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Brian and I sat down with Sun Country CEO Jude Bricker this week. He’s always good for a real conversation about what’s happening in this industry, and all of you get to benefit from hearing this thoughts. We talked about Spirit, Detroit, United, Detroit, and more Detroit. Detroit has really become a running joke at this point, but I’m here for it.

When you listen, make sure to go all the way to the end. Yes, listen beyond the credits. Trust me.

DOT Bids Adieu to Delta/Aeromexico JV

If you’re making a list of what airline partnerships will disappear in 2025, you can add the JV between Delta and Aeromexico as the DOT finalized its decision to revoke the antitrust immunity that the pair have shared for a decade. The joint venture will be officially dissolved on January 1 when the revocation of the antitrust immunity officially takes effect.

The decision by the DOT is based on what is says were actions by the Mexican government that hurt competition and violated the Air Transport Agreement between the U.S. and Mexico. These moves include a removal of slots from U.S. carriers and the ending of cargo-exclusive ops at Mexico City/MEX (to help prop up Mexico City/AIFA, the city’s newest airport).

Despite taking a machete to the JV, the government did leave the door cracked open ever so slightly for something to be salvaged. The order says that the two airlines’ application for immunity is now suspended — not denied — giving them the possibility that “if conditions change again, Delta and Aeromexico will have the opportunity to refresh the record and seek to demonstrate that a new joint venture will meet statutory standards.” But in the meantime, it’s auf wiedersehen to this memorable partnership.

Spirit Continues to Slash

Will the last one out at Spirit please remember to turn the lights off, put the BuzzBallz in the fridge, and lock the door? The carrier’s CEO Dave Davis told staff that it plans to cut its November schedule by 25% year-over-year (up from the current 13% filed decline), which leaves the question of exactly what routes Spirit will have left by the end of this year.

Davis says Spirit plans to only focus on its most profitable markets, which, sure, but the feeling of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic is really starting to seep out. He also warned that these reductions will inevitably lead to a need to cut jobs, but did not specify how many positions will be cut or when it might take place — a strategy that’s surely going to only improve morale among the long-suffering employee base.

The carrier already announced furloughs and pilot demotions earlier in the summer, another sign that things are headed for the toilet very quickly. Spirit lost more than $250 million in the brief period between March 13 when it exited Chapter 11 and the end of June. But if nothing else, the airline doesn’t seem shy about going out with a bang.

Allegiant Says Adios to Los Angeles

Allegiant will finally rip the band-aid off that it’s been slowly peeling back for months now, as the carrier prepares to end its two remaining routes to LAX, leaving the airport after 17 years.

The last two holdouts for Allegiant at LAX were Bellingham and Cincinnati, two perfectly random destinations that seem like the appropriate metaphor to be the final G4 holdouts at the airport. Bellingham service will move across town to Burbank, while those in the Cincinnati area will have to rely on their old friend Delta for nonstop service to Los Angeles.

The final flights will be on January 3, and are expected to lack the pizzazz we often see from inaugural flights. Maybe there will be a water cannon salute, and Allegiant will send the water bill to Spirit’s creditors, but we wouldn’t bet on it

Delta Announces Contest Winners

The winner of Delta’s vote to pick its newest European destinations is in, and shockingly, it was unable to pick just one. Surprisingly, it didn’t announce all three destinations — at least not yet — but the carrier will add service next summer to both Sardinia and Malta. Sardinia was the winner amongst SkyMiles members, while Malta got the nod from Delta employees, likely due to its quality layover hotels and what will surely be slam dunk nonrev opportunities.

Both routes will operated by the jewel aircraft in Delta’s fleet, its spry B767-300ERs, with Olbia (Sardinia) operating 4x weekly, and Malta 3x weekly. The JFK-MLA flight will mark the first nonstop service on the route since the mid 90s when Cranky Weekly Review favorite Balkan Bulgarian Airlines operated one-stop SOF-MLA-JFK service. With a hub in Sofia and focus cities in tourism meccas Burgas, Plovdiv, and Varna, Balkan Bulgarian was your one-stop shop for making memories behind the Iron Curtain.

What’s next for Delta? The possibilities are never-ending. A crowdsourced vote for its next domestic destination? Imagine a contest between St Petersburg, Islip, New Haven, or Hilo? What a battle that would be. Or SkyMiles members post their most absurd award redemptions, and a vote of the worst value of them all earns a 2-week stay in the Biscoff Tunnel in Atlanta? Stay tuned to see what happens next.

JetBlue Turns to Government for Slot Assistance

In Vegas, it’s the slot attendants that help when one needs slot-related help. But in the aviation world, it’s not that simple. JetBlue is turning to the federal government, urging the traditionally nimble body to make it easier for airlines other than the Big 4 to gain slots and increase competition.

JetBlue is hopeful the more business-friendly administration will be more willing to hold foreign governments accountable to current Open Skies agreements, with the Delta/Aeromexico ruling proof that B6 may be on the right track. The carrier is considering legal action against Portugal — which makes sense, who hasn’t had it up to here with the Portuguese? In JetBlue’s case, it’s access to operating in Lisbon that has it chapped and considering a suit.

This push for the JetBlue comes a year after it — alongside Frontier and Spirit — challenged the DOT’s slot allocation at Washington/National.

• Aer Lingus has a hankering for pulled pork with vinegar.
• Air Astana is considering U.S. service. Fingers crossed, Newark.
• Air Wisconsin is getting out of the EAS business.
• Air Zimbabwe is being sued.
• Alaska expects to finish Q3 at the lower end of its guidance.
• Cathay Pacific is going to the most magical place on early. No, not Newark.
• Garuda Indonesia signed two multi-year agreements with Turkish Technic.
• Gulf Air‘s new CEO is Martin Gauss. Source: Martin Gauss.
• Icelandair will add two more A321-200NX(LR)s late next year.
• IndiGo named Athens its first A321XLR destination.
• IranAir is going to court.
• Iraqi Airways hopes to be back flying in the EU by early next year.
• JetBlue unveiled a new New York Jets livery this week. The jet is expected to arrive on-time roughly five out of 17 tries this fall, and ultimately disappoint everyone approximately once per week, generally on Sunday but occasionally on a Thursday or Monday.
• KLM canceled about 100 flights on Wednesday due to a ground crew strike.
• Lufthansa is teaming up with Marriott Bonvoy to underwhelm customers both in the air and on the ground.
• Luxair has its first E195-E2 in its new livery.
• Malaysia announced a new codeshare with Qantas.
• PAL Airlines signed a friendly air ambulance charter contract.
• Ryanair will be debt free by middle of next year. Dave Ramsey would be proud.
• SAS‘s codeshare with Air Canada will end on September 30. In what is surely unrelated news, it also plans to begin a codeshare with WestJet.
• SpiceJet has a particularly spicy winter flying plan.
• TAP received its first A321neo with its new cabin.
• Turkish is launching a new route to Seville.
• United says things are going better at Newark. That’s a first.

When I was a kid, bedtime was 9 p.m. l couldn’t wait to be a grownup so I could go to bed anytime I wanted. Turns out that is 9 p.m.