It is hard to be disappointed with low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers, at least when things run as they should. After all, they have a bare-bones approach, meaning expectations are usually low. It’s then easy to meet or even exceed them. The same cannot be said for the spectrum of ‘full’-service carriers, which often overpromise and underdeliver.

It is hard to pinpoint one airline that has disappointed me the most because some aspects of the experience could be good, while others may not. One flight might be less than desirable, while the next – if there is a next time – might be noticeably, or at least acceptably, better. Such inconsistencies only add to the trouble.

Which carrier has disappointed you the most and why? For me, it is Ethiopian Airlines. I have flown it four times, which is not really enough to have a fair impression. Still, the food was unusually poor, even by airline standards, and the cabins, even on nearly ne

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!

Air India currently serves 10 European airports: Amsterdam, Birmingham, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Milan Malpensa, Paris CDG, Vienna, and Zurich. Of course, there is a big emphasis on Star Alliance hubs.

India’s flag carrier has 16 non-stop European routes, the latest of which is Bengaluru to London Gatwick, which started in August 2024 (it replaced Heathrow, which was served until 2022).

Its European network exists from Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Delhi, Goa, Kochi, and Mumbai. Unsurprisingly, its two hubs—Delhi and Mumbai—have 80% of seats for sale.

In Q4 2024 (October-December), Air India will have 333,000 one-way India-Europe seats, the most it has ever had in any quarter. It has surpassed its prior quarterly record, held in Q3 2024, by 1.2%. And this is before considering the marriage with Vistara. Air India has 22% of non-stop India-Europe non-stop capacity.

Where else in Europe would you like the carrier to fly? It previously flew to London S

A recent presentation by Norfolk Airport Authority included a top ten list of US cities without “transatlantic” flights.

As noted by Ishrion Aviation, one mid-sized US airport has picked up a single direct flight to Europe over the past several years: St. Louis in 2022, Cleveland in 2023, San Antonio in 2024, and Indianapolis in 2025. Excluding Indianapolis and Fort Lauderdale, which city or cities should be next in line for direct passenger service to Europe?

Disclaimer: This content is shared by one of our readers and does not necessarily reflect the views or ideas of Simple Flying. 

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!

Many of us have fond memories of our first flights or an especially memorable trip with an iconic carrier. However, have many carriers gone bankrupt, merged with other airlines, or simply ceased operating?

What are some of your favorite memories from airlines past, and which airlines do you think stood out above the competition?

Qantas is planning to set a new record for the world’s longest regularly scheduled flight with Project Sunrise. Project Sunrise will see the airline connecting London to Sydney with non-stop flights using specially modified Airbus A350s. These flights will take up to 20 hours. But do you think we will ever see longer flights in the future?

Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have confirmed they will continue to operate under separate brands but will pursue a unified airline operating certificate. Once united, Hawaiian Airlines’ fleet of long-haul aircraft entering the fold will open up a range of new opportunities for the carrier. 

Hawaiian Airlines already serves a range of long-haul destinations from Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), including destinations in Australia and Japan. Given Alaska’s membership in the oneworld Alliance, adding service to other hubs with a strong oneworld or partner airline presence would make sense.

Where do you think the airline will add next, and which destinations could benefit from a direct flight to Honolulu?

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!

In this job, I’ve been lucky to travel all across the continents, from North America to Asia. However, my journey in the skies started long ago when I was just three years old, during a trip to Delhi with my family. According to my parents, the aircraft I flew on was an Air India Boeing 747. What was your first flight? Let us know below!

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!

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

The Republic of Ireland’s flag carrier recently landed in Sin City, its 18th destination from Dublin in the US. The airline also operates transatlantic flights from Shannon and Manchester in the North of England. Las Vegas joins routes from Dublin to Minneapolis (which resumed in April) and Denver flights (which began for the first time in May). Last year, the carrier added service from Dublin to Cleveland, Ohio.

Given that it is not a member of the three major alliances, Aer Lingus is not as constrained when it comes to choosing hubs for connecting traffic. Las Vegas, for instance, is not a major hub, but it was the carrier’s largest unserved market in the country, with 50,000 indirect travelers from Ireland last year. 

Which cities could benefit from a direct link to Ireland and indirectly to the carrier’s extensive European network? Should Aer Lingus focus on point-to-point demand or try to stimulate traffic from a secondary city with no other European connections? Alternatively,

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!

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?

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?

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

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!

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!

Airlines are increasingly deploying premium economy seats on the aircraft. Having flown in several business and economy cabins over the years, I have always wondered about the experience of premium economy. I recently witnessed the space to be had on Emirates’ Airbus A380 premium economy and was pleasantly surprised. For those looking for that extra touch of class, I feel it may be worth it. What do you think? Let us know below!