United retired its last three B737-500s by end of May

US DOT tentatively okays Delta-WestJet JV

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has tentatively granted antitrust immunity to Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) and WestJet (WS, Calgary) for their proposed cross-border joint-venture but has ordered the carriers to exclude WestJet's LCC subsidiary Swoop (WO, Hamilton, ON) from the partnership.

In addition, the DOT ordered the carriers to divest eight slot pairs at New York La Guardia. The tentative approval also requires WestJet to provide interline access to certain US carriers and the removal from the agreement of "exclusivity provisions that could prohibit or limit a carrier from engaging in a business relationship with another carrier". The DOT also pledged to review the JV in five years' time.

"Without such conditions, we have assessed that the alliance could be harmful to competition without sufficient countervailing public benefits... Subject to remedies to address our concerns, the proposed immunized alliance is unlikely to materially harm competition in relevant markets," the DOT said.

The tentative order to show cause was issued on October 23, more than two years...

Missouri's GoJet Airlines retires CRJ700s

United Airlines eyes "aggressive" return to JFK

United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) has been working "very, very hard to use the pandemic as a way to get back into New York JFK" and is planning an aggressive expansion at the airport, Chief Executive Scott Kirby said during the carrier's third-quarter earnings call.

"Our initial return, I think, would be coming back into the transcontinental and perhaps service to our hubs... I look forward to getting back and competing aggressively and for our customers who want to be able to fly in those transcontinental markets," Kirby said.

United's hubs which would fall under the "transcontinental" label for prospective services from JFK are Los Angeles Int'l and San Francisco, CA. In the western and southern US, the airline also has bases at Houston Intc'l and Denver Int'l.

United Airlines left JFK in 2015 to focus its New York metro services at New York Newark, one of its key hubs, and to a lesser degree at New York La Guardia (which is served by United but is...

United takes over financing of 20 E175s from Mesa Air

Mesa Airlines (YV, Phoenix Sky Harbor) has said in a stock market disclosure that it agreed with United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) to transfer the financing burden of the planned acquisition of twenty ERJ 170-200LLs due to be operated by the regional capacity provider.

"Following recent discussions with United, [Mesa Airlines] has agreed that United will purchase the twenty E175LL in lieu of the company and will lease such aircraft to the company under terms to be agreed upon. The company expects to memorialize this new arrangement with United in a further amendment to the United Capacity Purchase Agreement," the airline said.

Under the original terms of the CPA agreed on in November 2019, Mesa Airlines planned to buy the twenty Embraer aircraft itself and operate them for 12 years under the United Express regional brand.

Following a COVID-induced delay, the first five E175LLs financed by United Airlines were delivered to Mesa in early October 2020 but have yet to be deployed into service. Four of them are parked at...