Air Travel & Airline Industry & Business News by Skift

American Airlines to Drop Contentious Uniforms Within Three Years

Brian Sumers, Skift

American has defended its uniforms, but it received a lot of bad press for months. It finally decided to try to change the narrative by switching uniform providers. That was probably the right decision.

6 hours ago

Air-Traffic Reform Bill Targets Airline Policies on Bumping Passengers

Alan Levin, Bloomberg

It's still unclear how the air-traffic control system will evolve since the U.S. House and Senate remain at odds on serious issues like privatization.

15 hours ago

American Airlines May Serve the Best Burger at JFK — But Only for Elites

Justin Bachman, Bloomberg

Airplane food generally is mediocre because the on-board cooking process makes it difficult to reheat a hamburger — or anything else. It makes sense to feed premium customers on the ground, where they will enjoy the meal more.

19 hours ago

Boeing Is Just About Giving Up On Selling Jumbo Jets

Julie Johnsson, Bloomberg

Boeing is right that its iconic 747 does not have much of a future as a passenger jet. Airbus is in slightly better shape — but not by much. Airlines don't want behemoth four-engine aircraft anymore. Most want single-level, two engine planes.

2 days ago

Airbus Is Making Some of Its Most Popular Jets More Passenger-Friendly

Brian Sumers, Skift

Is this a game-changer? No. But let's give Airbus some credit for making short-haul travel a little more pleasant. Too bad passengers must wait until 2020 to see the new cabins.

2 days ago

FAA Boss Outlines Brexit Safety Concerns for UK Aviation

Patrick Whyte, Skift

Does the UK have the resources to set up an aviation safety framework on its own or will it seek to stay in the European Aviation Safety Agency? The former would be unwise and the latter is seemingly at odds with the desire of Leave campaigners.

2 days ago

Business of Loyalty: How Virgin America Is Quietly Winding Down its Loyalty Program

Grant Martin, Skift

The move for Virgin's most loyal customers will be a hard one. But in return they get an airline that will take them so many more places.

2 days ago

Qatar Airways Plans Legal Action Over Diplomatic Spat

Christopher Jasper, Deena Kamel Yousef and Guy Johnson, Bloomberg

This is a mess for Qatar Airways, which is being denied access to airspace that should probably be open under international law. But it doesn't sound like the conflict will be resolved any time soon.

3 days ago

AirAsia X CEO Takes to Twitter to Call Off Plans to Fly to Europe and California

Brian Sumers, Skift

This is probably a good business decision. Economy class fares from Asia to the United States and Europe are already low, because there's so much competition. The market probably doesn't need another entrant — at least for now. And who knows? Air Asia X might change its strategy at some point.

3 days ago

CEO Interview: How Finnair Plans to Crack the Potentially Lucrative Chinese Market

Brian Sumers, Skift

Not every airline can be a global behemoth. Finnair mostly focuses on its niche — connecting Europe with Asia, including secondary Chinese cities.

3 days ago

The Low-Cost, Long-Haul Carrier Revolution In 3 Charts

Patrick Whyte, Skift

The low-cost, long-haul revolution is only just starting to take off. Will full-service carriers be able to adapt to this new reality or are we about to see a total realignment?

3 days ago

Malaysia Air Mulls New Aircraft Orders to Refresh a Tattered Brand

Christopher Jasper, Bloomberg

Malaysia Airlines is mulling its options, including purchasing A330neos or Boeing 787 Dreamliners, or choosing to operate used aircraft, as the airline shows signs of recovering from its twin disasters of 2014.

4 days ago