Aviation News

Spirit Airlines is set to expand its network this summer with new nonstop services from Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Columbia, South Carolina, marking the airline's continued growth in the Southeastern US. The airline announced on Wednesday that, starting in June 2025, it will offer direct flights to several major East Coast destinations, providing both convenience and value for travelers.

Southwest has officially relocated from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The relocation will not change its overall presence at the airport, but passengers should expect some changes. Meanwhile, other carriers are expected to move to Terminal 1 by the end of the month.

The Airbus A380 entered commercial service in October 2007. Operated by Singapore Airlines, it was between Singapore and Sydney, a market that still sees the aircraft. In the subsequent 17+ years, 15 airlines have had the superjumbo in their fleets.

Southwest Airlineshas continued to make changes to its customer proposition, this time by cutting the points that Rapid Rewards members earn while purchasing the cheapest fares.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has finally issued the final rule airworthiness directive (AD) for the CFM International CF56, the exclusive engine option for the Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) aircraft family, to fix an unsafe condition that had resulted in two engine failures, including an incident involving a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 aircraft.

US-based ultra-low-cost carrier Allegiant Air made two major announcements yesterday, both demonstrating a greater directional shift being made by the carrier. Effective September 2nd, 2025, Allegiant Air will be closing its operating base at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), where the carrier has historically maintained a crew base and operated many daily flights. This move comes as the airline has doubled down on operating bases in other states across the country, most notably in the Midwest.

Ryanair carried over 197 million passengers last year. This figure includes all booked passengers, whether they flew or not. It filled 94% of seats, the same proportion as in 2023. Very high loads are crucial to its economic success.

Special liveries are a useful marketing tool for both airlines and the companies that these unique schemes are promoting. With commercial aircraft acting as giant flying billboards, getting your company's name and branding on an aircraft that spends its days being seen by thousands of passengers as it travels from hub to hub provides useful exposure. Over in the US, JetBlue is no stranger to such liveries, and it has now unveiled its latest design, which features popular video game characters.

US-based legacy carrier Delta Air Lineshas announced that it will be expanding its partnership with American fast-food chain Shake Shack, as it will be offering first-class passengers the option to pre-select a Shake Shack cheeseburger meal on select flights out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). This new meal service will also be offered on flights out of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), and New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA).

For obvious reasons, the Boeing 747is increasingly uncommon in passenger flight discussions. Yet changes to the quadjet's dwindling network continue to take place. The latest development is that Air Chinawill return the 747-8to Washington Dulles, having last used the type there—albeit infrequently—in 2020.

On March 3, Lockheed Martinand RTX’s Pratt & Whitneyannounced that the F-35Fighter Jet and the F135 afterbrning jet engine have reached a landmark 1,000,000 flight hours. For both firms, this is a major milestone in both program’s performance and persistence.

On March 4, 2025, a Qatar AirwaysBoeing 777 operating a flight from Doha to Chicago diverted to Oslo due to an onboard emergency. The aircraft remained in the Norwegian capital for nearly two hours but is back on its way to Chicago.

Welcome to my 159th weekly routes article! I have analyzed some subjectively exciting services that took off between February 25 and March 3 (unless stated). Click here to see my last jam-packed article!

Lufthansahas announced the expansion of its intermodal partnership with Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany’s national railway company, enabling passengers to conveniently utilize public transportation.

One-stop routes are relatively uncommon, so imagine three brand-new links involving two carriers being announced on the same day. On March 3, Turkish Airlinesrevealed flights to Phnom Penh (via Bangkok), becoming the only European operator to fly to Cambodia (its hub is on the European side of the Bosphorus).

American Airlineshas filed an appeal with the United States Supreme Court to review the decision that forced American Airlines and JetBlue to end their Northeast Alliance (NEA), which focused on combining their networks in the region, including in Boston and New York.

Spirit Airlineshas disclosed its Q4 2024 and 2024 results as the airline continues its Chapter 11 bankruptcy process that should end soon.

Lufthansa Group’s long-haul leisure airline, Discover Airlineshas announced new intercontinental flights from Munich, Germany, adding connections to Orlando, the United States, Calgary, Canada, and Windhoek, Namibia. The Calgary flights are being replaced with itineraries to Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic, during the winter.

In what seems to be a growing problem, a United Airlines jet suffered a possible bird strike at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Sunday. The aircraft had just taken off and was climbing when the incident occurred, prompting the flight crew to immediately stop the climb and return to the airport, where it safely landed.

A Delta Air Linesemployee was struck by a catering truck on the tarmac at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airportlast Wednesday morning, leading to hospitalization and sparking an ongoing investigation by airport and airline officials, according to the Detroit Free Press.