American Airlines News

The C-suites of U.S. airlines will look quite a bit different when the pandemic recedes than it did before Covid-19. Gone or soon to be gone from the corner offices are United's Oscar Munoz, Alaska's Brad Tilden, and Southwest's Gary Kelly. And now another veteran has decided to peace out: American's Doug Parker.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker is out come March. While not everyone agreed with his decisions, credit where credit’s due: He built and led the world’s largest airline, changing the industry in the process.

The airline industry is taking a wait-and-see approach to the new Omicron variant. But the new variant is the latest indication that rolling travel restrictions and dips in demand in the wake of endemic Covid-19 outbreaks could be just become another facet of the airline business.

Blockchain distribution, and how it can eliminate the need for intermediaries, has been discussed for some time in travel. When these bigger players take a seat at the table, the rest of the industry needs to pay attention.

American and JetBlue executives have argued that the Justice Department's suit against their alliance is, simply put, "wrong." Now, they've made good on that opposition and have asked a district court to dismiss the lawsuit. Will the judge agree?

In Skift's top stories this week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says the airline will beat margin leader Delta Air Lines by improving the passenger experience, Accor executives explain why the hotel giant has struggled to make inroads in the U.S., and American Airlines CEO Doug Parker expresses confidence that business travel will return to pre-pandemic levels.

Frequent business travelers are typically offered the most flexible rates, but now workers tentatively returning to the office are being targeted.

Have airlines passed an inflection point and will 2022 be the year demand recovers more fully? Airline executives at the Skift Aviation Forum believe so, although they warn that the road to recovery will be bumpy.

Air service to smaller U.S. cities could wither unless regional airlines can ramp up hiring. Despite offering large bonuses to new pilots, regional carriers are scrambling to find enough talent to operate all their flights.

Drawing parallels with the 1990s internet boom may seem odd, but Doug Parker thinks history will repeat itself, and more relationship building on virtual meeting platforms will only encourage more meetings in person.