Airline News: Top Air Travel Stories From July

Airlines, Public Play the Waiting Game
“The waiting is the hardest part.” – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

That’s the sentiment in the aviation industry as interested observers play the waiting game on the Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines and JetBlue Airways merger saga.

That’s also the feeling among the flying public, as the month got off to a rough start. Delays and cancellations that began earlier this spring intensified as the Fourth of July weekend kicked off summer travel with a fury of pent-up demand. Fortunately, the airlines were able to get it (somewhat) under control.

Needless to say, it was a hot month in aviation.

$10K to Give Up a Seat?
The flying situation was so bad to start the summer – overbooked flights, not enough pilots and lots of cancellations – customers could make out like a bandit if they chose. At one point early in the month, Delta Air Lines offered fliers up to $10,000 to give up their seat.

Hard Times for Travel Advisors
In a blow for travel advisors, Qantas Airways joined Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific, among others, in drastically cutting commission fees for travel advisors. And by drastic, we mean a whopping 80 percent.

A 14-Hour Flight With a Hole in the Plane
When an Emirates Airlines flight took off from Dubai to make the 14-hour flight to Brisbane, Australia, pilots heard a thump just after takeoff. But they didn’t think anything of it since nothing popped on the instrumentation. Imagine their shock when they arrived to find a huge hole in the side of the plane.

Mountain of Luggage at Heathrow
Flight delays, cancellations, and an edict to get out long-haul flights as a priority. It all added up to a literal mountain of problems at Heathrow International in London. Luggage has been piling up in the terminal and is going unclaimed, as passengers simply can’t find their belongings.

British Airways Struggles
The aforementioned problems at Heathrow International were part of a larger problem for its main tenant, British Airways. The airline in early July said it would be cutting 10,000 flights from the rest of its summer schedule to help normalize things.

DOT Takes Charge for Family Seating
Families with young children have long been upset by new seating fees and policies that sometimes separated the kids from the adults. The Department of Transportation took notice and warned the airlines to stop separating families flying with kids, or the agency would step in and mandate it.

Airlines, FAA Play the Blame Game
It’s your fault! No, it’s your fault! That’s the petulant atmosphere between the airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration over who is to blame for the spate of delays and cancellations taking place this year.

Frontier Makes its Last Bid for Spirit
In poker parlance, Frontier Airlines went all in. In a back and forth battle with JetBlue to merge with Spirit Airlines, Frontier finally said it was done raising the stakes and that its last offer in mid-July of $4.31 a share would be its final offer.

Lufthansa, Air France Limit Cheapest Flights
In an effort to slow down customer traffic that is overwhelming airports, Lufthansa and Air France took a unique approach. The two airlines decided to limit the number of their cheapest airfares, with the thinking being it would cause many would-be customers to evaluate whether they wanted to pay top dollar for a flight.

Flight Delays, Cancellations Climb in Search
For the most part, it’s a good thing when you’re a high-ranking search term. Not so much for a negative connotation, however. The terms ‘flight delays’ and ‘flight cancellations’ were dominating in mid-July on Google.

Delta Sends Empty Plane for a Reason
At the height of the luggage issue in London, Delta Air Lines did something that endeared itself to its customers. Delta sent an empty plane to Heathrow Airport in London just to retrieve luggage that customers were forced to leave behind. No passengers, just suitcases.

No Boarding Pass Needed
At some select airports in the U.S., this could be a game-changer. Some airports are testing the idea of passengers being able to access their flights without a boarding pass. It’s a unique concept, to be sure, but one that could become widely accepted if it means less time in line.

A Unique Solution to the Pilot Problem?
Delta Air Lines, one of the first carriers to identify a pilot shortage years ago, is trying to lead the way to solve the current problem of not having enough people to fly its planes. Delta is partnering with Wheels Up, a private charter company, to have its pilots gain the requisite number of flight hours to become certified commercial airline pilots.

JetBlue Acquires Spirit Airlines
After multiple different offers, JetBlue finally beat out Frontier to be the winner of the Spirit merger.

“We are excited to deliver this compelling combination that turbocharges our strategic growth, enabling JetBlue to bring our unique blend of low fares and exceptional service to more customers, on more routes,” Robin Hayes, JetBlue’s CEO, said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming Spirit’s outstanding Team Members to JetBlue and together creating a customer-centric, fifth-largest carrier in the United States. Spirit and JetBlue will continue to advance our shared goal of disrupting the industry to bring down fares from the Big Four airlines. This combination is an exciting opportunity to diversify and expand our network, add jobs and new possibilities for Crewmembers, and expand our platform for profitable growth.”