On the Go – March 31, 2023

Industry News – Click on the title to read the full article. Many of the sources below require a free registration to gain access to the article. If a paid registration is required, the individual source will be noted.

Airlines

Airlines To Trim Flights Due To Air Traffic Controller Shortage (Source: CNBC)
The Federal Aviation Administration has asked airlines to trim summer flight schedules in the New York City and Washington, D.C., areas due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. “We don’t want to pull down flights,” said JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes, “but if we don’t cut them the system is not going to be workable this summer.”

Airlines Invest In Updating Seats, Interiors (Source: CNBC)
The aircraft interiors sector is growing as airlines invest in cabin updates, including work refurbishing seats aboard commercial aircraft. In 2022, airlines updated seats and other interior features.

American And United Cut Spring Flights Due To Pilot Shortage, Aircraft Delays (Source: Airline Weekly)
Come June, Erie, Pa., will be a one airline town. United Airlines will end flights to the community on the shores of the lake of the same name leaving American Airlines as the community’s sole air carrier, a shift that comes as airlines struggle to recover and grow their schedules in a constrained market.  The cause for the Erie suspension, as a spokesperson for Chicago-based United put it, is the well-documented U.S. pilot shortage affecting primarily regional carriers. But pilots are not the only issue. Continuing aircraft delivery delays at Airbus and Boeing have also hamstrung airline schedules; the latest example being American’s decision to suspend flights between Philadelphia and Madrid in May and June due to late Boeing 787 deliveries, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Delta Air Lines Invests $1.5B At NYC Airport (Source: Insider)
Delta Air Lines is investing $1.5 billion in upgrades at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, where Delta has consolidated its operations at Terminal 4. Delta has so far opened improved gates and ticket counters, as well as a new cargo facility to support the carrier’s cargo operation, which earned $1 billion in revenue for the carrier in 2022 and 2021.

Airports

An Inside Look At Florida Airport Lost And Found (Source: WESH-TV)
A peek inside the lost and found department at Florida’s Orlando International Airport reveals an assortment of abandoned items that include a used Keurig coffee maker and a karaoke machine, as well as the more typical electronic devices, hats, coats and stuffed animals. Given the location, it’s not surprising to find many theme park souvenirs, with Star Wars lightsabers being the most numerous.

A New ‘Air Taxi’ Service Is Coming To Chicago O’Hare International Airport (Source: Travel Market Report)
Travelers landing at Chicago O’Hare airport will soon have a new option to get from the airport to the city’s downtown.  United Airlines is bringing a new air taxi service to the airport that will allow guests to go from O’Hare to a landing pad about three miles west of the South loop neighborhood, which is not far from the Chicago downtown.

Hotels

IHG’s First Vignette Collection Hotel In The Americas (Source: Travel Market Report)
IHG Hotels and Resorts on Tuesday officially welcomed Yours Truly D.C., the company’s first Vignette Collection hotel in the Americas, to its growing portfolio.  The hotel sits in D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood, offering 355 guestrooms not far from The White House and the Washington Monument in the U.S. capitol. IHG says the hotel is a “bohemian-inspired haven.”