Airline News

Joon attracted derision when it was first launched, with many people wondering whether an airline targeting younger, cooler travelers would really work. We now have an answer.

Southwest has perennially been a thorn in the side of online travel companies that lusted after getting access to its flights and fares. But no one can credibly argue that Southwest's insistence on direct distribution hasn't worked for the airline. Its competitors and peers inside and outside of the airline industry can only be jealous.

Will JetBlue expand to Europe? It's not clear. There are some strong reasons for, and some strong reasons against. The good news: The airline plans to share its decision at some point this year.

IAG's outspoken CEO Willie Walsh has always been confident about post-Brexit flying rights — unlike some other airline bosses. The problem is the European Union seems to have other ideas.

We always hear airlines are a scale business. So can an airline with 30 airplanes and a measured growth plan succeed? We're not sure, but we'll be watching.

It isn't clear precisely by what terms American Airlines and Expedia settled their trademark infringement lawsuit. What is known is that Expedia's Add-On Advantage program, the subject of the dispute, remains operational.

Airlines have reaped huge rewards in recent years from sales of ancillary products. But as we discovered during this Skift Global Forum panel, their future success is by no means assured. Airlines will need to learn to think more like retailers, using what they know about customers to deliver the right products and services that meet passengers’ constantly changing needs.

From the sounds of it, Norwegian's next earnings update won't be pretty but it will be hoping that it has done enough cost-cutting to put it on a sounder footing in 2019.

JetBlue's proposal to fly to Europe isn't a bet-the-company idea. But it's important, and the airline wants to get it right. It's no surprise the airline has been studying transatlantic flights for several years. This year, it expects to finally make a decision.

This week in aviation, the deeply influential S​outhwest co-founder Herb Kelleher passed away. We also have a story on the carrier ending its agreement with Wi-Fi provider Panasonic Avionics, and a look at Norwegian Air's shaky future.