Mary Schlangenstein and Alan Levin, Bloomberg
Modern jetliners are highly automated, and in many ways they're more sophisticated than humans. But sometimes the machines don't work as expected, which is why every airplane needs two qualified pilots trained for any situation.
6 days ago
Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
While free movies are a nice perk to have, many travelers are probably more concerned with getting free Wi-Fi.
2 weeks ago
Brian Sumers, Skift
Hawaii has been a profitable niche for Alaska Airlines for a long time. But now the market is under siege. Competitors want their slice of the profits.
3 weeks ago
Dennis Schaal, Skift
There's no way around it: Southwest's new emphasis on cost-containment, productivity gains, and other efficiencies doesn't provide an optimistic outlook for passenger experience. It should make Southwest a more profitable airline — if passengers go along for the ride.
3 weeks ago
Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
Southwest is growing up. Two decades ago, when it received its first Boeing 737NG, it was a true discount airline, and its aircraft had a barebones look. Southwest's new Boeing 737 Max jets are upscale. The only thing that's missing is first class.
2 months ago
Katherine Chiglinsky, Bloomberg
It sounds like Warren Buffet is not spooked by higher oil prices. That probably bodes well for everyone else invested in airlines.
3 months ago
Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
It's a shame for people who truly need support animals, but too many travelers have been abusing the system for years. It's nice to see Southwest doing something about it.
3 months ago
Mary Schlangenstein and Alan Levin, Bloomberg
Southwest is making the right call to inspect its engines more often than the Federal Aviation Administration requires. It has had two scary engine failures recently, and one resulted in a passenger's death. It's better to be safe than sorry.
4 months ago
Brian Sumers, Skift
You have to give Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly credit. Analysts are constantly prodding him to embrace tried-and-true approaches for generating ancillary revenue. For the most part, he resists. He doesn't want to mess with the airline's secret sauce.
4 months ago
Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
Peanuts have long been associated with Southwest, so it makes sense this development is newsworthy. But in recent years, on longer flights, Southwest has given out more substantial and tastier snacks. If those munchies disappeared, that would be more disappointing.
4 months ago
Brian Sumers, Skift
The Department of Transportation's inspector general has several ongoing audits trying to measure the effectiveness of the Federal Aviation Administration. That's probably a nuisance to the FAA, but it's not necessarily a bad thing. Oversight is important.
5 months ago
Mary Schlangenstein, Bloomberg
This strategy is nothing new for major airlines. They all try to steal passengers from their competitors using lucrative frequent flyer promotions. But Southwest has played this game less often, because in the past, it wasn't much of a competitor to Delta, American and United. But times change, and Southwest apparently is betting it can play in the big leagues.
5 months ago