Air Travel & Airline Industry & Business News by Skift

Airlines Would Prefer Passengers Stop Stealing Their Bedding

Brian Sumers, Skift

On the one hand, airlines are improving the flying experience — at least for business class — so much that passengers want to take a piece home with them. On the other, blanket theft is bad for the bottom line. We're pretty sure carriers don't have this problem in coach.

4 hours ago

Allegiant Air Expects No Long-Term Hit to Earnings After 60 Minutes Report

Brian Sumers, Skift

What? You thought investment analysts would grill Allegiant Air executives on safety lapses detailed last week on U.S. television news? Clearly you don't know analysts well. Allegiant is solidly profitable, and given its unique model, it should stay that way. That's important to investors.

10 hours ago

China’s Ctrip Invests in a U.S. Company That Wants to Bring Back Supersonic Travel

Daniel Meesak, Jing Travel

Why did Ctrip invest in Boom? We're not sure, and neither is the writer for this story. It seems like a strange choice, no? Remember, this is a company that owns sites like Skyscanner and trip.com.

13 hours ago

Airbus Likely Will Rename Bombardier’s New Plane After Takeover Closes

Frederic Tomesco and Benjamin Katz, Bloomberg

Does the name of what is today the Bombardier CSeries matter to the general public? Not at all. But it will be weird to ride on an Airbus jet called the A200, right?

14 hours ago

JetBlue Tweaks Its West Coast Route Map as It Focuses on Profit Margins

Brian Sumers, Skift

For a small, all-coach, low-cost startup based in New York, a Long Beach, California, focus city made sense. But times change, and Long Beach hasn't worked out as well as expected. It's no surprise JetBlue is ready to shrink there.

15 hours ago

Struggling South African Airways Needs $404 Million to Stay in Business

Paul Vecchiatto, Bloomberg

The financial woes for South Africa's country carrier continue to grow. And it sounds like a $404 million bailout would only be a temporary fix as the airline grapples with far-reaching problems.

20 hours ago

Southwest Flight Social Feeds Remind Airlines Tragedies Are Public in Real Time Now

Micheline Maynard, Skift

The Southwest accident shows how bold passengers have become in using social media. For now, the FAA isn’t taking steps to curb their activities.

1 day ago

Southwest Engine Maker Wanted Inspections Before Tragedy

Mary Schlangenstein and Alan Levin, Bloomberg

It turns out CFM International, the manufacturer of the engine that tore apart on the Southwest jet last week, was preparing to request inspections before a passenger lost her life on the flight. That was based on an extremely rare failure on the same engine type in 2016. Will reforms be coming for safety inspections?

1 day ago

Southwest Received Some Warning Signals on Its Safety Practices in the Past Decade

David Koenig, Associated Press

Expert consensus says Southwest is a safe airline, and we would not hesitate to fly its aircraft. But a conclusive report from safety inspectors isn’t expected for at least a year.

2 days ago

JetBlue to Help Sell a Private Jet-Style Experience to the Masses

Sean O'Neill, Skift

JetBlue's move to sell seats on a tiny airline with scheduled service to smaller airports is a really smart idea that may help popularize private aviation.

2 days ago

Embattled United CEO Munoz Forgoes Bonus as Chairman Steps Aside

Justin Bachman, Bloomberg

Last year was one Oscar Munoz would like to soon forget, and the United Continental Holdings CEO is doing his best to wipe the slate clean. By requesting that he not be granted a bonus for 2017, Munoz hopes to create a culture of accountability. But after the passenger dragging incident and a dog's death in an overhead bin, Munoz will need to make that culture more than a one-off for publicity.

2 days ago

Korean Air Ousts Chairman’s Daughters After Their Rude Behavior

Dave McCombs, Bloomberg

The chairman of Korean Air and its parent group said he will promote professional managers to replace his two daughters, who have been fired over rude behavior. That's a smart move, though it raises questions about the wisdom of handing out executive roles to family members in the first place.

3 days ago