Airline News

Until Air France-KLM implements a long-term cohesive strategy, it probably will keep falling behind its main competitors, International Airlines Group and Lufthansa Group. But unless the macroeconomic environment changes, it should be OK. Even with rising fuel prices, now is a good time to be in the airline business.

When flyers think about spending money at the airport, sandwiches and lattes quickly come to mind. But airports are thinking just as much about money spent in the parking lot, and they might need to change their approach.

It's funny. Fifth Freedom flights — those are routes where an airline flies from a place other than its home country — account for roughly 1 percent of Emirates' capacity, according to the airline's president. And Emirates has only two such routes to the United States. But it's a hot topic among airline insiders, and it doesn't sound like that will change.

In the airline industry, bigger is almost always better. But Hawaiian Airlines is betting its unique niche will help it as more competitors add capacity in its markets. Still, the airline could someday be a takeover target for another airline that wants to grow.

You have to give Qantas some credit for its public relations strategy. It will be at least four years before the airline launches "hub-busting" flights to New York or London from Sydney but the airline already has almost everyone in the airline industry talking about its plans.

If AccorHotels actually does invest in Air France-KLM that certainly would bring the company that much closer to being the full-service travel services company/brand that its CEO Sebastien Bazin has said he wants it to become.

KLM CEO Pieter Elbers is honest. He knows some of his employees question why KLM, which is thriving, needs its long-term marriage to Air France. But Elbers knows that in airlines, the biggest carrier usually wins. Plus, he knows there's no other way forward. For better or worse, Air France and KLM are probably together forever.

This week in aviation, Delta's CEO seemed confident that legacy carriers have little to fear from the rise of low-cost transatlantic flights. He also made more money than his U.S. peers last year, so he's riding high for the time being.

United's new vice president of loyalty wants to bring more value to MileagePlus customers across a wider spectrum of travelers. He's starting that process by spearheading an overhaul of the company's co-branded credit card.

Travelers board an airplane and expect the Wi-Fi, which is often expensive, to work as it does at home. But it's not as good as at home, and it may never be. Should airlines do a better job of communicating that to customers?