from Phoenix to Culiacan, Mexico. From Miami to Samana, Dominican Republic, to San Andres Island, Colombia, he will start on May 3rd. said to restore service On April 28th, Honolulu will operate three flights a week to Fukuoka.

Southwest Airlines departure area at Auckland International Airport in 2020.

Southwest Airlines departure area at Auckland International Airport in 2020.

Smith Collection/Gado/Gado via Getty Images

Troubled Southwest Airlines released dismal fourth-quarter financial reports this week The federal government has expanded its investigation into airline scheduling practices in the wake of the holiday season meltdown. Rival carriers reported strong profitability in his October-December quarter, while the traditionally profitable Southwest was in the red, posting a net loss of $220 million in the fourth quarter. was. – Pandemic passenger numbers have recovered. Southwest said 16,700 flight cancellations in late December had a “negative pre-tax impact” on its results, creating a quarterly loss.

of the company said Fourth quarter revenues reached a record $6.2 billion, while expenses increased to $6.6 billion. This was primarily due to “travel reimbursements” for customers whose plans were interrupted, Rapid Rewards points granted to affected customers, and additional payments for overworked workers. employee. According to the company, January 2023 will see “an increase in flight cancellations and a decrease in bookings, primarily for travel in January and February 2023. This is related to operational disruptions in December 2022. It is believed that it will.” However, by March the company expects revenue to return to March 2019 levels.

The Southwest is already under the federal microscope The Department of Transportation has been monitoring how it is handling refunds and refunds to customers following the plummeting schedules in December, and now the DOT has expanded its investigation to include airline scheduling practices. I’m here. The agency wants to determine if it’s Southwest. deliberately schedule more flights Because it is considered an unfair and deceptive practice. The DOT said the Southwest investigation will continue to evolve as he learns more about what went wrong in the week after Christmas.

Alaska Airlines plans to expand its high-speed in-flight Wi-Fi service to Embraer 175 regional jets.In partnership with Intelsat, Alaska Airlines will introduce new Wi-Fi service to Horizon Air aircraft early next year, followed by service to jets in the rest of the region, including those operated by partner SkyWest, over the next two years. said to expand. The airline plans to have satellite Wi-Fi on all mainline aircraft by April this year, and Intelsat is also offering it.

According to Alaska, Intelsat’s latest technology will communicate not only with geostationary satellites, which are currently used for in-flight Wi-Fi, but also with “low earth orbit” (LEO) satellites. “At LEO, just 300 miles from the Earth’s surface, thousands of small satellites orbiting the Earth will ensure stronger connections with low latency or telecom delays.” alaska he said“Being closer to Earth has the advantage of reducing the latency of data from ground to satellite, aircraft and back. It enables higher speeds and wider coverage in remote areas of Alaska.”

The airport, formerly known as Mineta San Jose International Airport, is now called San Jose Mineta International Airport.

The airport, formerly known as Mineta San Jose International Airport, is now called San Jose Mineta International Airport.

Courtesy of SJC

Western US airport rebranding in recent years This included the decision by Burbank Airport to change its identity from Bob Hope Airport to Hollywood Burbank and the name change of Las Vegas Airport from McCarran to Harry Reid International. And now, after an “extensive strategic research and brand development process” conducted with outside marketing consultants, the Bay Area’s San Jose Airport has officially changed its name.

The airport, formerly known as Mineta San Jose International Airport, is now called San Jose Mineta International Airport. Along with the new name, the project will also provide his SJC with a new logo, new signage, new advertising and communication materials. (Airport code is still SJC.) Why the change?

“Multiple market research studies have identified brand elements that resonate with communities and travelers around the world. I did,” the airport said. (Where does “Mineta” come from? The airport is named after Norman Mineta, former San Jose mayor, U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Bill Clinton, and Secretary of Transportation under President George W. Bush. named.)

In other SJC news, the airport have earned $11 million grant Helps you comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The funds will provide for the construction of new ramps and other improvements to allow travelers with reduced mobility to move through the airport. Funding was provided by the Federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Act enacted in 2021.

A plane takes off next to construction equipment on an SFO runway in 2019.

A plane takes off next to construction equipment on an SFO runway in 2019.

San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

San Francisco International announced runway closures for the next eight weeks, but reassures travelers that it shouldn’t cause major problems with flight operations. It said it would be closed until the 25th for resurfacing work. During the closure, all incoming and outgoing flights will use Runway 28 Left and 28 Right. SFO said The pavement project should result in “few delays in clear weather and less than an hour delay on foggy mornings”, as well as slightly longer taxi times for outbound flights. The project dates were chosen to allow work to be completed before the start of the busy summer travel season.

At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the American Express Centurion Lounge in Concourse B will be closed. On January 29, the company continues work at its new SEA location on the mezzanine level of the Central Terminal. amex said The new Centurion Lounge is expected to open “in the coming weeks.”

A view of the entrance to the new Long Island Railroad Terminal at Grand Central Madison Station in New York City on January 25, 2023.

A view of the entrance to the new Long Island Railroad Terminal at Grand Central Madison Station in New York City on January 25, 2023.

Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Beginning this week, a new low-cost ground transportation option is available for travelers flying into New York City’s JFK Airport to stay on Manhattan’s East Side.The cheapest way to get into the city from JFK Airport is the frequent Long Island Railroad service from Jamaica Station in Queens to Penn Station in Manhattan (requires a short JFK Airtrain ride from the airport terminal to Jamaica Station). . But Penn Station is on Manhattan’s West Side, and back on the East Side, taxis and his Uber rides can get stuck in traffic.

This week, Establishment of the Metropolitan Transit Authority A new train station will be built under Grand Central Station on the East Side, and after a limited service period of three weeks, the MTA will operate trains every 30 minutes between Jamaica Station and the new Grand Central Madison Station. . Due to recent price increases, taxi fares from JFK to Manhattan now have a flat rate of $70 each way. A train ride is only $13. The new station will also be convenient for travelers heading to suburban New York and Connecticut, served by Metro-North trains from Grand Central.