Frontier Smells ULCC Blood, Expands its Frontiers
Frontier dropped 20 new routes into its community like confetti this week, spanning Baltimore, Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, and Houston, with just a few worldwide performs to Central America to finish the set. The airline says it’s about “serving the highest 20 U.S. metros,” however let’s be actual — that is additionally about circling Spirit’s carcass. Whereas Spirit warns it may not make it one other 12 months, Frontier is busy planting flags in each market the place Spirit as soon as roamed with its yellow airplanes, hoping vacationers received’t discover the swap so long as the fare is 2 digits, begins with a one and ends with “plus charges.”
Armed with shiny A321neos and the boldness of an airline that simply barely misplaced solely $70 million final quarter, Frontier is charging straight into Spirit’s territory like a reduction gladiator. It’s the basic ULCC playbook: flood the map, chase the headlines, and pray sufficient individuals pay for carry-ons — or $69 elite standing to get that “free carry-on” — to maintain the lights on. Whether or not this enlargement turns into dominance or simply extra stranded passengers at Fort Lauderdale, one factor’s clear, Frontier smells blood within the water, and it’s coming for Spirit’s lunch cash.
Frontier’s new frontiers embrace:
Baltimore: Cancun (1x weekly), Fort Lauderdale (3x weekly), Houston/IAH (3x weekly), New Orleans (2x weekly)
Charlotte: Detroit (2x weekly), Fort Lauderdale (3x weekly)
Chicago/ORD: Fort Lauderdale (3x weekly)
Dallas/DFW: Fort Lauderdale (3x weekly), New Orleans (2x weekly)
Detroit: Cancun (1x weekly), Fort Lauderdale (3x weekly), Houston/IAH (3x weekly), Miami (3x weekly), New Orleans (3x weekly)
Houston/IAH: Fort Lauderdale (1x weekly), Guatemala Metropolis (2x weekly), New Orleans (2x weekly), Philadelphia (3x weekly) San Salvador (3x weekly), San Pedro Sula (1x weekly)
For extra on Frontier’s quest to squash Spirit, please go to Thursday’s publish on crankyflier.com.
Mexico Metropolis Provides U.S. Airways Their Toys Again
After years of slicing U.S. carriers’ slots at Mexico Metropolis’s Benito Juárez Airport beneath the guise of “congestion administration,” Mexico has all of a sudden determined to return the goodies. We postulate that it discovered that on the subject of Mexican delicacies, congestion administration doesn’t imply what the airport thinks it does.
United confirmed the reversal in an August 18 submitting, so all these slots carved up again in winter 2022–2023 are supposedly again on the desk. Why the reversal? Effectively it’s the Mexican authorities, so who is aware of. For now, let’s name it a mixture of U.S. authorities stress, commerce diplomacy, and possibly somebody realizing it’s not an ideal look when your “world capital” airport has extra cancellations than tacos on a Tuesday.
After all, the satan’s nonetheless within the particulars: nobody is aware of precisely what number of slots, which airways, or whether or not these will really stick. It may imply extra flights from American, Delta, and United — or it may simply imply countless paperwork whereas Mexico’s shiny new Felipe Ángeles Airport retains gathering cobwebs. Mexico’s transportation ministry is enjoying the quiet accomplice and providing zero public readability. However the two international locations are sharing a World Cup subsequent summer season — together with Canada, so there’s that.
Vacationers would possibly find yourself seeing extra nonstop U.S.–Mexico Metropolis flights, assuming this isn’t simply airspace diplomacy dressed up as progress. Within the meantime, can we curiosity you in a large open flight at filth low cost costs to Mexico Metropolis’s new airport? All you want is a airplane stuffed with cargo and also you’re set.
Boston is Delta’s Newest Euro Progress Hub — No Ballot Wanted
Delta simply can’t cease flexing at Logan. Beginning summer season 2026, it’s including Madrid and Good to the lineup, managing to take action with out asking SkyMiles members which of the 2 they like. All of the whereas bumping Barcelona to every day and pushing Milan/MXP to begin earlier into the season. Which means 12 European cities on faucet from Boston subsequent summer season, flown totally on shiny A330-900neos that make JetBlue’s shrinking transatlantic footprint appear to be a weekend pastime undertaking.
And the subtext right here isn’t delicate: Delta is utilizing Boston to stomp on JetBlue’s desires the best way you stomp out a Dunkin’ cup in a crosswalk along with your Coca-Cola can. JetBlue tried to play “cool child with London flights,” however Delta rolled in with a complete continent value of choices, like Oprah handing out boarding passes: “You get Madrid, you get Good, everyone will get Europe!” For Bostonians, it’s a buffet. For JetBlue, it’s a reminder that Delta doesn’t simply compete — it overwhelms.
Lufthansa’s “Matrix Subsequent Degree”: One Hub to Rule Them All
In a transfer that reads like a company energy carry, Lufthansa Group is pulling the plug on autonomy for Austrian, SWISS, Brussels, and the remainder of its Lufthansa Group mates, centralizing planning, gross sales, and loyalty at its Frankfurt HQ as early as subsequent 12 months. What does this imply? Effectively for one factor, these shiny Zurich and Vienna boardrooms will quickly solely management cabin service whereas strategic selections get a one-way ticket to Germany. It’s effectivity, Lufthansa-style — roughly a thousand Excel sheets layered into one mega-control freak fest.
Sure, Lufthansa needs pristine margins and streamlined operations — focusing on an 8% working revenue margin, apparently impressed by SWISS’s constant wins. However right here’s the factor, airways like SWISS constructed their popularity on native autonomy, regional loyalty, and high-quality service. Now they’re being lowered to “onboard expertise suppliers” whereas Frankfurt dictates their schedule, pricing, and community, making them, successfully, glorified tray-wearers. This isn’t simply structural reshuffling. It’s cultural turf warfare, and if the Swiss aren’t furious, they’ve at the very least employed extra therapists.
Korean’s Massive Procuring Day
Korean Air spent a busy week on the SkyMall, dropping a file $50 billion on 103 new Boeing jets plus a $13.7 billion engine and repair bundle with GE. The order covers all the pieces from 777-9s and 787-10s to 737 MAX 10s and 777-8 freighters — mainly a Costco bulk purchase of Boeing’s whole catalog. It’s the airline’s greatest order ever and a loud message: post-Asiana merger it’s gonna want numerous airplanes.
For Boeing, that is the type of headline order it desperately wanted after years of drama; for Korean, it’s a chest-thump that claims, “we’ll take Europe, the Americas, and half the cargo market too, thanks. And we would have the capability to lastly begin that Seoul – Cleveland continuous everybody’s been asking for.”
Air India Categorical joined IATA. It’ll must memorize the key handshake now.
Air Mauritius is in search of a redo on its A350 order.
Air New Zealand‘s funds aren’t crushing it.
Contour is including the Caribbean to its route map.
Delta is paying practically $79 million to settle a lawsuit. It provided the equal in SkyMiles however the quantity that might equal $79 million value of SkyMiles is so massive, it hasn’t been invented but.
El Al‘s Q2 wasn’t nice.
EVA‘s latest accomplice is Southwest. Assigned seats and bag charges for everyone!
Finnair is including to its community in southern Europe.
GOL expects to return to Chile, Ecuador, and Peru.
JetBlue confirmed Condor is including Blue stripes to its planes after saying TrueBlue earn and burn alternatives on the service.
Kenya Airways acquired a much-needed mortgage.
KLM will return to Tel Aviv on the finish of September.
LOT has put numerous thought into its future A220 cabins.
Norse Atlantic is including workplace personnel in Riga.
Qantas ended its fiscal 12 months with a revenue of $2.4 billion which is roughly equal to US$99 and a tin of Vegemite.
Lufthansa confirmed its funding into airBaltic.
Ryanair will quick monitor supply of 25 plane from Boeing.
Thai expects a six month supply delay on its B787s to late 2027.
In her single days, Mrs. Potato Head really refused thus far Walter Cronkite or Vin Scully as a result of they had been simply commentators.
