Spirit in the Sky
Spirit Airlines announced its liquidation on May 2, 2026, ending operations for a fleet of 130 aircraft and 17,000 employees. The ultra‑low‑cost carrier, the nation’s seventh‑largest airline, had struggled with repeated bankruptcies and never recovered from the COVID‑19 downturn. Its shutdown is the most significant U.S. airline liquidation since Pan Am’s demise in 1991. Competitors such as Frontier, Allegiant and JetBlue are poised to absorb market share and some displaced staff.
Never Heard of It
A pilot recounts recent trips that revealed two obscure carriers: Sunlight Air, a Philippine boutique airline operating just four ATR turboprops, and Drukair, Bhutan’s flag carrier, which makes a stop in Guwahati, India on its Bangkok‑Paro service. The experiences underscore...
The Collision at La Guardia
On March 22, 2026, a Jazz Aviation regional jet operating as Air Canada Express collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport seconds after touchdown. The fire truck had been cleared onto the active runway by a single air traffic...
Souls On Board
A pilot recounts receiving a weight‑and‑balance ACARS transmission that listed 301 "souls on board" for a trans‑Atlantic flight, the first time his aircraft carried over three hundred occupants. The count includes passengers, crew, and lap children, pushing the total beyond...
Crossroads, Interrupted
A sudden conflict with Iran has forced the closure of Persian Gulf air traffic, curtailing more than 90% of flights for Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad. The three Gulf carriers—often called the ME3—operate the world’s busiest transit hub, moving 182 million...
What’s the Big Obsession With Doors?
Cathay Pacific’s new Aria business‑class suite on its Boeing 777‑300 now features a sliding door, joining a growing fleet of premium cabins that prioritize enclosure. The author, on a two‑hour Bangkok‑Hong Kong flight, praised the suite’s spacious layout, high‑quality food and...