A JSX Embraer jet (Photo: Shutterstock | Felix Mizioznikov)
JSX announced Tuesday that it will begin flying to New England for the first time in February 2027.
The carrier will operate from Jet Aviation’s terminal at Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts, northwest of Boston. Flights to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey will begin Feb. 8, with four flights on weekdays, two on Saturdays, and three on Sundays.
JSX markets the route as New York City service and requires passengers to sign up for its free Club JSX membership to book.
Service to Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport will follow on Feb. 11, with one flight each day on Mondays and Thursdays through Sundays. JSX will use 30-seat aircraft on both routes.
“We’re excited JSX has chosen Hanscom to operate these flights to the New York and Florida markets,” Hanscom Field Director Chris Willenborg said in a statement.
JSX outlined its plans for Hanscom Field at an advisory commission meeting in September. At the time, the carrier was targeting a January launch and had also proposed flights to Naples, Florida. Naples was absent from Tuesday’s announcement.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has spent more than a decade covering the airline business. His work has been featured by CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. His aviation experience spans airport operations, Part 135 regulatory compliance, and airline crew workforce planning, along with time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 and interviews with airline executives. Ryan now serves as Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group. He holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and teaches Airline Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
A Frontier A320neo aircraft. (Photo: Shutterstock | Omar F Martinez)
Frontier on Tuesday opened reservations for its upcoming First Class, which is set to debut in March 2027.
The new seats have up to 37 inches of pitch, the carrier said, and will be arranged in a two-by-two configuration at the front of the cabin. Installations are already underway. Reservations are available now for travel beginning March 5.
Frontier first announced plans to add a First Class product in late 2024.
A rendering of the new First Class seats. (Credit: Frontier)
The airline will also add extra-legroom seating, with up to 34 inches of pitch, in rows three through eight. These seats will be available with Frontier’s Premium bundle, which includes a carry-on bag and priority boarding.
Frontier plans to roll out two additional perks through 2027 – in-seat USB-C power at every seat in the first eight rows, and Starlink wireless internet service. The carrier decided on Starlink in July; it will be the first airline in the U.S. to use a new system managed directly by Starlink, officials said at the time.
“We’re transforming what customers can expect when they fly Frontier,” Bobby Schroeter, chief marketing officer at Frontier, said in a news release. “First Class seating, more room to stretch out, in-seat power, and fast, reliable Starlink Wi-Fi will bring a new level of comfort and convenience to flying with us.”
Zach Vasile is a writer and editor covering news in all aspects of commercial aviation. He has reported for and contributed to the Manchester Journal Inquirer, the Hartford Business Journal, the Charlotte Observer, and the Washington Examiner, with his area of focus being the intersection of business and government policy.
United Adds Four Domestic Routes
The carrier will give a city its first nonstop flights to the West Coast.
United added four domestic routes to its 2027 schedule last week, a spokesperson confirmed to AirlineGeeks. Three of the new flights will depart from the carrier’s California hubs.
The airline will begin seasonal service from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Traverse City, Michigan, on June 19. Both routes will operate with Boeing 737-800s on Saturdays through Sept. 11, with additional flights on select Wednesdays. The additions will give Cherry Capital Airport nonstop service to all seven of United’s mainland hubs.
These additional routes were first flagged as part of last week’s Cirium Diio schedule update.
United will also fly year-round between San Francisco and Jacksonville, Florida, beginning March 29. The carrier will operate the route on Mondays and Fridays with a Boeing 737-800. Jacksonville Aviation Authority CEO Mark VanLoh said the Bay Area was “one of our largest unserved markets.”
San Francisco will become United’s sixth hub with nonstop service from Jacksonville.
The first of the four routes will start March 4, when United adds twice-daily flights between Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Washington Dulles. The service restores a connection previously flown by Southern Airways Express. Southern’s Dulles flights ended in June when SkyWest began flying between Lancaster and Chicago O’Hare under the United Express banner as part of a federal Essential Air Service contract.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has spent more than a decade covering the airline business. His work has been featured by CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. His aviation experience spans airport operations, Part 135 regulatory compliance, and airline crew workforce planning, along with time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 and interviews with airline executives. Ryan now serves as Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group. He holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and teaches Airline Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
An Air France A220 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
Air France took delivery of its 60th Airbus A220-300 on Friday, completing the order it placed in 2019 to replace its A318s, A319s and some A320s. The airline’s remaining A318s are still scheduled to fly through March 27, 2027.
The new A220, registered F-HOZJ and named Mimizan, arrived just over five years after Air France put the type into commercial service in October 2021. The airline says its 148-seat A220s now serve 50 destinations and have carried nearly 24 million passengers.
Air France had initially expected to have all 60 A220s in its fleet by 2025. The carrier has also pushed back the end of A318 flying. An August schedule update moved the last planned flights from Nov. 8 to March 27, according to AeroRoutes. The winter schedule includes A318 service from Paris Charles de Gaulle to destinations such as Barcelona, Dublin, and Rome.
An Air France Airbus A318 approaches Milan’s Malpensa Airport. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Fabian Behr)
Air France took delivery of its first A318 − the smallest A320 family variant − in October 2003 and went on to operate 18, the largest fleet of the type. Three remain active, according to fleet data from Planespotters.net.
The 60th delivery closes out the initial firm order, which also included 30 options and 30 purchase rights. Air France says its 61st A220 and subsequent deliveries will have Wi-Fi installed before entering commercial service. About 85% of the A220s already in service have the equipment, with the remaining installations due by February 2027.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has spent more than a decade covering the airline business. His work has been featured by CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. His aviation experience spans airport operations, Part 135 regulatory compliance, and airline crew workforce planning, along with time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 and interviews with airline executives. Ryan now serves as Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group. He holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and teaches Airline Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
United and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority unveiled Washington Dulles International Airport’s first new concourse in nearly two decades on Monday. Concourse E opens to passengers Nov. 10, giving United 14 new gates at a hub where its departures have risen 30% since 2022.
The 435,000-square-foot concourse connects directly to the airport’s AeroTrain and has jet bridges at every gate. It can handle both domestic and international flights. The airports authority said existing gates were already fully in use several times a day, with passengers crowding waiting areas and concessions during peak periods.
The concourse also houses United’s second-largest United Club. The nearly 40,000-square-foot lounge seats more than 600 people and increases the airline’s total lounge space at Dulles by about 70%. New concessions include local businesses such as Good Company Doughnuts & Café and Honor Brewing.
United’s newest club at Dulles Airport (Photo: United)
“Washington Dulles is a critical part of United’s global network and growth strategy,” United CEO Scott Kirby said in a statement. The carrier currently offers more than 250 daily flights from Dulles to 135 destinations.
United has added six international destinations from the airport this year. It plans to begin international Airbus A321XLR service from Dulles in December with flights to Amsterdam and Dublin, followed by new service to Toulouse, France, and Milan in 2027.
Concourse E is the first phase of the broader Dulles Global Gateway program, which United and the airports authority estimate will involve more than $20 billion in investment. Later work is expected to add gates, expand the main terminal, and build a new U.S. Customs facility. The program also calls for extending the AeroTrain so the airport can eventually retire its mobile lounges.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has spent more than a decade covering the airline business. His work has been featured by CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. His aviation experience spans airport operations, Part 135 regulatory compliance, and airline crew workforce planning, along with time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 and interviews with airline executives. Ryan now serves as Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group. He holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and teaches Airline Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Southwest 737 Flew 44 Times Before Wind Damage Was Found
The NTSB found that the jet returned to service without a storm inspection and later passed a maintenance test despite a rudder that moved in only one direction.
A Southwest 737 MAX 8. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)
A Southwest Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 44 times before maintenance crews discovered tail damage that investigators traced to a thunderstorm more than a week earlier. In a final report released Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board said the damage went undetected through a scheduled maintenance check and caused a standby rudder control unit to operate abnormally.
The damage came to light after Southwest flight 746 experienced unexpected rudder movements on May 25, 2024, while flying from Phoenix to Oakland, California. All 175 passengers and six crew members were uninjured. The aircraft, registered N8825Q, sustained substantial damage.
The NTSB traced the damage to the night of May 16, when the jet was parked in New Orleans, and thunderstorms brought gusts of up to 73 knots, or about 84 mph. Investigators said the wind likely moved the rudder enough to damage ribs inside the vertical stabilizer where the standby rudder control unit was mounted.
Damage to the aircraft’s rudder (Photo: NTSB)
At the time, Boeing’s 737 maintenance manual called for a special inspection after an extreme wind event but gave no wind speed at which the check was required. The manual listed signs such as an aircraft moving over its wheel chocks or leaving tire skid marks.
Southwest also lacked a process to notify maintenance control when a parked aircraft had been exposed to extreme winds. The jet flew the next morning without the inspection.
Scheduled Maintenance
Over the next week, the aircraft completed 38 flights with no reported rudder or yaw damper problems. It then underwent scheduled maintenance in Houston on May 23, including a test of the standby hydraulic system. The procedure required a mechanic at the tail to verify that the rudder moved in response to pedal inputs.
Hangar video showed the rudder moving to the right but failing to move to the left. Investigators said no one was at the tail to verify the movement. Southwest’s maintenance records showed the test was signed off as passed, and the aircraft returned to service. The NTSB could not determine whether the test worsened the existing damage.
On the fourth flight the next day, a crew disconnected the yaw damper after reporting that it was overcorrecting in turbulence. The yaw damper uses the rudder to counter side-to-side motion.
The jet flew one more leg with the system listed as inoperative. It then passed a functional test, and the yaw damper was returned to service before Flight 746.
On the Oakland flight, the captain noticed momentary stiffness in the rudder pedals while turning onto the runway. Shortly after reaching 34,000 feet, he felt what he described as “a small amount of Dutch roll.” Both pilots felt the pedals move, and the oscillations recurred after the crew descended to 32,000 feet.
Flight data showed one episode of rudder and pedal oscillations lasting about 20 seconds, with no significant change in heading or bank angle. Investigators found that the abnormal movement appeared in the data from the first flight after the Houston maintenance check, before crews reported it. They observed it only when the yaw damper was engaged.
Southwest removed the aircraft from service after it landed in Oakland. The airline later inspected the rudder control unit mounting areas across its 737 MAX fleet and found no similar damage. It also added individual mechanic sign-offs to the hydraulic test and set up a process to alert maintenance control after extreme winds. Boeing revised its maintenance manual to require the special inspection at a wind threshold of 65 knots, or 75 mph.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has spent more than a decade covering the airline business. His work has been featured by CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. His aviation experience spans airport operations, Part 135 regulatory compliance, and airline crew workforce planning, along with time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 and interviews with airline executives. Ryan now serves as Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group. He holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and teaches Airline Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
JetBlue Airbus A320 in Florida Panthers special livery (Photo: JetBlue)
Editor’s Note: AirlineGeeks is proud to present our ‘Livery of the Week’ series. Every Friday, a team member will share an airline livery, which can be from the past, present, or even a special scheme. Some airline liveries are works of art. The complexity associated with painting around critical flight components and the added weight requires outside-the-box thinking from designers. The average airliner can cost upwards of $200,000 to repaint, creating a separate aircraft repainting industry as a result.
Have an idea for a livery that we should highlight? Drop us a line.
Since the beginning of its operations in 2000, New York-based airline JetBlue has always considered South Florida as one of its primary markets, with a presence at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport that has grown during the past 25 years to include up to 25 aircraft based overnight at the airport and over 2,000 people supporting its operations in Broward County.
As a sign of its commitment to the South Florida community, JetBlue has announced a multi-year extension for an expanded partnership with the Florida Panthers, the NHL’s southernmost franchise that captured back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2023-24 and 2024-25. The partnership will see JetBlue present a newly redesigned Champions Club at the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, home of the Panthers, and to celebrate the announcement, the airline unveiled a special Panthers-themed livery for one of its Airbus A320 aircraft.
Panther Across the Fuselage
The new livery draws its inspiration from the Panthers’ jersey, therefore sporting the iconic Panthers’ red across the entire fuselage, with the outline of a golden panther all across the central part of the fuselage, right next to JetBlue’s logo. The Panthers’ shield logo is on the aircraft tail in navy and gold.
Bold red letters spelling FLORIDA appear on the bottom of the aircraft, where there’s also a leaping cat, the team’s logo. More symbols of the Panthers and the State of Florida appear in other parts of the fuselage: a simplified Florida flag appears near the front of the aircraft together with a palm tree and a hockey stick, which represent the secondary logo for the team.
JetBlue Airbus A320-232 in Florida Panthers special livery (Photo | X @JetBlue)
“South Florida has been part of JetBlue’s story since our very first flight more than two decades ago, and we’re continuing to build on that history in a big way as Broward County’s largest airline,” said Marty St. George, JetBlue’s president, in a press release. “The Panthers know a thing or two about winning in South Florida, and we’re bringing that same energy as we expand our network, elevate the customer experience and deepen our commitment to the community. ‘Go Cats Go’ is a fun way to celebrate our shared passion for South Florida and team up with a franchise that knows how to make some noise.”
The aircraft chosen to display this special livery is an Airbus A320, registered as N784JB, delivered to the airline on Feb. 11, 2011.
The original name of the aircraft was “Blue And Infinity And Beyond,” which has been changed to “Go Cats Go” following the repainting in this new livery.
Looking for a new airplane model? Head over to our friends at the Midwest Model Store for a wide selection of airlines and liveries.
Vanni fell in love with commercial aviation during his undergraduate studies in Statistics at the University of Bologna, when he prepared his thesis on the effects of deregulation on the U.S. and European aviation markets. Then he pursued his passion further by obtaining a Master’s Degree in Air Transport Management at Cranfield University in the U.K. followed by holding several management positions at various start-up carriers in Europe (Jet2, SkyEurope, Silverjet). After moving to Canada, he was Business Development Manager for IATA for nine years before turning to his other passion: sports writing.
PSA Pilots Secure Contract Extension Through 2030
The agreement sets new pay rates for 2027, with additional increases in 2028 and 2029.
An American CRJ-900. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
PSA Airlines’ pilot union leaders have approved an agreement that extends the regional carrier’s pilot contract by two years and locks in three rounds of pay increases.
The Air Line Pilots Association announced the agreement Wednesday. It extends the existing contract through April 1, 2030. The previous extension, ratified in 2022, had set an amendable date of April 1, 2028.
Current pay rates will remain in place until June 1, 2027, when the first increases take effect. Additional raises are scheduled for June 1 in each of the following two years. The deal also changes scheduling and work rules. ALPA’s announcement did not specify the size of the raises or detail the scheduling changes.
“When we asked our pilots what mattered most, the answer was clear: Protect our pay. This agreement does that,” said Capt. Chris Sabia, who chairs the union’s PSA Master Executive Council, in a news release.
ALPA represents approximately 2,260 pilots at PSA, which is a wholly-owned regional subsidiary of American Airlines.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has spent more than a decade covering the airline business. His work has been featured by CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. His aviation experience spans airport operations, Part 135 regulatory compliance, and airline crew workforce planning, along with time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 and interviews with airline executives. Ryan now serves as Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group. He holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and teaches Airline Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
An Alaska Airlines Embraer E175 (Photo: Shutterstpck | Welshboy2020)
The Teamsters have sued Horizon Air, alleging the Alaska Air Group subsidiary violated federal labor law by changing how it handles pilots who report fatigue.
The Teamsters Airline Division and Local 1224 filed the lawsuit Oct. 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. The union alleges Horizon requires pilots who report fatigue at their home base to travel to another city as passengers before taking the rest provided under their contract.
The union alleges the practice violates the Railway Labor Act and is asking the court to order Horizon to stop it and restore the negotiated rest protections.
“Management cannot pick and choose which parts of our contract it wants to follow,” said Sean Lenney, a Horizon pilot and member of Local 1224, in a news release.
The Teamsters also said Thursday that 99% of pilots who voted backed a no-confidence measure against Carlos Zendejas, Horizon’s senior vice president of operations. The union’s Horizon Air Pilots Executive Council called for his removal following the vote.
Horizon and its pilots have been negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement for more than three and a half years, according to the union. Pilots held informational pickets in Seattle and Boise, Idaho, on Oct. 15 over issues including pay, staffing, and training.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has spent more than a decade covering the airline business. His work has been featured by CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. His aviation experience spans airport operations, Part 135 regulatory compliance, and airline crew workforce planning, along with time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 and interviews with airline executives. Ryan now serves as Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group. He holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and teaches Airline Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
KLM Boeing 787 aircraft (Photo: KLM | Patrick Kop)
KLM expects to eliminate approximately 1,000 positions through productivity improvements as part of a restructuring announced Thursday.
The Dutch carrier said it would seek to limit the impact through natural attrition, voluntary arrangements and transfers. Other changes include moving about 800 ground services positions to outside providers and transferring 2,000 positions to Air France-KLM, including 1,500 at customer contact center Cygnific.
“But KLM’s future is not guaranteed,” CEO Marjan Rintel said in a statement, citing global instability, high fuel prices, and pressure on the industry.
The changes also affect its European fleet. KLM will replace planned Airbus A320s with Embraer E195-E2s, giving regional subsidiary Cityhopper a larger role. The A321neo will remain, while Boeing 737s and Embraer E190s will be phased out.
The announcement came as KLM reported a third-quarter operating profit of €458 million, up from €352 million a year earlier. For the first nine months of 2026, operating profit reached €526 million on revenue of €10.9 billion.
Despite the improvement, KLM said profitability remains insufficient to support its investment needs. Higher fuel costs and Middle East flight cancellations weighed on its passenger business, while Transavia faced competition and operational challenges.
“We need to increase it to more than 8% to secure a financially healthy future for KLM,” Chief Financial Officer Bas Brouns said of the airline’s profit margin.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has spent more than a decade covering the airline business. His work has been featured by CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. His aviation experience spans airport operations, Part 135 regulatory compliance, and airline crew workforce planning, along with time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 and interviews with airline executives. Ryan now serves as Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group. He holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and teaches Airline Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
