Top Airline, Airport News Stories From October

Strong News From Q3 Earnings
The beginning of October can be a fraught with worry for airlines. They need to report third-quarter earnings during the month, and then take stock of what the fourth and final quarter is going to be like.

Fortunately, October of 2022 brought welcome news for the industry.

Virtually every U.S-based airline reported a profit for the period that began on July 1 and ended on September 30. Heading into the midterm elections, this was an October surprise of a different – and much better – kind.

Further, the airlines are hoping that the strong demand from spring and summer carries over to the upcoming winter holiday travel season, and based on the happy results from October they are optimistic it will be repeated after the fourth quarter.

Here’s a look at some headlines from the rest of the month.

United Pulls out of JFK
On the first day of the month, United Airlines followed through on its threat and suspended service at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. United had asked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to expand its routes from JFK, but the agency declined.

Hurricane Ian Lingers
Hurricane Ian, which hit Southwest Florida in late September, carried over into October. And the effects and aftermath were expected to carry on through October and possibly longer.

The Future is Here
The future of airline travel isn’t very far away. There will be massive changes to how airlines and airports operate, and facial recognition will be a big part of the progress.

DOJ Trial Heats Up
The Department of Justice lawsuit filed against the Northeast Alliance created by American Airlines and JetBlue Airways made it to the courtoom in September. But it was in October that things started to heat up as some of the big players – including American’s CEO – began testifying.

FAA Rules on Flight Attendants
The Federal Aviation Administration has strict rules about rest for airline pilots. Now they have them for flight attendants. The FAA mandated a new policy that will give flight attendants more rest, a much-needed rule with a staffing shortage that has put flight attendants on virtual overtime.

Parts Shortage for Airplanes
It’s been tough enough for staffing shortages at almost every airline in the world as carriers struggle to get back to having a full complement of workers. Now in early October came more bad news. A delay in the supply chain is causing some airlines to not receive parts on time.

Pilot Sues Southwest
A female pilot for Southwest Airlines filed suit against the carrier after a male pilot exposed himself to her. The male pilot pleaded guilty in court but retained his job, and the female carrier is suing for damages saying that Southwest allowed his behavior to continue.

Alaska Airlines Drops Soccer Sponsorship
Alaska Airlines ended its sponsorship of two Portland-based professional soccer teams following a bombshell report on emotional and sexual abuse in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

Man Sneaks on Flight
How this happens in this day and age is hard to understand, but it did. A man was able to breach security, get to a gate and board a Delta Air Lines flight – all without a ticket. He was discovered before the flight took off and was arrested.

Delta, Starbucks Team Up
Delta Air Lines and Starbucks Coffee have teamed up for a partnership that awards loyalty points to customers of both. Now you have your airline ticket and your grande mocha iced frappucino thingy all at once.

TSA Goes Into Prevention Mode
The Transportation Security Administration said it was planning new rules regarding cybersecurity after two attacks on airports were traced to Russia.

Ticket Fares Rise
September and October are supposed to be the lull in the air travel season. It’s after the summer but before the winter holidays. But a new report shows that airfares have continued to rise in October despite a traditional lessening of demand. Days later came a new report – holiday airfares could reach record highs.

Smaller Seats?
The FAA said it would look into the shrinking size of airplane seats. Now a consumer group says to make it quicker, asking the government agency to speed up its plan to take action to stop smaller seat sizes.

Almost Back to Normal
The number of passengers taking to the air suffered dramatically in the wake of the pandemic. More than two years later after the virus first hit the U.S. in early 2020, the industry is almost back to normal. In late October, the TSA reported the highest number of daily passengers to pass through checkpoints since February of 2020.

JetBlue/Spirit Merger Clears one Hurdle
The long-running saga of JetBlue’s takeover of Spirit Airlines cleared one hurdle in October. Spirit shareholders officially approved the $3.8 billion deal for the two airlines to become one. Now comes the hard part – government regulatory approval.

Airlines Make Bank
As mentioned, October was a good month for airlines reporting third-quarter earnings. Not only did virtually all domestic carriers make a profit in Q3, but they expressed optimism that the good vibes will carry over to the winter season.

American Dumps First-Class
American Airlines said it was going to eliminate first-class seating on international long-haul flights for a simple reason – the premier seats just weren’t selling. Instead, the airline said it will focus on sales of its Flagship Suites sales in business class.