Airlines and Airports tips

Based on its inspection of the first 40 of more than 170 jets, the Federal Aviation Administration appears ready to allow the Boeing 737 Max 9 back in the air.

We love to speculate in this country, and speculation ran rampant that United Airlines was looking to move headquarters from Chicago to Denver after numerous trips by CEO Scott Kirby to the western hub.

Some airlines have begun issuing waivers in anticipation of what is expected to be a major snowstorm in the Northeast United States this weekend.

Following Friday’s incident aboard an Alaska Airlines flight—in which part of a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet’s wall blew out in mid-air, rapidly depressurizing the cabin and requiring an emergency landing—the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency airworthiness directive (EAD).   

A six-year-old boy who was flying alone from Philadelphia to Florida ended up in the wrong part of the Sunshine State.

Southwest Airlines experienced an epic meltdown last holiday season due to its outdated technology. Though it avoided any problems this year, there is still one issue it can’t avoid.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) anticipates that airport security checkpoints will be busier this winter holiday travel period compared to last year.Fortunately, the agency says it's prepared to meet the surging travel demand.The official end-of-the-year holiday travel period runs from Thursday, December 21 through Tuesday, January 2. TSA is projecting that the busiest days will be Thursday, December 21; Friday, December 29, and Monday, January 1.TSA said it expects to screen more than 2.5 million passengers each of those days, signaling a 6 percent increase from 2022. The busiest day last year was December 29, when officers screened nearly 2.4 million passengers nationwide.The projections come after the TSA screened nearly 30 million passengers during November's 12-day Thanksgiving holiday period. The agency broke the record for most passengers in a single day on Sunday, November 26, screening more than 2.9 million passengers at security checkpoints across the country."We are prepared to handle the busy passenger volumes this winter holiday season," TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement."TSA’s continued success during this record year for travel is a direct result of teamwork, planning and professional execution across the agency, from our frontline employees to those behind the scenes; partnerships with airports and air carriers; and innovative checkpoint technologies that improve security effectiveness, efficiency and the passenger experience," he concluded.Industry trade group Airlines for America (A4A) projects that 39 million people will board flights in the U.S. between Wednesday, December 20 and Tuesday, January 2, for an average of 2.8 million passengers per day.

The Transportation Security Administration has announced an expansion of its TSA PreCheck program with the addition of Norse Atlantic Airways, Lynx Air, Starlux Airlines, and Fiji Airways. 

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The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey voted to replace the aging monorail used to shuttle passengers from terminal to terminal at Newark Airport. 

Has a precedent been set?

After a long pandemic pause, interest was very high as Japan welcomed back tourists this year. 2024 promises to be even stronger for this unique destination, but North Americans have an advantage with earlier seasonal starts and expanded seat capacity from Air Canada.

Alaska Airlines is starting some new routes.

Delta Air Lines and El Al Israel are teaming up.

In addition to its potential merger with Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines is gobbling up partnerships.

Alaska Airlines’ proposed $1.9 billion acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines, announced earlier this week, has the potential to alter the existing U.S. air travel landscape significantly. Whether that would prove to be for better or worse remains to be seen, but plenty of experts are already weighing in with predictions.

Southwest Airlines has launched a Points for a Purpose Holiday Promotion offering its Rapid Rewards Members a special incentive to increase their giving impact by donating to select nonprofits starting Dec. 1, 2023, and running through Dec. 14, 2023. 

The war between Israel and Hamas has made the already skittish airline industry even more diligent about messaging on passenger attire.

A low-cost airline developed for travel within the United States now wants to go overseas.

The top U.S. airlines and airports improved upon their Thanksgiving on-time performance this year compared to 2022.According to the latest analysis from leading global travel data provider OAG, the on-time performance of major U.S. airlines improved by one percentage point over last year's holiday, reaching 85.7 percent.OAG examined the on-time performance of all airports and airlines on Thanksgiving Eve (November 22), which is one of the busiest travel days of the year. In 2023, airlines and airports overcame not only crowds but weather disruptions to improve upon last year.According to OAG, nearly 18,400 flights arrived on time—within 15 minutes of the scheduled time—among the major U.S. carriers on November 22. Two airlines—Delta Air Lines (91.5 percent) and United Airlines (90.5 percent)—even achieved over 90 percent on-time performance across their domestic networks.Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines also saw improvements over last year, with on-time performance rates of 89.4 percent and 89.3 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, fifth-ranked Southwest Airlines reported a dip from 88.5 percent in 2022 to 86.9 percent in 2023.American Airlines (84.4 percent), Allegiant Air (84.2 percent), Frontier Airlines (76.2 percent) and Breeze Airways (62.3 percent) all improved upon last year while Sun Country Airlines (84.8 percent), JetBlue (64.8 percent), Spirit Airlines (61.7 percent) and Cape Air (33 percent) all lost ground compared to Thanksgiving Eve 2022.

Miami and Orlando are among the growing list of cities offering direct flights from the United States to Mexico's Yucatan region with the help of low-cost Mexican airline Viva Aerobus.The new flights from Florida will launch in July 2024 and will land in Merida, the capital city of the state.Orlando joins Miami, Houston and Dallas in offering direct flights from the U.S. to Yucatan.2023 has shown that Mexico’s safest state is in high demand, with no signs of slowing down.From spectacular beaches to the ruins of Chichen Itza, Yucatan has much to offer. The list includes the famous underground swing pools known as cenotes.Viva Aerobus has confirmed that Orlando International Airport (MCO) will be part of the new routes flying directly to Merida’s Manuel Crescencio Rejon International Airport (MID).