Puerto Vallarta International Airport. (Photo: Shutterstock | 1000Photography)
Airlines are pausing flights to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, Mexico, after a sudden surge in violence following the killing of a drug cartel chief on Sunday.
United, Delta, American, Southwest, Air Canada, and WestJet, among others, canceled flights to the two cities and waived change fees for affected passengers.
Puerto Vallarta, located on Mexico’s Pacific coast in the state of Jalisco, is a major tourism destination. It is especially popular with vacationers from the western and southern U.S. due to the availability of nonstop flights.
Unrest broke out in Jalisco and several other states following a Mexican Army raid targeting the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Soldiers attempted to capture leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, but he was wounded during the operation and died en route to a hospital.
In retaliation, cartel members have stolen and burned vehicles, including buses, to serve as roadblocks in and around Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara. They also attacked convenience stores, bank branches, pharmacies, and gas stations.
Dozens of Mexican National Guard soldiers, cartel members, and civilians have been killed.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City issued an alert Sunday advising Americans in several Mexican states to shelter in place until further notice. They are being asked to avoid crowds and areas of police activity, monitor the news for updates, and keep family members and friends in the U.S. informed of their location and well-being.
As of midday Monday, the State Department has not upgraded its overall travel advisory for Mexico, which remains at “exercise increased caution.” Jalisco is marked level three – “reconsider travel.” Several Mexican states, including Sinaloa and Michoacán, have been marked “do not travel” since 2023.
The White House said Sunday that the U.S. provided intelligence to the Mexican Army in advance of the operation.
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.
A TSA checkpoint. (Photo: Shutterstock | David Tran Photo)
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has partially reversed plans to suspend two popular trusted traveler programs.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced early Sunday that, due to the ongoing partial government shutdown, TSA PreCheck and Global Entry will not be available. She framed the decision as a matter of workforce and resource management, as her department has been temporarily cut off from federal funding.
But within hours, the TSA clarified that PreCheck, which allows members to undergo expedited security screenings, will remain up and running.
“At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public,” the agency wrote on social media. “As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly.”
According to The New York Times, Global Entry remains suspended. The program was not operating at several airports as of late Sunday, including Boston and Austin, Texas, ABC News reported.
Global Entry is administered by Customers and Border Protection and allows pre-approved, low-risk travelers to clear customs faster than the general public.
The plan to suspend PreCheck drew strong backlash on social media and from Democratic members of Congress, who blocked funding to DHS in hopes of implementing stricter federal oversight of another department branch, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Several Democrats argued that PreCheck and Global Entry actually reduce the workload of TSA agents at airports, and said suspending the programs was a pressure tactic from the Trump administration.
Despite the pause in funding, most DHS functions are continuing as normal. Many TSA, ICE, and Customs staff are considered essential and must continue to report to work.
TSA also said over the weekend that courtesy escorts for members of Congress have been suspended.
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.
Thousands of Flights Canceled, Delayed Due to Northeast Storm
The system brought near hurricane-force winds and heavy snow.
American Airlines aircraft in Pittsburgh. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
A powerful bomb cyclone all but shut down air travel in the Northeast late Sunday and early Monday, with thousands of flights canceled or delayed.
According to tracking website FlightAware, over 5,300 U.S. flights were canceled as of Monday morning, and over 800 were delayed. Almost all flights at New York-LaGuardia and Boston were called off, and JFK, Philadelphia, Newark, New Jersey, Hartford, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island, saw over 80% of their daily schedules canceled. Also affected were Reagan National and Baltimore/Washington, though not quite as severely.
JetBlue, which has hubs at JFK and Boston, was hit harder than most U.S. carriers, with about 80% of all flights canceled, FlightAware data showed. United, Delta, and American hovered below 20%.
Arriving on Sunday, the storm has battered much of the Northeast with near hurricane-force winds and heavy snow. In some areas, over two feet of snow has fallen, and ground travel has been restricted in parts of New York, New Jersey, and New England due to near whiteout conditions.
Over 400,000 people in the region are reportedly without power.
As of Monday morning, the worst of the storm had moved to Rhode Island and parts of eastern Massachusetts, including Boston. About 40 million people remain under a blizzard warning.
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.
Watchdog Faults FAA’s Oversight of United’s Maintenance Practices
Investigators pointed to low staffing levels and inadequate resources.
The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General said it began looking into the FAA’s supervision of United after several concerning in-flight incidents, including engine failures and emergency landings.
The office has investigated federal oversight of several other carriers in recent years, including American, Allegiant, and Southwest.
The OIG’s final report on the FAA and United, made public on Wednesday, said the certificate management office responsible for United does not have enough inspectors. The situation has increased workloads, the office said, and is contributing to high turnover.
The OIG faulted the FAA for relying on virtual inspections when it does not have sufficient staffing, rather than postponing the inspections in accordance with the FAA’s own requirements. In addition, inspections conducted without adequate resources are not being appropriately factored into the FAA’s and United’s risk profile.
Extended job vacancies at the CMO are also delaying inspections and making it more difficult to retain valuable institutional knowledge, investigators said.
“As a result of these unfilled positions, the CMO has been unable to complete all its required essential maintenance provider (i.e., repair stations) inspections,” the report stated. “Our analysis of required inspections at United’s 22 domestic and international essential maintenance providers showed that the CMO was unable to complete 8 of 22 (36%) inspections in fiscal year 2023 and 13 of 22 (59%) inspections in fiscal year 2024.”
The report called particular attention to supervision of United’s Boeing 737 fleet. The FAA has only one avionics partial program manager, one maintenance partial program manager, and two assistant partial program managers overseeing 521 737 aircraft, according to the OIG, which is in line with the FAA’s rules but “not sufficient to accomplish all required surveillance on the B737.”
A United 737 MAX 8. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Noah Escobar)
The imbalance is especially concerning because, according to CMO managers, the 737s have the most unplanned events and are “very different than other aircraft series, especially in terms of avionics.”
SMS Access
The OIG also found that the FAA has not effectively educated inspectors on how to access, obtain, and manage carriers’ safety management system data. This prevents inspectors from properly assessing a carrier’s SMS and determining the root causes of maintenance problems, investigators said.
Airlines are reluctant to provide access to SMS records because they are not categorically protected from Freedom of Information Act requests, the report stated, but FAA inspectors are allowed to request and review them provided certain conditions are met.
Additionally, FAA regulations allow carriers to mark SMS data as confidential, indicating that it should be withheld from public disclosure.
FAA personnel reported some difficulty accessing United’s SMS data and were apparently not aware of their ability to request and review that information.
“Inspectors stated that they encounter challenges requesting and obtaining United’s SMS data, including safety risk assessments, making it difficult to oversee United’s SMS,” investigators wrote. “FAA inspectors we interviewed stated that United does not allow remote access to the air carrier’s SMS records but will hold virtual meetings and show snippets of the air carrier’s SMS where inspectors can take notes. However, photos and screenshots are not allowed.”
“Additionally, FAA inspectors stated that they can go to a United facility to view the air carrier’s SMS with supervision from United personnel but cannot take SMS records away.”
The OIG recommended that the FAA develop and implement a policy for personnel to determine when an inspection should be postponed; reevaluate staffing rules by taking fleet size and requirements into account; arrange an independent workplace survey of the United CMO to determine how inspector fleet assignments and workload distribution are impacting office culture; establish and implement an action plan to address staffing shortages; develop a plan to provide outreach and education to the entire inspector workforce on the protections of SMS data; and provide analytical support from its Safety Analysis Branch to CMOs to gather, analyze, and trend data for inspection questions that have been answered “not observable.”
In its reply, the FAA said it concurred wholly or partially with all of the recommendations. The agency said it will complete actions to address the recommendations by Dec. 31 of this year.
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.
Southwest Preparing for 737 MAX 7 Debut in 2027
Officials said they’re optimistic that the first of the type will be delivered later this year.
Boeing's 737 MAX 7 aircraft (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Chuyi Chuang)
Southwest expects its first 737 MAX 7s to arrive later this year and enter service in 2027, according to a report from Aviation Week.
The industry news website cited recent remarks from Ken Barone, Southwest’s fleet asset management director, at its AeroEngines Americas conference.
“We’re being told, later this year they will get regulatory approval,” Barone said. “I have no concerns about anything getting in the way of that. And once that happens, we’ll spend about four to six months getting them ready to get into service.”
If certification happens in the second half of this year, he added, Southwest could begin operating the type by early next year.
The 737 MAX 7 was supposed to begin commercial service in 2019, with Southwest as its launch customer. It has faced numerous delays in certification, mainly due to issues with its engine deicing system. Late last year, the aircraft’s projected certification date was pushed back to 2026.
A Southwest Boeing 737-700. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
Southwest has an enormous investment in the eventual success of the 737 MAX 7, as it has ordered 268 of the type. The jets will replace Southwest’s 737-700s.
The carrier currently operates the MAX 8, together with older -700s and -800s.
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.
Sunrise Dominicana Seeks Clearance for U.S. Flights
The carrier is looking to operate both scheduled and charter service.
A Sunrise Airways Embraer E120. (Photo: Shutterstock | Victor De Leon)
A recently formed Dominican airline is asking permission from the Department of Transportation to launch service to the U.S.
In a filing submitted Monday, Sunrise Dominicana said it plans to operate regular scheduled service and charter flights between the Dominican Republic and the U.S. It is asking for exemption authority for five years.
The carrier said it is leasing an Embraer 120, an ERJ 135, and two British Aerospace Jetstreams.
Sunrise Dominicana was formed in 2022 and certificated for operations in the Dominican Republic in 2025.
The airline did not say which airports in the U.S. it hopes to serve.
Sunrise Dominicana has its main base at Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo. It currently flies to destinations in the Caribbean, such as Antigua and Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, officials said in the filing.
The airline’s president, Philippe Bayard, is also the founder of Haiti-based Sunrise Airways. That airline now serves two destinations in the U.S., Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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.
The Montreal-Guadalajara connection will launch June 2 and operate three times weekly year-round, officials said. Flights from Montreal will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, while return flights from Guadalajara will operate on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
Flights to Cancun, Monterrey, Mexico City, and Puerto Vallarta will increase for the summer:
Montreal to Cancun, from seven times weekly to 11 times weekly
Toronto to Monterrey, from three times weekly to four times weekly
Vancouver to Mexico City, from seven times weekly to 11 times weekly
Vancouver to Puerto Vallarta, from once weekly to twice weekly
“Air travel facilitates tourism, trade, and connectivity, and Mexico is part of Air Canada’s larger Latin America strategy of enabling fast, convenient passenger and cargo connections through our Canadian gateways to our comprehensive network across all six inhabited continents,” Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s executive vice president, chief commercial officer, and president of cargo, said in a news release.
Connections to Turkey
Air Canada also announced an interline deal with Pegasus Airlines that will allow passengers to reach Turkey on a single itinerary.
Travelers will be able to connect to a Pegasus flight to Istanbul through eight European gateways – Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Munich, Geneva, Vienna, Zurich, and Athens. Also available to Air Canada customers is a Pegasus connection from Frankfurt to Izmir, Turkey, on the Aegean coast of Anatolia.
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, American to Inject $200 Million into Brazil’s Azul
The carrier is working to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
According to documents filed Wednesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, United’s investment will be made through a previously disclosed public equity offering, while American will provide backing with a subscription of warrants, a type of long-term security.
Azul also entered into an additional investment agreement with existing creditors that will make another $100 million available, the filing stated.
Company officials wrote that the cash infusions will “strengthen Azul’s capital structure” and support operations after it emerges from bankruptcy.
Azul is headquartered near São Paulo and serves dozens of destinations within Brazil. It also offers medium- and long-haul service to Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Curaçao, Western Europe, and the U.S., specifically Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The airline filed for bankruptcy in 2025, citing rising costs. Its reorganization plan is being overseen by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
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.
Livery of the Week: Oman Air
A refined color palette that anchors the Omani flag carrier’s modern brand identity.
An Oman Air Boeing 787 Dreamliner (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)
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.
Oman Air’s standard livery centers on a combination of gold, teal, and white, creating a restrained but distinctive look that reflects the carrier’s positioning as a premium airline from the Middle East. The design places a gold swoosh along the fuselage that curves upward toward the tail, intersecting with teal accents that frame the rear of the aircraft.
The vertical stabilizer carries Oman Air’s emblem, which incorporates Arabic calligraphy and geometric elements drawn from Omani heritage. The tail logo is rendered in gold against a teal background, making it the primary visual identifier across the fleet. The airline’s titles appear in both English and Arabic on the forward fuselage.
The livery is applied consistently across Oman Air’s fleet, including Boeing 737s and 787 Dreamliners. While proportions vary slightly by aircraft type, the placement of the gold cheatline and tail emblem remains uniform, creating visual continuity as the airline operates a mixed narrowbody and widebody fleet.
Oman Air’s first 737 MAX. (Photo: Boeing)
Unlike short-term promotional schemes, Oman Air’s design serves as its permanent fleet livery and is used on both new deliveries and repainted aircraft. The palette and layout have evolved incrementally over time, but the current version maintains the same core elements that have defined the airline’s brand during its expansion into Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Looking for a new airplane model? Head over to our friends at the Midwest Model Store for a wide selection of airlines and liveries.
Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.
Other benefits folded into the deal include retro pay, additional wage scale raises, scheduling improvements, increased flexibility, and pay for boarding that will add 15% to 16% to compensation on average, according to the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.
Over the life of the contract, PSA flight attendants will see a 30% to 50% increase in compensation.
The provisional agreement will be sent out to flight attendants for a ratification vote, the union said. The vote closes on March 6.
“PSA flight attendants save lives every day and serve as the face of American Eagle in ever increasingly difficult conditions,” Lee Wilkes, president of the AFA master executive council at PSA, said in a news release. “This tentative agreement starts to recognize what we do every single flight to get people to their destination safely… We look forward to locking this in and pushing forward on our careers with more in our pockets and more of our time reflected in our paychecks.”
The two sides have been negotiating since 2023, when the flight attendants’ previous contract became amendable.
PSA Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group. It operates regional flights for American under the American Eagle brand.
In a statement, AFA International President Sara Nelson specifically thanked American CEO Robert Isom and noted “his direct engagement to make this agreement possible.”
Isom has faced growing criticism from the carrier’s mainline working groups, specifically pilots and flight attendants, over lackluster earnings results reported in January. The CEO and other executives have said that long-term investments in American’s product, fleet, and network will begin paying off in 2026, with higher earnings per share expected.
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.
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