Airline Industry News tips

A widespread outage of CrowdStrike, a major cybersecurity provider, has caused chaos in the U.S. aviation industry today, resulting in thousands of flight cancellations worldwide. The technical issue has affected multiple airlines and airports, leaving countless passengers stranded and scrambling to adjust their travel plans.

Qatar Airways was declared the best airline in the world at the 2024 Airline Awards in London on June 24. Qatar beat out Singapore Airlines, last year’s winner, who slipped to the number two spot this year. Emirates, ANA All Nippon Airways, and Cathay Pacific Airways completed the top five. No North American airline made the top twenty, with Delta narrowly missing out at 21. Other North American airlines that made the top 50 are Air Canada (29) and United Airlines (42). In fact, those three airlines are the only North American airlines to receive any Airline Awards. Other popular North American airlines like American, JetBlue, and Southwest failed to even be mentioned for any individual award.

If you’ve been stuck on the tarmac or stranded at the gate for what seems like an eternity, you’re not alone. A new study by travel website Places to Travel reveals which U.S. airports are the biggest culprits when it comes to lengthy flight delays. Places to Travel analyzed data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics for nearly 2 million delayed domestic flights from January 2023 through February 2024 to find the airports with the longest average delay times.

If you’ve ever sat in an even smaller than usual coach seat, had your flight canceled, or fought with a rude customer service agent—you know the airline you fly can make a huge difference in the pleasantness of your trip.

Airline delays and cancelations are frustrating enough, but having to spend time fighting with the airline to get compensation or getting stuck with an airline voucher you’ll never use makes the situation even worse. Fortunately, that’s all about to change—the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) just announced a new policy that requires airlines to automatically issue cash refunds to passengers when flights are canceled or significantly delayed.

Flyers covet the window seat for many reasons, and now you can add another to the list: getting to board first on United Airlines. Starting October 26, the carrier will change its boarding process to allow window-seat passengers in economy class to board before passengers in the middle and aisle seats, according to an internal memo obtained by The Washington Post.

Good news and bad news from JetBlue on the carry-on bags front. The airline announced that for Basic Blue fares (JetBlue’s cheapest ticket category), they will be eliminating access to the overhead bins, and ticket-holders will only be allowed to bring on carry-on luggage that will fit underneath the seat in front of them.

In case fines of nearly $50,000 weren’t enough of a deterrent for bad behavior on airplanes, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will now team up to take away the privilege of TSA PreCheck memberships for unruly passengers.

The Biden administration just announced some big changes to the United States’ COVID-19 travel policy. Starting in early November, the U.S. will open its borders to fully vaccinated international travelers. All foreign nationals who wish to travel to the U.S. will need to show proof of vaccination along with a negative COVID test that was taken within 72 hours of their flight. The announcement did not specify if unvaccinated children would be allowed into the country under the new rules. New Rules for Unvaccinated Americans

Planning international travel? Be aware that the new rules for travel to the United States will take effect on November 8, as the U.S. ends the pandemic travel ban on foreign visitors. In addition to allowing in foreign travelers, the reentry rules to the country will also be changing for U.S. Citizens and permanent residents.

Southwest Airlines recently concluded a series of tests designed to speed up flight boarding, and you could see some changes to the boarding process in the near future. A spokesperson for Southwest told SmarterTravel that the tests were conducted over the past several weeks at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Here are some of the changes that were trialed:

At 8:28 p.m. Universal Time Tuesday night, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Notice to Air Missions System (NOTAM) failed. This critical system flags potential hazards along a flight route or at an airport (such as closed runways or equipment outages).

Need to speak to someone at Frontier Airlines? Don’t bother trying to call the airline, as they have recently gotten rid of their customer service phone number.

Forget the free food and fancy drinks—the best thing about flying first class is the seats. Specifically, the ability to lie down, which makes a huge difference in comfort on a long-haul flight.

Delta Air Lines will begin offering free Wi-Fi on most domestic flights starting February 1.

If you’re flying to or from destinations like the European Union (E.U.) or Canada and your flight gets delayed or canceled, you’re covered under strict passenger rights rules entitling you to financial compensation. In the United States, passengers don’t currently have the same legal protections, but the Department of Transportation (DOT) is hoping to change that.