Category Airline, Organisations & Operators

United Airlines today announced the United Relax RowSM: a set of United Economy seats that can transform into a couch, creating a more comfortable option for customers traveling in the United Economy cabin on long-haul flights. United is the first North American airline to offer this kind of seating option and holds North American exclusivity on the design.

United Airlines today announced the next phase of its long-term plan to win brand loyal customers and further differentiate itself from competitors.

The airline expects to take delivery of more than 250 new aircraft by April 2028 – the most by any airline in a two-year period – to further modernize its fleet, add new aircraft variants, create a new experience for transcontinental travelers and introduce new onboard products for every customer, reinforcing United’s position as a leading premium airline.

Travelers can now book seats on United’s most premium international aircraft yet – the 787-9 Dreamliner with the United Elevated interior. Unveiled last May, this new aircraft has been redesigned from nose-to-tail with 99 total premium seats – the highest of percentage among U.S. carriers – and marks the introduction of the airline’s new United Polaris Studio℠ suites: eight, lie-flat, all-aisle-access seats that are 25% larger than standard United Polaris® seats with privacy doors*, an extra ottoman seat, exclusive entrée options, an Ossetra caviar amuse-bouche service, new amenity kits with elevated skincare offerings, wireless charging, Bluetooth connectivity, and a huge 27-inch, 4K OLED seatback screen – the largest among U.S. carriers.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its Long‑Term Demand Projections (LTDP) for air travel, showing that global air passenger demand is expected to more than double by 2050.

Under the mid‑range scenario, demand is forecast to reach 20.8 trillion revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs), based on a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.1% (2024-2050) from the 9 trillion RPKs seen in 2024.
A higher growth scenario would see a 3.3% CAGR with passenger demand reaching 21.9 trillion RPKs in 2050. A lower growth scenario would see 2.9% CAGR with passenger demand reaching 19.5 trillion RPKs by 2050.

British Airways has announced a significant planned expansion to its network for winter 2026, increasing its long-haul flying by nine per cent* as the airline continues to invest in new destinations and increased services for customers worldwide.

The expanded schedule includes two new long-haul destinations – Melbourne, Australia and Colombo, Sri Lanka – alongside additional flights from several U.S. cities and increased service across key leisure destinations in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

Lufthansa has received certification for 25 Allegris Business Class seats on the Boeing 787-9. Sunday, March 15, 2026, the Dreamliner with registration number D-ABPM and the name “Potsdam” flew from Frankfurt to Toronto with 25 certified seats in Business Class. The remaining eight 787-9s equipped with Allegris are also already in service with approved seats as of today or will take off by Wednesday at the latest. Last-minute bookings for these seats on flights departing from March 18 are therefore available immediately.

United Airlines, in partnership with Currensea, the market-leading payments technology platform for co-branded multi-bank debit cards, and Mastercard, today announced the launch of the United AirlinesSM Debit Card, the first ever rewards debit card offered to UK travellers by a U.S. airline.

Available now, the United Airlines Debit Card can be linked to any existing UK bank account and allows customers to earn miles and exclusive travel benefits from United on all their day-to-day spending, at home and abroad, making it easier than ever to earn United MileagePlusSM miles, access exclusive travel rewards and enjoy outstanding exchange rates when spending abroad.

Air Premia, Korea’s only hybrid airline, has enhanced passenger comfort by reducing the total number of seats while expanding seat pitch to enhance passenger comfort.

The airline announced that the economy class seat pitch on aircraft HL8701 has been increased from 31 inches to 33 inches. Following the adjustment, the aircraft’s total seat capacity has been reduced from 344 seats to 326 seats, a decrease of 18 seats.

The New Terminal One at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) today announced a strategic partnership with Ethiopian Airlines, the flag carrier of Ethiopia and a member of Star Alliance. Ethiopian will join the New Terminal One’s growing community of international carriers, strengthening connectivity between the United States, Africa, and key destinations across the globe.

Breaking Travel news caught up with Becky Woodmansee to explore how Virgin Atlantic is building future-ready talent through apprenticeships, and what this means for the wider aviation sector at a time of rapid skills transformation. See her response to our questions detailing this innovative scheme and its benefits in the exclusive interview below.