Tag Archives for jsx.
Even in retirement, former American Airlines Chairman and CEO Doug Parker is still coming after quality air travel and customers having choice. Parker went on Airlines Confidential representing the argument made by his former employer on their quest to shut down Dallas-based carrier JSX.
This is seriously cool. JSX is going to run a special solar eclipse-viewing flight on April 8th. One of their pilots is ex-NASA. And they’re giving away the seats.
A ‘loophole’ is something that is expressly legal until it’s used in a way we dislike – or in this case, something that airline competitors and unions don’t like. The common connotation of loophole is some sort of mistake or drafting accident that’s being exploited.
However what JSX and others do by operating charter flights under FAA part 135, and selling individual seats on those flights under Part 380, is not actually a loophole. The linkage between parts 135 and 380 in regulations is actually intentional.
Major U.S. airlines ran to the government to try to quash competition and a better inflight product option for passengers. Their first attempt, with the Department of Transportation, may not be working. But their next play with TSA can be done in secret and stands a better chance.
Air carrier JSX, which currently flies 50-seat regional jets with just 30 seats and operates their all first class product from private terminals, announced plans to acquire up to 332 hybrid electric aircraft with expected delivery beginning in 2028.
American Airlines, supported by other major airlines and unions, is lobbying the federal government to change regulations in an attempt to shut down Dallas-based competitor JSX, citing safety concerns. However, statements from a closed-door meeting indicate that their primary motive is commercial competition, not actual safety issues.
The FAA’s docket on public charter regulation advocated by American Airlines and Southwest Airlines has closed.
So far over 58,000 public comments have been posted to Regulations.gov. JSX says the number of submitted comments is 76,000 (there is a lag in posting comments to the web). Already it’s the most comments ever received on a Department of Transportation or FAA proposed rule. Drones topped 50,000. Emotional support animals topped 15,000. Usually there are just a handful.
The FAA is considering a rule to treat public charters the same way as large commercial airlines, rewriting rules going back 30 years. This would mean that co-pilots for carriers like JSX and the proposed SkyWest Charter could only employ co-pilots with 1,500 hours of training (whether in a tethered hot air balloon or otherwise) and JSX wouldn’t be able to fly from private terminals.
JSX emailed all of their customers asking them to comment on the FAA’s proposed rulemaking. Over 20,000 people filed comments to oppose these changes. Does that matter?
No matter what you think of JSX even (and they are fully legal, achieve high safety standards, and deliver a quality product), it’s embarrassing to see one-time maverick Southwest Airlines having turned into a creature of cronyism. They’re using the government to shut down competition at Dallas Love Field the way that major airlines in the 1970s tried to use government to shut down competition from them.
Airlines and the major pilot union have lobbied the federal government to put premium air carrier JSX out of business, and the FAA has introduced a rulemaking to do just that.
Asking the federal government to put them out of business isn’t the only front on which JSX is under attack by major airlines and their labor unions. Reportedly airlines press airports where they have influence to refuse JSX access to private terminals, and require them to fly from main terminals.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
