The plane left the The Leadership In Flight Training, or LIFT, Academy in Indianapolis before 10 a.m. Sunday The academy was founded at by locally based Republic Airways in 2018 to train future commercial pilots and maintenance technicians.
Americans hit the road in near-record numbers at the start of the Memorial Day weekend, as their eagerness to break free from coronavirus confinement overcame higher prices for flights, gasoline and hotels.
The downgrade means that U.S. airlines won’t be able to sell tickets on flights operated by Mexican airlines, a setback that will mainly hit Delta Air Lines, which has a partnership with Aeromexico.
The news of the new flights comes as the airline industry sees a rebound in passenger traffic from the pandemic, which decimated air travel last year.
The airline plans to launch a nonstop flight from Indianapolis International Airport to Orlando and renew nonstop routes to Los Angeles and Boston, the airport announced Thursday.
The passenger count was still 35% below the number of airport travelers reported on the comparable Sunday in 2019, according to TSA figures.
U.S. air travelers will be required to present the Real ID credential to board a domestic flight beginning May 3, 2023. Implementation was scheduled to take effect in October.
Boeing said Friday that the issue affected planes used by 16 airlines. The company did not say how many planes are affected or how long it will take for inspections and, if necessary, repairs.
United Airlines says it will train 5,000 pilots this decade, including taking on applicants with no flying experience, and plans for half of them to be women or people of color.
The flights, which will run from May 27 through Labor Day weekend, will connect Indianapolis with cities in Maine and South Carolina.
U.S. air travel is already picking up. More than 1 million people have passed through U.S. airport checkpoints each of the last 11 days, with Sunday’s total topping more than 1.5 million for the first time in more than a year.
Airlines worldwide cut $1 billion of expenses a day last year to cope with the slump in passengers, and that’s given them some wiggle room to lower ticket prices.
Leading airline and business groups are asking the Biden administration to develop temporary credentials that would let travelers show they have been tested and vaccinated for COVID-19, a step that the airline industry believes will help revive travel.
Boeing has recommended that airlines ground all 777s with the type of engine that blew apart after takeoff from Denver this weekend, and most carriers that fly those planes said they would temporarily pull them from service.
The announcements come a day after United Airlines Flight 328 had to make an emergency landing at Denver International Airport after its right engine blew apart just after takeoff.
Airlines are strongly opposed to requiring coronavirus testing before domestic flights, saying it would further devastate air travel, which has still not returned even to half its pre-pandemic level.
Airlines are getting scrappy, shifting operations to wherever there may be demand. The Cliffs Notes version: Leisure is in, business travel is out.
United Airlines said Wednesday it will buy up to 200 small electric air taxis to help customers in urban areas get to the airport.
Officials are weighing health concerns against the economic impact a mandate might have on an industry already hobbled by the pandemic.
Routes to both cities begins at the end of May. The airline also plans to offer service from Indianapolis to Rapid City, South Dakota, in August for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
