Airline News

These are the aviation trends we were talking about this week.

The declining value of cross-over loyalty programs aside, alliances offer benefits to long-haul customers making connections, but their politics make reaching consensus among members on products and services difficult. As the growth of joint ventures, and other airline collaborations show, there are other ways airlines can deliver value to customers and a seamless passenger experience.

The U.S. is the clear leader for connectivity megahubs as some carriers' hubs get bigger and Americans exhibit increased demand for inter-city business and leisure travel.

Heathrow has managed to function as a major international hub despite its runway limitations. But future passenger growth means it will need to expand, if it is to hold a leadership position both in Europe and around the world.

Emirates has chosen wisely with Aniston. Anyone else playing this role might have come across as snobby, but we really feel for her even if we're the ones stuck in coach.

It's only a matter of time until American Airlines follows suit.

These are the aviation trends we were talking about this week.

Munoz knows he has a problem with consumers and employees and he isn't wasting any time letting them know he knows.

Coming up with fresh ideas in aviation takes guts. Sometimes your guts are cut out, and handed back to you on a nicely compartmentalized in-flight meal tray. But there's no stopping some people.

This is the natural next step for Virgin America, ViaSat, and Netflix and the perfect complement to JetBlue's Amazon Prime offering.