The U.S. airline industry is no stranger to consolidation, but the announced merger between Allegiant Air and Sun Country Airlines marks a particularly notable moment in the leisure travel space. According to the recently released announcement, Allegiant will acquire Sun Country in a cash-and-stock transaction, creating what both companies describe as a “leading, more competitive leisure-focused U.S. airline.” On paper, the deal makes strategic sense.

Commercial aviation has always lived with risk, but that risk has traditionally been managed through layers of redundancy, conservatism, and hard-earned lessons written into regulation. The FAA’s newly issued Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) 26001, focused on airspace management during space launch and reentry activities, signals a noticeable shift in priorities. As commercial and space launches increase, the FAA is effectively asking airlines and passengers to absorb the operational and safety consequences so that rockets can continue to fly on schedule.

Airlines are often portrayed as businesses that live and die by ticket sales, forever one fuel spike or weather disruption away from financial ruin. There is truth in that image, but it is also incomplete. Modern airlines are sprawling commercial ecosystems that generate revenue from a surprisingly wide range of activities, many of which have little to do with passengers sitting in seats at 35,000 feet.

For years, Delta Air Lines has enjoyed a reputation as the gold standard among U.S. carriers. Industry awards, strong brand loyalty, and a polished marketing machine have helped cement the idea that Delta is simply better than everyone else. Ask frequent flyers or read airline rankings, and you’ll often hear the same refrain: Delta is the best airline in America.

Walk into a hotel lobby and the brand is everywhere. The logo is on the sign outside, stitched into the carpet, printed on the key card, and echoed in the welcome script at the front desk. It feels natural to assume that the company whose name is on the building owns the building itself. In reality, that assumption is often wrong.

Aircraft cabins are marvels of modern engineering: pressurized aluminum tubes cruising miles above the Earth, complete with electricity, climate control, and—often overlooked—running water. Yet while passengers obsess over legroom and Wi-Fi, the quality of onboard drinking water remains one of the least visible and most misunderstood aspects of commercial aviation. A newly released 2026 Airline Water Study attempts to change that, ranking airlines by the cleanliness and safety of the water they provide to passengers at altitude.

Australia is one of my favorite counties to visit, I don't think I've ever visited a bad town in the country and there's always something new to see. Brisbane is one of the only cities, besides Sydney, that I've traveled back to for a second time just to visit. I love the vibrancy of the city, ease of transportation, and walkability.

In a significant and rapidly developing escalation of regional tensions, the United States has reportedly conducted missile strikes against strategic targets in Venezuela, leading to an immediate 24-hour total closure of key Caribbean airspaces. Travelers across the Americas and the Caribbean are facing unprecedented disruption as flight corridors over San Juan (Puerto Rico), Curaçao, Piarco (Trinidad and Tobago), and the entirety of Venezuela have been ordered shut by U.S.

My trips into Australia always seem to be direct, I've never had the chance to connect through the city until now. I was on my way to Brisbane and the best way for me to get there was a connection through Sydney. I happen to be traveling on Business Class tickets which afforded me the access to try Qantas' Business Class lounge for their domestic flights.

Travel loyalty programs are strange little ecosystems. They reward repetition, patience, and occasionally a heroic tolerance for delays. This year, my travel calendar filled up enough to requalify for several airline and hotel elite tiers, reinforcing just how much time I spent in terminals, cabins, and hotel lobbies. Some statuses were familiar companions, others were new experiments, and a few will be politely left behind next year.

If you’ve ever stared at a flight tracker or a departure board long enough, you may have noticed something odd about Canada. Toronto Pearson is YYZ. Vancouver is YVR. Montreal-Trudeau is YUL. Calgary is YYC. The pattern is so consistent it almost feels conspiratorial, as if Canada collectively decided to give the letter Y a monopoly on aviation.

For many travelers, the airport security checkpoint is a familiar routine: present your ID, hand over your boarding pass, place your belongings on the conveyor belt, and proceed through screening. Yet in recent years, some passengers have noticed a slightly different process at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints, one that involves a brief pause while an officer examines their identification more closely.

Travel in 2025 felt less like ticking boxes on a map and more like stitching together a quilt of extremes: heat and cold, isolation and bustle, ancient history and modern resilience. The places I visited this year could not have been more different from one another, yet each left a distinct imprint. In no particular order, these destinations defined my year of travel and reminded me why moving through the world remains such a powerful way to understand it.

Sydney will always feel like a second home to me. I love the city and any chance I have to go back I always jump at the opportunity, even through it's almost a full 24-hours of flying away from me. On this particular occasion, I was heading down to Sydney to catch a ride up to Brisbane and fly inland to explore the outback.

One of the most scary things is when a pilot becomes incapacitated in flight. As many health checks as pilots go through to maintain their medical certificates, things happen. Having redundancies is essential to maintaining safety of the aircraft and those inside. This is why commercial flights have two pilots, strict pre-departure fit for duty procedures, and an emphasis of safety culture.

I love flying on widebody aircraft. The ride is generally a lot smoother, if it's a domestic widebody flight it usually has a higher priority for the airline as the flight is usually needed for international flying on the next flight leg, and the seats tend to be more comfortable. That's why whenever I can book a domestic widebody flight I will, this time I managed to catch one down under while I was traveling within Australia.

The aviation industry is a global enterprise, relying on complex supply chains and international trade agreements. However, like many other industries, aviation is subject to tariffs—taxes imposed on…

For decades, airline loyalty programs have been a cornerstone of the aviation industry — rewarding frequent flyers with upgrades, perks, and a sense of prestige that came with elite status. But in…

The aviation industry is one of the most complex and capital-intensive sectors in the world. Airlines operate on razor-thin margins, balancing volatile fuel costs, economic downturns, and fierce…

A government shutdown may seem like a problem confined to Washington, D.C., but its effects ripple far beyond the Capitol — especially into aviation. Airlines are being forced to reduce their…

Downtown Minneapolis is full of history and historic buildings, one such building is the historic Minneapolis Athletic Club which broke ground in 1913 and was a socialite hangout during the boom in…

In one of the absolute most bizarre cases of entitlement that I've seen, a Beechcraft Bonanza flying out of Deer Valley Airport (KDVT) appears to take offense to an aircraft controller's instruction,…

In aviation, one of the most unpredictable hazards comes not from weather, mechanical failure, or pilot error—but from nature itself. Bird strikes, the collision between an aircraft and a bird, are…

Today (October 25, 2025) Delta Air Lines inaugurated their first flight to Marrakesh, Morocco. It was an exciting flight, and seeing the world's busiest airport connect another international…