I recently came across an opinion piece by a fellow aviation reporter, arguing that domestic air travel in the U.S. essentially needs to be halted as COVID-19 cases grow by the day. I am certainly not discrediting Mr. Sumer’s opinion as the article itself does make several valid claims, nor am I saying that social distancing and staying home to quell the spread of this virus isn’t important. It absolutely is. On the contrary, however, I do not believe halting…
To put it plainly, this year has been one to forget for Boeing. It wasn't even nine months ago that Ethiopian Airways flight 302 from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Nairobi, Kenya tragically fell out of the sky, killing all 157 aboard in what has seemed to become the beginning of…
Let’s face it; the vast majority of people don’t enjoy flying. From tight seats to surprising fees, the whole experience of hopping on an airplane can prove to be tedious. Despite this, there are several common denominators that make aviation one of the most integral and prosperous industries of our…
Each year, over 3 billion passengers pass through each of the world's airports, all of them following what is essentially the same path to get from the curb to their gate. That path from the check-in desk to aircraft is the one every passenger knows and is filled with security…
As the battle between ultra-low-cost carriers and legacy carriers in the United States continues, few have taken time to pause and reflect on how Southwest Airlines, the largest domestic airline based on passengers flown in the U.S. in 2017, continues to thrive. This five-part series will discuss the overall state…
Disclaimer: This article contains opinions from the author based on his personal experiences with this topic In 1972, United Airlines, with help from Western Direct Marketing, created the first true airline frequent flyer program. Members received special plaques, among other things, but that was just the beginning. Over the course…
Regional aircraft, the small, less than 100 seat airplanes that we see at small airports across the country, are finding themselves on longer routes. The aircraft were originally offered as a way for airlines to serve short routes with less demand using less fuel-intensive aircraft. However, a new trend has…
Before U.S. airlines were first allowed to fly to Cuba last year, very little was known about what the market might entail. Last December, I wrote about the saturation of the market with tens of thousands of weekly seats and whether that would prove sustainable for airlines. Then in April,…
The Boeing 737 MAX is seen by many as the future of the narrowbody market, along with Airbus' A320neo family. However, it seems that the MAX may be filling a different role: nonstop trans-Atlantic flights. On Sept. 13, Air Canada announced that they would be operating their 737 MAX aircraft…
In a week which saw further Boeing 747 retirements as airlines continue to modernize their fleets, it continues to look like the Queen of the Skies' days are ever more numbered. This icon of aviation and a favorite of both airlines and passengers since its launch in 1970 has slowly…
