Cranky Weekly Review Presented by San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport: Delta’s Crash Course, United Reaches for the Stars

Cranky Dorkfest is tomorrow (September 14)! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone. If you signed up for the morning LAX ramp visit, you’ve received the email with instructions. For everyone else, see you at the park across from the In-N-Out on Sepulveda next to LAX from 11am to 1pm! And if you haven’t made plans, no RSVP is necessary. Come to the park, grab a burger, and talk shop with your fellow dorks.

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Delta on Collision Course With Itself…Literally

Delta Air Lines suffered significant damage on two airplanes Monday when a Delta Connection CRJ-900LR owned by subsidiary Endeavor Air had its vertical stabilizer lopped off in a taxiway collision with a Delta A350 in Atlanta. The current over/under is 7 days until the airline blames CrowdStrike for the incident.

The A350 was bound for Tokyo/Haneda, loaded with 221 passengers, while the CRJ and its 56 passengers were headed to Lafayette, Louisiana. There were no injuries reported from the incident and most passengers were accommodated on new flights to get them to their destinations.

The lone exception were passengers booked on either flight in Basic Economy. They were required to remain and assist airport officials and the NTSB with cleaning up the incident site. When asked why Basic Economy passengers had to stay, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said “The work will do them good. And good goes around.”

United Reaches Amongst the Stars

United Airlines announced Friday morning that it will put Starlink Wi-Fi across its entire fleet, with the installation process set to begin early next year.

United will be the largest airline — by far — to offer internet access via Starlink, and the product will be available to all customers for free. It will cover the entire journey from gate-to-gate. Starlink’s current airline customers include airBaltic, Hawaiian, Qatar, and WestJet. The service will also allow multiple device connections from each passenger, making it easier for folks to complain to loved ones about the meal that were served in Polaris without having to stop streaming a movie to their phone.

Basic Economy passengers will also receive free access to the service, but they will have to first watch a series of ads and then take a brief quiz provided by United to hone in on what exactly has gone wrong in their lives to that point to drive them to Basic Econ. The carrier also expects to develop a “missed-connection viewer” that will directly stream your connecting aircraft pushing back from the gate and taxiing to the runway while you’re still in the air on your first flight of the day — this service will be complimentary.

FAs AAccept New AAgreement

American’s FAs rAAtified a new collective bargaining agreement on Thursday, with 87% of the FAs who voted agreeing to the five-year deal that gives nearly immediate raises of 20%.

The raises go into effect in October and include back pay to cover the time since the previous deal became amendable. Over the five-year life of the deal, FAs will also see total raises of 33% to 36%, be granted more deadheading options for traveling to and from base, more reserve flexibility, hotel penalty pay, and a voucher for 30% off a matinee movie at DFW-area AMC theatres (valid only Monday – Wednesday).

FAs will also receiving boarding pay that equals 50% of the hourly rate for all boardings based on published boarding times, plus an immediate 27% bump in per diem with five cent increases each year of the deal — provided no union member spends the entire per diem increase at one place.

Southwest Implements Bend but Don’t Break Defense

The first shoes to drop at Southwest due to Elliott Investment Management’s targeting of the carrier have been announced, with board chairman Gary Kelly — the carrier’s previous CEO — retiring next year.

Kelly’s ouster is the first of many desired changes from Elliott, and is likely not enough to satisfy the hedge fund. Six other directors will leave the board this fall, and they will be replaced by four new members — with as many of three of them being candidates supported by Elliott.

The question remains as to whether CEO Bob Jordan will survive the inquisition from Elliott and whether he and COO Andrew Watterson are able to satisfy the fund for the time being. The airline is expected to share an updated business plan later this month at its investors day, as it only has the concept of a plan at this time.

For more on Southwest’s efforts to end off Elliott, please visit yesterday’s post at crankyflier.com.

BA’s Red-Hot American (and Canadian) Summer

Summer 2024 may still have a few last gasps left, but British Airways plans for Summer 2025 are nearly complete, and the carrier is planning more flights than ever to North America.

Miami will see service doubled next summer from 1x to 2x daily, maintaining the twice-daily cadence year-round along with opening a new lounge at the airport next year for customers who want to get a head start on that world-famous English cuisine before their trip begins.

The carrier is adding 6x weekly flights to Austin, making LHR-AUS 13x weekly — double-daily with the exception of Sunday. Pittsburgh is adding an extra flight, making its LHR service daily for the first time since BA began serving the airport, while Vancouver will get a second daily from London/Heathrow from June to September, giving the west coast airport 2x daily LHR service, and three frequencies total when combined with the 1x daily service it also sees from London/Gatwick.

• Air Astana is launching 2x weekly service to Dubai from Atyrau (GUW), and Abu Dhabi from Astana and Almaty.
• Air Baltic may become part of the Lufthansa family.
• Air Calédonie will begin serving Vanuatu with 2x weekly flights on October 3.
• Air Canada is adding daily service from Toronto to Jacksonville and Montréal to Cincinnati, both beginning May 22.
• Air France will return to Manila with 3x weekly service beginning in December, marking the carrier’s return to the market after a 20-year absence.
• Air Sénégal settled a $10 million debt.
• Alaska raised its profit forecast.
• Allegiant became the first U.S. carrier to take delivery of a B737-8-200.
• Ansett Australia died on this day in 2001.
• Cathay Pacific reminds us — never ever order the fish.
• DAT is looking for a permit to operate charters to the United States.
• Delta is hiring. If you know how to reattach a vertical stabilizer to a regional aircraft, please note that on your application.
• Discover discovered Music City.
• Etihad is planning its first ever routes to both the Czech Republic and Poland.
• flyadeal completed adeal to take delivery of an A320neo.
• Iran Air is being sanctioned.
• LATAM Cargo is growing its weekly frequencies to Brussels.
• Lufthansa extended its wet-lease agreement with AirBaltic for another three years.
• PLAY was not playing around in August.
• Qantas has begun training pilots on the A321XLR in anticipation of taking delivery of its first aricraft of the type in April.
• SAS received DOT approval for its codeshare partnership with new SkyTeam bestie Delta.
• SriLankan Airlines now has an interline agreement with flydubai. Finally.
• Sun Country lost the EAS contract to serve Eau Claire. Hopefully they find it soon.
• United decided not to appeal the awarding of the EAS contract for Presque Isle to JetBlue.
• Virgin Atlantic plans to open its first Clubhouse at LAX early next year. The construction is actually done, but the guy with the key to open the door just pulled up to LAX, and traffic is backed up enough he’s not expected to get to TBIT to deliver the key until 2025.
• WestJet is adding three B737-8 MAX aircraft.
• Winair is not for sale anymore.
• Wizz Air will begin flying to Jeddah as its first A321XLR route in March.