Jay Shabat

Despite a global backdrop filled with geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, European airlines delivered a strong and highly profitable summer. Ryanair at 36% margins, long-haul premium demand booming, consolidation reshaping the map, and tourism still powering the continent like a force of nature. This week’s feature story tries to make sense of it all.

Emirates remains financially strong and is buoyed by Dubai’s global appeal, but complacency isn’t an option. In this week’s feature story, we explore how the airline may choose to adapt as challenges mount.

As rivals retreat and Spirit bleeds capacity, Frontier is reinventing itself with first-class seats, loyalty perks, and a bold push into new markets. But can it really fly high alone, or is consolidation still the only cure? In this week’s feature story, we weigh up the key question: Is Frontier’s independence its greatest strength or biggest risk?

They say when the U.S. sneezes, Mexico catches a cold. That’s certainly true for Mexican low-cost carrier Volaris. Its earnings were in poor health throughout the first half of 2025, largely due to U.S. policies on tariffs and immigration. Those symptoms now appear to be fading. Volaris reports that demand recovered in recent months, with continued momentum into the final months of the year. In this week's feature story, we take a deep-dive look at one of the region's most interesting operators and ask what could come next. 

Southwest Airlines is changing faster than at any time in its history. Assigned seating, bag fees, even talk of first-class cabins and airport lounges. But are its bold moves starting to pay off? Not quite yet. Southwest's latest results were rough once again, with margins barely positive and far from the glory days that made it a Wall Street darling. Still, there are signs that better times are on the horizon, as we discuss in this week's feature story.

Virgin Atlantic is getting a new captain, but can he steer the airline toward lasting profitability? As longtime CEO Shai Weiss prepares to step down, Corneel Koster inherits a carrier with a famous brand, deep-pocketed partners, but a shaky financial record. In this week’s feature story, we unpack the daunting to-do list awaiting Koster and his team.

Big changes are underway in the U.S. airline market. In its Q3 earnings presentation last week, Delta described a domestic sector that’s getting significantly stronger, but that's far from the only highlight. In our feature story, we dissect the data and cut through the executive commentary to explain why Delta is upending industry norms.

The Boeing 737 debuted almost six decades ago. Now, it appears a big mission is underway to create a new clean-sheet narrowbody. In this week's feature story, we examine the state of the single-aisle market and discuss the huge risks and rewards for Boeing as it reportedly plans a successor to the legendary 737.

Building airplanes? Things haven’t been easy for aircraft manufacturers with supply chain bottlenecks, labor shortages, and cost inflation. But selling airplanes? That's no problem. In this week's feature story we deep-dive into the widebody market to find out which models are literally flying off the shelves, and identify those gathering dust on the showroom floor.

This year. Last year. The year before that. It’s been a great run for transatlantic markets, lifted by Americans visiting Europe in droves, often flying there in a premium seat. But demand for non-premium seats is now showing signs of stress. Does that herald an end to the transatlantic boom? This week’s feature story discusses the market in detail.