UPDATE: It’s your last chance to book under old rates. New pricing goes into effect tomorrow morning, 20 May, at 9am CT. My original story from February 25, 2026 is below. Today Hyatt announced a significant update to its...
JetBlue Retreats From Newark, Making A United Merger Even More Likely
JetBlue is pulling down even more Newark flying, and the message is clear: Newark does not work for JetBlue any more than JFK worked for United. That has implications far beyond a few leisure routes that JetBlue is axing:...
Delta Air Lines Passed On Starlink For A Reason More Valuable Than Wi-Fi
Delta chose Amazon Leo over Starlink for its next-generation onboard Wi-Fi, and Elon Musk now claims the deal fell apart over something as mundane, and yet potentially very important, as the login portal. But there’s something more going on...
Budget Airlines Demand $2.5 Billion Bailout From Trump Administration
First it was Spirit Airlines. Now a wider group of budget carriers reportedly wants billions in federal relief. The White House and Congress should flatly reject this. Budget Airlines Want A $2.5 Billion Bailout According to The Wall Street...
Delta Says No To “Business Class Plus” And That’s A Smart Move
Airlines keep finding new ways to carve up premium cabins. Delta, at least for now, is not playing that game. I think that could give it a strong competitive advantage in the years ahead. Winning Strategy? Delta Says No...
United Thinks It Can Pull A “Concorde Moment” And Keep Airfares High, Even If Fuel Prices Drop
United Airlines is having its “Concorde” moment, speculating that even if fuel prices retreat, it can raise fares and keep them higher. United Thinks Higher Airfares May Be Here To Stay, Even If Fuel Prices Retreat United CEO Scott...
JetBlue CEO Says No Bankruptcy In 2026 But Warns “Decks Are Stacked” Against Small Airlines
JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty raised eyebrows with a memo addressing bankruptcy rumors, but I think the important takeaway is that she JetBlue CEO Says Bankruptcy Off The Table In 2026, But “Decks Are Stacked” Against Small Carriers Like JetBlue...
Lufthansa Slashes A340 And 747 Fleet, Outsources Flying As Labor Fight Intensifies
Lufthansa just made a series of fleet and structural moves that, on the surface, look like logical cost-cutting in the face of high oil prices. But taken together, they reveal something much bigger: a carrier trying to fundamentally reshape...
Delta Air Lines Signals Permanently Higher Fares, Fewer Flights, And A New Wave Of Airline Mergers
Delta Air Lines just offered a candid look at how it is thinking about pricing, capacity, and competition…and none of it points toward cheaper travel anytime soon, regardless of oil prices. Several comments were made in its latest earning...
TSA Quietly Sharing Passenger Data With ICE, Leading To Arrests At U.S. Airports
If you think airport security screening in the United States is only about keeping flights safe, think again: the mission has secretly expanded. TSA Quietly Feeding Passenger Data To ICE, Leading To Hundreds Of Arrests A Reuters report reveals...
United’s New “Basic” Business Class Won’t Lower Prices, It Only Cuts Benefits
United Airlines is introducing a new tiered fare structure for its premium cabins, including what amounts to “basic” business class and premium economy. It’s exactly what I warned about last year, though we now have more details. UPDATE: These...
After Years Of Copying Delta, Is United Now Leading The Industry?
Something has shifted in the U.S. airline industry, and it is no longer controversial to ask whether United Airlines has overtaken Delta Air Lines as the carrier driving the conversation. Delta is still the undisputed profit leader, but might...
United Airlines Is Moving Beyond Cabin Classes To A More Layered Menu Of Choices
United Airlines is redesigning its aircraft in a very deliberate way that goes beyond seats or more premium capacity. The strategy centers on turning the airplane into a far more complex menu of options. United Is Redesigning The Airplane...
10 Takeaways From Scott Kirby On TSA Chaos, Fuel Shock, And Why United Will “Eat Competitors For Lunch”
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby offered a wide-ranging and unusually candid look at the state of the airline industry, government dysfunction, and United’s own strategy during a fireside chat with Washington Post aviation reporter Lori Aratani at Los Angeles...
Scott Kirby Is Making A Big Bet As Oil Spikes—Could It Finally Push United Past Delta?
Exactly one year ago, Scott Kirby struck an upbeat tone in the face of economic headwinds, insisting United would not shrink or retreat. He is singing from the same hymnal again, but this time the stakes are much higher....
United Airlines CEO Says JetBlue Merger Is “Up To Them”…But He’s Holding All The Cards
A year after United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby first addressed the possibility of a merger with JetBlue and downplayed a deal was in the works, we can now more clearly see his strategy in laying the groundwork for what...
Analysis: FAA Flight Cuts At Chicago O’Hare Will Benefit American, United, And Travelers
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is preparing to intervene at Chicago O’Hare International Airport to rein in what officials suggest is an unsustainable spike in flight schedules that could overwhelm infrastructure and degrade reliability when summer travel surges. This...
United Airlines Is Doubling Down On Chicago Even As The Economics Worsen
United Airlines is about to pour even more capacity into Chicago O’Hare, but leaked internal slides suggest the financial trend line there is already moving in the wrong direction. United’s Chicago O’Hare Expansion Looks Like A Gate War, Not...
World’s Powerful Flight Attendant Heaps Effusive Praise On American Airlines CEO…
Here’s a puzzle that is worth looking into: why is Sara Nelson, known as world’s “most powerful” flight attendant, heaping praise on American Airlines CEO Robert Isom? Is United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby part of this “love triangle” of...
How The FAA Handles Civilian Airspace When Military Operations Intersect
The FAA’s abrupt shutdown of airspace over El Paso last week was lifted almost as quickly as it was imposed. But the speed of the reversal has obscured a deeper and more consequential issue: how civilian aviation safety is...
