Commercial aviation is shaped by nationhood and foundations agreed by countries at the Chicago Convention of 1944. This event also saw the beginnings of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The initial freedoms of the air which emerged from the convention have been added to since 1944 and still form the basis of the air service agreements negotiated today between countries. The agreements then give airlines registered in the respective countries specific commercial rights of passenger and cargo carriage. Given…
Recently, I participated in a discussion panel about the Boeing 737 MAX incidents, which took me to a lot of research, and deep thinking about the aviation industry, which I admire and respect. Studying the final report on the Lion Air 610 accident, I realized that technology can create better…
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…
Thursday morning brought the release of Southwest Airlines' third-quarter results. While Chief Executive Gary Kelly brought forth a number of interesting statistics showing the airline continues to be financially and operationally resilient despite massive troubles that continue to plague the airline's Boeing 737 MAX fleet, that wasn't the most interesting…
I love frequent flyer programs. Honestly, it may be safer to say I love all of the debate and discussion they create. Whether it's about how to achieve an airline's highest level of status for as cheap as possible or whether the rewards are actually worth the cost, I could…
Call me dramatic, perhaps a bit over-emotional, or nostalgic, but I am indeed in love with American’s long-time workhorse MD-80 fleet. While other airlines, including Delta, will continue to operate the type after American retires theirs on Wednesday, Sept. 4, there are many things that make AA’s ‘Super 80s’ stand…
I've been thinking a lot about airline marketing lately, having first came to mind after watching Delta make comparatively minor changes to its economy class service offerings and seeing how news outlets both large and small reacted. While I saw those changes as more important for other reasons, there's no…
I've been thinking a lot about airline marketing lately, having first came to mind after watching Delta make comparatively minor changes to its economy class service offerings and seeing how news outlets both large and small reacted. While I saw those changes as more important for other reasons, there's no…
On Sunday, a fellow AirlineGeeks writer published his take on Delta's economy class improvements. While I won't rehash in great detail the specifics of the news, his argument was pretty simple: "it doesn't matter." I would argue that it does. No matter how you slice it, the majority of an…
A report from USA Today released last week detailed the airlines' success in continuing to up their revenues from ancillary fees. According to the report, airlines in the first quarter of 2019 earned $1.3 billion in baggage fees alone, an increase of $170 million from the year before. After American,…
