It has been quite a captivating year for the airline
industry in the United States, with many of the biggest decisions playing out
in the courtroom.
From this year’s edition of TravelPulse’s Travvy Awards
celebrating top airlines to Boeing starting 2024 with a door panel ripping off
midflight and the CrowdStrike Incident, here are the biggest travel stories of
the last year.
The Travvy Awards celebrated a decade in 2024. The
event known as the Oscars of the travel industry recognized the top industry
suppliers, including airlines. The annual awards gala was held in Fort
Lauderdale on Thursday, November 7, with many aviation industry-leading brands
taking home the coveted gold, silver, and bronze hardware.
Start with the proposed merger between JetBlue Airways
and Spirit Airlines. It would have created the fifth-largest carrier
in the United States. However, a federal judge ruled against the merger and
agreed with the Department of Justice – that there would be too much
monopolization, and customers would not be offered a suitable alternative for
lower pricing.
It has not been a good year for Boeing, an airplane
manufacturer. A series of incidents has led to an erosion of confidence within
the industry and from a public perspective. The once-revered company has had
its safety record challenged and eradicated.
It is every traveler’s nightmare- something goes wrong
with the plane. That’s what happened on January 5 when a Boeing-made door plug
flew open during the middle of the flight at 16,000 feet on Alaska Airlines.
The high-profile event triggered the whole saga with Boeing, and it
even became the subject of being skewered on Saturday Night Live.
Boeing Corporation building. (Photo Credit: IanDewarPhotography / Adobe Stock)
Amid news of cuts to its revenue and profit forecast
and its stock tumbling in value, American Airlines reversed course in May regarding its
controversial New Distribution Capability (NDC) plans and some AAdvantage
requirements. American was forced to apologize to the travel advisors the
airline impacted with its previous plans.
The CrowdStrike incident began on July 19 and was
caused by a faulty update to the Falcon antivirus software. As a result,
millions of computers worldwide crashed, and airlines were forced to ground
planes and reimburse travelers. While many airlines recovered quickly from the incident,
Delta Air Lines struggled for days and
ultimately canceled more than 7,000 flights.
Ironically, despite having a reputation for being
against business, the Biden administration approved a merger between Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
Perhaps there are no more disparate airlines to merge than these two.
Travelers passing through a TSA Airport Security scanning system. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Mihail)
However, all the problems with Boeing did not stop the
wanderlust of American air travelers. The Transportation Security
Administration reported a record number of travelers during
the Thanksgiving weekend.
Officials in Mexico have reversed a controversial rule plaguing
unsuspecting tourists arriving at the popular resort city. Cancun International
Airport will no longer charge visitors a fee for bringing more than one larger
electronic device, including laptops and tablets.
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