Breeze Wants Spirit Slots to Blow Away from Legacy Carriers

Breeze, along with Frontier and the Association of Value Airlines want assurances from the government that any future slot awards from the carcass of Spirit (or otherwise) go to its fellow LCCs and not to the big, bad legacy carriers.

The idea is to keep the slots within the LCC family one way or another. If Spirit can’t have them, then this group wants at least one of its brethren to keep the memory of Spirit alive by using its former assets. Frontier came in second for Spirit’s LGA slots earlier in the summer, just $1 million short of the $58.5 million offered by JetBlue. The Denver-based airline is not looking to overturn JetBlue’s auction win, but to simply ensure that American, Delta, Southwest, or United don’t end up with any other future offerings.

JetBlue currently has about 2.7% of LGA slots, and adding Spirit’s 22 will push it to 4.6%, still safely under the FAA’s 5% threshold for airlines with a limited presence at slot-controlled airports. ACI-NA, the trade group representing airports, filed its concern with the FAA that slots are considered liquid assets in a bankruptcy and sold to the highest bidder — whether or not that is or isn’t what’s best for the flying public.

Alaska Plans Growth at Seattle’s Other Airport

Alaska is not only the dominant carrier at Seattle/Tacoma International Airport, but the airline is expanding its presence across town in Everett at Seattle/Paine Field, the struggling second airport for the region.

Beginning this fall, the airline is growing seats by 50%, and adding new service to San Jose (CA). The SJC service will launch in the spring and operate 2x daily on Horizon. The carrier last operated PAE-SJC in 2020. In addition to SJC, Los Angeles will grow to 2x daily on B737s, Portland also expands to 2x daily, while San Diego and San Francisco will be upguaged to add more seats in the markets.

Frontier operated briefly at the airport last year, and United tried to make a go of it while straddling the pandemic from 2019-2021. But since Frontier left in 2025, Alaska has once again been the lone operator at the airport… unless you count Boeing which flies airplanes out after it builds them. We don’t count Boeing.

American, STARLUX Grow Partnership

American Airlines — community and marketing partner of YOUR hopefully playoff-bound Arizona Diamondbacks — is expanding its interline agreement with STARLUX, adding a codeshare agreement between the two and an expansion to include frequent flier reciprocity.

The codeshare will be available beginning Wednesday for STARLUX’s flight from Taipei to Phoenix, and it will soon expand to flights from TPE on STARLUX to and from LAX, SFO, ONT, and SEA. STARLUX codes will be added to 26 American domestic flights from LAX and PHX to places people want to go to…and Newark.

AAdvantage members will be able to earn miles and loyAAlty points when flying STARLUX on an AA codeshAAre. The two say they will work together to expand future opportunities including mileage redemption and additional travel benefits. It feels like they are coming together to make this into one world….

Avelo Grows McKinney Prior to Opening

The Dallas Metroplex’s newest commercial airport doesn’t even open until November, but it’s already gaining new service as Avelo announced four new destinations from the airport.

As it currently stands, Avelo plans to inaugurate service at the airport on November 11 (with some markets a bit later) to the initial batch of destinations: Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale. But that won’t be all, as the carrier adds service from DTX to:

• Atlanta (4x weekly service begins December 16)
• Denver (4x weekly service begins December 16)
• Nashville (2x weekly service begins December 17)
• New Orleans (2x weekly service begins December 17)

As part of the expansion, Avelo will base a third B737-800 at the airport. The announcement comes after the airport earned its Airport Operating Certificate on Wednesday from the FAA. That process includes checks to ensure compliance with TSA and other federal government security standards, fuel spill procedures, guaranteeing no water bottle will be available in the airside terminal for less than $8, a turkey wrap that’s priced in tandem with the current going rate for a checked bag, and promising that one moving walkway will be out of service at all times.

Bonus points are awarded to airports if the closest restroom to your gate is closed for cleaning.

JSX Signs on for 50 ES-36s

JSX, everyone’s favorite airline that isn’t technically an airline, placed a deposit with Heart Aerospace for 50 ES-36s, with an option for another 50. The Swedish aircraft manufacturer unveiled its 36-seat hybrid electric regional aircraft this week and replaced the announced ES-30 deal with JSX for the exact same terms. The two agreed to roll over the ES-30 order to this ES-36, an aircraft that (if we ever actually see it) is expected to have 36 seats. In other news, we hear Cebu Pacific is interested in the airplane but it would require it to be renamed the ES-72, because 36 seats is just not enough on that sized airframe.

Heart currently hopes to put the planes into pre-production (although couldn’t everything until production begins be considered pre-production?) late in 2028, with the first plane entering service in 2031. So don’t hold your breath on this one.

The manufacturer expects other airlines with orders in for the ES-30 to roll over to the 36, including Air Canada and United. According to Heart, the ES-36 can fly up to 125 miles on its batteries and up to 745 miles when in hybrid mode. Operating costs are designed to be about 40% less than traditional regional aircraft and that’s before accounting for the superiority in operating a hybrid that’s currently only available to car owners.

• Air Canada‘s flight to Singapore will end in January.
• Air France reportedly has found that life a mile high does not suit the French palette, but we aren’t entirely sure about that.
• Air New Zealand is seeking a renewed partnership with Virgin Australia.
• Atlas Air‘s next investor could be coming from far away.
• BA is adding frequencies on its St. Louis flight from London/Heathrow.
• Biman Bangladesh, the airline best known for being the last to retire the DC-10 from passenger service, is adding 11 airplanes that are not DC-10s.
• Cabo Verde Airlines is rejoining IATA’s billing and settlement plan.
• Cathay Pacific is leaving Cairns.
• Condor needs to…strip itself of $230 million in costs in the next two years. It’s also adding new cities.
• Delta took delivery of its first A321-200 in a charter configuration for the NBA. It also made its grand announcement about summer 2027. Buckle up folks, it’s a wild one.
• Emirates is pondering an aircraft swap.
• JAL is reportedly adding 20 E2s.
• JOY Airlines is joyless.
• Norse is down to just one U.S. route during winter.
• PIA is adding two wet-leased B787-9s from Norse. Of course it is.
• Qantas is now offering upgrades at the airport payable in cash or Vegemite.
• Qatar is retiring its final A330s.
• Riyadh Air is adding Jakarta to its route network.
• Ryanair is cutting back on its winter schedule while it finds someone to sue.
• SAS is opening a fancy new lounge in Copenhagen next year.
• SWISS may need a new hookup for A220 wet-leases as its current supplier is in financial peril.

My local librarian told me this week she is pregnant. “That’s incredible!,” I said, then asking “when is she due?”

“Oh no,” the librarian replied, “I get to keep her.”