Auctioning Premium Seats and 8 Other Aviation Trends This Week

>>Remember when airlines used to give away their best seats for free? Ha! The economy is strong, and airlines are offering fewer upgrades. Passengers who want to sit up front need to pay for it. But don’t worry. Another recession will come, and the good days (for upgraders, at least) should return: Airlines Find Another Way to Wring Out Extra Revenue: Auctioning Unsold Premium Seats

>>No one wanted to see another airline strike. Good for Frontier and the pilots union for reaching an agreement. Passengers should hope it sticks: Frontier’s Pilots Reach Tentative Deal on New Contract Making a Strike Unlikely

>>Lufthansa Group has responded to digital disruption by creating a company within a company, Yilu. The group’s low-cost carrier Eurowings has already begun using the subsidiary’s tools for cross-selling taxi rides: Lufthansa’s Digital Hub Launches Software Unit to Help Others Sell Travel Better

>>It seems like operators were caught off guard about some advanced functionality on the Boeing 737 Max. This is both odd and unusual: United Airlines Warns Pilots on Issue That Plagued Fatal Lion Air Flight

>>JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes knows there is nostalgia for the days before airlines introduced so many fees. But he said he is more focused on the carrier’s other priorities: legroom, entertainment, and Wi-Fi: JetBlue CEO Defends Bag Fee Hike as Cost of Doing Business

>>Jet2 has big ambitions for its leisure travel division and Brexit, plus other factors, have the potential to derail things. It makes planning for the future very difficult: Brexit Dampens UK Airline Jet2’s Optimism

>>Airlines are trying to monetize their best products. Imagine that. More and more, airlines look like a sustainable business. We’ll see if it lasts: When Airlines Auction Premium Seats, Some Passengers Win

>>India is ideal for aerial taxi services, and while Uber decides if that’s where its first Uber Air international city will be, local startup JetSetGo simply gets going with a new SkyShuttle service that will provide it with insights for future air mobility: JetSetGo’s New SkyShuttle Takes Off Ahead of Uber in India’s Competitive Air Taxi Market

>>For many, it may no longer be worth it to earn top-tier elite status on American, United, or Delta next year. Between recent changes to credit card earning structures and airlines constantly moving the goal posts for status qualification, it’s just too hard for many to keep up: American Follows United in Making Top Elite Status Harder to Earn