A decade ago, Delta came within a whisker of tearing Japan Airlines away from American. In 2018 it suc- cessfully convinced WestJet to abandon American. And last Thursday, it dealt American a shattering blow: Delta — stunningly and unexpectedly —...
Read MoreLatin America’s largest airline typically performs better in the second half of the year. But the first half of 2019 was unusually bad for LATAM. Is there a prosperous path forward? That’s the question many are asking following the carrier’s...
Read MoreFor U.S. airlines, something profound happened in 2014, something that would change the fortune of the industry more than anything else. What was it? Fuel prices plummeted late that year. And they’ve remained low since, at least relative to the...
Read MoreDuring the second quarter of 2019, China’s Big Three state-owned airlines—Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern—all earned profits at the operating level. So did Hainan Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, and Spring Airlines. But three of these six publicly-traded carriers—China Eastern,...
Read MoreAfter a horrible first quarter, European airlines badly needed a strong second quarter. What they got was a mixed second quarter, with some trends favorable and others adverse. Results varied widely across the continent, from IAG’s outstanding 14% Q2 operating...
Read MoreThey call it the “Lucky Country.” And for good reason. Australia hasn’t experienced an economic recession in almost three decades. But as the nation’s central bank governor warned last week, the economy has “slowed sharply since the middle of last...
Read MoreSkift Airline Weekly recently talked to Jens Bischof, CEO of SunExpress and SunExpress Germany about the airline's plans for the future, how it relates to its parent companies, Turkish and Lufthansa, and how the B737 MAX grounding has affected its...
Read MoreDuring Q1 earnings season, U.S. airlines essentially said don’t worry, demand and pricing trends would be better in Q2. They were right. The first three months of 2019 weren’t bad for U.S. carriers. All were solidly profitable. But remember the...
Read MoreSo which is it? Two weeks ago, Delta cited “softer than expected demand in Japan.” But last week, United said routes to Japan were just fine. Soon, American, Hawaiian, Japan Airlines, and All Nippon will report their Q2 results, likely...
Read MoreFor a while, it looked like Norwegian wouldn’t make it. Now, following release of its second-quarter financial results, those fears are easing if not extinguished. Last year, Norwegian suffered a $356m operating loss, which alone makes clear just how precarious...
Read MoreThe first half of 2019 featured quieter forms of aircraft-related disruptions, some engine-related and others tied to delivery delays. Just as frustrating were inordinate operational disruptions from increasingly volatile weather and increasingly unreliable air traffic control, the latter affecting Europe...
Read MoreIn an all-day event with investment analysts last week, Lufthansa trumpeted the overall success of its 2014 business plan—with justification: The company doubled its operating margin from 4% in 2014 to 8% in 2018. But one important aspect of the...
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