Beginning October 18, and lasting through November, Mexican airline Aeromexico will offer several one-off Boeing 787 flights between Mexico City and Cancun.
Aeromexico will resume nonstop service from Guadalajara, Mexico, to Las Vegas, Nevada (U.S.) on November 14. It will operate four weekly round-trips through its Aeromexico Contigo program.
From November 5 through February 12, 2014, United Airlines will operate Boeing 787-8 planes on its daily Houston to Los Angeles route.
Aeromexico and U.S.-based Delta Air Lines applied for U.S. Department of Transportation authorization for five new codeshared US-Mexico flights. Both hope to begin flights between Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, and the U.S. cities of Sacramento and San Francisco, California; between Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico and the U.S. cities of Chicago and Fresno, California; and between Monterrey, Mexico and Los Angeles. Most of the routes are not currently served by any airlines. Aeromexico would operate the flights with a Delta code.
Airline Alliances
Aerolineas Argentinas and AIRFRANCE airlines launched codesharing operations on October 1, covering service on domestic flights within Argentina and Uruguay, as well as intra-Europe flights.
Codesharing between U.S.-based JetBlue Airways and Dubai-based Emirates has started, with JetBlue's code (B6) now available on all Emirates flights to and from the U.S., including Emirates' new route between Milan, Italy and New York's JFK International Airport. Members of Emirates' Skywards loyalty program can earn miles through JetBlue-operated flights and redeem miles for JetBlue flights; members of JetBlue's TrueBlue program can earn points on Emirates-operated flights, although reciprocal redemption is not yet available.
Brazilian carrier TAM announced it will leave the Star Alliance on March 30 and officially switch to oneworld the next day. The move had been anticipated, since TAM merged with Chile-based LAN, which is a oneworld member.
Open Skies
Singapore and Uruguay signed an unusually broad Open Skies agreement that allows designated carriers to fly between the two nations, and via the two nations to any third country. Unusually for such an agreement, it also gives carriers from each country "hubbing" rights to base aircraft in the other country and to use it as a hub to fly to other countries. The agreement also allows a carrier from one country to operate as a domestic carrier in the other country, including flying between cities.
Loyalty Program Updates
U.S.-based carrier JetBlue Airways is offering a fast track to earn elite status in its TrueBlue loyalty program. Through the end of this year, TrueBlue members who already have elite status with Alaska Airways, Delta Air Lines, America Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines or US Airways can participate in a challenge to earn Mosaic elite status more quickly than usual.
Other Airline News
U.S.-based carrier Republic Airways Holdings agreed to sell Frontier Airlines to Indigo Partners, which is also based in the U.S. The transaction is expected to close in December 2013.
Delivery of new planes to U.S. carriers has stopped because that nation's Federal Aviation Administration is unable to register the planes due to the partial shutdown of the U.S. government. Affected carriers include American Airlines, JetBlue and US Airways.
JetBlue offered more information about the new U.S. transcontinental air service it will begin on June 15, which is calling Mint. The Mint cabin will have 16 lie-flat seats that are 22.3" wide and include four private suites, and passengers will order tapas-style meals from a five-option menu. In the standard class on the A321 aircraft, cabins will include a self-serve cabinet stocked with complimentary snacks and drinks, available throughout the flight. All flights will offer free fast Wi-Fi in all classes. Current pricing for Mint cabins begins at $499 for a one-way flight between New York JFK and Los Angeles International Airport.
United Airlines unveiled a new seat design for aircraft flying flies within the United States, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean. The new seats will have leather seat covers and more supportive cushioning, and will be lighter weight than current seats.
Travel Services 
New iPhone app Lounge Buddy helps travelers find lounge access in airports. It uses information about an individual's airport lounge memberships, frequent flier status, credit cards and itinerary to determine if any lounges in the particular airport might offer access, either for free or for a one-time fee.
Hotel Pipeline
Hyatt Hotels Corp. will open the first Hyatt-branded hotel in Miami Beach, Florida (U.S.) in 2014, when the 105-room Hyatt South Beach opens.
U.S. Government Shutdown Update
In the U.S., portions of the federal government remain shut down after Congress and the president failed to come to a deal related to that nation's budget. To date, air travel has seen only minor disruptions, although nearly 3,000 aviation inspectors have been furloughed and will not be conducting facility security inspections, evaluations or audits, and will not be analyzing airline performance. Passport and visa applications are still being processed, and mail service is functioning as normal. However, some buildings that contain passport offices may be shut down. Popular U.S. tourist attractions, including national parks, the Smithsonian museums and the Statue of Liberty, are shut down.
