United Airlines News

In Skift's top stories this week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says the airline will beat margin leader Delta Air Lines by improving the passenger experience, Accor executives explain why the hotel giant has struggled to make inroads in the U.S., and American Airlines CEO Doug Parker expresses confidence that business travel will return to pre-pandemic levels.

Have airlines passed an inflection point and will 2022 be the year demand recovers more fully? Airline executives at the Skift Aviation Forum believe so, although they warn that the road to recovery will be bumpy.

Air service to smaller U.S. cities could wither unless regional airlines can ramp up hiring. Despite offering large bonuses to new pilots, regional carriers are scrambling to find enough talent to operate all their flights.

United CEO Scott Kirby is talking up his investments in product, and quality improvements at the carrier. But it will still be a steep challenge to beat Delta Air Lines, the longstanding leader on quality and margins in the U.S.

Why is United Airlines pulling out of eight markets even as it aggressively expands its schedule and hopes to return to its 2019 levels of flying? Is it because those eight routes are unprofitable, or is it feeling the effects of a tight labor market?

President Biden's more than $1 trillion infrastructure plan provides an unseen-for-decades investment in U.S. transportation. But achieving its lofty goals could pose new challenges, which is something former President Obama knows well after partisan politics stymied some of his infrastructure ambitions.

Expedia didn't have Airbnb's blockbuster third quarter, but Expedia seems to have built the foundation for solid improvements.

Delta and United showed off their marketing prowess with their expanded New York schedules. But the added flights are simply examples of the airlines protecting their access to key New York airports, and defending against the new American-JetBlue alliance.

After a day-long hearing, Avianca will have to wait a little longer to find out if a U.S. bankruptcy court judge will approve its restructuring plan. But with the vast majority of creditors, including partner United Airlines, backing the plan, approval is widely expected.

Don’t expect an immediate return to 2019 levels of business travel traffic despite the hype in the buildup to the U.S. reopening borders on November 8.