Brian Sumers

Operationally, American had a rough second quarter, with the Max grounding and a labor dispute. But the financial results show the carrier performed fine. Will it last?

Every airline executive knows how to improve on-time performance. But there's a problem. It's expensive, since airlines usually must add slack to the schedule. Eventually the costs add up so airlines reduce the slack, hoping reliability will hold steady. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it doesn't.

Yes, it would be great if everything worked out as planned. But that's not how business works. JetBlue is going to be short aircraft for a while, and it'll have to deal with it. At least it's not a Boeing 737 Max operator.

Many airline industry insiders say they expect passengers will fly the Max when it returns to service, provided the price is right. But branding and marketing experts see it differently. Many of them say Boeing must engage in a full-scale rebranding effort to make passengers comfortable enough to fly.

United is taking more chances than the typical risk-averse airline. That should help it boost revenue. But will it all be too complicated for the airline's operational teams?

Peeling paint is a fact of life at an airline. But most carriers try their best to keep aircraft looking sharp. They view an airplane's livery as free advertising. That's why jobs like Corey Culbertson's are so important.

Insiders sometimes privately ask if Ben Smith will be a short-timer at Air France-KLM. He is trying to bring big change to a company plagued by inertia. But change is happening. Let's see if Smith will have traction.

Some people can happily go all over the world without speaking the local language, and they still feel comfortable. But many others get nervous when they can't understand what's being said. If Google Translate ever gets so good that people can translate anything, anywhere, it could change how the world travels.

Alaska Airlines' merger integration for technology has been nearly flawless. That's great news, but the company has been so focused on it that it hasn't been doing much digital innovation. Let's see if that changes soon.

The three largest U.S. carriers say Air Italy competes unfairly. But it is highly unlikely the airline is breaking any U.S. or EU laws. If the U.S. airlines want to break Air Italy, they'll have to do it the old-fashioned way — through ruthless competition.