21 Things To Expect From Commercial Aviation In 2021
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2020 has been a year that the airline industry will want to forget. Nonetheless, many lessons would have been learned and these will be taken into the new year. Let’s take a look at what we can look forward to in 2021 now that it has finally come.
As the sun sets on 2020, we can look forward to plenty of exciting prospects in 2021. Photo: Getty Images
21. Alaska’s
oneworld membership
It felt right to kick off the list with something that’s been highly anticipated, especially for
oneworld members. On March 31st, for the first time in its 88-year history, Alaska Airlines will become a member of a global airline alliance. Other carriers in the alliance have expressed their excitement about the move, especially Qatar Airways!
INT: Boeing 737 Max returns to US skies with first commercial flight on American Airlines inlandnewstoday.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from inlandnewstoday.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Boeing 737 Max made its official return to U.S. skies Tuesday, more than 20 months after the aircraft was grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration and about six weeks since it was recertified.
American Airlines Flight 718, the first commercial 737 Max flight by a major U.S. airline since its recertification Nov. 18, departed from Miami shortly before 10:30 a.m. EST and arrived at New York LaGuardia a little early at 1:12 p.m.
The airline has one of the largest 737 Max fleets in the USA – 24 planes at the time of the aircraft s grounding in March 2019.
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said at the time of recertification that the Dallas-based carrier, which had 34 of the planes when they were grounded, doesn t anticipate putting the 737 Max on the schedule before spring 2021. The airline confirmed to USA TODAY on Monday that the plane is not on its 2021 schedule yet.
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This year was, without a doubt, one we will never forget. The airline industry worldwide suffered and will continue suffering from the COVID-19 crisis. Latin American airlines were exempt, as some entered Chapter 11 reorganizations in the US, others disappeared altogether, but some are already thriving. Let’s do a quick recap of this past year.
Three of the main four Latin American airlines filed for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020. Photo: Getty Images
What it could have been
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expected Latin American carriers to have a small profit in 2020. According to its 2019 results, airlines in the region were going to win, in total, US$100 million.