Cranky Flier

JUNE 3, 2025

June 1 was the day that Chicago/O’Hare was required by the terms of its lease to officially publish its new gate map. Even though the gates won’t change hands until October, the deed is done … though American’s objections are still making their way through the courts. Here is what O’Hare will look like in October if the courts don’t force a change: Image via Chicago Department of Aviation In the end, there were no surprises, but things did shift around compare

Airline 130

Airline Airlines 130

Cranky Flier

JUNE 2, 2025

The worst-kept secret in the industry finally became officialy last week when United and JetBlue announced the launch of their Blue Sky partnership. The headlines were about what I expected, but there were some interesting nuggest buried in the release. I spoke with JetBlue President Marty St George to get the story. On the surface, again, it’s largely what I expected.

Airlines 191

Airlines Airline Runway Airplanes 191

Cranky Flier

MAY 31, 2025

I’m running out of free AI queries, but this is what “cranky flier brett snyder web” produces. This is all wrong… that is not a commercial plane in the background. Could Newark’s trouble affect your summer travels? Here’s what to know | Cruising Altitude – USA Today Newark is a mess, but should you stress? Not really.

130

130

Cranky Flier

MAY 30, 2025

JetBlue, United Hard-Launch New Relationship All good relationship stories follow the same path: 1) Loud, public breakup after the DOJ says the two of you aren’t right for each other, 2) Consider rekindling things before thinking better of it, 3) Feeling spurned because your ex put out a press release saying it was ready to move on, 4) Flirting with your ex’s rival — or at least not denying the rumors when they’re reported a month ago, 5) Finally announcing you’ve m

Cargo 130

Cargo Airplanes Airline Airlines 130

Cranky Flier

MAY 29, 2025

Wednesday, May 28 was a big day in the history of Southwest Airlines. It’s the day the airline took a big step toward… being like everybody else. We knew this was coming, of course, but what we didn’t know was exactly how pricing of all these changes would look. Now we know. The two big changes were the introduction of first and second bag fees along with a Basic Economy fare.

Airline 130

Airline Airlines 130

Cranky Flier

MAY 27, 2025

We’re going to go old-school today with an Across the Aisle transcript of an interview I did with TAP Air Portugal’s CEO Lus Rodrigues. I was supposed to do this in person on the day of TAP’s inaugural LAX flight, but Lus was held up in customs, and I had to leave before he was able to get to the gate. So, we made up for it a few days later with a phone interview that I think you’ll enjoy.

Airline 182

Airline Airlines Runway Approach 182

Cranky Flier

MAY 24, 2025

AI is at it again. This one might give you nightmares… sorry about that. The Cranky Cockpit – feat. Brett Snyder – The Indian #AvGeek Vishal Mehra had me on his Indian-focused podcast, and we talked about that market along with much more. It’s a really interesting region these days, so I really appreciated being able to come chat.

Cockpit 147

Cockpit 147

Cranky Flier

MAY 23, 2025

FAA Comes to its Senses in Newark Our crusade against Newark finally has a powerful ally — the federal government. The FAA released an interim order dramatically reducing the amount of aircraft movements at the airport for the foreseeable future. The order went into effect immediately, and it restricts operations to 56 per hour while construction on runway 4L/22R is ongoing.

Threshold 130

Threshold Runway Airlines Airline 130

Cranky Flier

MAY 20, 2025

Spirit is an airline looking for a network identity. It used to be that Spirit was the ultra low cost carrier (ULCC) with frequent service in large markets. It was the ultimate spill carrier. But times have changed, and Spirit has been looking for a new way to get an edge. It is now looking to a very unlikely partner… Essential Air Service (EAS)-provider Contour.

Airplanes 130

Airplanes Airline Airlines Jet 130

Cranky Flier

MAY 19, 2025

Delta has been teasing that it would have some sort of “Basic Business” unbundled offering for a long time. We expected to see it at the airline’s last investor day, but that didn’t happen. Apparently the airline wasn’t ready. But now… it still hasn’t happened. But Delta has reorganized its fare brands in a way that sets the stage for an eventual Basic product in all cabins.

Airlines 130

Airlines Airline 130

Cranky Flier

MAY 16, 2025

Delta Moves the Deck Chairs Around Everything you knew about flying on Delta is changing — except really nothing is changing at all– yet. If you read Delta’s release , you’d see lots of words about a journey to “Discover Delta’s new Travel Experiences,” but if the airline were being really honest, it might read: “Discover Delta’s new Travel Experiences which are Delta’s old Travel Experiences with new names created by consultants.”

Flight Deck 130

Flight Deck Airplanes Cockpit Pilot 130

Cranky Flier

MAY 15, 2025

The way that airline cabins are named all seems rather silly to me. After all, what years ago was First, Business, and Economy has now become Business, Premium Economy, and Economy. It’s not all that different. But as premium continues to grow in popularity, the airlines are looking for that next premium opportunity, and that means the return of a more exclusive First Class-style offering.

Tarmac 147

Tarmac Airline Airlines Airplanes 147

Cranky Flier

MAY 13, 2025

We’ve been talking about American’s strategy in New York for a very, very long time. The airline is undersized, and there is no clear solution. It briefly hoped it solved its problem in New York with the innovative Northeast Alliance (NEA) with JetBlue, but the court’s ruling shutting down that plan forced American to figure out yet another new path forward.

Airplanes 147

Airplanes Airline Airlines 147

Cranky Flier

MAY 12, 2025

I stopped counting long ago, but there have been many, many attempts to try to modernize the US’s air traffic control (ATC) system over the years. As The Air Current ‘s Will Guisbond told us in last week’s The Air Show podcast , there was an article written back in 1996 on the subject that could have been written yesterday. But it had been pretty quiet on anything actually getting done on that front in recent years with the Department of Transportation (DOT) more interested in

Air Traffic Control 130

Air Traffic Control Airplanes Pilot 130

Cranky Flier

MAY 10, 2025

What is that image, you ask? It’s what pops up when I prompt the AI image generator with “cranky on the web.” So, welcome to this week’s stories… Airline Lounges Are a Crowded Waste of Time – Fodor’s Travel I talk to Scott Laird about my stance on lounges, and this turned into an article he wrote. I do not find lounges worth it in most cases, but come take a read through this longer piece and see how you feel about it.

Airline 130

Airline Airlines 130

Cranky Flier

MAY 9, 2025

Delta, Korean Acquire 25% of WestJet Delta Air Lines and Korean Air are teaming up to purchase 25% of SkyTeam’s best direct source of poutine, maple syrup, and hockey — WestJet. Delta will acquire 15% of the carrier at the cost of $330 million and a year’s supply of Biscoff, while Korean will purchase 10%, for $220 million, and it must provide a commitment that it will do everything in its power to destroy WestJet’s hated arch-rival Korean LCC Eastar Jet.

Cargo 147

Cargo Airplanes Jet Airline 147

Cranky Flier

MAY 8, 2025

Three days in Waikiki is not particularly relaxing. It’s fun, but it’s a city, and we wanted at least part of spring break to be more mellow. Since the best flight option we found home was from Lhue on the Hawaiian nonstop to LAX for $270.70 (paid using Chase points), we had the beginnings of a plan. For the hop over to Lhue, we had options.

Runway 130

Runway Airplanes Approach Pilot 130

Cranky Flier

MAY 7, 2025

It was only a couple short months ago that the 2025 Cranky Network Awards presented by Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport were held, but to me, it feels like just yesterday when I was rocking that sweet, sweet facial hair. If you weren’t there, we now have a 16+ minute wrap-up video that shows you all the awards, some of the speeches, and yes, a zinger or two in there.

Approach 130

Approach 130

Cranky Flier

MAY 6, 2025

There was a big dog-and-pony show at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport last week touting American’s growth. This didn’t sound like much to me until I saw the details. Holy cow. American is turning on the jets with a massive number of new gates at DFW in the not-so-distant future. You may recall the previous DFW growth plan which was announced in 2023.

Airplanes 165

Airplanes Airline Airlines Jet 165

Cranky Flier

MAY 5, 2025

I wrote last week about how JetBlue appears to be heading straight toward a partnership deal with United. On the surface, this is good news for both United and JetBlue, though of course that truly depends upon the financial terms, but let’s just assume neither party signed something that they didn’t find attractive. What does this mean for others in the industry?

Airlines 179

Airlines Airline 179

Cranky Flier

MAY 2, 2025

If you’re interested in China, this week’s episode of The Air Show is for you. Even if you’re not, you’ll find this walkthrough from Jon Ostrower fascinating. Don’t believe me? There’s only one way to find out… have a listen for yourself. Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Amazon Listen on Pocket Casts American Breaks Up with JetBlue — This Time for Real American’s on-again, off-again relationship with JetBlue has taken many

Airplanes 130

Airplanes Jet Airline Airlines 130

Cranky Flier

APRIL 29, 2025

Spring break in Hawaii. It sounded glorious, but then again, most of our spring break trips do until we inevitably have to cancel them for one reason or another. I don’t know why, but this time of year seems to be really challenging, though this year spring break was later than usual. And this time, the trip actually happened. I am giving myself a gold star for that.

Airplanes 162

Airplanes Runway Descent Pilot 162

Cranky Flier

APRIL 28, 2025

I continue to be confused by Southwest Airlines. This is a company that had a credible start to a plan to modernize the business, then was forced to sell its soul to make more money more quickly, and now… I am at a loss. The airline is preparing for its first modified airplane with extra legroom seating options, but it can’t seem to get its story straight.

Airplanes 147

Airplanes Airline Airlines 147

Cranky Flier

APRIL 25, 2025

On this week’s episode, Brian and I butt heads. I’ve been watching Spirit’s network moves, and I see an opportunity for Spirit to cozy up to Sun Country. Brian thinks I’m insane. Come on in and listen for yourself and then decide why Brian is wrong… Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Amazon Listen on Pocket Casts American’s WaywAArd Q1 Fiscal Results American’s Q1 reporting would have made Dennis Green proud — they were what we th

Turbulence 130

Turbulence Pilot Airlines Airline 130

Cranky Flier

APRIL 24, 2025

You know that I love watching the drama between United and American in Chicago, but get ready for a new favorite battle: San Diego. Both Alaska and Southwest appear ready to fight as the new terminal prepares to open. Alaska fired its most recent shot by adding three new routes and increasing frequencies on others. San Diego is a good market. And, importantly, it’s a constrained one.

Runway 147

Runway Airline Airlines 147

Cranky Flier

APRIL 22, 2025

It had been nearly a decade since I last flew Frontier, so I was excited to see that the airline had a perfectly-timed flight from SFO to Orange County that would let me get on the airline again on my return from United’s event. (It’s been a couple weeks, so you may have forgotten about the outbound part of the trip already.) Even better, the fare was a cheap $59.98 — for some reason the Basic fare was the same as the Economy fare with a carry-on and seat assignment — so

Descent 230

Descent Runway Airplanes Tail 230

Cranky Flier

APRIL 21, 2025

It took me some time, because the Chicago Department of Aviation made me submit a FOIA request to get the new proposed gate allocation map at O’Hare AND, of course, I was on spring break with the family. But I have the map, and ooh boy is it different than I thought. United is jumping with joy while American is steaming with anger. The assignments, however, don’t get finalized until June 1, and American has wasted no time in trying to fight this.

Airline 264

Airline Airlines 264

Cranky Flier

APRIL 18, 2025

United’s Q1 Saw Good Lead the Way And we are back! It was a strong first three months of 2025 for United Airlines as the carrier saw its best Q1 since prior to the pandemic, earning a $478 million profit on $13.2 billion gross revenue. Its 3.6% pre-tax margin outpaced industry expectations and that’s before accounting for the emotional losses it takes by operating a hub in Newark.

Airplanes 130

Airplanes Airline Airlines Weather 130

Cranky Flier

APRIL 11, 2025

Delta Q1 Earnings Show Profit and a Cautious Outlook Delta was first up to release its Q1 earnings and the carrier posted a $569 million profit on $14 billion in gross revenue. Its total revenue finished up 3.3% over last year, right in line with its revised guidance it released several weeks ago. That is not a high bar to meet. It expects Q2 to fall anywhere between down 2% and up 2% with international and premium flying staying strong, while domestic main cabin bookings slow — this is in

Airline 130

Airline Airlines Airplanes 130

Cranky Flier

APRIL 10, 2025

The end of Mesa has finally arrived, and lucky for the airline, it was the rosier situation that prevailed. Instead of failing outright, Mesa has now been bought. No doubt many a United customer is now celebrating this turn of events. Republic is the winner, and that means that outside of wholly-owned regionals, there are really only two major regional carriers of note left: SkyWest and Republic.

Airlines 260

Airlines Airline Pilot 260

Cranky Flier

APRIL 8, 2025

It’s clear that we in the US have entered a self-inflicted economic downturn. While there is plenty that is not clear regarding how bad it will be and how quickly things will improve, every airline’s management team has to be sitting around right now thinking about how they are going to deal with this unfortunate development. Broader capacity cuts are likely coming at some point, but where that capacity comes from will, as always, be interesting.

Airline 147

Airline Airlines 147

Cranky Flier

APRIL 7, 2025

I received an invite to a United event at SFO, and my curiosity was piqued. It was advertised this way: “Join CEO Scott Kirby to hear about United’s growth plans at San Francisco International Airport.” Ok, and this was close enough to home that I could do an easy day trip. So I did… but in the end, nothing was announced at all.

Runway 130

Runway Airplanes Airline Airlines 130

Cranky Flier

APRIL 5, 2025

The Cranky Network Awards may be over for 2025, but the articles continue to come in celebrating some of the wins. I love to see this. We want the network teams to be proud of the work they’ve done. This new Phoenix flight was just named the sexiest. Here’s why – Arizona Republic The local newspaper in Phoenix put together a story about the Phoenix – Paris route on Air France winning the award for Sexiest New Route – Long Haul.

130

130

Cranky Flier

APRIL 4, 2025

Delta Adds Sun Flying Delta Air Lines announced new service to the Caribbean , along with Mexico and Central America today, including two new nonstops from its Atlanta hub: Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The winter flights will begin December 20 and operate through April 12, both operating daily. Also for DL, Detroit will add Saturday only-service to Grand Cayman while increasing frequencies to Nassau and Cancn.

Cargo 165

Cargo Airlines Airline Airplanes 165

Cranky Flier

APRIL 3, 2025

United this week announced four new flights over the Pacific as part of its winter 2025-2026 schedule plan, including three cities it hasn’t served in a long time… or ever (I’m looking at you Adelaide). The four new routes? Hong Kong – Bangkok 1x daily from October 26 on a B787-9 Hong Kong – Ho Chi Minh City 1x daily from October 26 on a B787-9 San Francisco – Manila adds a 2nd daily from October 25 on a B777-300ER San Francisco – Adelaide 3x weekly from

Airplanes 147

Airplanes 147

Cranky Flier

APRIL 1, 2025

In the post-pandemic world, airlines have been struggling to figure out how to deal with the massive variability in demand by day-of-week. Every airline has been forced to make adjustments, but now Spirit is going one step further. It will stop flying on off-peak days entirely. Just recently, Spirit began to transition to this plan. In June of 2024, off-peak days operated at 95 percent of the peak day departure numbers for the airline.

Airplanes 211

Airplanes Airline Airlines 211

Cranky Flier

MARCH 31, 2025

I have never cared about elite status, not even a little bit. Would an upgrade be nice? Sure, but I don’t travel enough to have high enough status to think that I’d ever actually get one. And I’m not tall, so I really don’t care much about extra legroom either. Living in Southern California, there are different airlines that are better for different routes.

Airline 147

Airline Airlines 147