Delta Air Lines is returning to Tokyo Narita Airport after a seven-year absence, launching daily nonstop service from Seattle in March 2027. I welcome the added capacity, particularly on a market where competition should help consumers. But the route still raises a fair question: why Seattle? Delta Returns To Tokyo Narita With New Seattle Flight, […]
JetBlue Reveals BlueFirst, The Official Name For Its New Domestic First Class
UPDATE: “Mini Mint” Is Officially Called BlueFirst JetBlue has finally revealed the official name of its new domestic first class product: BlueFirst. That replaces the unofficial “Mini Mint” name I used when I first broke this story in 2024. JetBlue had already made clear that it would not use the Mint brand for its recliner-seat […]
Chicago’s O’Hare Bet Could Get More Expensive
Chicago says its $8.8 billion O’Hare bet is on track. The bill for who actually pays it is just arriving.
Delta Air Lines Will Launch New Los Angeles–Manila Flights
UPDATE: Delta is moving forward with its new Los Angeles – Manila route and plans to formally announce it next week. The route will operate daily with an Airbus A350-900 and begin in summer 2027. Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines will launch Chicago – Manila service on November 9, 2026. I’ll update this story with the new […]
Delta Brings Basic Economy Logic To Business Class, And Calls It Choice
Delta Air Lines has expanded “Basic” fares into premium cabins, including Delta First, Delta Premium Select, and even Delta One. The airline frames this as more choice, but I see it as the next stage of premium cabin unbundling, and a reminder that fares won’t go down…you’ll just get than before for the same price. […]
SAS Bets Big On Copenhagen With Huge Airbus Order That Could Triple Longhaul Fleet
SAS has announced the largest aircraft investment in its history: Copenhagen is going to become a much more serious global hub. SAS Orders Airbus A330neos As Copenhagen Global Hub Ambitions Grow SAS has announced the largest investment in company history, with plans for up to 40 Airbus widebody aircraft as it rebuilds itself around Copenhagen […]
Delta’s LAX Growth Is Not Done: Philadelphia And Washington Dulles Flights Planned
Live and Let’s Fly has learned that Delta’s new Los Angeles–Newark service may be only one piece of a broader LAX expansion strategy, with future nonstop service also planned for Philadelphia and Washington Dulles. Delta’s Los Angeles Expansion May Not Stop With Newark As I covered earlier, Delta Air Lines just announced new nonstop service […]
Copa’s 15-Day Panama Stopover Is a Free Win
Copa just doubled its free Panama stopover to 15 days. Skip it and you leave a whole vacation, and a pile of miles, on the table.
Delta’s LAX Ambitions Grow With A Second Delta One Lounge
Delta Air Lines officially plans to open a second Delta One Lounge at LAX in Terminal 2, but I suspect this will be less of a second standalone flagship lounge and more of a Delta One dining section within the resurrected Sky Club. Either way, it underscores Delta’s growing ambitions in Los Angeles. Delta Plans […]
Delta Air Lines Slashes 12 More Routes As Fuel Prices Rise (Full List)
Delta Air Lines is trimming more routes, offering another sign that higher fuel prices and softer demand are beginning to reshape airline networks. Delta Cuts More Routes As Fuel Prices Rise Several U.S. airlines are reducing or suspending routes as fuel prices climb following the Iran war and broader Middle East instability. Delta Air Lines […]
Alaska Launches Rome, British Airways Restores St. Louis
Alaska Airlines crosses the Atlantic for the first time April 28. Meanwhile, nine days earlier, British Airways restores a UK nonstop to St. Louis, the first since 2003. The Route Nobody’s Covering The travel blogosphere is busy writing about Alaska Airlines’ April 28 Seattle-Rome launch. It is, fairly, a milestone as Alaska’s first-ever transatlantic route, […]
American Bets Billions On Miami And DFW
While competitors cut capacity, American is dropping $5 billion into simultaneous expansions at both hubs. Here’s why it matters.
Alaska Lounge SFO Joins Priority Pass…But Adds A Co-Pay
The Alaska Airlines Lounge in San Francisco (SFO) is now part of the Priority Pass network, but there’s some fine print that will require you to open your wallet every visit. Alaska Airlines Adds Priority Pass Access At SFO Lounge…With Strings Attached Alaska Airlines has added Priority Pass access to its lounge at San Francisco […]
JetBlue-Alaska Makes Most Sense, But Does Alaska Want It?
There has been a lot of chatter this week about the possible targets from JetBlue for a merger, and among them Alaska makes the most sense, but are they interested? JetBlue Explores Merger Targets As Matthew recently reported in JetBlue Merger Talks Analysis, JetBlue has been actively exploring potential merger scenarios with a range of […]
American’s Hub Problem Is A Credit Card Problem
Airlines make more from your credit card than your seat. That should change how we think about hubs, routes, and where carriers choose to grow. The Credit Card Is the Product Now We have made this point clear many times but it came up in the news just this week with a new twist and […]
Delta Targets American’s Premium JFK–Orange County Route With Lie-Flat 757
Delta Air Lines is returning to a transcontinental route that will put it in direct competition with American Airlines’ premium offering between New York and Southern California. Delta Restores New York To Orange County Nonstop, Putting Pressure On American’s Premium Transcontinental Stronghold Delta will begin nonstop service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport […]
SAS Expands Longhaul Network With New Dubai, Phuket, And Krabi Routes
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is continuing its post-restructuring rebuild with a fresh round of longhaul growth, this time with routes to the United Arab Emirates and Thailand. SAS Adds Dubai And Thailand Routes As It Builds Longhaul Momentum SAS will expand its long-haul network for the Winter 2026/27 season with new service to Dubai (DWC), Phuket […]
Why Elon Musk Should Buy Ryanair
If Elon Musk were to seriously consider buying a major airline, Ryanair might not be the fantastical choice critics would expect. The Irish ultra-low-cost carrier isn’t just cheap on ticket prices; it’s one of the most profitable and operationally robust airlines in the world. Musk has the capital and appetite for investments that no one […]
International Arrival Mistake At Chicago O’Hare Created A Serious Security Breach
I’ve had hundreds of international arrivals into the USA over the last couple of decades, but my arrival in Chicago O’Hare from Frankfurt was unique…someone seemed to forget that it was an international arrival! My United Airlines Flight Had A Security Breach At Chicago O’Hare… First, a general note. The United States does not currently […]
Immigration Agents Are Using Domestic Flight Passenger Data To Aid Deportations
A quiet but consequential shift is underway in how the U.S. government uses airline passenger data. The Transportation Security Administration has begun sharing information about domestic airline travelers with immigration authorities, expanding how routine travel data can be used for enforcement purposes. TSA Quietly Sharing Passenger Travel Data With Immigration Authorities Under the new practice, […]
