First class is having a moment. JetBlue’s expansion to Spain was part of a high-profile slate of new airline routes. And Amtrak makes a special appearance in this week’s Aviation newsletter — which is the last of the year! Where does the time go? For now, here’s what we need to catch you up on since our last newsletter.
JetBlue is not alone. Frontier Airlines is straying from its no-frills business model by announcing its own first-class seating plans. It comes as carriers scramble to find new premium products to sell amid a dramatic change in passengers’ purchasing preferences following the pandemic lockdown. Legacy carriers like American, Delta and United have long offered such products, but airlines that haven’t are now looking for new premium offerings. Even Southwest has joined the fray with plans for extra-legroom seats.
Elsewhere, JetBlue also made headlines by saying it would add Spain to its route map for the first time ever. Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines made waves of its own by saying it would redeploy some of merger partner Hawaiian Airlines’ wide-body planes to Seattle, where they’ll fly international routes to Asia. It’s part of a bold new plan by Alaska to transform its Seattle hub into an international gateway — a move that will raise the competitive pressure there on rival Delta.
Now, let’s close out with a shoutout to Amtrak, which is a popular option alongside the airlines on Northeast routes between Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. The sleek new trainsets representing Amtrak’s future for its Acela high-speed service are finally expected to go into operation after years of delays. Amtrak also revealed that its Guest Rewards loyalty program has passed 20 million members. TPG’s Zach Griff had an exclusive interview with Amtrak’s loyalty chief to chart how the program has evolved.
That’s it for this week — and for this year. I’ll be back with you on Jan.1. Happy New Year!
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