Brian Sumers

Travelers often think their airlines lie to them about flight delays. While that could be true sometimes, it's almost certainly not the norm.

American and Delta once again will take care of each other's customers when flights are delayed or canceled. For travelers, that's good news. The two giant airlines stopped cooperating in 2015, and passengers have been hurt.

Few travelers would say they admire airlines. But among business executives and analysts, the sentiment is different. They see a few airlines as being well-run businesses worthy of admiration.

Airline passengers don't like being late. But what they probably dislike more is being late and not knowing why. Over the next few weeks, United will give some customers detailed information about the reason for delays. That could make passengers less anxious, which is a good thing.

United is lagging behind its competitors in launching international premium economy. But this is something it needs to do, if only because of competitive dynamics.

Airline lounges are rarely as opulent as the promotional pictures suggest. Yet passengers seem to love them. Why? Will they persist forever?

Passengers should cheer news that Volaris and Frontier will codeshare, as it should help Americans visit many more Mexican destinations at cheap prices. But will Volaris and Frontier cooperate enough to make the process seamless for passengers? We'll soon find out.

Insiders often say airport real estate is some of the most expensive in the world. This is likely a massive investment for American Express, but the company has probably calculated it's worth it. People love airport lounges, and American Express knows it needs to keep its customers happy.

Maybe airline service isn't as strong as most customers would like. But there's no mistaking the data. Operationally, many U.S. airlines are stronger than ever. That's good news for passengers who want to get to their destination on time.

Slowly, Virgin America is disappearing. That's bad news for its loyal customers in San Francisco, Los Angeles and other parts of the country. But it's necessary. Virgin America was too small as a stand-alone carrier to compete with the nation's four largest carriers.