Aero Crew News, LLC

Alaska Update: Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are offering special fares starting at $390 one-way from Seattle or Portland to Sydney, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand, via Honolulu. https://lnkd.in/gRB5xtkx

Airbus 321XLR Update Flight attendants on Iberia's brand-new Airbus A321XLR are raising concerns about the excessively tight and impractical galley spaces. The galley space is shared with additional restrooms to meet the needs of long-haul flights. However, this arrangement reduces the already restricted space available on a narrow-body aircraft galley, making it difficult to perform tasks efficiently. The result is an operational bottleneck Details: https://lnkd.in/giyENW4c

Boeing Update: Boeing has secured a $2.38 billion Lot 11 contract from the U.S. Air Force to produce 15 additional KC-46A Pegasus tankers. https://lnkd.in/gUVrge7D

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Allegiant Update: Allegiant Air Teamsters pilots, Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien and General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman will hold a practice picket outside Allegiant’s corporate headquarters. The practice picket follows an overwhelming 97.4 percent vote by Allegiant Teamsters to authorize a strike if the carrier fails to reach a fair agreement rewarding and protecting 1,300 pilots, including 127 pilots in Las Vegas. https://lnkd.in/gDVPVsaF

Delta Air Lines Update: Delta Air Lines flight attendants are reportedly just days to weeks away from gathering enough union authorization cards to file with the National Mediation Board (NMB). If successful, this would initiate a vote on joining the AFA-CWA, potentially ending Delta’s status as the only major U.S. airline without a flight attendant union. The Flight Attendants seek parity with unionized counterparts at other airlines, where union agreements have secured improved working conditions and compensation. Supporters argue that a union could address issues more effectively than the current system, where management retains significant control over terms of employment.

JetBlue Staffing Update: JetBlue plans to downgrade 343 captains next year, citing capacity moderation and grounded planes due to engine issues. Bases like Los Angeles will be heavily impacted. No furloughs are planned. Talks with the pilots' union include early retirement offers as the carrier navigates financial pressures after a $60M Q3 loss. Details: https://lnkd.in/gf-66TD5

Boeing Update: Boeing and Avia Solutions Group, the world's largest ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, insurance) provider, today announced its first order with the company for 40 737-8s, with the potential to order 40 more later. https://lnkd.in/gTPmCVCP

Boeing Update: Boeing is laying off 2,199 employees in Washington, including over 400 engineers from SPEEA, starting December 20. The company cites financial adjustments and prioritization as reasons for the layoffs. Most affected workers will exit in January 2025, with severance, career transition support, and subsidized healthcare offered for up to three months.

BREAKING: Reuters is reporting that a group of U.S. senators is now officially urging the Biden administration to press ICAO to review its mandatory pilot retirement age of 65. Efforts to raise the U.S. pilot retirement age to 67 narrowly failed last year by one congressional vote, with critics citing misalignment with ICAO standards. The U.S. previously raised the age from 60 to 65 in 2007, only after ICAO made the same change. Opposition from ALPA and airline CEOs, including United’s Scott Kirby, focuses on collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) that lack provisions for pilots over 65 operating wide-body aircraft, as well as concerns about unknown safety risks. If the U.S. requested a policy change and ICAO considered it, ICAO would then commission a safety study. Experts believe such a study would either recommend keeping the age at 65 or recommend changes to ICAO Annex 1—Personnel Licensing, introducing stricter medical and cognitive testing standards. Critics warn these changes could apply to all pilots, not just those over 65. Change is unlikely to come quickly, as the previous adjustment took years. Even with a review, approval is not guaranteed, nor is it guaranteed that ICAO would adjust its policy to 67 precisely; they could set the age higher or lower. Details: https://lnkd.in/gCH-Ajb8