IAG

Stronger Q1 performance across Europe's network airline groups

With all three European network airline groups having reported their Q1 2026 results, The Engine Cowl looks at the key takeaways. IAG leads performance IAG continued to outperform Air France-KLM and Lufthansa Group, posting the only positive operating margin of the three businesses. Nevertheless, all three groups improved margin

United States

US mid-size airlines: cost pressures outweigh strong revenue in Q1 2026

After our round-up of first quarter financial results for the US Big Four last week, The Engine Cowl takes a look at the highlights from the rest of the publicly-traded United States-based airlines. Key Themes * While operating margins at the Big Four grew compared to last year,

Airline Tech

The Airline Tech Podcast: The growing role of AI in airline customer service

Disrupted flights result in costs of over €100 million per year for large airlines like easyJet or Wizz Air. They also drive high volumes of claims that must be managed by airline customer service teams. In this episode, Garth Lund speaks with Xavier Orr, Chief Operating Officer and Aviation Practice

JetBlue

JetBlue's investment in Fort Lauderdale starts to pay off

Amid pressure on JetBlue’s turnaround efforts from higher fuel prices and weather-related disruption in Q1, there was at least one bright spot in the airline's quarterly results published on April 28: Fort Lauderdale. As The Engine Cowl reported previously, JetBlue will become the #1 carrier at

Financial Performance

US Big Four: Q1 results round-up

The US Big Four have all now reported their Q1 results. The Engine Cowl summarizes the key takeaways: United Airlines leads in margin performance United Airlines was #1 for profitability with a 6.8% operating margin, up from 4.6% last year. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines delivered a remarkable turnaround, swinging

Lufthansa Group

Lufthansa Group unbundles carry-on bags

Lufthansa Group announced on April 23 that it will introduce a fourth branded fare for short and medium-haul flights: Economy Basic. The new Economy Basic fare will sit below the existing Economy Light fare and will include only a personal item and no carry-on bag. A carry-on

Airline Tech

The Airline Tech Podcast: The underestimated potential of group travel

Group travel generates $30-50 billion revenue annually for airlines. Yet most airlines still rely on webforms and manually quote each group. In this episode, Garth Lund speaks with George Michalopoulos, founder of Groupz, about how airlines can automate group bookings, from instant quotes to preparing for agentic booking. Why

Lufthansa

Lufthansa accelerates business clean-up

On April 16, Lufthansa announced a series of decisive moves: 1. Lufthansa CityLine will cease operation effective April 18 2026 2. Accelerated deployment of 9 x A350-900s to Discover Airlines 3. Retirement of the four remaining A340-600s in October 2026 4. Grounding of 2 x 747-400s from

podcast

Airline Insight: How are airlines managing the impact of the Iran conflict?

Between higher fuel prices, shifting demand, and airspace closures, the Iran conflict has impacted both the demand and supply side of the air travel market.  In this episode of Airline Insight, John Strickland and Garth Lund look at how airlines are managing the effects of the crisis.  What we dive

China

China to Europe capacity grows beyond pre-pandemic levels

China-based airlines have been the primary drivers of capacity growth between China and the EEA.

Jet2

How have competitors responded to Jet2’s London-Gatwick base launch?

Jet2 has already operated its first flights out of London Gatwick Airport (LGW).

United States

Canada-US capacity, load factors tumble in 2025

The data reflected Canadians' shifting travel patterns away from the United States.

SAS

Building a global hub at Copenhagen Airport: SAS’ playbook

SAS has been increasingly shifting its capacity to Copenhagen Airport (CPH) as it looks to build a global connecting hub at the airport.

TAP Air Portugal

TAP Portugal sees operating margins fall slightly: three takeaways from its 2025 results

TAP Air Portugal sees lower margins in 2025 on the back of falling unit revenue.

Spirit Airlines

As Spirit Airlines shrinks in Fort Lauderdale, Frontier Airlines and JetBlue pounce

Competitors are using the opportunity to attack Spirit Airlines at its main base, Fort Lauderdale.

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport’s rollercoaster continues as airlines seek clarity

The Dutch government has planned, walked back on, and lost a case regarding its flight cap at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) over the past few years.

San Francisco International Airport

SFO's new runway limit: the operational impact

Despite seeing its runway limit reduced from 54 arrivals/hour to 36 arrivals/hour, SFO's operation has been relatively resilient so far.

Airline Tech

The Airline Tech Podcast: How Hands In drives revenue growth for airlines through split payments

Airlines can lose up to 5% of direct sales due to insufficient funds on the customer's credit card. In this episode, Garth Lund speaks with Sam Flynn, founder of Hands In, about how split payments, which divide a single booking across multiple cards, payment methods or payers, can

TAP Air Portugal

Two bids submitted for TAP Air Portugal

Lufthansa Group and Air France-KLM have each submitted bids for the Portuguese airline

Wizz Air

Wizz Air to operate its largest summer schedule from the United Kingdom

Wizz Air had requested more slots at both LTN and LGW.

Icelandair

Icelandair evaluates investment in Maltese AOC

Icelandair is looking at investing in Fly Play Europe to gain access to a Maltese AOC

Air France

Air France doubles down on North America expansion

The French carrier is also adding capacity across several other regions globally.

Philippine Airlines awarded its first credit rating: why it matters

Philippine Airlines has been awarded its first credit rating by Moody's Ratings

Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines reduces May capacity by another 21%

Spirit Airlines has made further reductions to its May 2026 schedule.

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines’ strong demand challenged by external events in Q1, downgrades quarterly outlook

Alaska Airlines expects the per-gallon fuel cost to be $2.90 to $3.00 in Q1 2026, compared to its 2025 average of $2.52.