Airline News

On the one hand, airlines are improving the flying experience — at least for business class — so much that passengers want to take a piece home with them. On the other, blanket theft is bad for the bottom line. We're pretty sure carriers don't have this problem in coach.

What? You thought investment analysts would grill Allegiant Air executives on safety lapses detailed last week on U.S. television news? Clearly you don't know analysts well. Allegiant is solidly profitable, and given its unique model, it should stay that way. That's important to investors.

For a small, all-coach, low-cost startup based in New York, a Long Beach, California, focus city made sense. But times change, and Long Beach hasn't worked out as well as expected. It's no surprise JetBlue is ready to shrink there.

The Southwest accident shows how bold passengers have become in using social media. For now, the FAA isn’t taking steps to curb their activities.

JetBlue's move to sell seats on a tiny airline with scheduled service to smaller airports is a really smart idea that may help popularize private aviation.

Alaska Airlines is turning to basic economy fares to help drive additional revenue. But, hey, at least flyers will be assigned a seat when they book one of these fares, easing some of the stress that usually comes with taking the risk of flying for cheap.

Why can't business class passengers have nice things? Here's one problem: When airlines upgrade their amenities, passengers often steal them.

This week in aviation, Allegiant Air was in the hot seat over its safety record and Southwest tried to recover from a passenger death, the first for a U.S. airline since 2009 and the first for Southwest since it began flying in 1971.

Yes, there's some innovation on display at the annual Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. But mostly, the three-day show is about networking and building relationships.

The information presented Sunday on 60 Minutes might be new to most travelers, but not to airline industry insiders. The question now: Is Allegiant getting better? We think the answer is yes.