United Airlines News

A Florida federal judge and Trump appointee has liberated the U.S. airlines from the tyranny of having to enforce mask mandates. The five largest U.S. airlines didn't wait long, dropping their mask requirements within hours of the judge's ruling.

President Biden backs incentives for sustainable aviation fuel as the airline industry looks to cut emissions. But legislation remains stuck on Capitol Hill with little clarity on how it will become law.

More companies are taking carbon management into their own hands, stepping away from offsetting. This new footprint indicator could give CWT's clients much greater control.

There's much ado about oil in global markets. But U.S. airline executives are largely unconcerned with the price volatility in recent weeks, betting that strong summer travel demand will absorb higher fares.

Accepting that there is a pilot shortage in the U.S. is only the first step to fixing the problem. The next is producing more pilots but that, even with big names like Alaska and United working on it, will take several years.

In Skift's top stories this week, money from Airbnb bookings meant to support Ukraine is often going to hosts outside of the country, several hotel giants freeze development plans in Russia, and United Airlines is worried about the prospect of higher oil prices.

Good morning from Skift. It's Wednesday, March 9, in New York City. Here's what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Airlines have never faced the confluence of a global pandemic, war in Europe, and high oil prices. United Airlines' finance chief Gerry Laderman said there's no precedent for the concurrent crises, a phrase we've heard a lot of in the past few years.

The fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine is spreading far and wide for airlines. Aeroflot and other Russian carriers face potentially crippling sanctions, while others from Europe to the U.S. are recalibrating to a new environment.

Airlines increasingly are feeling the effects of the U.S. pilot shortage. United Airlines is the latest to cancel routes and drop destinations because it can't find enough pilots to operate its flights. The problem could take a while to resolve, as it takes years to train a pilot to fly a commercial flight.