Skift Take

These are the aviation trends we were talking about this week.

Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines aviation.

For all of our weekend roundups, go here.

>>Fly-Fi is now free across the entirety of JetBlue’s fleet, which should make any Wi-Fi-dependent traveler happy: JetBlue Opens Up Free Wi-Fi on All Flights

>>These operational guarantee programs are not as generous as airlines would like people to believe, but they’re better than nothing: United Bolsters Reliability Guarantee to Its Corporate Travel Customers

>>In the previous Jeff Smisek reign, United fell far behind some of its competitors in profitability. But that’s beginning to change — slowly: United Still Lags Delta But Has Big Hopes of Closing the Margin Gap

>>People love to hate airlines. But U.S. carriers have gotten a lot more reliable in the past two years: U.S. Flight Cancellations and Lost Bags Reach Historic Low

>>Demand to Cuba may be weaker than originally forecasted, leaving airlines like JetBlue to incentivize travel. Through March 18th, TrueBlue members will be rewarded with 3X the points when traveling to the region: JetBlue Rolls Out Loyalty Program Incentives For Cuba Routes

>>As happened with United, this story will probably go viral, and consumer groups will whine about not having access to bin space. But remember, the market has spoken: Frontier and Spirit charge for bin space, and yet passengers fly them. Why should American and United not sell similar products? American’s Cheapest Fares Soon Won’t Include Access to Overhead Bins

>>Airlines in Europe and the U.S. may have underestimated the threat posed by short-haul, low-cost operators: Travel Megatrends 2017: Low-Cost Carriers Reinvent the Transatlantic Market

>>New details on how frequent flyers will upgrade on flights with premium economy leaked this week. For once, the news is good for almost everyone: American’s New International Upgrade Policy Is Good For All Frequent Flyers

>>Haywood was a big hire for United several months ago, but apparently it did not work out. That’s OK, as President Scott Kirby should continue to do a fine job running the airline’s commercial team: United’s Chief Commercial Officer Leaves After Five Months on the Job

>>Is it time for the airline industry to adopt a new metric to determine revenue growth? Probably not, but kudos to analyst Hunter Keay for trying something new: What If Airlines Measured Revenue Like Traditional Retailers?

>>If United were Facebook friends with reservation systems like Sabre and Amadeus, it would have just changed its relationship status from “Friends” to “It’s complicated.” United Signals It Wants a Better Deal with Reservation Middlemen

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Tags: Travel Trends, trends roundups

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