Star Alliance became the first global aviation alliance in 1997 with five airlines. Now, the organization has grown to 25 carriers, which all offer numerous connections to destinations all over the world. As it competes with the SkyTeam Alliance and oneworld, which airline do you think will be the next to join?

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Flight demand between the United States and Europe is at an all-time high. Notably, there are 4,674 one-way flights scheduled between the the US and UK this month, according to Cirium data. British Airways dominates the number of weekly flights. However, there is a host of other carriers with a significant presence in the market both sides of the pond. It’s not only the major operators such as the US Big Three and Virgin Atlantic that have a stronghold. The likes of JetBlue, Aer Lingus, TUI, and Norse Atlantic Airways are also regulars across the Atlantic Ocean. Additionally, there are mainstays across the Americas and continental Europe. So, with a range of airlines to choose from, which one is the best? Let us know below!

There are three major airline alliances in the world. These are oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam. Frequent travelers will often try to stick to member airlines of one alliance as their status is reciprocal across the alliance. Being based in Frankfurt, I tend to find myself flying with Star Alliance carriers, though I also enjoy flying on oneworld Airlines when I get the chance. Let us know which your preferred alliance is in the comments below!

I was at Heathrow Airport to welcome JetBlue’s first flight to London in the summer of 2021. Since then, the airline has launched services to Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Dublin, and Paris! This shows great ambition from the hybrid carrier, which has grown across Europe at a swift rate. Where in Europe should the New York-based airline fly next? The airline’s incoming Airbus A321XLRs will help it reach further east on the continent, leading to some new long-haul routes! What do you expect? Let us know below!

Breeze Airways is reportedly considering launching flights to Hawaii once it secures the required ETOPS certifications, which will enable it to fly the required distance over the Pacific Ocean. While a spokesperson told Simple Flying that the airline is “looking at several potential routes,” nothing is set in stone yet, but San Francisco has been rumored to be a potential departure point. 

Several US cities, including Phoenix, San Jose, and Oakland, have seen a drop in flights to Hawaii compared to last year, and following the recent merger of Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, there are bound to be even more changes to schedules. 

This opens up a unique opportunity for carriers like Breeze to increase capacity to Hawaii and connect it to unserved or underserved markets. Which US cities do you think would benefit from flights to Hawaii next year?

Before I start, I would like to express my wishes to the families of the 179 victims who didn’t survive Flight 2216.

Jeju Air made the headlines for the wrong reasons. On Sunday, December 29, Flight 2216 crash landed into an airport perimeter fence, claiming the lives of 179 victims. It marks the first fatal accident the company’s history.

The next day, Flight 101 was forced to turn back to Seoul-Gimpo after experiencing a malfunctioning landing gear.

These accidents sparked numerous questions about Jeju Air’s maintenance and training record, which I fear will put a permanent dent on the airline’s reputation.

With that being said, do you think Jeju Air’s future is in jeopardy after these two accidents?

Disclaimer: The following is a statement shared by one of our readers and does not necessarily reflect the views or ideas of our publication.

Russian-carrier Aeroflot used to serve over 50 destinations before the Russia-Ukraine War but mostly all have been terminated in Europe and North America since the beginning of the war.

In the United States, Aeroflot served direct flights from Moscow (SVO) to: New York (JFK), Miami (MIA), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Chicago (ORD), Seattle (SEA), and Washington (IAD).

In Europe, Aeroflot served Moscow (SVO) to: Madrid (MAD), London (LHR), Frankfurt (FRA), Munich (MUC), Rome (FCO), Warsaw (WAW), and so many more. However, all have been terminated since the EU banned Aeroflot from flying to Europe.

The airline currently serves flights to Dubai (DXB), Istanbul (IST), Bangkok (BKK), Tehran (TEH), Almaty (ALA), and other destinations. This also includes flights around Russia including St. Petersburg (LED), or places like Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (PKC). These are mainly reasons why Aeroflot makes money still. Other airlines banned from Europe are Rossiya, and S7 Airlines.

With

Airbus today shared that it is talking with Rolls-Royce regarding plans for a new narrowbody aircraft for the late 2030s. The manufacturer already has the successful A320 family under its belt and also took on the A220 program from Bombardier in 2018. Julie Kitcher, the chief sustainability officer of Airbus, told Simple Flying at the Farnborough Airshow that her company is looking to continue improving aircraft fuel efficiency. What other changes could we see with this type? Let us know what you think below!

At Routes World in Bahrain, Etihad’s Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer, Arik De, said that the carrier will announce “another US route very soon.” Naturally, he gave no hints. 

It currently serves Boston, Chicago O’Hare, New York JFK, and Washington Dulles. In the past, it flew to Dallas/Fort Worth (until March 2018), Los Angeles (March 2020), and San Francisco (October 2017).

Where would you like them to fly next? Let us know!

There have been several new long-haul route launches this month, including avianca’s return to Paris from Bogota, Beond’s arrival in Milan from Maldives (via Dubai), and Juneyao’s inauguration to Brussels from Shanghai. With family across the globe, I would love to see more long-haul flights to the likes of South America and South Asia from Europe. Which long-haul routes would you like to see launched?

Premium economy has become a masterstroke by many airlines in bridging the gap between economy and business class. While several airlines have been veterans in this field for years, the likes of Emirates have recently changed the game following their entrance, providing a classy product that could fit in numerous business classes across the industry. Which offerings have surprised you the most? Let us know below!

Air India already flies to five destinations in the United States – Newark, Washington Dulles, New York JFK, Chicago O’Hare, and San Francisco. Some of these routes are served by multiple Indian airports. Still, during a chat with Simple Flying last month, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson shared that his airline is keen to expand within the US once it receives more widebodies. There have been reports about adding Dallas and Los Angeles to the works. Still, how much could the airline expand across the US? Could we see some additional routes along both coasts? Let us know what you think below!

As much as we love to dream about trips in the cabins up front, the majority of us enjoy most of our flights down back in the cheap seats. There’s usually not much to write home about – just enough space to be tolerable, perhaps some IFE if we’re lucky.

But not all economy seats are equal. At their smallest, economy class seats might be 17 inches wide, with a pitch of 28 or 29 inches. Conversely, some carriers treat passengers to 34 inches of pitch and seats that are 18 inches wide; when you’re packed into the economy cabin, every inch matters.

Of course, seats are very aircraft-specific. Within one fleet, there may be an Airbus A220 with a generous 19-inch seat width and 32 inches of pitch, alongside a Boeing 737-800 with seats of just 17 inches wide and a 30-inch pitch. You’d think long haul aircraft would have the best economy seats, given the time we’re expected to spend in them. But get this – the seats in the A321neo are 18 inches wide; in the 787 Dreamliner, they’re only 17

What is going on with American schedules between PHL and FLL. We’re down to 3 a day this winter, and downsized the equipment to a 319 for the last flight down and first flight up. Seems like they are pushing you to go to MIA. Do they plan on pulling all those flights, leaving FLL entirely with MIA so close by?

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As you know, Delta has a firm order for 20 Airbus A350-1000s, with options for 20 more. Deliveries will begin in 2026. The type may become Delta’s highest-capacity equipment. It will surely have many premium seats, which will help dictate where it is flown.

Combined with a high overall capacity, they may be used in slot-constrained airports, particularly in Europe, where it is hard to grow with additional frequencies.

But that’s far less interesting than possible new routes. When combined with their long range, they will inevitably mean more new routes. Delta has teased by suggesting destinations in India and Saudi Arabia.

It flew from Atlanta to Mumbai on the 777-200LR in 2008/2009. Might it return? In the past year, it had 55,000 roundtrip point-to-point passengers, making it a slightly larger market than Delhi. Plus, of course, there is considerable transfer traffic.

Despite being a very long way, the Atlanta-Mumbai base fare was only $712 one-way (excl. fuel surcharge, taxes, e

United plans to have 50 Airbus A321XLRs, with the first aircraft due to enter service in 2025. Naturally, the carrier said they’ll partly replace the Boeing 757-200ER, including to Europe. Unlike the A321LR, a variant United does not have and has not ordered, the XLR is a true 757 replacement – just with a longer range and much better fuel burn.

The XLR may also help United to make some seasonal routes year-round while right-sizing capacity with demand on others, freeing up other equipment to be used elsewhere. It may also enable higher frequencies.

More interesting are new route possibilities. While necessarily vague, United said, “The XLR can fly much further [than the 757] and will open new stations that either don’t have service from an airline today [from the US], or they don’t have United service.” Where would you like the carrier to fly the type? Let us know!

Of all the carriers to form part of Star Alliance, which is your favorite to fly with, and why?

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Modern aircraft have the ability to seamlessly venture on transcontinental and transoceanic adventures across the skies. The longest nonstop flight I’ve been on was a Malaysia Airlines Airbus A350 trip from Kuala Lumpur to London, which took nearly 13 hours to complete. However, I’m sure many of our readers have been on longer flights. Please share your experiences with us below!

Everyone knows that New York JFK is the US’s leading long-haul gateway. In the year to July, it welcomed approximately 23 million passengers from Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, the Middle East, and lower South America.

Despite service from airlines globally, an estimated 40% of passengers—more than nine million people—had to connect to another flight en route.

More than eight in ten passengers who traveled to/from the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Southern Africa connected.

Since South African Airways pulled out of JFK in 2020, Southern Africa has had no non-stop or one-stop flights, so all 100,000+ passengers transferred. (United has non-stop flights from Newark.)

These were JFK’s 10 largest unserved cities in the examined period. Mentioning them does not mean they warrant flights or would be commercially feasible.

– Dhaka: 164,000 roundtrip passengers (served by Biman until 2006, then 2009-2011)

– Bangkok: 107,000 (served by Thai Airways until 2008)

– Tirana: 10

In August, the world has more than 8,600 daily widebody-operated flights. One in 12 of the world’s services is on a twin-aisle. Most flights are on the Boeing 777-300ER, an excellent variant for range, high-capacity passenger cabins, and considerable belly-hold freight volume. The A330-300 is second, and the 787-9 is third. It raises an obvious question: which widebody type or variant have you flown the most? Let us know!