American Cuts Corporate Jobs After Quarterly Loss

The carrier is reducing headcount across various departments.

Ryan Ewing

Tuesday, November 04, 2025 at 02:24 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

American Airlines aircraft at DFW Airport. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

American Airlines is laying off hundreds of corporate workers, primarily at its headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. The airline’s latest cost-cutting move follows a net loss of $114 million in the third quarter, while both Delta and United reported profits.

Bloomberg reported the staff reductions on Tuesday, citing an unnamed source. Aviation insider JonNYC also shared the news on X.

An airline spokesperson later confirmed the layoffs to AirlineGeeks.

“We’re making a small reduction to our management and support staff team to right-size for the work we do today. The positions are primarily at our Fort Worth headquarters and will help us optimize our performance and become even more efficient across the organization,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We remain focused on continuing to invest in areas that support American’s long-term business objectives, and these targeted investments will be made thoughtfully to position our airline for continued success.”

The spokesperson did not provide specific numbers regarding the size and scope of the layoffs.

The carrier’s latest round of job cuts impacts mid-level management and non-union support staff. Several departments – including finance, IT, and communications – will see reductions, Bloomberg reported.

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.

After 75 Years, American Pilot Brings His Great-Uncle Home

Flight carried the remains of a soldier missing since the Korean War.

Ryan Ewing

Tuesday, November 04, 2025 at 01:00 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A military honor guard carries Pfc. Dulyea's casket (Photo: APA)

An American Airlines pilot recently flew a mission that carried personal meaning far beyond the usual passenger flight.

Captain Casey Brouhard, based in Phoenix, commanded American flight 2431 from Dallas/Fort Worth to Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Oct. 15. On board were the remains of U.S. Army Pvt. Harold Beryl Dulyea, Brouhard’s great-uncle, who was declared missing in action during the Korean War in 1950, according to the Allied Pilots Association (APA), the union representing pilots at the airline.

Dulyea served with the 1st Cavalry Division and was captured during the Battle of Yongdong, the APA said. He was among a group of prisoners believed to have been killed when an Allied airstrike hit their convoy while they were being moved north. His remains were never identified and were listed among the unknowns for decades.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) confirmed Dulyea’s identity earlier this year through DNA analysis, allowing his family to bring him home.

Brouhard said operating the flight was a meaningful experience.

“Airplanes don’t just carry people,” he said in an article shared by the APA. “They carry life’s most meaningful journeys. To bring Harold home after 75 years was the greatest honor of my flying career.”

At Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, airline employees and military personnel stood in tribute as Dulyea’s flag-draped casket was loaded aboard the 737. Brouhard’s father, Larre Brouhard, also took part in the ceremony.

Dulyea was later laid to rest at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Michigan with full military honors.

Ryan Ewing

Virgin Atlantic Finalizes New Long-Haul Route

Flights will start in spring 2026.

Zach Vasile

Tuesday, November 04, 2025 at 11:42 AM ET

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A Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 Dreamliner seconds from touchdown in Las Vegas. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Virgin Atlantic confirmed this week that it will launch nonstop service between London Heathrow and Seoul early next year.

Starting March 29, 2026, the carrier will offer daily flights between the two cities. The springtime launch will allow Virgin Atlantic customers to visit South Korea during the peak travel and festival season there, airline officials said.

Flights will operate with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

Seoul is Virgin Atlantic’s first destination in South Korea and in East Asia more broadly. The airline pointed out that, as part of a codeshare agreement with Korean Air, passengers will be able to connect through Seoul to destinations such as Tokyo, Osaka, Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, Hanoi, and Hong Kong.

Virgin Atlantic first announced the new London-to-Seoul route in April. The carrier reportedly paused ticket sales for the flights in June, but as of Tuesday they are once again available for purchase.

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.

Qatar Airways Enters Codeshare Partnership with Air Algerie

The Doha-based carrier is expanding its footprint in Africa.

Lorne Philipot

Tuesday, November 04, 2025 at 11:04 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

An Air Algérie 737-600 in Brussels. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Fabian Behr)

Qatar Airways has signed a codeshare agreement with another African carrier, Algeria’s Air Algérie.

The partnership expands on an existing interline agreement between the airlines. It also improves connectivity between Algeria and key destinations in Asia and the Middle East.

“This collaboration will offer travelers greater choice and seamless connectivity to the Middle East, and Asia,” Qatar Airways COO Thierry Antinori said in a press release. “It also reflects our ongoing commitment to deepening strategic partnerships, such as with Air Algérie, that enhance global connectivity from and to Africa through our hub, Hamad International Airport. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Air Algérie.”

The new partnership will give Qatar Airways customers easier access to Algiers and other destinations in Air Algérie’s network. For its part, Air Algérie will be able to offer better options for passengers traveling to destinations such as Muscat, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur.

Increased Presence in Africa

Qatar Airways has a strong focus on Africa. The Doha-based airline currently has 30 interline and six codeshare agreements with airlines across Africa. It operates 213 weekly flights to 30 cities in 21 African countries.

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.

Spirit Scales Back Again, Exits Five More Cities

The ultra-low-cost carrier continues trimming its network as it adjusts to a smaller fleet and ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.

Ryan Ewing

Tuesday, November 04, 2025 at 09:05 AM ET

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A Spirit Airbus A321 (Photo: Shutterstock | Ron Adar)

Spirit is reshuffling its network for 2026, ending service at four U.S. airports along with an international destination.

A Spirit spokesperson told AirlineGeeks the changes are part of broader efforts to “better position the airline for the future” and “align with our smaller operating fleet.”

The carrier will discontinue service at Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Phoenix; Rochester, New York; and St. Louis, effective Jan. 8, 2026. Seasonal flights to Bucaramanga, Colombia, will end Jan. 13.

“We apologize to our Guests for any inconvenience and will reach out to those with affected travel plans to notify them of their options, including a refund,” the spokesperson added. “Thank you to our partners and Guests in these communities for their support over the years.”

A Spirit A320neo in Los Angeles (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

The latest cuts follow a series of recent airport exits as Spirit continues to navigate its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in less than a year. Over the last several months, the airline has withdrawn from 11 airports.

Florida Boost

Even as the airline pares down its footprint, Spirit says it plans to expand flying in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where it will grow to 100 peak daily departures next year. The carrier is also increasing frequencies on more than 40 routes across its network.

In the coming weeks, Spirit will launch three previously-announced new routes from Fort Lauderdale — to Key West, Belize, and Grand Cayman — and will resume flights from Newark to Palm Beach and San Juan.

Ryan Ewing

Boeing Crash Trial Starts in Chicago

Relatives are seeking compensation for the deaths of loved ones on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.

Zach Vasile

Monday, November 03, 2025 at 04:53 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

An Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Two civil cases connected to the crash of a Boeing 737 MAX jet in Ethiopia went to trial on Monday, giving family members and representatives of those killed their first chance to speak in court after more than six years.

The two cases – the first of five that will be heard in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois – were brought by relatives of a 28-year-old woman from Kenya and a 36-year-old woman from India, both of whom were killed in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2019.

Clifford Law Offices, which is representing a number of the family members, said jury selection in those cases will begin Tuesday morning.

The next two cases set to be heard involve the family members of a 38-year-old man from Yemen and Kenya and a 30-year-old man from Kenya and the U.K. The fifth case was brought by a woman from Ireland who lost her husband in the crash.

Judge Jorge Alonso is expected to hear the cases two at a time, according to Clifford Law Offices.

Another 11 civil cases connected to the crash have not yet been scheduled.

Cases Against Boeing

Flight 302 crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. All 157 people on board were killed.

Coming on the heels of the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia, the Ethiopian Airlines disaster triggered a worldwide grounding of the 737 MAX and an investigation in the U.S. into the type’s approval. The two crashes were later linked to the MAX’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, a flight stabilization feature that mistakenly pushed both aircraft into a nose-down position based on readings from faulty sensors.

The U.S. Department of Justice brought a criminal case against Boeing for allegedly misleading FAA investigators about the nature of the MCAS. After a change in presidential administrations, the department sought to drop the case through a nonprosecution agreement that would require Boeing to pay another $1.1 billion in penalties on top of fees already imposed and meet with the victims’ families.

A federal judge in Texas has the final say on the NPA. In September, he heard testimony from victims’ families asking him not to accept the deal.

Zach Vasile

SkyWest: ‘There’s Still a Lot of Opportunities With Small Community Service’

The carrier is set to expand service and add more points to its route map.

Ryan Ewing

Monday, November 03, 2025 at 04:51 PM ET

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A United Express Embraer E175 (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Regional airline SkyWest remains bullish on broadening its network to include more small communities across the U.S., despite uncertainty with federally funded programs.

Earlier this year, a White House budget proposal outlined plans to slash the Essential Air Service (EAS) program’s funding by roughly half. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also told Congress that the program may have to do “more with less.”

SkyWest is one of the largest recipients of EAS subsidies, with nearly 40 contracts in the Lower 48.

But even without mentioning EAS support, the U.S.’s largest regional airline sees more room for growth in small communities. This includes the potential for new routes, destinations, and expanded service in existing markets, company leaders shared during SkyWest’s third-quarter earnings call last week.

“We’re about at 70% of where we were in 2019 pre-pandemic on [pro-rate flying]. We’re seeing strong demand throughout the whole country on pro-rate,” said SkyWest chief commercial officer Wade Steel during the call. “There’s still a lot of opportunities with small community service, both enhancing frequency and then also restoring dots on the map.”

A SkyWest CRJ-550 operating to one of its many EAS communities (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Joey Gerardi)

Steel said SkyWest is working with each of its partners on pro-rate agreements.

“As I said, we do a lot of that for United. We have also started an agreement with American. We also do that with Delta as well. So all of our major partners, we’re working with them on additional dots on the map. And so we’re excited about the opportunities that are in front of us, and we’ll continue to execute on those,” he continued.

Pro-rate flying refers to a type of agreement where the regional carrier operates flights for a major airline and receives a percentage of the fares for passengers who connect from their flights to the major airline’s flights.

“We are seeing opportunities to return SkyWest service to several communities and we will continue to work with the airports we serve in the best way to expand our service,” Steel added.

Connecting the Dots

Just last week, United added three new destinations to its route map, all of which will be served with SkyWest CRJ-200s.

The Chicago-based airline and SkyWest also recently inked a new deal to keep the 50-seat aircraft flying longer within United’s regional network.

Ryan Ewing

Another Airline Phases Out A319s

The type once made up over half the carrier’s fleet.

Zach Vasile

Monday, November 03, 2025 at 02:02 PM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Volaris A319 (Photo: Shutterstock | Tupungato)

Mexican low-cost airline Volaris has officially retired the Airbus A319, once a pillar of its fleet strategy.

During an earnings call last week, CFO Jamie Pous confirmed the narrowbody type is no longer being used for scheduled passenger service.

“Last month, we phased out the last A319 from operations, an aircraft that at the time of our IPO [in 2013] comprised over half our fleet,” Pous said. “Over the past 10 years we have continuously adapted our position and became more efficient, and we are committed to continuing to do so in the decade ahead.”

According to Volaris’ financial results, the airline entered the third quarter of 2025 with only one remaining A319, down from three of the type last year. Most of the current fleet is made up of A320s, A320neos, and A321neos.

Several airlines have retired or made plans to retire the A319 as the type ages and newer aircraft with more capacity and better fuel efficiency arrive from manufacturers. Spirit phased out its last A319s in January, and last month United said it will drop the A319 and the A320 by 2030 as it acquires more A321neos.

Volaris currently has 122 new aircraft on order, mostly A321neos.

Zach Vasile

NTSB Probes Loss of Separation Event Involving Southwest 737

The passenger jet and a helicopter came closer than allowed over northern Ohio.

Zach Vasile

Monday, November 03, 2025 at 09:18 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Southwest 737 MAX in Las Vegas. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

The NTSB is sending a team to investigate a loss of separation event involving a passenger aircraft and a medical transport helicopter.

In a statement, the agency said a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a Eurocopter helicopter came closer to each other than the required minimum safe distance near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio last Wednesday.

Reuters reported Sunday that the 737 was flying to Cleveland from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Maryland.

NTSB is sending a team to investigate a loss of separation event between an inbound Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 and a Eurocopter helicopter that occurred on Oct. 29 near the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio.
— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) November 1, 2025

The Southwest flight had to abort its attempted landing and circled the airport before making another approach. Both aircraft landed safely.

Neither the NTSB nor Southwest has disclosed the number of passengers or crew on the 737.

The airline said in a statement that it “appreciates the professionalism of our crew in responding to the situation” and will support the NTSB’s investigation into the incident.

Public awareness of close calls between passenger aircraft and helicopters has grown considerably since the January collision of an American Airlines flight and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over Washington, D.C., which killed a combined 67 people. The NTSB is investigating the crash and held its first public hearings on the matter in July and August.

Zach Vasile

Brussels Airlines to Introduce Kilimanjaro Service

Flights will start in June 2026.

Lorne Philipot

Monday, November 03, 2025 at 05:30 AM ET

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Ryan Ewing

A Brussels Airlines Airbus A330 (Photo: Shutterstock | Wenjie Zheng)

Brussels Airlines has announced that it will add a new African destination to its long-haul network. Starting June 3, 2026, the airline will fly to Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

The carrier will operate this service as a triangular route, including a stop in Nairobi before returning to Brussels. The route will operate twice a week.

“Sub-Saharan Africa is our second home, and we’re happy to add an attractive destination to our network on this beautiful continent,” Brussels Airlines CEO Dorothea von Boxberg said in a news release. “Tanzania is a top destination for safaris, and we’re proud to contribute to the local economy by connecting Kilimanjaro to Brussels and beyond.”

The flights will be operated with an Airbus A330-300. The aircraft will offer 288 seats spread across Business Class, Premium Economy Class, and Economy Class.

Expanding African Footprint

With the addition of Kilimanjaro, Brussels Airlines’ network in sub-Saharan Africa will expand to 18 destinations. Kilimanjaro will be the carrier’s fifth destination in East Africa, after Entebbe, Uganda; Kigali, Rwanda; Bujumbura, Burundi; and Nairobi.

Kilimanjaro is the gateway to the world-famous Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak. It also provides easy access to Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Lorne Philipot