Flightline 24 - August 25, 2025

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British Airways (BA) has confirmed its return on the London Heathrow (LHR) to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) sector, with daily service set to resume on October 26. Flights between the two oneworld alliance mega hubs willbe operated by Airbus A350-1000 equipment in the winter, with late March seeing a Boeing 777 put on the roster. Over the years, this former British Caledonian route has seen McDonnell Douglas DC-10s, Boeing 747-400s, 777-200s, 777-300s, and 787-10s.

Viva (VB) is topping up their U.S. network from Mexico City Santa Lucia (NLU), with 3x weekly flights to Austin, Texas (AUS) starting on November 20.

Delta Air Lines (DL) is expanding its Austin focus city with the addition of a trio of new routes, with two of those starting on June 7: daily to Columbus, Ohio (CMH) and twice daily to Kansas City (MCI). A double daily run to Denver (DEN) starts on November 9 and will be operated by SkyWest Airlines (OO) Embraer E175s under the Delta Connection banner.

AeroMexico (AM) will add daily winter seasonal flights from Mexico City (MEX) to Tulum (TQO) on October 26.

Southwest Airlines (WN) is adding five weekly sun destinations on March 7:

• Indianapolis (IND) to Los Cabos (SJD)

• Kansas City to Punta Cana, D.R. (PUJ)

• Nashville (BNA) to Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ) and San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO)

• St. Louis, Mo. (STL) to Puerto Vallarta (PVR)

• San Diego (SAN) to Puerto Vallarta (5x weekly from March 5)

Pakistan Int’l Airlines (PK) has again pushed back the resumption of flights from Islamabad (ISB) to Manchester (MAN), with the Boeing 777-200 route now showing an October 26 start date.

British Airways will not resume flights from London Gatwick (LGW) to New York Kennedy (JFK), a move that will assuredly bring smiles to Norse Atlantic Airways (N0) executives.

Delta Air Lines will close its station an Midland, Texas (MAF) on November 8 when the route to Austin ends. You may recall Delta only informed Midland it was starting this route two days before it commenced.

Delta will also cull two routes from Las Vegas (LAS) on January 11 - Sacramento, Calif. (SMF) and San Jose, Calif. (SJC).

On August 20, 2025, a man without any form of ID or travel documentation managed to board a Norwegian (DY) operated flight from Tromsø (TOS) to Oslo (OSL). He slipped through the boarding gate by tailing another passenger, according to Tromsø Airport. The security breach was detected only after in‑flight disruption prompted police intervention. In response, both Tromsø Airport and Norwegian initiated thorough reviews of their boarding and security procedures, highlighting the exceptional rarity of such incidents. Norwegian confirmed the case has been reported to the relevant authorities. Notably, this is not the first such occurrence at Tromsø Airport; a similar attempt in 2023 was intercepted before takeoff at the temporary international terminal.

LOT Polish Airlines (LO) reported strong performance metrics for July 2025. The airline carried a record 1,185,946 passengers and operated 11,072 flights, averaging over 350 flights per day. The total block hours for the month were 25,623 hours. Looking ahead, LOT is planning significant growth, with a projected 50 percent increase in its aircraft fleet by 2028. Additionally, the Polish flag carrier expects a 70 percent surge in passenger numbers, reaching nearly 17 million annual passengers by that point.

🇨🇦 🇺🇸 There has been considerable discussion about passenger traffic declines between Canada and the U.S. amid recent geopolitical tensions. No opinions here, just facts for air crossings. Let’s compare August 2024 with August 2025. Last year, airlines scheduled 15,771 flights with 1,797,951 seats available. This August saw 14,943 flights and 1,703,199 seats available - both representing a 5.3 percent decline from last year. In addition, Canadians traveling to the U.S. this year can reach 53 airports, down from 60 last year, a 12 percent reduction.

After a five-year pause, direct flights between China and India are set to resume soon, once bilateral agreements are updated and signed by the respective governments.

American Airlines (AA) pilots, represented by the Allied Pilots Association (APA), have filed a formal grievance in response to management’s plan to codeshare on long-haul international routes operated by Alaska Airlines (AS) using Boeing 787 aircraft, asserting that such a move violates their pilot contract’s scope clause. The union explained that the current agreement only allows domestic codeshares with Alaska and was never intended to include flights to Europe or Asia. These routes, which will utilize widebody jets acquired through Alaska’s merger with Hawaiian Airlines (HA), risk transferring valuable widebody flying to another carrier. The pilots argue that the introduction of American’s code onto Alaska’s expanded network amounts to “farming out” widebody flying that American crews should perform. The APA has filed expedited scope grievances slated for arbitration in October and maintains that scope protection is fundamental to preserving pilot jobs and future flying opportunities.

CORRECTION: Our last issue shared June passenger traffic totals at over 100 airports in the U.S. It was pointed out that we had listed Austin with 20,014,198 passengers, which would be quite a jump in traffic. The correct figure is 2,014,198.

TAKE TWO: British Airways is again facing scrutiny after a flight attendant, Haden Pentecost, was discovered naked and smoking methamphetamine in a lavatory during a long-haul service from California to London. Colleagues said Pentecost appeared agitated and incoherent before departure, and he failed to assist with standard pre-flight safety checks. Mid-flight, he locked himself in a lavatory under the pretense of stomach issues, where crew forced entry and found him unclothed. He was helped back to his seat, monitored by a medical professional onboard, and later handed over to paramedics at Heathrow. Blood tests confirmed methamphetamine and amphetamine in his system, and he has since pleaded guilty to performing an aviation duty while impaired.

Adding to the profile of the case, Pentecost is notably featured in one of British Airways’ pre-flight safety demonstration videos, making him a recognizable face to many frequent flyers. He has also maintained a well-known social media presence, where he frequently posted about his lifestyle and travels. British Airways has dismissed him following the incident. Importantly, this case is separate from the earlier San Francisco (SFO) to London Heathrow episode involving another crew member who caused disruption while naked and reportedly impaired.

Tata Group’s aviation operations, including full-service Air India (AI) and budget carrier Air India Express (IX), posted a combined pre-tax loss of approximately ₹9,568 crore, or about US $1.15 billion, in the fiscal year that ended March 2025. Breaking it down, Air India alone recorded a loss of ₹3,890 crore, or roughly $467 million, while Air India Express, notably once a profitable unit, suffered a loss of ₹5,678 crore, or around $681 million. Analysts say these results reflect the steep costs of restructuring, fleet integration, and the consolidation of AirAsia India into AI Express. It takes a while to turn a tanker around in the open ocean.

Spirit Airlines (NK) has recently been reported to be exploring a second bankruptcy filing, although there's no confirmation on this matter. The airline previously filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2024, citing financial struggles and increased operational costs. This move was designed to implement a restructuring support agreement supported by a supermajority of Spirit's investors, aiming to emerge from bankruptcy as a financially healthy business entity.

Spirit's financial woes are attributed to various factors, including a failed merger attempt with JetBlue Airways (B6), issues with Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan engines, and increased labor rates. Despite these challenges, the airline has secured $350 million in new equity investment and $840 million in new senior secured debt to bondholders as part of its restructuring plan. With this plan, Spirit expects to reduce total debt and gain increased financial flexibility.

July’s Most On-Time Airlines ⌚️ 

Air Cargo 📦️ 

The U.S. and its two neighbors and largest trading partners (Canada and Mexico) shipped $5 billion of air freight back and forth in June. The split was even - $2.5 billion between the U.S. and Canada, and the same with the U.S. and Mexico.

A Virgin Atlantic (VS) flight attendant, Kathryn Scott, 44, was recentlly removed from a flight at London Heathrow after crashing her car en route to the airport, abandoning the vehicle, and boarding while over four times the UK legal alcohol limit for aviation personnel. She blamed her condition on having drunk two glasses of wine the evening before and a diagnosed liver disorder that hinders alcohol metabolism, and she also claimed a steering fault caused the crash at a roundabout near Heathrow. Police conducted a breathalyser test revealing a blood alcohol level of 91 milligrams per 100 millilitres—well above the 20‑mg limit. Scott has pleaded not guilty to the charge of performing an aviation function while over the alcohol limit and will return to Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court for trial on December 11, 2025.

🇦🇪 A6-EXI, an Airbus A350-941, was delivered to Emirates (EK) August 23.

🇨🇳 B-227M, a Boeing 777/F, was delivered to China Cargo Airlines (CK) on August 23.

🇨🇳 B-32M1, an Airbus A319-153neo, was delivered to Air China (CA) on August 22.

🇨🇳 B-32M7, an Airbus A321-251neo, was delivered to China Southern Airlines (CZ) on August 22.

🇪🇸 EC-NAZ, an Airbus A320-271neo, was delivered to Iberia (IB) on August 21.

🇮🇪 EI-ILF, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Ryanair (FR) on August 22.

🇪🇹 ET-BAM, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Ethiopian Airlines (ET) on August 21.

🇰🇷 HL8718, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Eastar Jet (ZE) on August 22.

🇵🇦 HP-9808CMP, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Copa Airlines (CM) on August 21.

🇯🇵 JA986A, a Boeing 787-10, was delivered to All Nippon Airways (NH) on August 20.

🇯🇴 JY-RAL, an Airbus A320-271neo, was delivered to Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ) on August 22.

🇺🇸 N17406, a Boeing 737 MAX 9, was delivered to United Airlines on August 23.

🇺🇸 N22995, a Boeing 787-9, was delivered to United Airlines on August 23.

🇺🇸 N256BZ, an Airbus A220-300, was delivered to Breeze Airways (MX) on August 21.

🇺🇸 N3271J, an Airbus A220-300, was delivered to JetBlue Airways (B6) on August 23.

🇺🇸 N54538, an Airbus A321-271neo, was delivered to United Airlines on August 22.

🇺🇸 N594DA, an Airbus A321-271neo, was delivered to Delta Air Lines on August 20.

🇺🇸 N599DA, an Airbus A321-271neo, was delivered to Delta Air Lines on August 22.

🇹🇷 TC-LPS, an Airbus A321-271neo, was delivered to Turkish Airlines (TK) on August 22.

🇳🇱 PH-AXK, an Airbus A321-252neo, was delivered to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL) on August 21.

🇦🇺 VH-OGB, an Airbus A321-271neo, was delivered to Qantas (QF) on August 23.

🇮🇳 VT-NCX, an Airbus A321-251neo, was delivered to IndiGo (6E) on August 22.

$AAL ( ▲ 0.04% )  $ALGT ( ▲ 1.26% )  $ALK ( ▲ 2.42% )  $BA ( ▲ 0.03% )  $DAL ( ▲ 0.28% )  $FLYY ( ▼ 6.0% )  $JBLU ( ▼ 0.28% )  $LUV ( ▼ 0.57% )  $MESA ( ▲ 2.51% )  $RJET ( 0.0% )  $SKYW ( ▼ 1.04% )  $SNCY ( ▲ 1.87% )  $UAL ( ▲ 0.24% )  $ULCC ( ▼ 0.1% )  

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