Southwest Airlines tells staff ‘difficult decisions’ ahead

Southwest Airlines tells staff ‘difficult decisions’ ahead

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 approaches San Diego International Airport for a landing from Houston on June 28, 2024 in San Diego, California.  Kevin Carter | Getty Images Southwest Airlines has warned employees that it will have to make “difficult decisions” ahead to boost profits as the carrier faces pressure from activist Elliott Investment Management, … Read more

JetBlue to build airport lounges in New York, Boston

JetBlue to build airport lounges in New York, Boston

JetBlue planes at JFK’s Terminal 5 in New York. Leslie Josephs | CNBC JetBlue Airways will open its first airport lounges in its more than two decades of flying, a major shift for the low-cost airline as it chases high-spending travelers. The lounges will open at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport late next … Read more

Flights are getting more expensive as airlines scale back growth plans

Flights are getting more expensive as airlines scale back growth plans

Delta Airlines planes are seen parked at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on June 19, 2024 in Seattle, Washington.  Kent Nishimura | Getty Images Airlines are reporting better unit revenues for the tail end of summer, a sign customers will continue to have to shell out more to fly in the coming months. Alaska Airlines on Thursday … Read more

United Airlines to offer free Wi-Fi using Starlink from Elon Musk’s SpaceX

United Airlines to offer free Wi-Fi using Starlink from Elon Musk’s SpaceX

A United Airlines Boeing 737-MAX 8 aircraft departs at San Diego International Airport en route to New York on August 24, 2024 in San Diego, California.  Kevin Carter | Getty Images United Airlines said Friday that it plans to offer inflight Wi-Fi for free using Starlink from Elon Musk’s SpaceX on its hundreds of jetliners, … Read more

U.S. airlines cool hiring after adding employees in post-Covid spree

U.S. airlines cool hiring after adding employees in post-Covid spree

A pilot performs a walkaround before a United Airlines flight Leslie Josephs/CNBC U.S. passenger airlines have added nearly 194,000 jobs since 2021 as companies went on a hiring spree after spending months in a pandemic slump, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Now the industry is cooling its hiring. Airlines are close to their … Read more

Why airlines like American are scrambling to make engines last longer

Why airlines like American are scrambling to make engines last longer

TULSA, Okla. — Parts and labor shortages. Delayed deliveries of new airplanes from Boeing and Airbus. An engine recall. Premature repairs. It’s all piling up, and aircraft engine shops around the world are overflowing.  As travelers boarded planes in record numbers this summer, airline executives waited anxiously for repairs and overhauls of their engines. The … Read more

Where are low-cost airlines cutting back now? New planes

Where are low-cost airlines cutting back now? New planes

JetBlue Airways, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines airplanes proceed to gates after landing at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey on May 30, 2024. Gary Hershorn | Corbis News | Getty Images Airlines that spent years clamoring for new jets are changing their tune. Cash-strapped, low-cost and deep discounter airlines are putting off … Read more

Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines merger clears Justice Department hurdle, now faces DOT

Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines merger clears Justice Department hurdle, now faces DOT

Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines planes takeoff at the same time from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco, California, United States on June 21, 2023. Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Alaska Airlines said that its plan to acquire Hawaiian Airlines has cleared the U.S. Justice Department after the period for antitrust … Read more

Highest class will include snacks, W-Fi, bags

Highest class will include snacks, W-Fi, bags

A Spirit commercial airliner prepares to land at San Diego International Airport in San Diego, California, U.S., January 18, 2024.  Mike Blake | Reuters Free Wi-Fi? Free checked bag? Free snacks? On Spirit? The Florida-based carrier that is practically synonymous with budget air travel in the U.S. said Tuesday that it plans to offer packages … Read more

JetBlue shares jump after surprise profit in second quarter

JetBlue shares jump after surprise profit in second quarter

A JetBlue Airways jet comes in for a landing after flights earlier were grounded during an FAA system outage at Laguardia Airport in New York City, New York, U.S., January 11, 2023.  Mike Segar | Reuters JetBlue Airways shares jumped 12% on Tuesday after the airline posted a surprise profit and said it would defer … Read more