On 27 January 2026, Southwest Airlines made history by ending its 54-year-old open seating policy. For the first time since the airline began flying in 1971, passengers now choose an assigned seat at the time of booking. The change, driven by shifting customer preferences and intense pressure from investors, marks the end of one of the most recognisable traditions in American aviation.
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Airlines around the world tightened their rules on lithium batteries and smart luggage in October 2025, making it harder to carry power banks and electrically powered suitcases on board. The changes follow a growing number of battery fires on aircraft, which can be extremely difficult to control in flight. On 15 October, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) launched a global campaign to help passengers understand the new restrictions before they travel.
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Air France launched free, ultra-high-speed Wi-Fi on board its aircraft in September 2025, becoming one of the first major European airlines to offer complimentary in-flight internet to all passengers. The service is powered by SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network and is available to anyone with a free Flying Blue loyalty account. Air France plans to install the system across its entire fleet by the end of 2026.
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American Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR in late July 2025, becoming the first US carrier to receive the newest and longest-range member of the A320 family. The aircraft, collected from Airbus’s delivery centre in Hamburg, Germany, features a brand-new premium economy cabin and is capable of flying routes that were previously too long for a single-aisle narrowbody jet. American plans to use the aircraft on transcontinental domestic routes before launching its first transatlantic services in 2026.
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Travellers flying through Newark Liberty International Airport in May 2025 faced hundreds of flight cancellations and long delays after a radar failure and a serious shortage of air traffic controllers brought the airport close to gridlock. Newark handles around 400 flights a day and is the main hub of United Airlines, and the disruptions caused chaos for tens of thousands of passengers during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
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On 17 February 2025, a Delta Connection regional jet crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport, flipped upside down, lost its tail and right wing, and caught fire — yet all 80 people on board walked away alive. The accident, involving a Bombardier CRJ900 operated by Endeavor Air on a flight from Minneapolis, is being studied around the world as a remarkable example of aircraft design and crew action saving every life in what could easily have been a fatal crash.
Continue reading All 80 Survive After Delta Flight Overturns at Toronto