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...
Hot Deal: Chase Sapphire Reserve, Now With 125K Bonus Points Offer
Link: Apply now for the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card Chase has refreshed its Sapphire Reserve lineup this summer with a higher annual fee and higher fees for authorized users, but more rebates and strong additional perks for booking travel....
Ominous Leak: Alaska Airlines’ New “Atmos Rewards” Loyalty Program
I can’t help but feel that when Alaska Airlines replaces Mileage Plan with “Atmos Rewards” when it combines loyalty programs with Hawaiian Miles, the result for consumers will not be positive. But it’s not too late to ensure that...
United Airlines CEO Says Focus Is On Profitability, Not Beating Delta
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby claims he is focused on absolute profitability, not surpassing industry leader Delta Air Lines, even while candidly admitting Delta is the blueprint United has followed in recent years to increase revenue and profitability. United...
Delta Moves To Unbundle Business Class, Tests “Basic” Premium Cabin Fares
Delta Air Lines has all but officially confirmed that it will introduce “basic” business class fares that will unbundle premium cabin tickets. However, what that product will look like and whether it will go over with its most important...
Analysis: United Hopes To Contain Delta, Suppress American With JetBlue Partnership
Earlier today, United Airlines and JetBlue announced a new “Blue Sky” partnership that includes a return to JFK for United, an interline agreement, and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits. United CEO Scott Kirby has explained what is behind this move:...
Spirit, Southwest, JetBlue: Time to Rethink Perceptions
In just the last nine months, three carriers with distinct identities, Spirit, Southwest, and JetBlue have significantly shifted but public perceptions might be harder to change. We cling to airline stereotypes like old luggage—worn out, busted at the zippers,...
Kirby’s JetBlue Bromance Hints At United’s JFK Game Plan
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby’s messaging has been clear for years: United must return to New York JFK. But as the path to that return looks increasingly via JetBlue, Kirby is heaping a lot of praise on the carrier...
Trump’s Air Traffic Control Plan Needs Refinement, But It’s Progress
Cleared For Takeoff: Why America’s Air Traffic Control Overhaul Can’t Wait America’s air traffic control (ATC) system, once a marvel of aviation innovation, is now struggling under the weight of outdated technology and chronic underinvestment. Aging radar systems, some...
Scott Kirby’s Fox News Op-Ed On Newark Airport
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has written an op-ed for Fox News calling for the return of slot controls at Newark Liberty International Airport. Let’s take a look at Kirby’s argument and whether it is reasonable or purely self-serving...
