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Regional aircraft recovery stalls after early pandemic rebound

Courtney Miller·January 6, 2022

Today, the same intuition that initially drove the networks to preserve breadth – the points on route maps – through flying smaller aircraft has shown a recent shift away from the regional aircraft. The recent new trend signals a potential change for the regional aircraft industry, and for the small communities that rely on a connection to the world’s aviation system.

Focus is on its factory, but A220-500 on Airbus’s agenda

Jon Ostrower and Howard Slutsken·December 13, 2021

Now the A220, Airbus’s journey has been one of integration since the deal was finalized in July 2018; accelerating production, while retooling its supply chain and factory operations to reduce the cost of production. The jet’s customers are formalizing their ask of the plane maker, a stretched A220 — a model 500 — that would find itself in a spot once occupied by the sunsetting A320ceo, an airplane seating about 150 in two-classes.

The last leg of the U.S. airline recovery is going to be the hardest

Courtney Miller·November 29, 2021

TAC Analysis details its 2022 forecast in two parts, continuing with the obstacles and opportunities facing airlines heading into the new year. The United States traffic doubled in 2021, rebounding as passengers continue to return to the skies, but the remaining recovery will be paced by the airlines’ ability to accept it. Touching 89% of 2019 levels on Thanksgiving weekend, we expect the recovery to stall, ending 2022 still below 100%.

Like it or not, the foundations for single-pilot flying are being laid today

Jon Ostrower·November 21, 2021

A pilot shortage is shaping the debate over single-pilot cockpits, while Airbus CEO grabs aviation’s third rail with both hands.

How a regional aircraft is flown today will define its prospects tomorrow

Courtney Miller·August 4, 2021

There’s no one definition of a regional airline and that shows in the pandemic’s rebound. TAC Analysis continues its exploration of which types of regional airlines are excelling in the pandemic era, which are struggling, and what this means for the various aircraft types operating at each.

Premium economy’s surprising pandemic rebound

Courtney Miller·July 7, 2021

As the traffic recovery continues, passengers are migrating toward different levels of service as the cabin continues on a path toward even-greater segmentation. There’s no one standard definition of what premium economy is or how it’s deployed, but there is a growing passenger preference emerging. Around the globe, premium economy is outpacing the return of other higher-fare classes

Three Points: Delta’s deals are done, business travel’s green shoots, Alice’s new look

Jon Ostrower·July 6, 2021

Delta's A350 & 737 deals are done, clear signs of business travel's green shoots, Eviation's new look for its all-electric Alice.

United & Delta, head-to-head, chart different paths for fleet additions

Jon Ostrower·June 29, 2021

United unveiled a record deal on Tuesday with Boeing and Airbus for 270 new aircraft, but don’t take your eye off Delta.

Three Points: Airbus supplier reintegration, 737 Max grounding grounding, a swift U.S. refleeting

Jon Ostrower·April 27, 2021

Airbus is bringing its biggest aerostructures suppliers home as part of a far-reaching strategy to deeply integrate both its design and supply chain architecture together for future aircraft. A batch of more than 100 recently-delivered Boeing 737 Max aircraft remain grounded following a design change that inadvertently interrupted safe electrical discharge inside areas of the flight deck. And since the start of the pandemic the U.S. has led new aircraft ordering globally by a large margin.

The global aircraft fleet recovery is a tale of trifurcation

Courtney Miller·April 21, 2021

The global airline fleet is not recovering evenly. With global scheduled capacity up over 92% from April 2020, that metric serves better to illustrate just how terrible last April was than how good we find it in 2021. Compared to 2019, the global fleet is producing 53% fewer seat-miles. We’re a long way from where we were before the pandemic.

On Dec. 22 Boeing and Alaska Airlines announced a restructured deal for 68 firm 737 Max aircraft.

Alaska maps its 2020s with Boeing and leaves Virgin strategy behind

Jon Ostrower·January 14, 2021

Log-in here if you’re already a subscriber Release DateJanuary 14, 2021Alaska maps its 2020s with Boeing and leaves Virgin strategy...

Furloughs, aircraft retirements put a ceiling on airline recovery

Courtney Miller·October 14, 2020

Airlines can’t get back to 2019 levels if they furlough staff and retire portions of their fleets. The expiration of the airline provisions in the U.S.’s CARES Act puts the industry’s recovery at risk as airlines decide whether to keep staff in the face of mounting losses.