The Great British Airline Loyalty Battle
As many British Airways flyers brace for status downgrades, rivals are seizing a rare chance to convince the UK’s most valuable travelers that there’s another way.
Gordon Smith is Airlines Editor at Skift and Editor at Airline Weekly. He’s covered the industry for more than 15 years across television, print, and digital platforms. Since joining Skift in January 2024, he has interviewed more than 20 airline CEOs, often helping make headlines along the way. Send stories/tips via Signal: smithgme.01
Oneworld Appoints New CEO as Airline Alliances Fight for Relevance
As joint ventures and other bespoke partnerships reshape global aviation, alliances must prove they still matter.
For Airline Weekly Subscribers
Where Will UAE Carriers Go Next?
Dubai built Emirates to drive economic growth — and succeeded beyond imagination. Now a new chapter is unfolding. Emirates is expanding cautiously, while FlyDubai and Etihad push aggressively into new markets and Air Arabia carries low-cost flying further afield. With hundreds of aircraft on order, new hubs taking shape, and regional competition intensifying, the Gulf aviation story is evolving quickly. We explore what might come next in this week’s feature story.
Air France-KLM Hits €2 Billion Profit Milestone as Premium Anchors Outlook
Premium travelers, led by U.S. outbound, are keeping Europe’s network carriers profitable even as demand in the rest of the plane – and other parts of the world – softens.
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Icelandair’s Dispair
Icelandair is still in the red. Despite strong transatlantic demand and the collapse of local rival Play, it posted a loss for the second straight year. Yet traffic trends are improving, partnerships are expanding, and a more efficient fleet is on the way. Is Icelandair truly on the right track, or stuck in a structurally unforgiving market? We explore the outlook in this week’s feature story.
Does Lufthansa Group Still Have a Lufthansa Problem?
The Lufthansa Group has plenty of bright spots. Sadly, the airline bearing its name isn’t always one of them.
FAA Lifts El Paso Airspace Closure After ‘Cartel Drone Incursion’
The initial 10-day shutdown of a U.S. commercial airport for unspecified “special security reasons” was highly unusual. The Trump administration has said the closure was necessary because a cartel drone breached U.S. airspace.
AirAsia Returns to London, Using Bahrain as Its Bridge Back to Europe
This is a smarter structure than its failed gamble in the 2010s – but success may hinge on filling three-leg itineraries in a market already saturated with one-stop Gulf competition.
El Al to Fight $39 Million Antitrust Fine Over ‘Excessive and Unfair’ Wartime Pricing
El Al’s dominance delivered bumper profits – now it’s triggering a rare antitrust test of how far airlines can push pricing power during a crisis.
American Airlines Flight Attendants Issue No-Confidence Vote in CEO Robert Isom
American Airlines once pitched a patient turnaround under Robert Isom. Now, with unions escalating pressure and results lagging rivals, the CEO is on the defensive.