The Miami Boom

Miami Capitalizes on Florida's Economic Growth, Strength of Leisure Travel

Pushing Back: Inside the Issue

"Welcome to Miami, bienvenido a Miami," went the refrain of a popular song in the late 1990s. It might as well serve as Miami International Airport's anthem now. During the pandemic, Miami has emerged as one of the busiest international airports in the world, fueled by its proximity to Latin America, its booming economy, and just by dint of being in Florida, to which airlines have added a dizzying number of routes. (Cutting landing fees didn't hurt, either). We take a look at the growth in this week's feature story.

Elsewhere in this issue, Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, and IAG reported earnings, as did several U.S. carriers. Korean Air posted another record quarterly profit, driven almost entirely by its strong cargo operation. Airbus is pushing the A320 production rate even further, to 75 aircraft per month in 2025. As first-quarter earnings wrap up, one through line is becoming clear: Airlines sloughed off the effects of Omicron and are banking on summer. But another through line also is becoming clear: Despite the optimism, 2022 is not the year of recovery, but another year of transition.

And last, another legendary U.S. airline CEO is exiting the pattern. Maurice Gallagher, who built Allegiant into the powerhouse it is today, participated in his 61st and final quarterly earnings call last week.

The Airline Weekly Lounge Podcast

Airlines are sparring over Newark Liberty International Airport, as United claims the FAA is allowing low-cost-carriers to go over the 79 flight operations per hour cap. But Spirit and JetBlue refute that claim and say United should reduce its own operations if it wants fewer delays. Who's right? That's what Madhu Unnikrishnan and Edward "Ned" Russell discuss in this week's episode, before turning to how the lack of spare Airbus A220 parts is forcing AirBaltic to wet-lease a Boeing 737 from Ukraine International Airlines. Go here for a full archive of the 'Lounge.