AirlinesSouthwest, American, United carried close to 400M people in 2016Southwest had the highest passenger count of all US airlines in 2016, with 152 million, followed by American Airlines with 144 million. United Airlines was No. 4, crossing the 100 million mark for the first time.
LinkAlaska Airlines announces 3 cross-country routesAlaska Airlines will operate additional transcontinental routes from the carrier's hubs in Portland, Ore., and Los Angeles, and will include flights from merger partner Virgin America.
LinkAnalyst: Basic economy fares helping American's bottom lineAn analyst says American Airlines' recent rollout of basic economy fares is already improving revenue for the carrier. The no-frills option replaces deeply discounted standard seats, driving up demand for standard tickets as the departure day approaches.
LinkAvianca Brasil to launch Miami, Santiago de Chile servicesAvianca Brasil will begin its first intercontinental service from São Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) to Miami, Florida on June 23, followed by daily GRU-Santiago de Chile flights in July. Miami will be the first US destination and the second outside of Brazil, in addition to Bogota, Colombia. Avianca Brasil has operated freighter service to Miami since 2015.
LinkBA to revamp Club World seats as part of investment plansBritish Airways will roll out a new seat for its Club World business cabin in 2019 as part of a wider £400 million ($500 million) revamp of the product, the first results of which will be implemented later this year. "We're investing in Club World, focusing now on improved catering and sleep, and in the future on a new seat," said BA chief executive Alex Cruz, signalling the launch of the investment programme at a media event on 5 April.
LinkAs BA ends free meals, US airlines bring them backWhen in 2010 Continental Airlines became the last of its peer group to stop providing free meals to short-haul, economy-class passengers, it was seen by many as the end of an era. The same sentiment could soon apply across the pond, following British Airways’ announcement in September that it had teamed up with high street stalwart Marks & Spencer to start selling food and drink to passengers seated away from the pointy end of the aircraft.
LinkChina Eastern reports net profit dip in 2016China Eastern Airlines reported a 2016 net profit of CNY4.5 billion ($635 million) in 2016, down a slight 0.73% over a net income of CNY4.54 billion in 2015. Operating revenue for the year was up 5% to CNY98.6 billion, while operating expenses grew 7.1% to CNY82.6 billion.
LinkEthiopian, Singapore airlines to expand codeshareStar Alliance members, Addis-Ababa-based Ethiopian Airlines and Singapore Airlines will expand their codeshare agreement as of June 1, offering customers seamless connectivity between Africa and Asia. Ethiopian Airlines’ daily nonstop services to Singapore from Addis Ababa, scheduled to be launched in June, will be covered by the expanded codeshare.
LinkKLM sees no need for own long-haul low-cost initiativeKLM does not intend to emulate its sister company Air France by starting a new long-haul low-cost operation, the Dutch airline's chief executive Pieter Elbers has indicated. Speaking at the UK Aviation Club in London on 5 April, Elbers said the Amsterdam-based carrier had "no plans" to start a "KLM Boost version", referencing the name of the new unit Air France is establishing at Paris Charles de Gaulle.
LinkPoor crew co-ordination, bad approach caused Lion 737 excursionPoor crew resource management and an unstable approach contributed to a runway excursion involving a Lion Air Boeing 737-900ER on 20 February 2016. The aircraft (PK-LFG) was flying from Balikpapan to Surabaya service, says the Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) in its final report into the incident.
LinkNorwegian adds Denver and Seattle to US rosterNorwegian will begin service to Denver and Seattle Tacoma in September, expanding its US network to 13 cities. The long-haul low-cost carrier will serve both cities from London Gatwick with 344-seat Boeing 787-9 aircraft, it says today.
LinkRyanair frets over UK-EU negotiation uncertaintiesRyanair has acknowledged that it might have to adjust its shareholding structure to comply with revised ownership rules once the UK formally separates from the European Union. Some 40% of the Irish carrier is owned by US interests, says chief financial officer Neil Sorahan, and another 20% by UK shareholders.
Link 
