Madhu Unnikrishnan

Madhu is the San Francisco-based editor of Skift Airline Weekly. He previously covered airlines for Aviation Week & Space Technology and Aviation Daily, and he worked in corporate communications for two airlines. He loves typewriters and fountain pens, bicycles, and running trails.

Latest Stories

Airline Weekly

Lufthansa Won’t Quit on Boeing Even With Current Disarray

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr acknowledges that Boeing is struggling right now, but he's confident the manufacturer will get its house in order.

10 months ago

Airline Weekly

Lessor AerCap Warns of Looming Aircraft Shortage as International Travel Rebounds

With international travel rebounding, airlines are scrambling to add aircraft to their fleets. But Boeing and Airbus will struggle to meet their ambitious production targets, given supply chain woes and regulatory scrutiny, the head of the world's largest aircraft lessor said.

10 months ago

News Blog

Star Alliance to Add European Intermodal Partner

The 26-member Star Alliance airline group is planning to add its first non-airline member, CEO Jeffrey Goh said on May 12. Goh did not want to get ahead of a formal announcement expected in the next several weeks, but he said the partner would be in Europe and would most likely be a railroad. "I…

Madhu Unnikrishnan | 10 months ago

Short-Term Rentals

Marriott’s Homes & Villas Taps Bonvoy Loyalty Pool to Supercharge Growth

Marriott Bonvoy members account for about 90 percent of bookings on the company's Homes & Villas short-term rental platform, and access to that pool of customers is a strength, the unit's leader said. This pool of potential customers helped fuel Homes & Villas' 30-fold growth since its 2019 launch.

Madhu Unnikrishnan | 10 months ago

News Blog

Spirit Sets June 10 Date for Shareholder Vote on Merger With Frontier

Spirit Airline is calling for a shareholder vote on June 10 for the airline's proposed merger with Frontier Airlines. The airline is recommending that shareholders vote for the merger, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The move comes shortly after Spirit's board rejected an unsolicited merger bid from JetBlue Airways.…

Madhu Unnikrishnan | 10 months ago

Airline Weekly

Azul Looks Beyond Pandemic Expecting Its Best Year Ever

It's not "pent-up demand" anymore for Brazil's Azul; instead, the airline thinks the strong demand is a new normal. It doesn't hurt that Brazil's commodity-heavy economy is booming and that the country never really shut down during the pandemic.

11 months ago

News Blog

Lufthansa Changes Boeing Order in Face of Manufacturing Delays

Lufthansa is mixing up its Boeing order as the manufacturer struggles with getting regulatory approval for its largest aircraft, the 777X. The German airline now is changing its order for that airplane to seven Boeing 787-9s, to be delivered in 2025-2026. But that comes with its own risks. Boeing currently can't deliver any 787s, as…

Madhu Unnikrishnan | 11 months ago

Airline Weekly

Omicron Clouds Sun Country’s First-Quarter Profits

Sun Country usually has a strong first quarter, as it ferries passengers from its home base of Minneapolis to warm-weather vacation destinations in the winter. But the Omicron variant dented its profits this year, although bookings surged again in March. Despite that, the airline, unlike most of its peers, turned a profit.

11 months ago

Airlines

Spirit Airlines: JetBlue’s Higher Takeover Bid Is Just Too Risky for Shareholders

Spirit Airlines thinks any potential merger with JetBlue would fall afoul of regulators. The risk just isn't worth it to Spirit, which underscored its commitment to Frontier's initial bid.

Madhu Unnikrishnan | 11 months ago

Airline Weekly

Spirit Airlines, JetBlue Fight Back Against United’s Newark Airport Congestion Claims

Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways dispute United Airlines' claims that they are responsible for delays at the congested Newark Liberty International Airport. Instead, they argue if United thinks too many flights are taking off per hour, it should reduce its own operations, and not try to limit theirs.

11 months ago