Ryanair Expands Lead as UK’s Largest Airline as Competitors Pull Back
Ryanair is adding more than a million additional seats to its UK schedule this winter. A move it trumpeted as a relief to travelers in the wake of capacity cuts by other airlines, most importantly British Airways. The additional seats,...
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Vienna Airport Rebounds, Without Europe’s Travel Chaos
Europe’s airports are finally enjoying a demand recovery, and Vienna’s airport is no exception. On Thursday, the airport’s parent Flughafen Wien reported results for the first half of 2022 that showed a return to profitability, boosted by a strong recovery...
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Airlines That Hedged on Fuel Prices Emerged Winners in Second Quarter
Demand for air travel hit pandemic highs — and in some places historic highs — during the second quarter. Airlines reported record revenues and full planes as issues from staffing to weather and an elevated number of employees out sick...
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El Al Could Expand to India, Southeast Asia With Saudi Airspace Opening
After two pandemic-stricken years defined by new travel restrictions and reduced mobility for airlines, at least one region — the Middle East — is moving in the opposite direction. Saudi Arabia, in conjunction with a visit by U.S. President Joe...
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Hong Kong Airport’s Third Runway Risks White Elephant Status
After a decade-plus of planning and building, Hong Kong International Airport has a new runway. It opened for commercial use July 8, starting with the arrival of a Cathay Pacific cargo flight from Shanghai. “The commencement of the third runway...
Read MoreDeal. No Deal. Deal? Airline Weekly Lounge Episode 111
After pummeling each other for years, Icelandair and Wow Air agreed to a truce in the form of a merger. But the merger fell through. Now Wow Air may be finding comfort with serial airline investor Indigo Partners. What will...
Read MoreJet Airway’s Rise: Airline Weekly Lounge Episode 81
Jet Airways didn’t give up the ghost. Instead, it rose from the hospital bed and plodded toward recovery, and today the Indian airline is the proud owner of a profit streak of nine consecutive quarters. How did Jet avoid its...
Read MoreDismay at Cathay Pacific: Airline Weekly Lounge Episode 80
Cathay Pacific has seen all its oxygen sucked out of the room by the hyper growth of the Chinese carriers. Is there anything to be done? Sometimes waiting is the best option. Australia has two major airlines with two very...
Read MoreTurkish Airlines’ Turnaround: Airline Weekly Lounge Episode 79
After losing $300m in 2016 as a result of some horrific exposure to terrorism and political tumult, things are looking up for Turkish Airlines. In its second quarter, the airline posted a 5% operating profit margin and with that likely...
Read MoreThe United Weigh: Airline Weekly Lounge Episode 78
United is still trailing its peers, but can it catch up? That’s the question we weigh first in this episode. In the second quarter, American Airlines bested United with a 16% operating margin versus United’s 14%. One thing that went...
Read MoreAnother Win for Delta: Airline Weekly Lounge Episode 77
The airline is on such a roll that not even a grouchy demagogue can stop Delta. The Atlanta-based carrier posted a better second quarter than it did last year, and it leaves Delta with at least a slim shot of...
Read MoreSix Months in 30 Minutes: Airline Weekly Lounge Episode 76
Terror attacks… a blockade… Alitalia… The first half of 2017 has been interesting—even against the airline industry’s high standard in that department. In just a 30-minute episode we attempt to unpack the first half of 2017. Despite a lot of...
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