Economy Class & Beyond

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 Sadly, for those who love the long four-engined Airbus A340-600, Virgin Atlantic has finally withdrawn the type after capacity drops meant the type was not required in service any … [Read more...]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...]

Austrian Airlines strip seats from their Boeing 777 aircraft

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With Austrian Airlines extending their grounding until the end of May, the airline is making use of its wide-bodied Boeing 777 aircraft - by stripping out their seats. Austrian Airlines Boeing 777-20ER departing Chicago O’Hare – Image, Economy Class and Beyond The airline had ceased regular operation of its flights since 18th March, with 70 aircraft parked at Vienna … [Read more...]

Lufthansa Group to make face masks mandatory from 4th May

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If you're planning to take a Lufthansa Group Airline (Lufthansa, Lufthansa CityLine or SWISS), you'd better put a face mask on, as from the 4th May, passengers will be required to wear one onboard. Lufthansa Airbus A319 at Hamburg Airport - Image, Economy Class and Beyond.  You'll need to have a mask that has a mouth-nose cover onboard their flights. As well as … [Read more...]

SAS Group prepares to make major cuts to their workforce

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SAS Group is suffering - like most airlines as COVID-19 takes its toll. As a result, it has chosen to cut it staff - by 5000 full-time posts. SAS Airbus A340-300 taxing at Chicago O'Hare International Airport - Image, Economy Class and Beyond For SAS, the result of COVID-19 is a nasty one - with demand is expected to be significantly affected during the remainder of … [Read more...]