Airline News

IAG's testing of the low-cost, long-haul market with a virtual airline seems to have paid off. Its success shows that the model is here to stay. We'll be keeping a close eye on how this affects the legacy carriers, including those in IAG's own brand stable.

You may have seen Air France's new airline designed for millennials. But that's mostly a creation of marketers. Let's be honest. This is a lower-cost airline that needs to attract passengers of all ages if it's going to be successful.

You can argue it's never been a better time to fly. Fares are cheap, and amenities like Wi-Fi and free snacks keep improving. Even better, airlines are updating their mobile apps, making it easier for passengers to rebook from delayed or canceled flights. But some people — at times, frequent flyers but mostly the infrequent ones — still view flying as a pain.

We're not surprised American Airlines is not interested in blinged-out first and business class cabins. But we're still slightly puzzled at the U.S. carriers' anger toward the Gulf airlines. Yes, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar receive government assistance, but so do a lot of airlines.

Many have dreamt of finding easy fortune in California. But Alaska Airlines is discovering -- via its merger with Virgin America -- that the airport tarmacs aren't paved with gold.

JetBlue has been good to Puerto Rico, but the airline has no choice. The island has been devastated by Hurricane Maria, and tourists won't be able to return soon. JetBlue needs to move some flights to other popular tourist destinations.

The jig was almost up for members of Air Berlin's frequent flyer program, but at the last moment, Etihad extended an olive branch.

"I am this guy. I fit every cliché; I am the abstract villain of your imagined anxieties. Traveling while Muslim."

Other airlines serve sushi, but not ANA, Japan's largest carrier. Why? ANA takes its food seriously, and its chefs don't think sushi tastes right on planes, so it serves sashimi instead. That's attention to detail.

This week in aviation, Ryanair moved past its legal dispute with Google over misleading ads, and JetBlue took a new step toward direct booking.