A report from USA Today released last week detailed the airlines' success in continuing to up their revenues from ancillary fees. According to the report, airlines in the first quarter of 2019 earned $1.3 billion in baggage fees alone, an increase of $170 million from the year before. After American, United, Delta and JetBlue upped fees for checked bags by $5 — to $30 and $40 for the first and second bags, respectively — airlines have seen the comparatively inelastic…
Before anyone breaks out the pitchforks and torches, let me explain myself. It shouldn’t take too long, and if you still want to afterward, go for it. I write this article wholeheartedly recognizing the McDonnell Douglas MD-80’s place in aviation history, especially in the U.S. For decades, it was a…
Managing an airline is like playing drums, it looks easy and many people can make some noise but when the music gets complicated, you see who really knows how to play and who can only make noise. A famous quote says, “What we learn with history is that men do…
WOW Air ceased operations recently, making it another low-cost transatlantic carrier to essentially shut its doors overnight. WOW air left thousands of passengers stranded without much recourse. Planes are scattered around airports waiting to be repossessed by lenders, including one Airbus A321 in Newark. A few years ago, fueled by…
Earlier this week, Air New Zealand announced it would begin offering free Wi-Fi on all flights that feature properly equipped aircraft, effective immediately. The airline's newly delivered Airbus A320neo family aircraft are already equipped and the airline is working on adding the proper hardware to its Boeing 777 fleet before…
Often times the mainstream media is criticized when it comes to coverage of the aviation industry. More often than not, coverage is incomplete, inaccurate, or sensationalized. The aviation industry is often too complex and time consuming for mainstream media to properly report in their news cycle. However, what can be…
On Feb. 24, the Dallas Morning News published on why American Airlines' Dallas/Fort Worth hub isn't so "scary" anymore. Let me preface this piece by saying, largely, I agree with them. The hub here at Dallas/Fort Worth has slowly become less detrimental to passengers' traveling opportunities. It used to be…
It was reported on Jan. 31 that Dubai-based Emirates Airline is considering switching some of its orders from Airbus A380 aircraft to the smaller, more fuel efficient Airbus A350. Originally reported by Reuters, that change by the airline could effectively put an end to A380 production, especially as Airbus has…
Just before the new year, a The Points Guy writer documented on his flight experience onboard Frontier Airlines, his self-proclaimed first flight on the American ultra-low-cost carrier. Following his flight, the writer penned an article for the travel website with the shocking “revelation” that the airline allows for flight attendants…
Joon, the Air France experiment at courting millennials, has been in the news thrice so far. The first time was in June 2017 when the concept was announced, whereas the second was when operations began in December 2017. Finally, the third announcement arrived this month when Air France announced that Joon…
