James Pearson, Simple Flying Journalist Profile

Articles

Starting Next Week: Virgin Australia's Long-Haul Boeing 777 Flights With Qatar Airways Aircraft

3 weeks ago | simpleflying.com | James Pearson

Currently, Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways operate between the Middle East and Australia. On June 12, Virgin Australia will join them, in partnership with Qatar Airways. It will utilize the Australian half of traffic rights to/from Qatar, all of which are presently unused. It will do so on Qatar Airways' behalf, as a backdoor way of expanding into the valuable and competitive long-haul market.
Southwest Airlines' 10 Busiest Airports Have Over 3,900 Daily Movements

3 weeks ago | simpleflying.com | James Pearson

Southwest is the fourth-largest airline serving the US. Analyzing all of its scheduled services shows 4,194 daily movements in June (takeoffs and landings combined). Denver has more of them than any other airport, directly influenced by over half of its traffic there connecting to another flight.
As Little As 45 Minutes: The World's 10 Shortest Airbus A340 Flights

3 weeks ago | simpleflying.com | James Pearson

For obvious reasons, quadjets aircraft are becoming increasingly uncommon. Using Cirium Diio and OAG data to examine every planned flight in June 2025 shows they'll operate just 4.4% of all widebody services. They have reduced from 4.6% in the same month last year and from 7.8% compared to before the pandemic in June 2019.
Up To 8 Hours: This Long-Haul US Route Now Has Record 3 Daily Airbus A321LR Flights

3 weeks ago | simpleflying.com | James Pearson

Icelandair has temporarily ceased flying Boeing equipment between Keflavik and Seattle. The last Boeing 757-200 left Iceland on June 3, with the carrier's triple daily summer operation fully aboard the much newer and more efficient Airbus A321LR the following day. The 757 is due to return on December 18. The 737 MAX 8 was last deployed to Seattle on April 4, while the carrier's sole widebody type, the 767-300ER, was last used on May 19.
Transatlantic Growth: These 15 New US & Canada Routes Take Off In June

3 weeks ago | simpleflying.com | James Pearson

The peak summer season, with the highest demand and fares, is fast approaching. In June, 15 routes will take off from the US and Canada to Europe (no routes will begin to Africa, the Middle East, etc., this month). Some of them have already started, including the first flight ever from Switzerland to Seattle. To make it even more notable, Edelweiss uses the Airbus A340.
Up To 5 Hours: QantasLink Adds Australia’s Longest Ever Domestic Airbus A319 Flights

3 weeks ago | simpleflying.com | James Pearson

The Airbus A319 is relatively uncommon in Australia. According to ch-aviation, QantasLink, SkyTraders, and SkyTrans have 13 examples, although not all of them are active. QantasLink has eight frames, all operated by Network Aviation, a carrier owned by the Qantas Group, on its behalf.
Up To 17h 35m: California's 10 Longest Nonstop Airbus A350 Flights

3 weeks ago | simpleflying.com | James Pearson

Ontario, California, is the US’s 60th-busiest airport based on passenger flights in June, with slightly more departures than Boise, Idaho. Of course, this is somewhat unfair, as it is located within the enormously populous Greater Los Angeles area. On June 2, Ontario made history by welcoming its second long-haul passenger route: STARLUX from Taipei. It is the second A350 user on that airport pair.
Does Alaska Airlines' 1st European Route Make Sense?

3 weeks ago | simpleflying.com | James Pearson

On June 3, Alaska Airlines revealed its first European route. Starting next May, the oneworld member will begin flying from Seattle—by far its most-served airport—to Rome Fiumicino. The announcement came shortly after the carrier started its first long-haul service (to Tokyo Narita) and a day after Seattle welcomed Edelweiss as its next European operator.
7.7 Million Passengers In 2024: British Airways’ Huge US Operations Examined

3 weeks ago | simpleflying.com | James Pearson

British Airways is the largest foreign long-haul carrier serving the US. In the 12 months to February 2025, US Department of Transportation data shows the oneworld member carried 7.7 million passengers. Traffic rose by 4% year-on-year to its highest level to date.
Largest Aircraft: Where Delta Air Lines’ 339-Seat Ex-LATAM Airbus A350s Operate

3 weeks ago | simpleflying.com | James Pearson

The Airbus A350-900 is Delta Air Lines' flagship subfleet, at least until its -1000s are delivered. According to ch-aviation.com, it has 37 A350-900s, not all active. They have three very different configurations, with five examples—all ex-LATAM—having 339 seats. For now, at least, no other aircraft in Delta's fleet has that many seats.