Cranky Weekly Review Presented by OAK Airport: FAA Takes Action in Newark, Delta Takes Action in Court

FAA Comes to its Senses in Newark

Our crusade against Newark finally has a powerful ally — the federal government.

The FAA released an interim order dramatically reducing the amount of aircraft movements at the airport for the foreseeable future. The order went into effect immediately, and it restricts operations to 56 per hour while construction on runway 4L/22R is ongoing. That work is expected to continue daily into next month and then on Saturdays only through the fall.

When construction is not active, the airport will be restricted to 68 operations per hour… which is 68 too many if you ask us. The order is in effect — for now — until October 25.

These restrictions will likely be a positive for everyone — except United. While it will make for a smoother operation for the flights it does get off the ground, it will severely hinder its ability to operate its ill-fated Newark hub. Based on this new information, perhaps United should consider purchasing or partnering with another carrier? Just spitballing here, but maybe there’s an NYC-area based carrier with a strong presence in New York, domestically on the east coast and flying to the Caribbean? If that existed, it could possible help United through this Newark mess. But just a thought.

Delta’s Crowdstrike Suit Allowed to Move Forward

Delta Air Lines’s lawsuit to hold Crowdstrike liable for last year’s operational meltdown was given the green light to move forward in a ruling made by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kelly Lee Ellerbe. The shocking ruling for the Atlanta-based airline came in a downtown Atlanta courthouse by a judge who grew up in Atlanta and attended both undergraduate and law school at the University of Georgia of which Delta is a major sponsor and donor.

Delta says the outage cost it $550 million in lost revenue and countless more in the media and with the general public. There’s no confirmation to the rumors that the judge told Delta “in for a penny, in for a pound,” encouraging Delta to also sue Crowdstrike for allowing other airlines to fly and compete on routes it flies and to sue car, train, bus, and boat manufacturers for “unfairly providing competition to our air line services.”

Crowdstrike remains confident that Delta will not ultimately win once the case goes to trial, and even if Delta ekes out a win, the damages assessed will be limited, but as a failsafe it might want to look into a change of venue. An unofficial survey by the Cranky Flier investigative team shows that every Fulton County judge is a member of Delta’s SkyMiles program (as is required of all Atlanta residents) and nearly 85% hold some sort of elite status… or did until this year’s devaluations.

STARLUX Plans Phoenix’s First Nonstop to Asia

Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport has been desperately hoping someone would give the airport its first nonstop flight to Asia — and it’s happening early next year. Taipei-based STARLUX Airlines — a full-service competitor to EVA, China Airlines, and others — announced it plans to begin 3-4x weekly service between Taipei and Phoenix in early 2026.

The local community has expressed a mix of excitement and deep anger that the first Asian airline to serve Phoenix is also a “Proud Partner” of the hated Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers are apparently so “proud” of this partnership that they also made ANA an official partner. We don’t think the Diamondbacks even have an official airline sponsor anymore. Just saying, STARLUX…

Service will begin on an A350-900, which STARLUX packs 306 seats into including four in first class, 26 in business, 36 in premium economy and 240 hoi polloi. The flight will clock in at 7,104 miles which will be the longest route for the carrier. Phoenix will be the 5th U.S. destination for Starlux, including Los Angeles, Ontario, San Francisco, and Seattle. Phoenix will be the first U.S. destination that is not also served by either China Airlines or EVA.

TSA Updates Approved Items for Carry-on

The TSA released an updated list of approved items for passengers to carry through checkpoints, with the organization pledging to roll out these new regulations in a completely scattered and convoluted manner so you have no idea from city to city whether or not you’ll be scolded by a TSA agent for trying to bring the newly-approved items through the checkpoint, or yelled at for thinking you have to rid yourself of them because that’s what you were told the day before in Boise.

So, what can you bring through today?

• Over-the-counter medications
• Prescription medications in liquid, gel, or aerosol form
• Ice packs or gel packs for preserving necessary medical items
• Baby and toddler food and beverages
• Wet cell batteries
• Live fish transported in water
• Biological samples
• Breast milk and infant formula
• Liquid-filled baby teethers
• Duty-free products, as long as they are sealed in tamper-evident bags
• Fresh eggs

Good luck with the wet cell batteries.

The TSA also noted this list does not apply to passengers holding tickets in Basic Economy — or Delta Main Basic — as any passenger holding a Basic ticket is not permitted to bring anything through the checkpoint at all, and instead must fit themselves on the belt and through the x-ray machine or risk being denied boarding.

CommuteAir Extends with United, Considers Branching Out

CommuteAir announced this week it extended its agreement to fly its fleet of ERJ145 aircraft on behalf of United Express through at least 2028. CommuteAir operates 64 of the 50-seat planes on behalf of United, mostly out of UA’s hubs at both Houston/IAH and Washington/Dulles.

Part of the agreement included a poison pill that if the regional carrier was required to fly to and from Newark on a regular basis it could either drop the contract immediately or require United CEO Scott Kirby to move into a highway-view room at the Howard Johnson that sits at the threshold to runway 22R for the duration of the deal.

In addition to extending its agreement with United, the carrier tells Cleveland.com it’s considering flying scheduled ops under its own brand. CEO Rick Hoefling said the airline is targeting “second and third tier cities” that have lost service in recent years — which is a brilliant strategy. Nothing endears a company to a new market than publicly declaring it a “second or third tier city.” Couple that with the age-old concept of “let’s try to fly to these places everyone else has left and we’ll make money doing it” and this is a great idea.

• Air Vanuatu could be back.
• Armenia Airways‘s only freighter is no more.
• Azul is feeling blue.
• BermudAir has a third airplane.
• Cathay Pacific is returning to Adelaide. Pick us up a bit of Vegemite while you’re there, mate.
• China Airlines is adding to its B777 freighter fleet.
• EVA is adding free Wi-Fi for its loyalty members.
• Finnair will operate a record number of flights to Lapland. In return, Santa has deemed the airline “nice.”
• flydubai is returning to Damascus after 12 years away.
• IndiGo‘s finances are going great.
• Lufthansa‘s winter schedule — darkest winter included — is now available for purchase.
• Norse Atlantic lost $15 million during Q1.
• Qatar had a profitable year despite having lost track of a B747-8 it was going to use for something or other.
• RwandAir is adding a leased A330 this summer to help its operation to and from Europe.
• SAS returned to the Pacific Northwest.
• South African is bringing back several shuttered routes.
• Southwest will not allow to check bags with portable chargers or put them in the overhead bins anymore.
• Sun PhuQuoc Airways is now a thing. Sometimes the jokes write themselves.
• SWISS is always behind on trends, so it is canceling flights this summer due to a pilot shortage.
• Volotea is deferring the launch of its IPO.
• Wizz Air UK took delivery of its first A321XLR.

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