Airline News

We'd like to see things get wrapped up with Cuba before any change in the current U.S. executive administration.

The extra room in cargo could be used to fit more passenger luggage (airlines make a nice profit from that) but most already travel with enough baggage. New ways to structure the cabin, using lost space in the hold to improve the passenger experience, would be most welcome.

In a related story, today our in-laws arrived 30 minutes before schedule even though the flight was the same length of time it's always been. It must easy to improve on-time numbers when you pad the schedule.

We are entering the era of tailor-made travel as airlines get smarter about how they gather and process data on their passengers’ preferences and common booking habits, and apply that knowledge to suggest products and experiences to their customers. This more intelligent digitalized up-selling will also do wonders for airlines’ bottom lines.

Unless you have a taste for premium and boutique carriers, American brings a solid competitor to the table.

As travelers hear about terror attacks and threats that likely influence how they feel about handling their own safety and personal information, airlines gave travelers plenty of reasons to doubt their proper use of biometrics long before a worldwide travel alert was issued.

These are the aviation travel trends we were talking about this week.

The U.S. government needs to better regulate unmanned drones before a drone collision brings down a commercial airliner.

With American and Delta increasingly matching Spirit's low fares, Southwest will find it difficult to maintain any low-fare advantage that it still has. Still, Southwest has a lot going for it and its growth opportunities both within the U.S. and internationally are abundant.

The point IATA makes is that airlines do benefit from and are interested in having happy customers. Schaaf says that proof of the pudding is in the airlines which pay good money to buy this report from the Association.