Airlines tips

I've flown and loved Southwest Airlines since 1992 — yes, that long. Even as other travelers raved about their favorite airlines where frequent flyer programs could unlock lie-flat seats and fancy upgrades, I favored Southwest. I might have even been the only TPG staffer who ranked Southwest first on their airline preference list when I started in 2019.

They are scenes straight out of a travel nightmare: Airline passengers, including unaccompanied minors, stranded for days in strange cities amid a cascading wave of flight cancellations—with little hope of catching a plane home in a hurry.

Discount airlines are rolling out the deals to welcome passengers back on planes.Spirit Airlines recently released a variety of one way flight deals for under $40, including to popular locations such as Atlanta, Detroit, Las Vegas, Orlando, and more.  The discounted rates are available on Spirit's Popular Flight Deals page, where passengers can enter in their home airport and maximum budget to see which flights are available from their city. For example, if a passenger searched with Atlanta as their home airport, they would see options for one way flights to Fort Lauderdale for $39, or flights to Houston for $29. The tool can be helpful when travelers know they want to get away, but aren’t exactly sure where. Travel + Leisure spotted a variety of deals including:

JetBlue is on the move with new flight routes, while saying goodbye to others. Ahead of the winter travel season, the airline will add a variety of new routes to popular destinations such as Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Phoenix. “These moves underscore JetBlue's commitment to refining its network while leveraging its award-winning experience,” the airline shared in a release announcing the news.  In the New York area, the airline will begin new service from Long Island’s MacArthur Airport (ISP), with a new daily flight to Orlando, and also service to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and West Palm Beach (VPS) four times a week. 

A popular international airline just announced a major upgrade for business class passengers.Turkish Airlines revealed its new Crystal Business Class Suite during the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom.  For the first time, the business class will have an adjustable sliding door which will offer more privacy in the cabin. The seat has a 22” television screen, and 23” of seat width, which make the suite comfortable for sitting or when extended into a bed for sleeping. 

In 2025, Virgin Atlantic will begin adding a "green levy" to airfares to help cover the cost of using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet is getting on the free Wi-Fi bandwagon.

Forget about self-driving cars. What about self-flying airplanes?

Avelo Airlines announced a whopping 18 new routes and three new destinations as part of what the startup carrier billed as the "largest expansion in company history."

As we were preparing to land at Orlando International Airport (MCO) during a recent Delta Air Lines flight, a friendly attendant handed me and a few other passengers a card with a handwritten thank-you note on the back. I had never received such a note, nor had I known they existed. I immediately texted my trusted co-worker and fellow frequent flyer Clint Henderson for some insight.

Southwest Airlines just announced a monumental shift in its passenger experience. The Dallas-based carrier said on July 25 that it plans to soon introduce seat assignments, as well as premium extra-legroom areas on board its fleet of narrow-body aircraft.

Whether it’s something you “luv” or hate, the absence of assigned seats on Southwest Airlines has become a decades-long fixture. However, the more than 50-year-old legacy of open seating for the Dallas-based carrier will soon end.

Southwest Airlines will start assigning seats to passengers, ending its longstanding policy of allowing passengers to pick their seats once they have boarded, the airline said on Thursday.

It’s been whispered about for months, but now it’s official. After more than 50 years, Southwest Airlines is doing away with one of its signature policies — open seating. 

Planning and booking a fall or winter getaway just got cheaper. Southwest Airlines recently announced a new Wanna Get Away fare sale with airfares as low as $49 one-way to popular destinations. Best of all, travelers can snag discounted tickets to Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and other warm destinations throughout the winter. The fare sale ends on July 29, 2024 at 11:59 PM PST, and is valid on travel through January 29, 2025.  The sale may be especially helpful for anyone planning a vacation to Hawaii, as inter-island travel is also discounted. Passengers can score $49 one-way flights from Honolulu International Airport to Hilo (Hawaii Island), Kahului (Maui), and Kona. Travel + Leisure spotted a variety of the $49 one-way fares available including:

A low-cost airline is on the move with new routes and flight deals. Avelo Airlines, based in Houston, recently announced a major expansion with its first international destinations of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Cancun, Mexico.

Southwest Airlines is ditching open seating, one of the hallmarks of its brand over the last half-century. Southwest is moving forward with plans to add assigned seating, the airline announced Thursday. It's also planning to add extra-legroom seats to its cabin for the first time.

Inaugurated in 2018, iGA Istanbul Airport has quickly become one of the world’s busiest, recording more than 76 million passenger arrivals in 2023.

American Airlines is trying to make it easier to travel with mobility devices.

While commercial air service was slowly recovering on Friday after a technology outage caused thousands of flights worldwide to be canceled or delayed, the ripple effect from the disruption left airports crowded with passengers and airlines working to get planes and crews back in position.

Southwest Airlines is flying somewhere it's never flown before: into the night.