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Simple Flying Aviation News Podcast
#281: Spirit Scrapping 3 Year Old A320neos, United Backs GE For 787 Engines
00:32:36
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- [00:05]
A
Hello, my name's Tom Boone.
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B
And I'm Channing Reid.
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A
Welcome to a brand new episode of the Simple Flying Podcast where we'll give you the lowdown on the latest news from the world of commercial aviation. Here's what we have for you this week.
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B
Coming up today, I'll cover how Delta Air Lines will be expanding capacity on its newest Trans Pacific route before Tom explains why some spirit Airlines Airbus A320neos are already being scrapped.
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A
Channing will then explore how United Airlines and GE Aerospace are deepening their partnership while I look at how Lufthansa's Allegris Business class product is nearly certified.
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B
And finally, I'll talk about how American Airlines is going all in on the Kentucky Derby.
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A
So now you know what's in store. Let's get on with the show. And Channing, it sounds like you've got a one, two, three of the big US Carriers this week.
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B
Yeah, exactly. Of the legacy carriers. That's, you're right about that. A lot of news this week to report on. And we'll begin with Delta Air Lines. They are going to be expanding capacity on its fairly new route, Trans Pacific route between Los Angeles and Melbourne. Now, this is coming from the Executive Traveler. They were the first to report on this development. And this route, I say fairly new because it was launched just about three months ago, those direct flights between Los Angeles and Melbourne. And Delta now revealing plans that it will steadily increase those flights to a daily service eventually. So right now, Delta currently operates the route with three weekly flights that'll continue through to October and then on October 3rd, rather then it will increase the service to four weekly flights. And then a few weeks later, on October 27th, those flights will go to five weekly. And that's of course, from a Delta spokesperson who confirmed this news. Now, after that period, we'll Fast forward to December 22nd, and that's when those flights will be boosted to a daily schedule. So seven flights a week. And of course, that is some very good news. And it also shows that the airline is very confident in the strength of that travel and the demand between the US And Australia. Now, those daily flights will remain in place to the end of March of 2027, and then the airline will then reduce the service back to around five flights per. Now, those flights, a long, one long haul flight, we're talking about 15 hours across the Pacific. And Delta, of course, isn't the only airline that operates this route. United Airlines and as well as Qantas are other contenders. However, it is worth mentioning that Delta is the only operator of the Airbus A350 900 on this route. United and Qantas operate the Boeing 7879 Dreamliner. And the A350 is Delta's flagship aircraft. The airline has around 40 aircraft total in its fleet with an additional 15 on order and those will be delivered in the coming years. Delta says you might fly this aircraft if you're taking a transoceanic flight between higher traffic airports and Melbourne, Australia, Los Angeles, that is one example. But also Delta flies this on even longer flights such as between Atlanta and South Korea. Now, there are two different models of the A330, 350, 900 in the airline's fleet. The 359 model, which is more of the. I think they have more of these in their fleet, but it includes Delta 1, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort and Delta main. And the 3.5L model has a less premium layout with Delta One, Delta Comfort and Delta Main. Now, all of the Delta One cabins feature flatbeds. And I will say this product is really quite nice. In addition to just how the A350 is how it flies. I think I was talking to Jennifer about this last week that before you know it, you're at your cruising altitude. I mean, it's so smooth. And then you add a lie, flat seat product on there, get some food on board. It's really an exceptional experience. I think I've been on Delta's A350s now, I think three times and all of them were in Delta 1, but that was just a domestic flight between Los Angeles and Atlanta. I am waiting for the day for when I can fly on a long haul flight such as this route on those aircraft. Now Delta is also working on rolling out its free Delta Sync WI Fi. The first time I flew on their A350, I did have to pay for WI Fi, but I just flew on it, I want to say a few weeks ago, last month in January. And that aircraft did have the free Delta Sync WI Fi. So that is a huge benefit there. All of the cabins have in seat power and 1000 hours of free seatback entertainment through its Delta studio. Now, we should mention that Delta Premium select, that is a newer product. It was introduced in 2017. Some might wonder what exactly is that? It's Delta's version of Premium Economy. It operates on the majority of Delta's Trans Pacific and transatlantic flights as well as on select routes to Latin America. Premium Economy really has. We've seen a spike in demand with that, specifically on Delta's more premium A350 configuration. There are 40 Delta One suites up from the standard 32 suites. But then there are also 40 Delta Premium select recliner seats which have a 38 inches of pitch. Rob LaBelle, Delta's managing director for international and specialty sales, told the Executive Traveler, quote, we've seen tremendous growth in demand for premium travel for enhanced comfort and a better experience. He went on to say, it seems like consumers are setting aside a higher percentage of their dollars to spend on travel versus in the past. We've especially seen tremendously strong demand for Premium Select. As I mentioned, it is a great product, especially if you're going on a long haul flight. It's a step up from being in the rear of the cabin in economy. Delta says that Premium select requires their Premium select recliners provide a nice cost point for leisure and business travelers on a strict budget who still want to arrive quote more relaxed and refreshed. So a couple other things about Premium Select I should mention the product was recently refreshed to feature more locally inspired dining, premium handcrafted amenities and more dedicated service and the option to pre select onboard meals. Other premium amenities include a memory foam pillow, noise canceling headsets and a plush blanket made from recycled materials. All of that is designed to make the in flight experience even more comfortable and relaxing. And passengers can also enjoy a self care moment with a premium amenity kit from someone somewhere featuring thoughtful travel essentials. So again when we're looking at a long haul flight, obviously people if you not necessarily can't afford Delta One Business class product but you have a little bit more money to spend than economy. There you go, you've got your premium economy product for you. Another thing to mention back to this route specifically their passengers can enjoy the lounges as well. Business class passengers, they can have a private check in and dedicated stay private security screening at Delta's One lounge. And if anybody read my review of the Virgin Atlantic flight that I took over the summer, I got a chance to go into that lounge, the Delta One lounge and it is quite incredible, I should say a beautiful space there. But then also you have the standard Delta Sky Club at Los Angeles that passengers can take advantage of as well. So a lot of options for premium experiences on board. And of course it's going to be great to see the airline increase frequencies on this Trans Pacific route.
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A
Definitely it's always fun to see more flights from more airlines. So I'm excited to watch this space especially with the Australian connection. I will stay in the US with My story, which is very unusual for me, as you know. But don't worry, we will get to the regular European stories later. But I wanted to start today with a story that's honestly a bit painful for any aviation enthusiast to hear. And we spend forever talking about how aircraft are built to last 30 years or so. But the current state of the industry is turning that logic upside down. Iotrade Aviation has just announced that they're partnering with a company called Residco to acquire two Airbus A320neo aircraft. Now, that in itself is pretty meh, but when you hear that these aircraft are being bought for immediate teardown, it changes slightly. So we see aircraft being scrapped every day. But what makes this specific deal a headline grabber is the age of these planes. These were formerly operated by Spirit Airlines, and they're only three and a half and four years old, respectively. They have the registrations N950N K and N959N kilo, and they're the youngest A320neo airframes ever to be dismantled in the history of the program. So that's fascinating, I think. But to put that into perspective, Most aircraft at 4 years old, they're just starting to lose that new plane smell. They should be the backbone of the fleet for the next two decades, but instead, these two are currently sitting in Goodyear, Arizona, where teams are already beginning the process of taking them apart piece by piece. All those high value components are then being shipped to a hub in Dallas and sold as used serviceable material. So how did we get here? How does a nearly new, fuel efficient jet become worth more as a pile of parts than as a flying machine? The answer appears to be a perfect storm of financial distress and massive supply chain crises. Now, as we know, Spirit Airlines has been fighting a very public battle for survival for its second bankruptcy filing. And as part of their restructuring, they're aggressively shrinking their fleet, cutting nearly half of their aircraft to save on lease payments and operating costs. But Spirit's bad luck is a goldmine for the aftermarket. Right now, there's a global shortage of parts that power these A320neos. And airlines are desperate for the parts that keep their remaining fleets in the air. Which means they're willing to pay a massive premium for them. Because these aircraft are so young, the parts meet the latest modification standards. For a maintenance provider, buying a used part from a four year old plane is much faster and often more reliable than waiting months for a brand new part from the factory. It's a landmark moment that shows just how interesting the aviation market has become. On the one hand, you've got a massive backlog for new planes and on the other, you've got lessors deciding that it's more profitable to kill a perfectly good young jet just to harvest its organs for the rest of the fleet. It's a ruthless economic reality that challenges everything we thought we knew about the lifespan of a modern jet. So while it's great for the supply chain, it's a sobering reminder of the challenges facing the ultra low cost sector in 2026.
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B
Yeah, absolutely. I was going to say dire situation, desperate times for Spirit and as they kind of navigate through these, this bankruptcy, of course, but also the engine problems that not just Spirit has been dealing with, but several other airlines as well. And yeah, it is quite sad to see. Growing up in Arizona, I have driven past Goodyear Airport multiple times and I have seen older planes from all over the world sitting there in the scrapyard. So it's. It would be very, very, very. I'd have to take a double take if I saw those banana planes sitting there thinking, what the heck is going on? These are new planes. Spirit has. The majority of their fleet are the Neos, which are brand new. So yeah, definitely interesting. And I guess it's what they have to do. It's one of their lifelines that they have to grab onto to be able to continue with their operations. So we'll have to definitely continue to watch those development as time goes on. We're going to stay in the US and talk about United Airlines and also development regarding engines. However, the airline is not grounding any aircraft for this matter. The carrier just announcing on February 16th that it's deepening its partnership with GE Aerospace. They've selected 300 GenX engines to power their new Boeing 787 Dreamliners. And this agreement also includes additional spare engines. Now it brings United's 787 fleet to more than 200 GenX powered aircraft. And that's because United already has 787s in their fleet and they're already operated by those GenX. So the newer planes, they're going to continue to be operated by that same engine. Muhammad Ali, president and CEO of GE Aerospace Commercial Engines and Services, said, quote, GE Aerospace has an enduring relationship with United that spans decades. This deal will make United the largest GenX operator in the world. And we're honored they continue to choose us to power their success. Another engine that powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliners are the Rolls Royce engines and I believe American Airlines, their 787s are operated by those aircraft or those engines. So you can see that there's a difference there. But the GenX, it's engineered with advanced materials and cutting edge technologies. It delivers greater durability and time on wing for airlines. It's combined with a 99.98 dispatch rate. GenX is also highly reliable according to GE Aerospace. As I mentioned, it's long partnership, it's deepening. That partnership specifically began in 1968. The carrier currently operates an extensive fleet of GE Aerospace and CFM powered aircraft that includes the CF6 which operates the Boeing 767 the GE90 which operates the Boeing 777 GenX as we mentioned CFM56.7B which operates the Boeing 737 next generation aircraft CFM Leap which famously operates the Boeing 737 Max and the CF34 engines as well. Now with more than seventy million flight hours, the the GenX engine powers two thirds of all seven hundred and eighty seven aircraft in operation and exclusively powers the seven hundred and forty seven eight aircraft. The latest order brings GE Aerospace's firm GenX future deliveries to nearly one thousand eight hundred engines plus spares. Now again United selecting this engine for their newer Boeing 77 aircraft. And last year I reported, or simplifying reported rather that United became the largest airline in the world in terms of fleet size. Now the carrier was also crowned with the title according to available seat miles. Now this is thanks to its network strategy and ability to offer the most seat miles with its large fleet of wide body aircraft from its San Francisco hub, 17% of its flights are operated by widebody jets. Now with the oncoming retirements of its beloved and aged Boeing 767 300ER and 777200 aircraft, United's long term and long haul future will heavily rely on its 787 Dreamliners. The carrier operates all three variants of the next generation widebody but specifically anticipates welcoming more than 100 additional 787. Nine examples over the next few years which which is really really huge. Looking at how the airline plans essentially this aircraft will replace all of their 767s and those older 777 to 2/00 as well. Also with this new Boeing 787 is a new elevated interior which is something that we've been reporting on as well. It's going to feature United Polaris studio suite that will be positioned in the first row of the business class section and then a total of eight lie flat. All access seats which United says are 25% larger than standard United Polaris with privacy doors and extra ottoman seat for companions, exclusive entree options and new amenity kits with luxury skincare offerings, wireless charging, Bluetooth connectivity and a huge 27 inch 4K seatback screen which the airline says is the largest seatback screen to be offered in the US So a lot of good news coming for United Airlines from just an operational side and as well as a passenger experience side. But yeah, 100 787s on order. Still, that is quite a lot and we will definitely plan on seeing these aircraft for many, many, many years to come.
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A
Yeah, it's always good after I've just said that we're getting rid of these four year old aircraft, that we're seeing more, more aircraft for many, many years to come. And I was writing a story earlier this week about a Lufthansa A380 that had already been scrapped after eight years in the air. So let's get some more of these planes flying a little bit longer, but it's not While we're going to be talking about Lufthansa, it's not quite time for Tom's A380 podcast this week, but we do have an update on a situation that's been a major point of frustration for Lufthansa over the last few months. If you've been following the saga of their brand new Boeing 7879 Dreamliners, you know the rollout of the Allegris cabin has been anything but smooth. Since October, Lufthans has been flying these high tech jets from Frankfurt almost entirely empty. In the pointy end of the plane, they've got 28 beautiful new business class seats installed, but they could only sell four of them because of some truly bizarre regulatory red tape. Well, the good news for Lufthansa and passengers is that the wait is almost over. Lufthansa officially announced this week that they've cleared the majority of those certification hurdles. Starting on April 15, they'll be finally able to sell 25 of those 28 seats. Now it's not the whole cabin, but it's a massive turning point for the airline, especially since they've been burning fuel on long haul routes with their most profitable cabin sat under lock and key. The reason for this delay is a classic example of how complexity can sometimes backfire in aviation. Lufthansa didn't just pick one business class seat for the electric cabin, they've got an incredible amount of Choice, which has resulted in seven different seating options produced by three different manufacturers. But because each seat has slightly different structures and safety profiles, the FAA required individual certification of every single one of them. It was not enough to certify the cabin as a whole. They had to prove that every single seat has met the latest safety standards for things like head impact and neck injury criteria. Now, when the full product launches this spring, passengers are going to have a level of choice that's almost unheard of in business class. You could choose the business class suite with closing doors for maximum privacy. Then there's the extra space seat, which is basically a massive throne in the middle of the cabin. And for taller travellers, they've the extra long bed, which stretches out to 2.2 metres. Then you've got the privacy seat by the window and the standard classic seat for those who do not want to pay an extra fee. If you want to read my flight review of the privacy seat by the window, feel free to do that. That's on simpleflying.com but it's important to note that free seats are still currently cursed and remain blocked from sale. These are seats 2A, 2E and 2K. And the interesting thing about these is they're located in the second row, directly behind the front row suite. It seems the FAA needs a little more time to sign off on the safety data for these specific spots and Lufthans has not said exactly when they will be cleared. But for now, the airline is just happy to have the other 25 seats in the game. I do find it interesting that I flew in what was effectively 2k. I think it was 3k because the 350 has first class. When Allegris first flew and I had no problems there, but it looks like I just got off lucky. Perhaps. Now the update comes just in time for the peak travel season. Lufthansa is planning to deploy these Allegris equipped Dreamliners to some of their most popular long haul destinations. At the start of the summer schedule, you'll see them flying from Frankfurt to Austin, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Cape Town, Shanghai and Hong Kong. By June, they'll add big heavy hitters like Los Angeles and New York. Jfk, followed by Delhi. In July, Jens Ritter, who is the CEO of the Lufthansa airline, called this a major milestone for the airline and great news for their customers. He's not wrong. After 18 months of watching the Allegris product succeed on the A350 fleet in Munich, the Frankfurt hub was starting to look a little bit neglected. With eight Dreamliners already in the fleet and another 21 on the way. The pressure was on to get this cabin generating revenue. It looks like they finally made it across the finish line just before the summer rush begins.
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B
Yeah, just in time for sure. And I was looking into this. I've seen our reports on following the certification hurdles for quite some time now. It's so interesting that they had different manufacturers for the seats in the same cabin. I wonder if they thought that beforehand that they would run into any certification problems before getting these aircraft delivered with a new product.
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A
I feel like Allegra seating is kind of becoming the 777x of the or not so more now that it's getting fixed. But it's kind of been the 777X of the passenger experience corner, if you think of it in that way, because this is a product that was first announced many, many years ago, I believe.
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B
And isn't it right that since there are different seats, they come at a different cost? Right, So I think I did hear that. Yeah. So, I mean, it makes sense from a business perspective, like the airline can make more money on certain seats within the business class. I'm not sure, but it does seem quite interesting and I mean, I guess you could call this a milestone for Allegris.
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A
I mean, it is interesting that you raised that point because I remember and you know, I only flew from Frankfurt to Munich, so what, an hour flight, if that. But I do remember being a bit annoyed that I wasn't able to get the seat of my choice. And that was on an hour flight. So you can imagine on a transatlantic flight, you know, if you're not getting the seat that you want and you're bundled into another one.
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B
Right? Yeah. I believe JetBlue on their A321 CEOs, not the newer Neos, but there's a mint suite, they call it, and it's a single suite in between the rows. And it's obviously something that passengers love because you're not sitting next to anybody else. But I don't think the airline charges more for that. I think it's just first come, first serve. Again, very interesting to see how this is rolling out, but it's good to see that the majority of those Allegra seats are now on sale and we'll have to continue to watch and see when the FAA will end up certifying all 28 of those seats. Now, the Kentucky Derby, that has nothing related to Allegris. But it is our next and final topic here in the podcast. Today. And of course, that is right around the corner. It's really hard to believe that we are already halfway through February 2026.
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A
Just rewind a second. Can we explain to the non Europeans, the non Americans on the call, what the Kentucky Derby is? Because I kind of understood the super bowl, but I'm lost now.
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B
Yes, no, that's a good point. The Kentucky Derby is a huge race that's run by horses. Of course, I don't really have an exact definition. I'd have to go up and look up to see exactly the official definition of the race. But it's a high profile race of horses in Kentucky and it's a huge tradition here in the U.S. i'm looking here right now. It generates around $5 million annually. It is a big money maker. But again, it's traditional, traditionally held on the first Saturday in May. And these races definitely get people on their feet and some of them get on their feet to get on a flight to travel to Kentucky. And American Airlines is focused on getting as many passengers as they can to the Kentucky Derby. And the airline announcing nonstop flights connecting Louisville to a record 20 destinations there. This year they've added special flights to 13 destinations between April 30th and May 3rd. That complements an existing service to seven destinations. The additional nonstop flights will give travelers faster and more convenient flight options to show off their sear sucker suits, spring dresses and of course, those new fashionable hats. So Tom, I should also mention one of the things about the Kentucky Derby is it's almost like a fashion show for those who attend big hats and flamboyant outfits. It's just a really fun. I always love seeing pictures of people in their hats and their suits and things like that. Again, big tradition here. American hubs such as Charlotte, Dallas, Fort Worth, Philadelphia and Washington Reagan will see a combination of extra flights and larger aircraft operating to Louisville on peak travel dates. Now, of course, Air American has an industry leading domestic network. It means that they offer more ways for travelers to cross the country and to pick their perfect itinerary heading to or from Louisville. Now, it's going to be more than doubling the number of flights that it operates on peak dates. Surrounding the Marquis race, It means that 41 arriving flights, there will be 41 arriving flights on April 30 and 46 departing flights on May 3. Now another piece of this news that is worth mentioning is the airline will be adding a premium service between Los Angeles and Santa Ana from both of those airports in Southern California to Louisville with their Airbus A321 transcontinental aircraft. These planes, of course, fly exclusively on transcon routes. They feature 10 flagship first and 20 flagship business seats. American is the only airline that will offer lie flat seating options between Southern California, California and Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. All other flights to Louisville will operate on dual class aircraft, giving travelers the opportunity to enhance their travel experience with the choice of a premium cabin. Earlier this year, American equipped its entire active narrowbody fleet and more than 80% of its dual class regional fleet with free WI fi that's sponsored by AT&T with more enhancements and innovations coming soon, the airline says. But for now, passengers can sit back, research top picks and get ready for a weekend of color, cocktails and celebration. Jason Resinger, American's Managing Director of Global Network Planning, said quote, blooming roses, ice cold mint juleps and all the excitement of the race week are just a flight away with American's expanded schedule. With these added nonstops to Louisville, travelers can break from the gate in style and arrive with plenty of time to soak in every sip, gallop and celebration. So I'll give you a list of the cities that will have flights to and from Louisville on American. This is Austin, Texas Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Jacksonville, Florida Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, JFK as well as LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Durham, Santa Ana as we mentioned, and Washington Reagan National Airport as well as West Palm Beach. The majority of these flights will be operated by the carrier's mainline air aircraft of Airbus narrowbody and Boeing narrowbody aircraft. However, some of them such as Boston as well as Chicago, Jacksonville, New York, JFK as well as LaGuardia and Pittsburgh. Those flights will have the smaller regional aircraft, Embraer E175 on operating some of those flights. So we just talked about how American was adding all those flights to San Jose and San Francisco for the super bowl and now you can see that they are catering to the demand of another sports event here in the US with the Kentucky Derby. So it'll be very exciting to see that. And I'm sure a lot of the travelers to and from Southern California will enjoy the A321 Transcon offering as well. So I hope I gave you a pretty good example or definition of the Kentucky Derby. I've never been, but it is a big tradition and event here in the
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A
U.S. yeah, no, I think I've kind of understood it more than the super bowl maybe.
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So there you go. Yeah, if you like horses, if you like dressing up, if you like having a cocktail or two. That is the event for you, but that is going to do it for today's podcast. We hope you enjoyed it and we welcome any feedback that you might have@editorialimpleflying.com
- [32:20]
A
for more great content you can visit simpleflying.com or find us on social media. Simply search for Simple Flying.
- [32:25]
B
And if you enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a rating on your favorite podcast player. Thanks for listening.
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A
Bye.