American Airlines News

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly doesn't always make the decisions that Wall Street wants to see, so don't expect him to deviate from his cautious stance.

In recent years, many Alaska Airlines frequent flyers liked to fly American, because they would receive loyalty benefits even when flying the competition. But starting next year, that perk will end, and that's not great news for road warriors.

Did customers book away from United Airlines after security officers called by the airline beat up a passenger in Chicago? Probably not, considering how well the airline performed financially in the second quarter.

Here's a prediction. The Trump administration may do little on the Open Skies debate. Yes, U.S. airlines probably suffer because of the agreements with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. But plenty of other U.S. interests take advantage of the same agreements to make money.

No, these special airline VIP lobbies are not new. But all three full-service U.S. airlines are investing in them, with each trying to one-up the other. If you're a regular coach customer, you likely don't care. But if you have access to these lobbies, you're probably pleased.

American has defended its uniforms, but it received a lot of bad press for months. It finally decided to try to change the narrative by switching uniform providers. That was probably the right decision.

In today's airline landscape, legacy carriers generally offer between 30 and 32 inches of seat pitch. Discount airlines give customers 28 or 29 inches. American Airlines had planned to shrink some seats to 29 inches, but customers complained. The plan is off. That's good news.

Are old-school U.S. airlines too focused on short-term profits and competing against low-cost carriers to deliver a quality product to their loyal passengers?

United is making a sound business decision by rewarding its best customers. But in recent years, we've seen the chasm grow between the flying haves and have-nots. This will only further that trend.

American Airlines has a new lounge for ultra-premium passengers at JFK. Good luck getting in though.