Economy Class & Beyond

A smaller Virgin Atlantic future – major cuts ahead

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Virgin Atlantic's future looks to be a lot smaller than it currently is, with fewer people in post, twos less type of aircraft to be operated and one less hub. A Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 at London Heathrow in happier times - Image, Economy Class and Beyond. COVID-19 as we all know is damaging the aviation industry at all angles and Virgin Atlantic is no … [Read more...]

KLM to make face masks mandatory and scale up its network

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KLM is doing two things at once - making face masks compulsory and scaling up its network. KLM CityFlyer Embraer E-175 at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport - Image, Economy Class and Beyond  Firstly, the face masks - they'll be a fact of life on KLM flights from the 11th May 2020, with them being compulsory until 31 August 2020. The airline argues that In situations where … [Read more...]

Air Canada to slash its fleet by 79 aircraft

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The ongoing fleet cuts continue, with Air Canada announcing their results today, and the same time choosing to wave goodbye to certain aircraft in their fleet. Up for the cut are 79 older aircraft from its fleet. These are Boeing 767 (used with Air Canada Rouge) 25 aircraft Air Canada Rouge Boeing 767-300ER climbing out  Dublin Airport Airbus A319 (16 in … [Read more...]

Airplane Art – Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-600 at London Heathrow Airport

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It's Sunday again, so it must be time for some more airplane art. This week, we have a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-600 being prepared for its next flight at its home base of London Heathrow. Sadly, for those who love the long four-engined Airbus A340-600, Virgin Atlantic has finally withdrawn the type after capacity drops meant the type was not required in service any … [Read more...]

Last Week at Economy Class and Beyond (3rd May)

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We've entered May... although living in lockdown, it seems time is in an odd loop. Welcome to another week at Last Week at Economy Class and Beyond. In one of my trips to get essential supplies, I passed through the centre of Birmingham and the Bullring Centre... and it's... well... empty. For reference, this was shot at 16:20 in the afternoon on a Saturday. Normally, this … [Read more...]

Eurostar travellers will be required to wear face masks from 4th May

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It seems that the requirement of wearing a face mask when travelling is growing, with Eurostar making it a requirement when travelling with them from the 4th May 2020. Eurostar trains at London St Pancras - Image, Economy Class and Beyond Eurostar state the following: From 4 May, passengers must wear a face mask or face covering at our stations and on board in line … [Read more...]

Delta to retire its McDonnell Douglas fleet (MD-88/MD-90)

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It seems the fleet cuts have arrived at Delta, with the airline planning to retire its McDonnell Douglas fleet - the MD-88 and MD-90 aircraft. A Delta McDonnell Douglas aircraft taking off - Image, Delta. With the downturn in traffic comes the need to remove aircraft from the fleet., Delta will be retiring the MD-88 and MD-90 aircraft earlier than previously planned. … [Read more...]

North American carriers begin implementing requirements to wear face coverings (JetBlue, Frontier, American, Delta)

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Three carriers today in North America today announced the requirement to have face coverings when they choose to fly with them. Let's review the current state of face masks.   JetBlue JetBlue Airbus A320 at Washington Dulles Airport JetBlue was the first to announce this move and will require all customers will be required to wear a face-covering during travel … [Read more...]

The American Airlines fleet is going to shrink… by a lot

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American Airlines has announced fleet cuts - and they're rather large ones as legacy aircraft are set to be withdrawn from the fleet thanks to COVID-19. Let's go through the slicing and dicing. Five fleets won't be coming back, with the airline saying it is to accelerate the retirement of some older, less fuel-efficient aircraft from its fleet sooner than originally … [Read more...]

British Airways to say goodbye to Gatwick?

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Could COVID-19 be the final thing that makes British Airways walk away from its old Gatwick Hub? A report on BBC News indicates that this could well be on the cards. From the memo to Gatwick staff, the following is stated:  "As you know, we suspended our Gatwick flying schedule at the start of April and there is no certainty as to when or if these services can … [Read more...]

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