Picking routes for a new airline is a major challenge, with significant unknowns. Unless you just take an existing airline and copy its core operating plan. That’s what Connect Airlines appears to have in mind for an October 2021 launch, shadowing the Porter Air transborder model.
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Also in this episode:
- JetBlue‘s new A321LR economy class product details are out, including a funky meal service approach
- Avelo has a new route map based in Burbank
- LATAM is dumping its A350s
- Radisson Rewards is “enhancing” the program by splitting it geographically
- Flight load planning software matters a lot, and when “Miss” gets flagged as a child rather than an adult bad things can happen
- Air Canada got a bailout from the government, conditional on delivering cash refunds to customers
- Australia-NZ quarantine-free bubble launches
For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:
- New Airbus visitors center at Finkenwerder
- Kayak launching its own hotel in Miami Beach
And plenty more. Enjoy the show!
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Supertug operator here !
The pushbacks that go underneath the nose landing gear and lift the plane up are actually probably Lekros. There are models that can push and tow aircraft up to a 757. Supertugs have a cradle that wrap around the nose landing gear and also lift the plane up. Lekros can push quite a number of planes before needing a charge. We have a few electric supertugs that die after a few hours of towing airplanes. It depends how well they are maintained
During the day a “brake rider” is not needed in the cockpit with a supertug. The aircraft is under the supertug’s control so no one is needed up inside the aircraft and it can be towed dead. However if the APU needs to be on for whatever reason (navlights/beacon at night for example), some aircraft need a cabin monitor in the cockpit in case there is an APU fire (extremely rare). Aircraft that have auto fire suppression do not need a cabin monitor.
Also, Lekros are not supertugs 🙂