Airline News: Top Air Travel Stories From September

September Starts With Relief, Ends With Havoc
September began with a sense of relief for airlines. The month concluded a chaotic spring and summer travel season but Labor Day brought one last big weekend of flying, not to mention a chance for carriers to catch their breath and prepare for the onslaught of the holidays in November.

Unfortunately, September ended with a different kind of chaos – a catastrophic Category 4 Hurricane Ian that pummeled the Caribbean before hammering almost the entire state of Florida and causing massive travel changes.

Here’s a look at the rest of the month.

Qantas Passengers can now buy Vacant Adjacent Seat
Australia’s Qantas Airways offered a new ancillary fee, but probably one that some passengers will like. The country’s national carrier gives passengers the option to purchase the set next to them at a discounted price if the seat is vacant. It’s a great option to be able to spread out on a flight.

Labor Day air Travel Exceeds 2019
As previously mentioned, air travel over the final weekend of the summer capped off a strong spring and summer return of pent-up demand to fly. The number of passengers counted by the Transportation Security Administration over the holiday weekend exceeded that of the same time period in 2019, the last full pre-pandemic travel year.

American Exits Another Small Airport
In what has become a disturbing trend among all major commercial domestic airlines, the pilot and staffing shortage is forcing carriers to abandon service to smaller, regional airports. American became the latest in early September when it left Long Island, New York’s, MacArthur Airport.

United Threatens to Leave JFK
Citing a lack of extra flights and gates, United Airlines on September 7 threatened to leave John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Lawmakers Wants Investigation Into Airlines
House Democrats Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee, and Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., chairman of a special panel on the government’s response to the pandemic, calling for an investigation into how airlines used their federal government bailout money in 2020.

Buttigieg Expresses Optimism
A critic of the airlines’ handling of the spring and summer chaos, Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressed optimism on a national television audience in early September that U.S. carrier can turn around their problems in time for the next critical air travel season.

Queen’s Death Sparks Flight Searches to London
There’s no question that while she might have been head of the monarchy in the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II was beloved the world over, including the United States. That was evident in a spike in Google searches on September 12 after the Queen passed away of people looking for flights to London.

Pilot Shortage Shows No Sign of Improvement
The pilot shortage has been one of the biggest, if not the biggest, factors in why so many flights have been delayed or canceled this year. Now, a new research study showed that the shortage is not even close to ending and probably won’t for another decade.

Airport Asks Airlines to Curtail Flights
For the second time this year, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport made an unusual request. Airport officials asked carriers flying into the Dutch capital to cut back on flights so as to cut down on the congestion as the facility.

Retired Nurse Saves Baby on Flight
A retired nurse was a savior on a September flight from Pittsburgh to Atlanta. Tamara Panzino jumped into action and helped save an infant after crew made an inflight announcement asking if there was a doctor on board. The baby wasn’t breathing but the nurse was able to utilize her skills and give the infant life again.

Spirit Sets Shareholder Vote on JetBlue Merger
If it seems like the saga of the Spirit Airlines/JetBlue/Frontier acquisition/takeover/merger has lasted forever, it hasn’t. In business terms, it’s only been seven months since it first hit the media. It only seems like it’s lasted longer that. But, presumably, it will end when Spirit shareholders cast their official votes on October 13.

New Route for Air New Zealand
Airlines might be cutting routes, but they are also adding routes as well. Most of them appear to be long-haul flights that are lucrative, such as what Air New Zealand announced on September 18 it was starting a new flight from Auckland to New York City.

Senator Wants Spirit/JetBlue Merger Blocked
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) sent a letter in late September to DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg asking that the government block the proposed merger between Spirit and JetBlue. Warren has been a critic of the aviation industry.

Three Airlines ask for More Flights to Cuba
United Airlines in late September outlined plans to ask for government approval to add more flights from the U.S. to Cuba. United would join American and JetBlue, which earlier in the month were approved to add more flights to Havana.

Airlines React to Biden Proposal
President Joe Biden said in the last week of the month that he will propose new government rules to force airlines to be more transparent with their ancillary fees, such as baggage fees. Needless to say, airlines were not happy about that.

Hurricanes Wreak Havoc
One of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit Florida, and certainly ever on the Gulf Coast, caused major havoc for airlines and airports in the final week of September. Ian forced numerous cancellations and airport closures throughout the state. This all came following Hurrican Fiona, which wreaked havoc in the Caribbean