Airlines Must Own Up to Environmental Impact and 8 Other Top Aviation Stories This Week

Aviation Wants Us to Trust It to Fix Its Own Green Problems: Should We? Airlines have tried to get out in front of regulators when it comes to sustainability. But their tweaks and solutions only scratch the surface of the problem. In 20 years’ time, will we all look back on an era of frequent flying as one of dangerous excess?

United, American, Delta Drop Flights to Mainland China After State Department Issues Guidance: U.S. airlines had no choice. Their customers and their crew members do not want to go to China. Why should they fly empty planes there?

China Cancels Group Trips as Coronavirus Control Measures Expand: It’s going to be a long, cold winter for China’s travel industry and for businesses that rely on outbound Chinese tourists, as the novel coronavirus epidemic expands, and people stay put during China’s biggest travel season.

Designing a Better Airline Lounge Experience: Despite the investment and focus on lounges to compete for and retain premium passengers, there’s a lot of thinking left on the table. Here are some simple fixes to design a better experience on the ground.

What the Sabre-Farelogix Antitrust Trial Could Reveal About Airline Technology: It’s notable that we had a much easier time finding experts who supported Sabre’s proposed merger of Farelogix than opponents. But this court case will be decided on legal nuances, and its outcome is impossible to predict. We pity the judge who has to endure this crash course in airline technology and distribution.

Wizz Air Looks to Middle East for Further Expansion: Wizz Air’s announcement of a move into Abu Dhabi was certainly eye-catching, but we maybe shouldn’t expect anything similar elsewhere. Rather, the airline seems to be happy just moving into those markets like Armenia, Georgia, and Israel that had previously been underserved

Chile’s Latam Airlines Improves Premium Product Ahead of Delta Tie-Up: After changing its fare structure to compete with low-cost carriers and earmarking $400 million to improve its cabins, Latam’s rollout of premium economy on domestic and regional routes makes sense. It puts the carrier in a position to offer higher-end services without the added complexity of a major business cabin reconfiguration.

Asian Destinations Reel From China’s Outbound Travel Ban: For a string of Asian destinations, China is by far the number one market, so the outbound travel ban that became effective Monday there has shaken tourism businesses even though they know it is for the good.

Alaska Air Catches Up on Carving Out New Revenues: Customers may not like so-called segmentation in airplane cabins. But almost every U.S. airline is using it to boost revenues.