Airline News

The unprofitable SAS has gone through many restructuring and cost-cutting initiatives, and although it must retain Norwegian Air to compete in the short-haul market, puddle jumpers are an asset worth dumping.

It looks like Southwest's controversially tame advertising campaign will need some major tweaks next year when the airline starts flying internationally.

Yahoo is hungry to buy small companies and absorb in the talent, unlikely the interest is in building out the Milewise brand and service as a standalone. None of the miles/points startups -- AwardWallet, Traxo, UsingMiles, Superfly -- have broken through yet, and Milewise is in the same general category.

Any corporation that jumps into a hot social issue risks alienating customers, but the conversational and personal nature of social media allow brands to take a chance on controversy.

You know that optimism about airlines is higher when they start splashing out on new uniforms and high-quality talent to design them.

Tourism out of Asia is growing, but travelers worldwide are still looking to trim costs leading to the rise in low-cost carriers and the now evident decline of full service airlines.

Tweets at passengers and sponsoring food trucks helps airlines soothe flyers bothered by crowded flights and hefty fees.

The bombing at the Boston Marathon, although not directed at an airline, should rid carriers and the TSA of any complacency regarding cockpit security. On the other hand, we hope the sequester won't prompt the TSA to cut any corners.

Overall, this is a very healthy trend as data analysis -- yes, big data -- is being applied to flights, airports and day of travel, showing travelers they are not all created equal.