The outbreak of COVID-19 has forced many non-essential businesses to shut down and the majority of the population to stay at home, resulting in an unprecedented impact on the aviation industry. Major airlines have parked much of their fleet following the decline in passenger numbers. Many pilots around the world have been furloughed or put on reserve as their carriers struggle to successfully navigate the crisis. Here in Pennsylvania, where I live, shutdowns of non-essential businesses started three weeks ago.…
The first quarter of the year has been a bloodbath for the travel industry. Planes are flying empty, hotels are empty and other industries impacted by travel and tourism are hurting. Airlines are cutting capacity by as much as 80 percent in the U.S. and foreign airlines such as Emirates…
Picture yourself chasing the sunset onboard a flight. Around you, there are around 200 other people going on holiday, to reunite with family, on a business commute or perhaps attending a conference gathering the world’s experts in a certain field. At the same time, more than a million others are…
I sat at my desk this morning trying to figure out what exactly I wanted to write about. Obviously, there is no shortage of material in the airline industry this week, and it's as crazy of a time to be covering it as ever. In just the past few weeks,…
The core principle of the economy seat has remained the same for decades. While, yes, seats have begun to get tighter — both in terms of legroom and width — the seats themselves still hold the same general form and serve the same purpose. Innovation has come, though it has…
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…
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…
