The airline announced they would move to assigned seating with a premium seating option, as well as adding 24-hour operation capabilities with the addition of overnight “redeye” flights.   Southwest Says Customers Would Prefer Assigned Seating In justifying the move to assigned seating, Southwest says the change is based on customer demand. Although they ..read more

  Bloomberg reports the airline could take a hit of $500 million for the network meltdown, while a U.S. Senator is demanding answers from the airline for how they handled the situation.   Delta Cancels 52 Flights, Delays 695 as Demands for Answers Continue The monetary figure comes from analysts at Citigroup and Melius Research. The two estimate that the hit on third quarter 2024 figures could cost Delta between $350 and $500 million in operating profit. In a statement issued on July 24, Delta CEO Ed Bastian once again blamed CrowdStrike for the cancellations and delays. Attempting t ..read more

  Japan Airlines and Korean Air have confirmed orders with the Chicago-based manufacturing giant, between them ordering a combination of more than 60 777X and 787 Dreamliner airframes.   JAL Takes 20 Dreamliners, Korean Orders 50 Widebodies Both orders were confirmed during the biennial Farnborough Air Show in the United Kingdom. Each carrier’s order consists of different aircraft types to continue modernizing their fleets.   For Japan Airlines, the carrier will take on a firm order of 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with an option for 10 more in the future. Once delivered, the airli ..read more

  While the airline says they are working day and night to come back, the latest data from FlightAware shows Delta has cancelled another 915 flights for Monday, July 22, 2024, while delaying over 1,600 more.   Airline Blames Crew Software for Extended Cancellations In total, Monday’s cancellations reflect 24% of Delta’s schedule, while the delays affect 42% of the day’s flights. In an update over the weekend, Delta CEO Ed Bastian noted that the disruption happened during the airline’s busiest weekend so far this year.   “The technology issue occurred on the busiest travel weeken ..read more

  The Association of Professional Flight Attendants announced they have reached a tentative agreement with the Fort Worth-based airline, which could end a negotiation period spanning years.   Agreement Still Need Reviews and Notes, Details Not Yet Announced The stalling negotiations between the APFA and American Airlines has escalated significantly in the past year. After the flight attendants’ union voted to approve a strike, they were denied a request to walk off the job in November 2023. By June 2024, several legislators put their support behind the workers, pressuring the Nationa ..read more

  CNN reports the outages affected everyone from airlines to hospitals and emergency response systems, leaving airlines to cancel flights and manually rebook flyers using hand-written boarding passes.   Over 2,500 Flights Cancelled, 8,300 Delayed After IT Outage The outage is attributed to a CrowdStrike update deployed to Microsoft Windows-based platforms. According to CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz, the issue was tracked down to a “defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts.”   As a result, airline systems were down for hours in the early hours of the day. All thre ..read more

  The index gave top honors to several hotel brands, including Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott.   Despite Higher Price, Travelers Have Higher Satisfaction with Full-Service Hotels According to the study, travelers are paying more for hotels, with the average daily rate highest in May 2024 at $158.45 per night. As a result, hotel prices are changing travel habits. The study found the average traveler is taking one less trip per year – nine instead of 10 – with the average stay at 3.43 days.   “With post-pandemic travel prices still elevated, it is not surprising that hotel guests say ..read more

  The financial services company opened their latest lounge at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on Wednesday, July 17, 2024.   New Lounge Features Three Centurion Chefs in Space Inspired by DC History The new space is located in Terminal 2 of the airport, a short distance from the South Security Checkpoint. With views of both the airfield and the Potomac River, the Centurion Lounge will be open Sunday through Friday from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and on Saturdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.   Image courtesy: American Express   The lounge space was designed to ..read more

  The airline announced 18 new routes now available for sale on their website, including their first ever service to Vail, Colorado, and flights from the Midwest to Mexico.   New Service Includes Flights to Mexico, Vail, Reno, and Costa Rica The new flights are designed to connect flyers to leisure locations. Whether travelers want to hit the snow-covered slopes or sip a drink on the beach, the Seattle-based carrier wants to help you get there.     Outside of their traditional service areas, Alaska will begin offering direct seasonal service from two Missouri airports to M ..read more

  In the second quarter 2024 earnings call, held on July 11, 2024, Delta said the carrier earned $1.9 billion from their relationship with American Express   Earnings Part of Long-Term Goal to Earn $10 Billion From SkyMiles During the call, Delta president Glen Haustein told investors and reporters the carrier’s relationship with the financial services giant was in the billions. Moreover, the airline expects their revenue from cards to outpace the entire industry.   “Spend growth in our co-brand card portfolio is expected to continue outpacing the credit card industry,” said Hau ..read more