The irony is hard to miss. After years of regulators arguing that mergers like the proposed JetBlue-Spirit deal would reduce competition and harm consumers, the federal government may now step in to rescue Spirit Airlines itself. According to multiple reports, the Trump administration is considering up to $500 million in support for Spirit Airlines as…
For several years, the Northeast Alliance between JetBlue and American Airlines reshaped competition in Boston and New York. Travelers benefited from coordinated schedules, codeshares, and expanded loyalty opportunities that made the two airlines look unusually aligned. In 2023, that alliance fell apart by court order. Three years later, JetBlue’s attempted merger with Spirit Airlines has…
The Golden Age of Senior Discounts Once upon a time, airlines marketed themselves heavily to older travelers. Senior fares—special discounted tickets for passengers typically 60, 62, or 65 and up—were a way to fill empty seats while rewarding loyalty. Airlines like Delta, United, and American once promoted senior fares prominently, and AARP even had…
Updated August 2026 Flying with a baby creates an odd combination of airline rules. A child under two may be able to fly across the country on your lap without buying another seat. Put the same family on an international flight and the infant may need a ticket, taxes, fees or a percentage of the…
Updated August 2026 Youth fares are not dead. They are much less common among U.S. airlines than they once were, but several airlines still sell real age-based fares in 2026. United offers a young-adult discount to eligible passengers ages 18 through 23. Air France and KLM have youth fares for travelers ages 12 through 24.…
Last week, JetBlue—long dealt a blow by the collapse of its Spirit acquisition—proved it’s not down for the count. With summer travel demand stronger than expected, the airline raised its third-quarter guidance and is starting to deliver results under its JetForward strategy. We don’t always talk about airlines from the perspective of profitability on…
The Embraer E190: A Regional Jet with Big Ambitions The Embraer E190 was launched in the early 2000s as part of the Brazilian manufacturer’s ambitious E-Jet family. The aircraft first flew in March 2004, and Embraer went on to build 568 first-generation E190s for carriers around the world. With around 100 seats, the E190…
Updated August 2026 If you fly United regularly, a handful of airports keep appearing in your itineraries: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Newark, San Francisco and Washington Dulles in particular. That is no accident. United builds its network around hubs, airports where flights arrive from many different cities and feed passengers onto another wave of departures. United…
Updated August 2026 If your American Airlines itinerary seems determined to send you through Dallas, Charlotte or Miami, there is a reason. American builds its network around a small number of airports where flights from many different cities arrive in waves, exchange passengers and head back out again. American Airlines currently describes its U.S. network…
Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy for the second time this year. As you may recall, Spirit had courted Frontier, and later JetBlue for an acquisition. Had the federal government not intervened, JetBlue would have integrated Spirit. Instead, Spirit has failed for the second time this year to get itself out of a hole. It is…
Most canceled flights have much more ordinary explanations: weather, aircraft problems, crews and air traffic restrictions. See our guide to why flights get canceled and what to do next. Flight disruptions are often blamed on weather, technical glitches, or staffing issues. But some real-life cancellations are downright surreal. Here are eight verified incidents that will…
JetBlue Expands Boston Routes To New Florida Cities Summer hasn’t even ended yet, but JetBlue is already making your winter a little warmer. If you’re in Boston and already dreading the cold, JetBlue has some good news: starting this December, they’re adding two brand-new nonstop flights from Boston Logan Airport to warm, sunny spots in…
Updated August 2026 You find a United flight at a price you can live with, but you are not quite ready to buy it. Maybe you are waiting for someone else to confirm the trip, checking vacation dates, or trying to coordinate a hotel. United’s FareLock lets you pay a fee to hold both the…
Southwest Airlines announced the revolutionary move of…what every other airline offers. Assigned seating. It’s been ten years since Ultra Low Cost Carrier Ryanair gave up on open seating, twelve years since Easyjet gave up on it. So, why did it take half a century and why now? Southwest has always liked being different. But as…
Updated August 2026 You are flying to a wedding that starts at 4 p.m. Your connecting flight is canceled, and the airline’s best alternative gets you there at 9 p.m. Technically, the airline can still transport you to your destination. Practically, there is no longer much reason to go. Airlines have a term for this…
Delta Airlines Bereavement Fares Delta Airlines is one of the few airlines that still has an official bereavement flight policy. Through a program called Delta Cares, they also can help to transport the remains of your loved one with sensitivity. They have a page devoted to bereavement fares, excerpted here: In the event of a…
Updated August 2026 If you are flying Southwest from Boston Logan, go to Terminal B. More specifically, Southwest currently lists its Boston operation as Terminal B, Pier A, using Gates 31A through 35. That “Pier A” label can be confusing. It does not mean Terminal A. Southwest is in Terminal B. Pier A is a…
United FareLock Still Around After All These Years 13 years ago, in late 2010, we wrote about a new service being offered by Continental Airlines called FareLock. We were amazed that they chose to launch this innovative new product in the middle of their merger with United Airlines. So we are pretty surprised that United…
Updated: May 2026 When FlightWisdom first covered bereavement fares back in 2006, 2008, and 2010, they were already fading. Even when more airlines offered them, the value was questionable. Today, they’re almost gone — a quaint vestige of another era, not unlike the onboard lounges of the past. We even remember a call center agent…
In the vast expanse of the United States, air travel plays a pivotal role in connecting cities, states, and regions. Two primary operational models dominate the landscape of domestic airlines: the hub-and-spoke system and the point-to-point system. In this basic comparative analysis, we’ll delve into the intricacies of each model, exploring the strengths, weaknesses, and…
American Airlines is built around a hub-and-spoke network. Instead of flying every city pair nonstop, American uses major connecting airports to move passengers across the United States and around the world. American currently describes its hub network as nine hubs: Charlotte (CLT), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York…
The airline allegedly tried to pull a fast one on Maribel Martinez after experiencing the nightmare last month.
Shares of JetBlue Airways were higher Wednesday after the airline said it would boost its service to Boston.