An Airline Industry Blog
It was twenty years ago today that I logged in at crankyflier.blogspot.com and introduced myself to well, I guess the few family and friends who knew that I was going to start writing about the airline industry and not really anybody else. It s been quite a ride since those early days when I still had...
Air Canada goes Private Equity Air Canada is selling a 25% stake in its Aeroplan loyalty program to a group of well-intentioned and customer-loving individuals from Blackstone and Canadian pension fund La Caisse for a cool $2 billion. This puts the valuation of the program(me) at $8 billion, which its awfully high when compared to...
Allegiant s Revenue and Profit Was Up Allegiant finally announced its Q2 earnings, and the carrier posted $158 million in EBITDA in its first earnings since the close of its merger with Sun Country on May 13. The two carriers combined for $943.5 million in operating revenue, including $776 million for Allegiant alone, a record for...
You probably didn t know it, but I ve been on vacation this whole week. I did some pre-programming for you to fill out the week, but, spoiler alert I m on vacation next week too. For this week, we will have the usual Cranky Weekly Review presented by Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport tomorrow, but that s it,...
Yesterday I gave you a little history about Washington Dulles International Airport, so you could see why modernization is so important. Modernizing an airport is extremely hard, but this new plan announced by President Trump makes it sound easy. It s a bad plan that s going to cost far more than they say, and it s not...
I was torn on whether to write about the new, grand plan to completely remake Washington s Dulles International Airport (IAD). After all, it is a massive project with a short timeline. That is worth talking about since it never really happens that way in the US but also, it probably won t happen this time either....
JetBlue Reports Decent Earnings JetBlue stock (side note: people at JetBlue can t like the fact they got beat to the BLUE ticker symbol) soared Tuesday as it released its Q2 earnings which exceeded Wall Street estimates and saw an 11% jump in unit revenue for the airline on airfare increases of 9%. Operating revenue of...
The merger between Allegiant and Sun Country has been one of the quietest I ve seen. Perhaps it s because they re both small. Or maybe it s that they just don t have any overlap. It could be that there was just no drama with the feds in the process. Or it s possibly because they have a limited presence...
Judging by the number of emails I ve received, I know a lot of you are champing at the bit to get your RSVPs in for Cranky Dorkfest on September 19. I m happy to say that day has now arrived. If you want to do the morning ramp visit and/or be entered into the giveaway, you...
I ve been thinking a lot lately about aircraft innovation and how different airlines have reacted to new developments in different ways, but I was having trouble figuring out how to put this into something coherent. I had plenty of data thanks to SkyGo and Cirium schedules, but it took collaborating with Claude on ideas before...
We ve talked about why the SkyLink people mover at LAX is so important, and exactly what it will look like. But as nice is it is to talk about that, it s time to get down and dirty in the mud. We have a lawsuit filed by the consortium of contractors on this project, LINXS, against...
American Airlines CEO lays out his vision to close a more than $3 billion profit gap CNBC There seems to be a bit of a thawing in the Metroplex. American is trying to open up a little bit more to media to talk about an actual plan, and that includes making CEO Robert Isom...
JetBlue Wins LGA Slot Auction JetBlue Airways emerged as the winner for Spirit s former slots at New York s LaGuardia Airport. It paid $58.5 million for the right to operate up to 12 more daily roundtrips flights, outbidding Frontier by $1 million. The ink isn t dry on the deal yet, and JetBlue is already considering a...
The long-awaited people mover at Los Angeles International Airport has been delayed, delayed, and delayed again. It was originally supposed to open in March 2023, and at last check, the posted date is now October 2026. That probably won t happen either. This isn t just your regular construction project has delays kind of issue. It has...
Who s excited for a special Wednesday post? Actually, all of you who don t care about Hawaiʻi should be. I was going to just do this on my regular Thursday, but I figured some of you would kill me if I had another entire week dedicated to the islands. So, enjoy today, and then there will...
The Hawaiian word hoʻokipa means hospitality, and it is at the root of Hawaiian culture. That is one of the reasons why for many years Hawaiian continued to hand out free meals onboard it s just how you would treat someone in the islands when they entered your home. The free meals are gone, and...
Southwest filed its spring break schedule last week, extending its booking window from ending March 10 to April 5. This was a big schedule update, and there is a lot to parse. But one thing that stood out to me right away was the further downsizing of the interisland operation in Hawaiʻi. In the summer...
United Reports $805 Million Profit United Airlines s Q2 earnings were released Wednesday after the close of the market, and the carrier earned a profit of $805 million on $17.7 billion in gross revenue. The revenue figure is a 16% jump from last year s Q2 but profit dropped more than 17% primarily due to rising fuel...
Earnings season has officially begun with, as always, Delta kicking off festivities late last week and then United just yesterday releasing its numbers. The airlines unsurprisingly did very well, but the results and more importantly, forward-looking guidance, show that we may have finally seen a structural shift. Airfares are up, and I don t imagine they ll...
It s time for another post about the 1980s thanks to SkyGo s schedule data, but this one actually begins much earlier. Today I want to talk about Pan Am, but more specifically, Pan Am s famed Internal German Service (IGS). Why am I writing about this? Well, I was busy playing around looking at the data when...
To celebrate Hawaiian s official entry into oneworld, the airline decided to have a media event in Honolulu to unveil its new oneworld-liveried airplane, showcase some food, and set up some interviews. It s been awhile since I last did an event with the airline so I decided to take them up on the quick two-day trip....
Record heat, crowds drive offseason boom in international travel CNBC Shoulder season travel is doing well, and that means good news for everyone. The longer an airline can justify a long-haul route during the year, the more airplanes it can justify buying. I chatted with Leslie Josephs about it. This week Brian and I...
Delta Q2 Profit Nears $2 Billion, Revenue Nears $20 Billion Revenue continued on its record trajectory for Delta as the carrier boasted a $19.8 billion gross revenue for Q2, a whopping 19% increase from last year. But profit fell by a quarter, from $2.1 to $1.6 billion as the carrier dealt with climbing costs for...
Though my focus is usually on airlines, I do occasionally dive into the world of aircraft manufacturing. And there is no manufacturer I find more fun to follow than JetZero. Sure, it helps that the company is based right here in Long Beach, but it s a large aircraft concept that has promise, something I can t...
We ve already talked about American s operational issues, but today I m looking at you, Delta. American hasn t been a star performer for ages, but Delta? Delta has been the king for years. That crown appears to have some tarnish on it these days. You may have heard about the Delta pilots setting up a website to...
Avelo has made it clear that its newfound focus is on alternate airports in areas with good-sized population, and so far it has found New Haven, Lakeland (FL), Concord (NC), and Wilmington (DE). We had already learned number five would be McKinney (TX), and now schedules are loaded. For those who don t know how the...
Predictions for the future of aviation as Cruising Altitude departs USA Today Zach Wichter is moving on from USA Today (best of luck, Zach!) and so he did a final column looking into the future. I gave my own take. Airlines embrace stopover itineraries in Hawaii, Panama and beyond Travel Weekly Why don t...
American AAdds Three from Chicago Things may have cooled for a while in the Battle of Chicago between American and United, but AA is back this week adding three new routes from O Hare including a return to Tokyo/Narita from the airport. Whether this supplements joint venture-partner JAL s Narita service or replaces it remains to be...
Have you had enough talk about Hawaiʻi lately? Too bad. I spent the last couple of days on Oʻahu where Hawaiian celebrated joining the oneworld alliance. It was a nice celebration, especially for the employees, but I was most interested in my sit down with Hawaiian CEO Diana Birkett Rakow. The Hawaiian brand is on...
Delta has decided to add a new route from Los Angeles, and it s not one you might have expected to see. Next April, the airline will begin twice daily flights from LAX to Newark. Yes, that s right Delta will fly to the home of one of the most special HoJo s still in existence. Oh, and...
It seems like a time-honored tradition for me to write about American s operational problems. I suppose when an airline has them so consistently, that s just how it goes. But today is different. If you listen to American, they ll say things are going great. In fact, I was given a lengthy statement with all their accomplishments,...
This week s episode of The Air Show is live, and if you ve been reading the blog this week, you might not be surprised to hear we re taking a deeper look at the Hawaiian interisland market. Jon tells us more about this discussion with Alaska s incoming President Shane Tackett, and we look back at how this...
It s not really a special thing when Breeze announces new routes, because it does that all the time. But occasionally I like to check in and see exactly what the airline is doing. Its big announcement this week shows Breeze is still focused on picking up opportunities that other airlines mostly won t be interested in....
In yesterday s discussion about Hawaiian s planned replacement for the B717 on interisland trips, I mentioned how Southwest uses a model that flows airplanes from the mainland into the interisland operation. Today, I m going to look more closely at how that is constructed. Southwest started flying interisland in April of 2019 with the B737-800, but that...
The Air Current reported last week after Jon Ostrower talked to new Alaska/Hawaiian President Shane Tackett that the airline is likely leaning toward the B737-800 as a replacement for the B717 for interisland flying when the time comes to replace that airplane. This has always been the most likely option, though it does create some...
A new airline is coming to Cleveland. Here’s what travelers should know Cleveland.com Imagine you aren t familiar with Avelo, but they come to your town for the first time. How do you describe the airline? I spoke with the Cleveland paper to explain that this is truly basic air transportation. And though nobody is...
JetBlue Reduces at EWR, LGA, Grows FLL Again JetBlue Airways with its significant presence at New York/JFK has been drawing back at NYC s other two airports New York/LGA and Newark and instead focusing on warmer climes. The carrier, which is fighting a mountain of debt, is looking to put airplanes where they can...
It is official. One of the last meaningful routes in the world that required a connection due to distance will be getting nonstop service starting in October 2027. Qantas has announced that is when the Sydney London flight will begin on the Airbus A350-1000ULR. Tickets go on sale in February. This will mark the...
With American having stabilized its positions in LA and New York while continuing to build its presence at Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth, the airline set its sights on growing its reach. American not only opened three hubs from scratch, but it also made a big move into Latin America with both Miami and San Juan...
If you hated the 1980s, then I have bad news for you. This new SkyGo tool I m using has me diving deep into the weeds during that decade. Today, I want to do an 80s review of the powerhouse that is (ahem, was) American Airlines. This is actually a two-parter, and today I m going to...
Spirit, Port Authority Spar over LGA Slots Spirit s planned sale of its slots at New York/LGA to raise capital and pay off some creditors has hit a roadblock as the Port Authority of NY and NJ told a U.S. bankruptcy court that slots themselves are not fungible and transferable without its explicit permission and consent. ...
Delta seems ready to pounce further on Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in order to grow its relevance, as shown by this week s start of service to both Chicago/O Hare and Hong Kong. The ultimate goal is presumably to become the dominant carrier in the market, but as I wrote earlier this week, it is highly...
There are dominant airlines in nearly every airport in the US, even those that are the most competitive. You have Delta at LaGuardia and JFK, United at Newark and Chicago/O Hare, Alaska in Seattle, and the list goes on. But there is one airport that nobody has ever been able to conquer, and that s Los Angeles...
There are few airlines quite like Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), a company with a glorious history, legendary complexity, and now, a new lease on life. It has been a reclamation project for decades, but the time has come to sink or swim. I m betting on swim. SAS was formed in 1946 by bringing together airlines...
Alaska, Korean Team Up While Delta Looks on It s rare that a simple codeshare agreement feels like a significant story, but this one does. Korean Air, Delta s longtime JV partner, SkyTeam stalwart, and an airline that s closing in on the integration of its main rival filed a request to launch a codeshare with Alaska. Yes,...
I ve written a couple of times about BermudAir, but I ve never been overly impressed with the airline s prospects to make something of itself. But now, well, now I may be rethinking this. In a massive change in operating structure, the airline announced an innovative new expansion which will open up service to Belize, Grand Cayman,...
It may almost be summer, but today we need to talk about cold, dark February. That may be the toughest winter month for many, and that s why thanks to our presenting sponsor Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport next year s Cranky Network Awards will once again be in Phoenix, Arizona. We can t promise heat...
It is official. The last airline in the US that still handed out free meals on domestic coach flights is going to serve its last freebie on June 30. The next day, Hawaiian Airlines will move to a buy-on-board program (except for the JFK flight) that aligns more closely with Alaska. I can understand why...
In what is probably a dramatic understatement, Southwest has faced a great deal of change over the last couple of years. I don t need to rehash all the gory details, but this is an airline that has felt like it has been in transition since Gary Kelly stepped down as CEO in 2022 and Bob...