Airline Weekly

The Airline Weekly Lounge Podcast

Airline Weekly Lounge Episode 106: Not So Sunny at Sun Country

Seth Kaplan
October 4th, 2018 at 12:06 PM EDT

Sun Country is largely missing out on the golden age that U.S. carriers have been basking in since 2015. In the past 12 months (ending with the second quarter, the most recent to be reported) all the U.S. carriers posted operating profit margins ranging from a healthy 9% to an excellent 16%—except for Sun Country, which delivered a distant 4% margin.

Will Sun shine again? One airline enjoying the U.S. party is Frontier, which had a solid second quarter despite a 19% increase in operating costs. Talks of an Emirates-Etihad merger have heated up, according to a Bloomberg report. A merger might save Etihad, but who will save these other troubled airlines? South African Airways, Fastjet and Jet Airways are all facing dire straits. Lastly, JetBlue is adding a basic economy fare class. Will it be the last U.S. airline to do so?

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Overcast | Pocket Casts | Google Podcasts | Amazon | RSS
Subscribe

Already a member?

Already a member?

Up Next

North America

Breeze Sees Softer Bookings as Airline Growth Outpaces Fall Travel Demand

U.S. airlines have scheduled too many flights this fall for the number of travelers, Breeze Airways founder and CEO David Neeleman said. This is pushing down airfares just as fuel…

Asia-Pacific

Hawaiian Airlines Defends Tokyo Haneda Flight Rights as United Seeks to Expand

Hawaiian Airlines plans to resume all of its flights to Tokyo Haneda this winter that were suspended during the pandemic, CEO Peter Ingram said. The move comes as United Airlines…

Asia-Pacific

U.S. Airlines Expect Further Easing of China Flight Limits this Winter

U.S. and Chinese airlines are eager to resume nonstop flights between the two countries following a diplomatic accord in August doubling the number allowed. They have proposed 63 weekly flights…

Europe

KLM CEO Rebukes Dutch Proposal to Tax Transit Passengers at Schiphol

KLM CEO Marjan Rintel offered a firm rebuke of a proposal in the Netherlands' legislature to tax transfer passengers at the airline's hub, Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

Latin America

What Are Mexican Airlines to Do?

Mexico's airlines face two countervailing trends: the reopening of the U.S. to new growth countered by new restrictions at the country's busiest airport, Mexico City International. Edward Russell and Jay…

Exit mobile version