American Airlines News

Many are optimistic that travelers will flood back into airports and onto planes this summer taking long-delayed vacations. But that flood could hit some bumps as a national labor shortage threatens to hit many aspects of the flying experience.

Fuel efficiency is integral to the bottom line of airline operators. Skift Research found that efficiency improvements fluctuate considerably by year and between companies. Most were unable to achieve efficiency goals set by the industry.

The increased importance of YouTube doesn't bode well for travel advertisers seeking to reduce their reliance on sister brand Google. Pay Google for search ads or spend money on YouTube — it all ends up in the same place.

Pressure is growing on airlines to reduce their carbon emissions. But how do you do that when you burn through gallons of jet fuel? Our analysis found that airlines have made good progress in becoming more fuel efficient, but have a long way to go to make significant reductions in emissions long-term.

Airlines have come a long way from the dark days of the pandemic when idled jets lined runways around the world. On the ground in Tulsa, we check out the meticulous way American is taking its last few aircraft out of mothballs with an opportunistic eye towards summer.

American is cautiously optimistic about the summer ahead with plans to fly more and boost fares on its way back to profitability. But when the airline can hit that is still anyone's guess with business and long-haul international travel still largely absent in the recovery.

In Skift's top travel stories this week, we covered antitrust concerns about the American-JetBlue partnership, the hospitality industry's insurance woes, a labor shortage as travel rebounds, and we reviewed Kayak's first hotel.