American Airlines is signaling that its network ambitions may extend well beyond its current footprint, but the question is whether any of these “dream” routes are realistic in the near future under current market conditions. It’s also telling what...
Delta Just Ordered Dozens Of Widebody Jets. So Where Will They Fly?
Delta Air Lines has quietly positioned itself for the next decade of longhaul growth, and unlike some headline-grabbing route announcements, this one starts with the hardware. Delta’s Widebody Buying Spree: Where Will All Those New A350s And 787s Fly?...
American Airlines Profit Plunges, But Is Its Premium Pivot Finally Real?
American Airlines just reported its 2025 results, and while the headline profit number looks ugly, the more interesting story is what AA is trying to become, and whether it can actually earn a revenue premium for it. American Airlines...
United Draws A Line In The Sand At O’Hare, But American Is Already Stepping Over It
United Airlines is drawing a very public line in the sand at Chicago O’Hare, and American Airlines is already testing it. United Draws A “Line In The Sand” At Chicago O’Hare As American Fires Back There are airline battles,...
United Airlines Shifts 56 787-9 Orders To 787-10: Is The 777-200ER Era Nearing Its End?
United’s reported decision to swap dozens of Boeing 787-9 orders for larger 787-10s looks like a quiet fleet move with loud implications for the future of the 777-200ER. United Converts 56 787-9 Orders To 787-10. Are The Days Of...
United Shakes Up MileagePlus Leadership And Brings In Vasu Raja. Yes, That Vasu Raja.
An internal letter from United Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella, reviewed by Live And Let’s Fly, outlines a major leadership shakeup at MileagePlus and Kinective Media that signals a potential change in direction for United’s loyalty strategy. United...
Bilt 2.0 Expands Beyond Rent, But At The Cost Of Simplicity
Link: Apply or upgrade your existing card to the Bilt Blue Card (no annual fee), Bilt Obsidian Card ($95 annual fee), or Bilt Palladium Card ($495 annual fee). The long-rumored Bilt 2.0 is not a simple card refresh. Instead,...
Croatia Airlines Bets On Airbus A220, But I Don’t See A Future Without Subsidies
Croatia Airlines is swapping out its aging fleet for shiny new Airbus A220s, but it is trying to do so while the business itself remains stubbornly unprofitable. Croatia Airlines Bets On The A220, But I Don’t See A Path...
If You Want First Class, Buy It: The Collapse Of Airline Upgrades
For frequent flyers, the promise of upgrades was once a cornerstone of airline loyalty in the USA, but for most, that promise has eroded into frustration and cynicism. It’s time to fundamentally rethink upgrades once again. It’s Time For...
Southwest Profits Plunge 42%, But Wall Street Is Betting Big On 2026
Southwest’s finances may be stumbling right now, but the airline appears convinced its new strategy will deliver a stronger 2026, and its stock market performance suggests many investors agree. I’m not rooting against Southwest, but I remain skeptical that...
Frontier Revisits Merger With Spirit…Is Barry Biffle The Key Link?
UPDATE: Bloomberg reports that a Frontier-Spirit merger is back on the table: Bankrupt Spirit Aviation Holdings Inc. is in discussions to merge with Frontier Group Holdings, people familiar with the matter said. A transaction could be announced as soon...
United CEO Scott Kirby Plays 4D Chess At The White House
Flanked by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby heaped praises on the Trump administration and echoed Republican calls to immediately reopen the government without strings attached. Folks, I see this...
Don’t Like Basic Economy? Don’t Buy It!
A long-winded article in Slate lamenting the proliferation of basic economy actually does a great job of showing why it is valuable as an airfare option. Basic Economy Works Because Travelers Choose It Slate published a piece by Alex...
United Airlines Delivers Strong Q3, But Can It Sustain Growth?
United Airlines just posted another profitable quarter, but the results say as much about strategy and restraint as they do about revenue. United Delivers Solid Q3, But Faces Pressure To Make It Stick United Airlines reported Q3 2025 adjusted...
Delta Air Lines Bets Its Future On The Affluent Flyer
Delta’s latest earnings call made one thing unmistakably clear: the airline is no longer pretending to be everything to everyone. It wants to be the United States’ premium carrier, and it’s building its business model around that assumption. Executives...
Kristi Noem Blames Democrats For Shutdown In New Video Playing At U.S. Airports
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has released a new video blaming Democrats for the shutdown, and it’s now playing at airports across the United States. Noem Video Blaming Democrats Plays In U.S. Airports Amid Shutdown In the video, Noem states...
Survival Mode: Spirit Airlines Slashes Routes, Furloughs Staff
Spirit Airlines is slashing routes and jobs on a scale rarely seen in U.S. aviation, part of a bankruptcy-driven reset that is less about trimming fat and more about survival. The airline will suspend around 40 routes in November,...
Should Airline Pilots Fly Past 65? Debate Heats Up Over Raising Retirement Age To 67
The mandatory retirement age for U.S. airline pilots is back in the headlines. A push is underway to raise the limit from 65 to 67, but this is not a simple matter. Congress set the current age in law...
Is United Airlines Poised To Use AI For Personalized Award Pricing?
We’ve talked a lot about Delta’s AI pricing plans, which invited a lot of scrutiny, even from the U.S. Senate. But if any U.S. airline is positioned to push “next-gen” pricing into the world of airline tickets, I suspect...
American Airlines Unions Unite Against Management, But Miss The Bigger Issue
American Airlines unions are angry. A memo released by the Allied Pilots Association (APA) this week highlights a joint union summit in which multiple labor groups pledged closer cooperation to push back against management. But while the rhetoric is...
