Boeing strike stress, American Airline earnings, and Delta's rockstar CEO: Airline news roundup
Plus: Find out what airlines will feed you for free
Boeing’s machinist strike continues, among other embarrassments. The founder of JetBlue Airways gives the carrier’s erstwhile merger target some unsolicited advice. Delta’s CEO thinks he’s a rockstar now. Plus: Find out what U.S. airlines will feed you for free — and how much it’ll cost you.
Take a moment to catch up on what’s been happening in the world of airlines and aviation.
2 / 12
The latest round of furloughs related to Boeing’s ongoing machinists’s strike isn’t at Boeing (BA). Reuters reports that Spirit Aerosystems (SPR), a fuselage supplier, is the one sending workers home.
3 / 12
The founder of JetBlue Airways (JBLU) added insult to injury following the airline’s ill-fated merger attempt with Spirit Airlines (SAVE). David Neeleman, who left the company in 2007 and now runs Breeze Airways, told the Washington Post that Spirit should have merged with Frontier Airlines (ULCC) instead, a bitter irony all around.
4 / 12
JetBlue Airways (JBLU) is changing the meal service for its transatlantic flights, restricting hot meals to its most expensive Mint fares. It turns out such an arrangement is not uncommon on U.S. carriers, where the best food options go to those most willing to pony up for a premium fare.
5 / 12
Before Boeing’s (BA) future was left in the lurch of a failed union ratification vote, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) told its members engaged in an ongoing work stoppage that they’d decide whether to accept an offer that featured a 35% wage increase.
6 / 12
Dead & Co. U2. Ed Bastian. The CEO of Delta Air Lines (DAL) is adding his name to the pantheon of star performers who have taken the stage at the Sphere in Las Vegas, with plans to make a presentation there during CES 2025.
7 / 12
Boeing (BA) presents earnings Wednesday, and Wall Street will have a lot of questions for its executives after a turbulent year that has only gotten shakier in its back half. There’s been a lot of news coming out about the company, and much of it puts the planemaker in a poor light to say the least.
8 / 12
Boeing (BA) presented earnings Wednesday, and they were not good; the company lost $6 billion on $17 billion in revenue amid an ongoing machinists’ strike that is bringing operations to a crawl. But maybe the most important number in the planemaker’s business update is its free cash flow: $2 billion leaked from Boeing’s coffers, and that number will not turn positive for all of 2025.
9 / 12
Gaming enthusiasts will soon have another airport destination for their layover entertainment, as Minneapolis, Minnesota, adds video gaming lounges to its offerings. The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports that the Twin Cities’ international airport will soon have a space dedicated to the pursuit.
10 / 12
Boeing’s (BA) more than month-long machinist strike is not over. Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the union representing the striking employees, voted down the company’s latest offer on Wednesday.
11 / 12
American Airlines (AAL) reported earnings Thursday; it posted a $149 million loss on $13.7 billion in revenue. But the company also gave an update on its quest to win back the road-warrior customers whose departure has been a huge loss for the firm.
12 / 12
After weathering recent turbulence, Southwest Airlines (LUV) reported $67 million in third-quarter net income Thursday on $6.9 billion in operating revenue. But now that the dust has settled in its fight with activist hedge fund Elliott Investment Management, the company is focusing on what comes next.