American Airlines Solves Holiday Pilot Shortage and 3 Other Aviation Trends 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.

>>Here’s to some of the most innovative and thoughtful brands in travel today. These companies are doing the heavy lifting to make travel and hospitality more inspiring: Best Airline and Hotel Innovators in 2017 From a Business Traveler’s Perspective

>>Delta is slowly restoring benefits once-lost to SkyMiles members, but it’s more of a competitive move against other carriers than an olive branch for passengers: Delta Brings Back Complimentary Upgrades for Frequent Flyers — Business of Loyalty

>>This was a lot of public drama for no reason. Maybe it would have been better for the company and the union to solve their differences in private. The flights would have continued as scheduled, and no one would have known there was an issue: American Airlines Solves Its Holiday Pilot Problem and Will Not Cancel Any Flights

>>When something goes wrong on a flight, Southwest tries to be proactive in communicating with customers. Is this the right approach? Or should Southwest wait until passengers complain? Southwest Takes Customer Service Seriously — Airline Innovation Report