Pilar Wolfsteller
Pilar Wolfsteller, Americas Air Transport Editor, is based in Las Vegas and brings a pilot’s perspective to her beat. She covers airlines across the hemisphere and her interests also include future-oriented sustainable aviation technology and urban air mobility projects. Pilar began her journalism career at the global news agencies Bloomberg and Reuters, and has reported from more than 50 countries.
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NewsUS regional carrier ExpressJet plans comeback
ExpressJet, a US regional carrier which ceased operations in September, has requested to resume scheduled service under its own brand.
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Xwing conducts first fully autonomous gate-to-gate cargo flight
Autonomous aircraft company Xwing says its Cessna Grand Caravan 208B has completed its first “fully autonomous gate-to-gate demonstration of a commercial cargo aircraft”.
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Delta loses $1.2bn in Q1, aims for profitable Q3
Delta Air Lines aims to return to profitability in the third quarter as domestic travel ramps up following the year-long coronavirus downturn.
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American plans to fly 90% of domestic capacity during the summer
American Airlines says that it plans to fly 90% of its normal domestic seat capacity and 80% of its international capacity during the summer season as customers begin to return to air travel in greater numbers after the beginning of the coronavirus health crisis.
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WestJet extends flight suspensions to sun destinations
WestJet has extended its temporary suspension of flights to southern destinations until 4 June as the Canadian air travel industry continues struggling with the coronavirus crisis.
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Air Canada begins to offer refunds for non-refundable fares
Air Canada says it will begin to offer refunds to customers whose flights were cancelled or who did not use their non-refundable tickets due to the coronavirus crisis that has been dragging on for more than a year.
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United launches ‘sustainable’ fuel investment scheme
United Airlines has launched “Eco-Skies Alliance”, a programme through which it will allow customers and corporate partners to invest in sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
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Canada takes equity stake in Air Canada in C$5.9bn bailout deal
The government of Canada will take an equity stake in legacy carrier Air Canada after the company struck a deal for financial support as the coronavirus crisis continues to tear into the airline’s business.
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Porter again delays restart, to 21 June
Canada’s Porter Airlines has once again delayed its restart for another month as travel restrictions in that country continue to disrupt the industry.
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Andrew Levy’s low-cost Avelo Airlines hits the ground running
Avelo Airlines, industry veteran Andrew Levy’s new carrier, made a splash last week when it landed in the US low-cost-carrier pool, offering $19 fares and flights from the Los Angeles area to nearly a dozen cities in the western third of the country.
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Southwest recalls all flight attendants
Southwest Airlines has recalled all of the flight attendants who had taken long-term voluntary leave as the airline prepares for a domestic recovery which is progressing faster than expected.
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ALPA calls on US government to help boost pilot diversity
Pilot union Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) has called on the US government to help diversify the pilot ranks by making it easier for under-represented groups such as women and minorities to have access flight training.
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New carrier Connect Airlines to launch US-Canada flights in October
A new regional carrier called Connect Airlines plans to begin passenger flights in October between the USA and Toronto’s Billy Bishop City airport.
- Interview
How Jude Bricker transformed Sun Country on journey to IPO
In four short years, former Allegiant president Jude Bricker has taken the Midwest niche carrier from near-death to a stock market IPO, aided by a well-timed venture into cargo markets with Amazon
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US start-up Avelo Airlines launches ticket sales
A new US passenger carrier start-up called Avelo Airlines is now selling tickets and plans to start revenue flights on 28 April.
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Allegiant to open crew base in Austin
Allegiant Air will invest $75 million in opening a base in Austin, Texas as it explores more ways to benefit from the rebound in leisure travel following the year-long coronavirus crisis.
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United will train 5,000 pilots by 2030, half to be women or minorities
United Airlines says that it will train 5,000 new pilots in the next ten years through its “Aviate” pilot recruiting programme, with at least half of those to be women and people of colour.
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Delta cancels more than 100 flights due to staff shortage
Delta Air Lines has cancelled more than 100 flights over the busy Easter holiday weekend due to staffing issues.
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Major US airlines’ booking websites apparently crash
Several major US airlines appear to be experiencing technical problems that are preventing customers from booking flights on their websites.
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US domestic air travel to normalise by 2022: report
A new report by consulting firm Oliver Wyman says that US domestic air travel is expected to make a full recovery by early next year.
