People check in for flights at the airport ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on November 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Megan Varner | Reuters
It’s been another eventful year for U.S. air travel. Just five days into this year, a nearly new car’s door panel was blown off. boeing 737 Max, operated alaska airlinesAs it rose from Portland, Oregon, after sunset, aircraft manufacturers were once again in crisis mode, with deliveries of new jets delayed for months.
Two weeks later, a federal judge issued an injunction. jet blue airlines‘ planned to buy Spirit Airlines, leaving the small, ramshackle low-cost airline to fend for itself. Struggled Spirit ultimately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November.
This drama-filled year has included an activist campaign at one of the nation’s most cautious airlines, a technology meltdown that left hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded at the height of summer travel, and Barack Obama. It also included the first major merger of U.S. airlines since President Trump.
Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker announced that he will resign on January 20, the day of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, about a year into his five-year term, and will be stepping down from aircraft certification to aircraft certification. He has decided to leave an important institution that oversees everything. U.S. airspace is once again leaderless. Airlines CEOs are calling for more air traffic controllers and investment in air traffic technology.
Meanwhile, airlines competed to see who was the most “premium” and profitable, with cabins closer to the front of the plane becoming a more popular purchase for travelers (for those looking for free upgrades). Sorry). 2 strong candidates – strong candidates delta and the challenger united – brought in most of the industry’s gains, sending stock prices to record levels, while smaller airlines squeezed into wider seats and introduced luxury credit cards.
Airlines continued to play chicken until the airline industry cut back on excess U.S. flights that were driving down fares. However, even into the off-season, the overseas travel boom shows no signs of slowing down. Through these circumstances, overall demand for air travel has shattered records, and CEOs are optimistic about next year.
The status of each company in 2024 is as follows.
delta airlines
Travelers from France wait for a delayed flight on the check-in floor of the Delta Air Lines terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on July 23, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Tama Mario | Getty Images
The most profitable U.S. airline is struggling to recover from the July 19 crash. cloud strike Power outage lasted hundreds of hours microsoft Windows machine is offline. Delta suffered more than $500 million in losses, stranded thousands of customers, and had the highest number of canceled flights all of 2019. Still, the company’s stock hit a record this month.
CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC last week that demand looks solid heading into 2025. The airline is ramping up its premium services for high-paying customers, including three new Delta One lounges exclusively for travelers in its eponymous top-tier cabin. New York, Los Angeles, and Boston are opening this year, with more to come.
It’s a sign of Delta’s continued focus on luxury travelers, and its “Premium” brand echoes the spirit of low-cost travel, as well as the luxury of travel to the point where it was dubbed “Saturday Night Live.” This is the punch line. sketch Last week, Martin Short, who played the Delta Airlines employee who prevents actor Paul Rudd from getting into the coveted Delta Sky Club, was featured, calling him a “poor guy.”
Delta Air Lines fell short of rolling out a light product in business class as some analysts expected at its investor day in November, but the new lounge could ease congestion at Delta’s popular Sky Club. There is sex.
united airlines
An American Airlines plane passes behind a United Airlines plane at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, September 28, 2024.
Gary Hershawn | Corbis News | Getty Images
Can we beat Delta? It’s unclear whether Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding will be enough to encourage more travelers to buy up to first class, but United Airlines is expanding its network to include more luxury leisure destinations There are also other major moves being made. It will fly to Mongolia, Greenland and northern Spain next year to attract customers looking for off-the-beaten-path travel outside of traditional U.S. airline destinations.
The company has thrilled investors with this year’s results and set lofty goals for next year. The company’s stock price more than doubled in 2024, making it the top performing airline.
United Airlines is introducing newly equipped narrow-body aircraft to its fleet with new interiors with seatback screens and Bluetooth connectivity. The company has announced a WiFi partnership using Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink, joining Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways in waiving service fees.
Chief Executive Scott Kirby said earlier this year that the airline was not relying on Boeing’s yet-to-be-certified 737 Max 10 and would consider more Airbus planes as replacements. said it supports Kelly, the company’s new chief executive. Ortberg.
southwest airlines
Southwest Airlines’ new premium seats offer extra legroom.
Leslie Josephs/CNBC
Say goodbye to open seating. The Dallas-based airline shocked customers – loyal and disgruntled alike – when it announced it would launch service in July. To increase revenue, we updated the uniform cabin to include several rows with assigned seats and extra legroom. This was the biggest strategic change in the airline’s nearly half-century of operation.
Southwest Airlines said it had been working on the changes for months, but activist hedge fund Elliott Investment Management acquired about $2 billion in Southwest Airlines stock and CEO Bob Jordan ) made the announcement after pushing for changes that included the dismissal of Mr. Former CEO and chairman Gary Kelly has agreed to retire, but he survived the campaign. Under the cease-fire agreement, Southwest appointed six new directors in October, including five Elliott nominees.
american airlines
Jeff Greenberg Universal Images Group | Getty Images
american airlines fired sales manager Vasu Raja in May after a sales strategy that eliminated travel agents in favor of direct sales to business travelers backfired and the company abruptly lowered its sales guidelines. .
The company’s outlook is improving, with executives optimistic about demand through the end of the year and into 2025. The company has signed a new credit card agreement with its partner. cityand its relationship with co-branding partner Barclays, a holdover from American Airlines’ 2013 merger with US Airways, will end.
spirit airlines
LaGuardia International Airport Terminal A for JetBlue and Spirit Airlines in New York.
Leslie Josephs | CNBC
People who hate the low-cost airline comedian found their problems snowballing this year, starting with a federal judge. Blocked JetBlue’s acquisition of Spirit in January.
The unmerged Spirit faces rising labor and other costs post-pandemic, intense competition in the domestic market, a surge in demand for travel to regions it doesn’t serve (such as Italy and Japan), and Platt. and to and and pratt and and and and and and and to and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and matter and to and and and pratt and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and and matter to pratto and co. faced other challenges, including a surge in travel demand. The Whitney engine recall had a significant impact on Spirit, with dozens of aircraft grounded.
With cash outflows as refinancing deadlines approach, Spirit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month, becoming the first major U.S. airline to do so since American Airlines in 2011. The company expects to emerge in the first quarter, but whether it will file again is an open question. Combination with other low-cost airlines frontier.
The company is changing its long-standing business model of low fares and adding on all other fees, such as seat reservations, to offer more bundle options this summer.
jet blue airlines
A person sits on the end of the engine of a Jet Blue Airways Airbus A320 passenger plane at the Jet Blue Airways maintenance hangar at JFK International Airport in New York, March 4, 2024, ahead of a Career Discovery Week event.
Charlie Tribalew | AFP | Getty Images
While Spirit’s stock was delisted after filing for bankruptcy, JetBlue continued to move forward after a judge blocked its takeover plan, focusing on: Reduce costs and restore profitability.
New CEO Joanna Geraghty and former sales chief Marty St. George, who returned to the airline as president in February, are refocusing the airline, which has added too many loss-making routes after the pandemic. A jet-forward strategy was launched with the aim of A plane with advanced equipment was deployed to the wrong location.
The airline announced earlier this month that it would upgrade some of its jets to domestic business class to complement its fleet of top-of-the-line Mint business class aircraft.
The company’s stock has outperformed its stock price this year, up more than 40% through Tuesday’s close. S&P500′performance. Investors were pleased with the latest update, which showed better-than-expected earnings.
alaska airlines
The fuselage plug of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737-9 MAX that was forced to make an emergency landing due to a gap in the fuselage, was discovered on January 7 during an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board in Portland, Oregon. , 2024.
NTSB | via Reuters
The company began this year with a burst door plug on a new Boeing jet, which led to the temporary grounding of its Max 9 planes. It was decided that there would be.
Months later, the company is refocusing on acquiring struggling airline Hawaiian Airlines for about $2 billion, a merger that cleared antitrust regulators in the summer. This is the first merger between major U.S. airlines since Alaska Airlines acquired Virgin America in 2016.
Alaska State has strong profits, with its stock up more than 70% so far this year and at a nearly three-times premium to the broader market. Executives laid out an ambitious vision for investors earlier this month for the integrated airline’s global expansion, including nonstop service with wide-body jets from Seattle to Europe and Asia, with its biggest competitor being Delta Air Lines. Announced.
frontier airlines
A Frontier Airlines plane parks at the gate at Denver International Airport (DEN) on August 5, 2023 in Denver, Colorado.
Daniel Slim | AFP | Getty Images
First class frontier? The airline is becoming profitable again and is looking to upgrade its fleet, planning to equip its aircraft with: Domestic first class seats.
It also plans to offer more bundles that include seat selection, baggage and free change fees.
CEO Barry Biffle said the company expects profit margins to return to double digits by mid-2025, with recent improvements in performance stemming from the company’s ability to operate on low-demand days such as Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and during busy times. The company attributes this to a series of network changes, including reducing the amount of traffic. Markets like Florida and Las Vegas.
allegiant air
Document photo of Allegiant Air aircraft
Source: Allegiant Air | Wikipedia
Allegiant TravelThe company announced that it will undergo a strategic review of its Sunseeker Resort in Florida this summer, as its expansion into the hotel business has been difficult. The company added that it is approaching an equity partner for the property north of Fort Myers this fall.
Main business, low cost Allegiant Airlinesis turning a corner, with peak demand rising, new CEO Greg Anderson told investors this fall. The company updated its fourth-quarter outlook, which was released in early December and came in above analysts’ expectations.
country of the sun
suncountry airlines jet
Nick Potts | PA Images | Getty Images
The airline enjoys enviable profit margins, especially for a low-fare airline, and the airline benefits from cargo transportation contracts with airlines. Amazon Mike Linenberg, an aviation analyst at Deutsche Bank, said this month that competitors are cutting capacity from their home base in Minneapolis.
”country of the sun“The diversity of its earnings has provided the airline with an economic moat, allowing the airline to remain profitable during the most volatile and competitive quarter since the pandemic,” he said in a Dec. 11 memo. I wrote it.
The airline has successfully adapted its schedule to suit the seasons, increasing flights to warmer destinations in the winter.
Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC and NBC, which broadcasts “Saturday Night Live.”
