United Adds Five Routes, Expands Others

Service will start this spring.

Zach Vasile

Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 10:30 AM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

A United Express Embraer E175 operated by Republic Airways. (Photo: Shutterstock | oasisamuel)

United is again building up operations in its hometown ahead of the spring and summer.

The carrier said Tuesday that it will add nonstop service from Chicago O’Hare to Champaign/Urbana, Illinois; Kalamazoo, Michigan; La Crosse, Wisconsin; Lansing, Michigan; and Bloomington/Normal, Illinois.

Service to Champaign/Urbana and Kalamazoo will start April 30, while service to La Crosse, Lansing, and Bloomington/Normal will commence May 7.

Each new connection will operate four times daily, airline officials said.

United also plans to add flights on over 80 existing routes from Chicago. The carrier did not name them all but said destinations such as Boston, Nashville, Tennessee, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Dallas/Fort Worth are included.

The airline also plans to connect Chicago with Guadalajara, Mexico, between June 8 and 27 to help fans attend soccer games during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The temporary service to Guadalajara will operate daily.

With these additions, United expects to operate up to 750 flights per day from Chicago O’Hare this summer. The carrier’s Chicago hub will become the third-largest hub operated by any airline in the U.S., executives said.

“We have spent the past decade building and executing a strategy that is focused on winning brand loyal customers by giving them more value when they fly United – and nowhere is that more apparent than in Chicago,” Omar Idris, United’s vice president for Chicago O’Hare, said in a statement. “This growth at O’Hare highlights our commitment to invest in our network, customers, and hiring in the city we call home.”

United is also in the process of adding new destinations from Chicago announced late last year, including Santa Barbara, California; Eugene, Oregon; Monterey, California; Bristol/Tri-Cities, Tennessee; Erie, Pennsylvania; Rochester, Minnesota; Wausau, Wisconsin; and Marquette, Michigan.

Zach Vasile

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.

UPS Retires MD-11 Fleet

Carrier confirms accelerated retirement in fourth-quarter earnings following fleet grounding.

Ryan Ewing

Tuesday, January 27, 2026 at 09:43 AM ET

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Edited By:

Zach Vasile

Grounded UPS MD-11 aircraft (Photo: Shutterstock)

UPS has officially retired its remaining McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighters, formally ending operations with the three-engine aircraft following a deadly November accident and the subsequent grounding of the fleet.

The decision was disclosed in the company’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings release, published Jan. 27, in which the company confirmed it recorded a non-cash, after-tax charge tied to the accelerated retirement of the MD-11 aircraft. UPS did not specify an exact retirement date but indicated the fleet was removed from service during the fourth quarter.

UPS grounded its MD-11 fleet in November after an accident involving one of the aircraft. At the time, the company said the grounding was taken out of an abundance of caution while the incident was investigated.

The National Transportation Safety Board is continuing to investigate the accident.

A UPS MD-11 aircraft (Photo: Shutterstock | Austin Deppe)

Prior to the grounding, the MD-11 made up a minority portion of UPS’ widebody fleet and was primarily used on long-haul international cargo routes.

The company maintained the second-largest MD-11 fleet in the world, with 31 aircraft in service before the accident, which killed 15 people. FedEx has the largest MD-11 fleet with 61 jets, which are also grounded.

UPS has operated the MD-11 since the early 2000s.

Ryan Ewing

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.

American Adds New Seasonal Route

Service will operate on Saturdays during the summer.

Zach Vasile

Monday, January 26, 2026 at 04:45 PM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

An American Eagle E175. (Photo: Shutterstock | Austin Deppe)

American Airlines is adding a new domestic route this summer.

The carrier will connect Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri with Phoenix, an airline spokesperson confirmed to AirlineGeeks. Flights will operate once a week starting on May 23, operated by an Embraer E175.

Further information is expected to be released by Springfield-Branson National Airport.

“We’re eager to welcome travelers from Southwest Missouri on our new service to Phoenix this summer,” Jordan Pack, American’s director of domestic network planning, said in a statement. “As we’ve steadily grown our flights out of SGF, travelers have responded positively. This has given us the confidence to add flights to Phoenix that will unlock more access from Springfield to the Southwest and Western U.S.”

American currently connects Springfield to Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago O’Hare, Miami, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Zach Vasile

Memo: FAA Denied Request to Reduce Arrivals Before Fatal Potomac Collision

Air traffic controllers who raised concerns about Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport were allegedly told the matter was 'too political' to address.

Zach Vasile

Monday, January 26, 2026 at 04:00 PM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (Photo: Shutterstock | TJ Brown)

The FAA reportedly denied a request to reduce flight arrivals at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in the months leading up to a fatal midair collision over the Potomac River in January 2025.

The Washington Times reported this week that the FAA did not act on a request from air traffic controllers at Potomac Consolidated TRACON in Virginia in 2023. The request pointed to difficulties maintaining separation among arriving commercial aircraft.

The Times cited an internal FAA memo released by the NTSB, which is investigating the collision.

According to the document, an FAA manager resisted forwarding the request to higher-ups. The controllers who made the request were later told the matter was “too political,” possibly because members of Congress depend on flights to and from the airport to travel between their home districts and Washington, D.C.

The NTSB on Tuesday will vote on a final report about the probable cause of the crash. The agency is expected to hand down numerous safety recommendations drawn from its investigation, but it is not clear if reducing slots at Washington National will be among them.

An American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, collided with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Washington National on Jan. 29, 2025. A total of 67 people on board both aircraft were killed.

For much of the last 12 months, conversation among regulators and lawmakers has centered on ADS-B broadcasting for military aircraft and measures to further separate civilian and military air traffic in the capital region. An interim rule published by the FAA last week prohibits helicopters and powered lift aircraft from operating in certain areas near Washington National.

The FAA and U.S. Department of Transportation have also closed a potentially hazardous helicopter route in the area and eliminated the use of visual separation within five nautical miles of the airport. In October, the FAA updated helicopter routes and zones at Washington National, Washington Dulles, and Baltimore/Washington International in Maryland.

Concerns about commercial traffic at Washington National have occasionally come up, however. During a public NTSB hearing on the crash last August, an FAA contractor said the center overseeing Washington National is under constant pressure to “make it work” despite limits on their resources and manpower.

At that hearing, the FAA maintained that the airspace around Washington National is the safest it has ever been, due in part to the changes made after the crash.

Zach Vasile

Southwest Begins Assigned Seating this Week

A new boarding process will also take effect.

Zach Vasile

Monday, January 26, 2026 at 12:15 PM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

A Southwest Boeing 737 MAX 8 in the carrier's 'Desert Gold' livery (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

After 55 years of its unique and sometimes controversial open seating policy, Southwest this week will officially switch to assigned seating.

The change will go into effect Tuesday, along with new boarding procedures. The carrier first announced the transition to assigned seating in 2024 and set the Jan. 27 start date last July.

Flight 1791 – departing from Honolulu to Los Angeles Tuesday evening – will be the last to offer open seating, a spokesperson confirmed to AirlineGeeks.

Following a cabin retrofit, Southwest has three categories of seats – Extra Legroom, Preferred, and Standard. Extra Legroom seats are located at the front of the cabin and near the exit rows, with the Preferred seats in between. Standard seats make up the back half of the cabin.

Since the installation of the Extra Legroom seats last year, passengers have been free to grab them as they board. After Monday, however, only customers who have paid in advance will get those seats.

Customers can purchase their seats in several different “fare bundles,” known as Basic, Choice, Choice Preferred, and Choice Extra. These groups dictate not only seating but also boarding order, baggage allowances, and other benefits.

Southwest's new cabin interior. — Southwest’s new cabin interior. (Photo: Southwest)

The switch from open seating to assigned seating is one of several policy changes meant to increase Southwest’s profitability. In 2025, it ended the allowance of two free checked bags per passenger. Now, only qualifying A-List members get that perk.

Open seating was loved by some passengers but disliked by others. Detractors pointed to the sometimes rough and tumble scramble for seats during boarding, while others enjoyed that seats at or near the front of the cabin and window seats could be claimed without any upcharge.

Southwest has said that passengers generally prefer assigned seating and were switching to competitors that offered it.

Southwest flight at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport — The first Southwest flight with assigned seating, pictured at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. (Photo: Manchester-Boston Regional Airport)

The new boarding process sorts passengers into eight boarding groups. Choice Extra, A-List Preferred members, and passengers who purchase an upgrade to an Extra Legroom seat with any fare bundle will board in groups one and two. Choice Preferred and A-List members in a Preferred or Basic seat will be included in groups three to five, while Basic and Choice customers will board last in groups six to eight.

Zach Vasile

Thousands of Flights Canceled as Airports Recover from Storm

Major Northeast hubs cut close to 50% of their daily schedules.

Zach Vasile

Monday, January 26, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

American Airlines aircraft in Pittsburgh. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed in the wake of a major winter storm that dropped heavy snow and ice across much of the country over the weekend.

According to tracking website FlightAware, about 3,900 flights to, from, and within the U.S. had been canceled as of Monday morning, and around 1,800 were delayed.

The storm’s impact was still being felt in the Northeast, where snow continued to fall into late Sunday night. 298 flights were canceled at Boston Logan, amounting to 60% of the airport’s daily schedule. Just under half of all flights were cut at New York-JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark, New Jersey.

Significant disruptions were also reported at Dallas/Fort Worth, Charlotte, North Carolina, Washington National, Washington Dulles, Nashville, Tennessee, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, Austin, Texas, Pittsburgh, and Dallas Love Field.

Cleanup and recovery efforts have been complicated by bone-chilling cold. In parts of the Midwest, temperatures dropped well below zero.

The massive storm is estimated to have affected approximately 245 million people, from New Mexico to Maine. At its peak on Sunday, about 12,000 flights were canceled across the U.S., the highest number for a single day since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to aviation analytics company Cirium.

Zach Vasile

Qatar Airways Expands Service to South Africa

Additional flights to Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban will start in February and March.

Lorne Philipot

Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Zach Vasile

A Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)

Qatar Airways will ramp up flights to South Africa starting next month.

The Doha-based carrier will offer additional frequencies to Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban.

The airline operates an extensive flight schedule to the country. Currently, it offers 35 flights per week to South Africa’s three major hubs.

The additional service will increase Qatar’s total weekly flights to South Africa from 35 to 42, providing greater flexibility for passengers connecting from South Africa to Qatar Airways’ network.

Starting Feb. 18, Qatar will increase service between Doha and Johannesburg from 18 to 21 per week, while flights between Doha and Cape Town will increase from 12 to 14, from Feb. 17. Starting March 5, service between Doha and Durban will grow from five to seven. This service operates via Maputo in Mozambique.

Growing African Footprint

This network growth follows a significant year for Qatar Airways in Africa in 2025, marked by collaborations with key carriers on the continent, including Air Algérie, Kenya Airways, and RwandAir.

In October 2024, the airline also entered a strategic partnership with Southern Africa’s premium carrier Airlink, in which it took a 25% equity stake.

Lorne Philipot

Lorne is a South Africa-based aviation journalist. He was captivated and fascinated by flying from the day he took his first airline flight. With a passion for aviation in his blood, he has flown to destinations in all corners of the globe. Lorne has traveled extensively and lived in various countries. Drawing on his travels and passion for aviation, Lorne enjoys writing about airlines, routes, networks, and new developments.

Cayman Airways Adds New U.S. Route

Service will start in May.

Zach Vasile

Friday, January 23, 2026 at 02:45 PM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

A Cayman Airways 737 MAX (Photo: Shutterstock | Blue Sky imagery)

Cayman Airways is adding a new nonstop connection to the U.S. this summer.

The carrier announced this week that it will serve Austin, Texas, from Grand Cayman starting May 26. The seasonal service will run through Aug. 16, officials said.

Cayman Airways plans to operate the route weekly on Sundays.

In a statement, Executive Vice President and CFO Paul Tibbets said the airline conducted data analysis in collaboration with the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and identified Austin as one of the largest unserved U.S. markets for Cayman travel, with particularly strong demand in the summer months.

Currently, no airline connects Grand Cayman and Austin with a nonstop flight.

Cayman Airways currently flies to five U.S. cities – New York-JFK, Miami, Denver, Tampa, Florida, and Los Angeles.

Zach Vasile

Livery of the Week: JetBlue Opens Voting

The carrier commissioned three designs honoring the Dominican Republic.

Zach Vasile

Friday, January 23, 2026 at 12:15 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

A potential JetBlue livery designed by Lena Tokens. (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.

JetBlue is letting the public vote on a new aircraft livery honoring the Dominican Republic and Dominican culture.

The carrier commissioned three designs, all by Dominican artists, for use on an Airbus A320. Customers and fans can vote for their favorite at VotaJetBlueRD.com through Feb. 1.

“As the largest airline serving the Dominican Republic, we’re proud to introduce JetBlue’s first livery dedicated to the country, which will showcase the work of a local artist and be chosen by the community,” JetBlue President Marty St. George said in a news release. “This initiative honors the country’s vibrant culture and creative talent, while reflecting the strong bond we’ve built there for more than twenty years.”

A potential JetBlue livery designed by Los Plebeyos. (Photo: JetBlue)

The liveries feature illustrations of Dominican people, symbols, and cultural motifs, such as dominoes, tambora drums, and palm trees. They were designed by art director and muralist Willy Gómez, design collective Los Plebeyos, and illustrator Lena Tokens.

All the artists were compensated for their work, JetBlue said.

The selected livery will be announced in February and will appear on an A320 in the spring.

Looking for a new airplane model? Head over to our friends at the Midwest Model Store for a wide selection of airlines and liveries.

Zach Vasile

Hundreds of Flights Canceled Ahead of Winter Storm

The system is expected to bring heavy snow and ice.

Zach Vasile

Friday, January 23, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

An American Airlines jet on the ramp amid winter weather. (Photo: American Airlines)

Airlines have canceled almost 1,500 flights across the U.S. for Saturday as a powerful winter storm threatens wide swaths of the country with heavy snow, ice, and freezing rain.

According to tracking website FlightAware, Dallas/Forth Worth, Dallas Love Field, and Oklahoma City reported the highest number of cancellations, with half or more of their daily schedules affected. Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Lubbock, Amarillo, and Midland in Texas are also seeing more cancellations than usual.

All of these airports sit in the path of this weekend’s winter storm, which is expected to bring heavy snow, perhaps as much as two feet, to parts of the Midwest, South, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast between Friday and Monday. The system will likely be at its most severe in the Upper South, between Texas and Oklahoma and the Carolinas.

The National Weather Service is warning of “catastrophic ice accumulation” from the Southern Plains to the Southeast.

Extreme cold is predicted for parts of the Upper Midwest, and residents there are being advised to stay inside and keep warm.

Several major airlines, including United, Delta, American, Southwest, and Spirit, have temporarily waived change fees to allow passengers to switch their flights. American said Thursday that it is repositioning aircraft and adding staff at certain airports to help minimize disruptions during and after the storm.

Zach Vasile