This week’s featured link:
Airlines to Trump: Block Rivals and Privatize Air Traffic Control – Bloomberg
We frankly have no idea what Trump is going to do once he’s in office, but this article flips it and looks at what airlines would want from him. If he does pay the industry any attention, which is far from certain, his protectionist leanings might bode well for US carriers trying to fight off foreign airlines like Emirates and Norwegian. It wouldn’t be good for consumers, but he’s set up a narrative where foreigners (in various ways) have resulted in ruin for US workers. So it wouldn’t be surprising to see a protectionist move.
I do tend to agree with the final quote in this article, however. Aviation policy won’t be at the top of his list.
Two-ish for the road:
Measure B receives strong support from voters – Burbank Leader
Congratulations to the people of Burbank, who finally approved having the airport move forward on replacing its ancient, tiny, and dangerous terminal. There are still a couple plans on the table, so we don’t know all the details yet. Let’s just hope they don’t overbuild and waste money. (What am I thinking? Of course they will…)
Airplane Porn Potpourri
I haven’t posted any good airplane porn for awhile, so how about a trio today? (Yeah, these are three links on their own, but we’ll just pretend it’s one.)
Alaska Airlines – Honoring Those Who Serve
Alaska rolled out a veteran-themed aircraft, and it’s a stunner. I like the Virgin America-esque flag winglets and the US Airways-inspired red stripe.
Alaska/Virgin America – Merger Special Livery
Somebody leaked a photo of a joint livery meant to celebrate the merger. Rumor is that a Virgin America aircraft has a similar scheme, but these airplanes are sitting, waiting for the merger to actually be completed.
JetBlue – Retro Livery
This one is somewhat controversial, but I love it. JetBlue imagined a retro livery for itself to fit with the return of its Palm Springs service. It’s a mix of a whole lot of things, but it’s a head turner.
