Satellite Success or Financials Flop?

From the Control Tower

Satellite 2025 saw plenty of innovation on display, while US airlines broadly shared revenue warnings for Q1. There's still plenty of optimism in the industry, but the skeptics are starting to have more meat for their concerns.

Southwest Kills Bags Fly Free

Southwest Airlines continues to align with the rest of the industry, adding checked bag fees for most passengers starting this summer.

This story saw a ton of coverage - no surprise - in a week where most US carriers had some sort of bad news to share with investors.

Cranky Flier has a pretty good take as does an Op-Ed in the Dallas Observer.

Connectivity

First Regional Jet Fitted with Delta’s New Inflight Internet

Satellite-based internet service is now installed on the first regional jet for Delta Air Lines, with hundreds more to come through the rest of the year.

Turksat, Eutelsat Partner for European Capacity Boost

Türksat's growth in the inflight connectivity space will be supported by Ka-band capacity from Eutelsat thanks to a new multi-million-dollar, multi-year agreement

Seeing Stars: Emirates Taps Starlink

Given SpaceX's announced backlog there's potential for several more airlines to be part of the Starlink family. And it now appears Emirates is going to become one of them.

Gogo Presses Forward, Slips on Next Gen Network Timing

Gogo continues to make progress in its transformation to next-generation connectivity for the business aviation community. But, as with other recent earnings calls, this week's included more delays in hitting those targets.

On the plus side, the Galileo HDX PMA authorization did come through.

Airtel Signs Deal With SpaceX to Bring Starlink Internet to India

Bharti Airtel agreed to bring SpaceX’s Starlink internet services to customers in India. Yes, Bharti also is a major investor in OneWeb. But this deal could mean Starlink becomes legal for airlines overflying the country as well, which is a big deal for IFC.

In-Flight Entertainment

SriLankan Airlines Chooses Inflight Dublin as IFE provider

Inflight Dublin and SriLankan Airlines are expanding their IFE relationship, as the aircraft-powered version of EverHub will fly on additional aircraft in the fleet.

Other Industry News

Virgin Atlantic Pivots to Joby for eVTOL

Virgin Atlantic has a new partner for its eVTOL dreams. The carrier announced an agreement with Joby over the weekend, displacing its 2021 deal with Vertical Aerospace.

Also, the storyline is eerily similar to the 2021 version.

Allegiant Stands Up to LAX for Its High Fees, Shuts Its Base

Allegiant says it is costing the airline $50 per departing passenger in LAX-related costs alone. This is remarkably high, and it’s completely unsustainable for almost any airline flying short-haul, let alone a low-cost operator.