North America

Podcast

JetBlue-Spirit Merger Goes to Court

It's official: The U.S. Justice Department just sued to block JetBlue and Spirit from merging. Will it win? That's anyone's guess, but JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said he plans to fight the regulator. Edward Russell and Jay Shabat discuss. Plus,...

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U.S. Airlines Forecast to See Busiest Ever Spring Break Travel Season

U.S. passenger airlines are expected to carry a record number of passengers this spring, according to a new forecast from trade group Airlines for America. That's big news for the industry that, due to a pilot shortage and other constraints,...

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JetBlue Prepares for a Fight With Justice Department if Spirit Merger Blocked

JetBlue Airways CEO Robin Hayes is ready to take the U.S. Department of Justice to court if needed to secure the airline's proposed merger with Spirit Airlines. "We’re going to go to court," he said when asked at an Economic...

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Airbus, Boeing Production Delays Will Hold Back Airline Growth in 2023

The aircraft production issues that Airbus and Boeing have faced through the pandemic recovery are not getting any worse. But they are also not yet getting better, which has forced airlines to accept that the industry's recovery and growth will...

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JetBlue May Need to Give Up American Airlines Alliance to Win Spirit Merger Approval

JetBlue Airways has one big bargaining chip that it can offer the U.S. Department of Justice in exchange for approval of its proposed merger with Spirit Airlines. That chip? Its alliance with American Airlines. The alliance card, which until now...

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Podcast

Spirit Airlines’s Woes

Spirit Airlines lags other U.S. airlines in financial performance. In fact, it lost money last year while most of its peers produced profits. Can it fix its cost problems and restore order? Edward Russell and Jay Shabat discuss on the...

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JetBlue Hints at New Hawaii Flights if Spirit Airlines Merger Approved

JetBlue Airways is in clear selling mode of its proposed merger with Spirit Airlines as the U.S. Justice Department weighs the combination that would create the country's fifth largest airline. In a filing with the Department of Transportation Thursday, JetBlue...

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Southwest Airlines to Dock Executive Bonuses After ‘Epic Screwup’ Over Holidays​

Southwest Airlines Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson was grilled by U.S. senators over the carrier's meltdown during the year-end holidays in Washington, D.C., Thursday. "We messed up," he said at a hearing of the U.S. Senate's Commerce, Science, and Transportation...

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Spirit Airlines Struggles to Control Costs as It Awaits Fate of JetBlue Merger

Spirit Airlines long succeeded by keeping its costs so low that it could afford to charge flyers essentially pennies per mile — plus lots and lots of extra fees — to fly. The pandemic has changed this equation with cost...

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Podcast

So Long to the Boeing 747

A goodbye to the Boeing 747, the Queen of the Skies. The planemaker delivered the last off the line of the iconic jumbo jet to Atlas Air on Tuesday. Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot by Mark Vanhoenacker Atlas Air...

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Allegiant Air Lifted by Growth of Ticket Add-Ons Like Extra Legroom Seats

Allegiant Air had a good end of the year. The budget carrier known for its low frequency, point-to-point routes to vacation destinations beat analysts' expectations with an $89 million operating result and 16 percent operating margin in the fourth quarter,...

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American Airlines Is Profitable and Reliable But CEO Robert Isom Is Expected to Deliver More

Ten months into his tenure as CEO of American Airlines, Robert Isom has produced what he has repeatedly said he wants: An airline that is profitable and reliable. In the fourth quarter, the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier reported net income...

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