Brian Sumers

The big three Gulf carriers are still very important, but because of a variety of reasons, they're no longer as scary as they were a few years ago. Still, this is good news for U.S. airlines.

We'd love to say we're surprised by this report. But we're not. Flight attendants have rough jobs, and passengers can be abusive.

Poor Gogo. Its stock is getting pummeled in public markets, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of hope among investors. How will the company respond?

It's hard to know what to make of this. There could be something there, or the inspector general's office could just be changing the scope of its audit of the FAA to placate several members of Congress.

Investors sometimes ask why Southwest Airlines has avoided straying too far from its roots. They wonder if it should assign seats, or add a business class cabin, or sell meals on board. But Southwest almost always prefers simplicity. Given how much WestJet — once a Southwest clone — has struggled as it has evolved, we now understand why Southwest is so conservative.

There hasn't been a new major airport built in the United States since 1995. Why? Well, politics can be tricky, as we're seeing in Mexico City. Its new airport is slated to begin accepting flights in 2020. But will it? The answer is probably yes, despite recent rumblings. But who knows.

How much of a future does Gogo have as an independent public company? We'll see. But it sounds like the new CEO is open to pursuing alternatives.

Southwest began its life in 1971 as a short-haul airline shuttling commuters around Texas. So perhaps it is fitting that it will try to do something similar in Hawaii. But expect Hawaiian Airlines to vigorously defend its turf.

Southwest has built a reputation as a safe, reliable, and customer-friendly airline over nearly five decades. That has helped Southwest recently, as it has faced one of the biggest tragedies in its history.

Aviation nerds surely will be upset Qantas is retiring its Boeing 747s. The aircraft has been the world's most iconic jet for decades, but times change, and airlines now prefer smaller, more fuel efficient twin-engined jets. Sadly only a few airlines — British Airways, Lufthansa, Korean Air and Air China — seem committed to the aircraft beyond 2020.