Ryan Ewing

Founder of @AirlineGeeks and a lover of all flying things.

[Ryan Ewing @FlyingHighRyan]

I often ask myself what makes aviation so special. Is it the miracle of flight? Absolutely. But I also like to think about what we are doing: connecting people from all walks of life. To most, these trips are significant life events. To us, they’re just another day in the life.

[John Collison @collision]

United CEO Scott Kirby joins @benthompson and me to break down the airline business: justifying big capex, how they do route planning, what other CEOs screw up, the Starlink decision, why everyone misunderstands the credit card economics, and lots more.

[Ryan Ewing @FlyingHighRyan]

👇

[Ben Bearup @TheAviationBeat]

My take: Boeing finally has a CEO that told Wall Street what they needed to hear and not what they wanted to hear.

Wall Street wants 737 MAX and 787 production increased yesterday. CEO Kelly Ortberg is taking a slow and conservative approach to rate hikes. I think this is correct move in the long run.

Boeing’s failures of the past were caused by taking shortcuts, ramping up already unstable production lines, and worrying about next year’s free cash flow.

Boeing stock was down 10.7% today but I view today’s earnings report + call as further evidence that this is a new Boeing. A Boeing that is determined to not make the same mistakes as its past.

[Ryan Ewing @FlyingHighRyan]

.@AlaskaAir's new Anchorage–Tokyo flight will be only about 50 miles longer than Anchorage–JFK. Both are scheduled to use a 737 MAX 8 next summer.

Anchorage–Narita is 3,433 miles. Boeing publishes the MAX 8’s range at up to 3,500 nautical miles, or roughly 4,028 statute miles. The Japan route is about 2,983 nautical miles, though winds, payload, and operating requirements affect actual range.

Cirium Diio’s July 2027 schedules put Alaska’s Anchorage–JFK flight at 3,385 miles and Anchorage–Boston at 3,383 miles. Seattle–Reykjavik is longer than all three at 3,622 miles.

Other airlines have longer MAX 8 routes scheduled, too. GOL’s Brasilia–Orlando service covers 3,778 miles. Arajet’s Buenos Aires–Santo Domingo flight covers 3,734 miles.

Anchorage’s geography gives Alaska a way to add Japan with roughly the same stage length as its flights to the Northeast. Alaskans also get a nonstop option that avoids the trip south to Seattle before crossing the Pacific.

Alaska plans daily Tokyo flights from May 13 through early September, followed by three weekly flights beginning in January 2028.

It is also adding Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth and Nashville from Anchorage, each once weekly during the summer.

https://t.co/xFm2LOFM8s

[Ryan Ewing @FlyingHighRyan]

Buying Hawaiian gave Alaska a way to keep more of its customers’ international travel in-house.

Now it’s adding the cabins, lounges, and loyalty products to compete for their spending.

The harder part is making a more complex airline earn more money.

[Ryan Ewing @FlyingHighRyan]

.@AlaskaAir's global expansion is a bet that selling more economy seats won’t be enough.

Revenue outside the main cabin now makes up 54% of Air Group’s total. Management wants 60%.

The new routes, premium cabins, and loyalty products are parts of the same plan.

[Ryan Ewing @FlyingHighRyan]

The costs are real, too.

Q3 revenue rose 14% on 2.4% capacity growth. Alaska Air Group still reported a $147 million GAAP net loss, with higher fuel costs weighing on the business.

A stronger revenue mix helps. It doesn’t make long-haul flying immune to airline economics.

[Ryan Ewing @FlyingHighRyan]

@PHXSkyHarbor averaged 52 monthly long-haul departures in 2019. The published 2027 schedule approaches 100, including just two months of Lufthansa.

For an airport that spent decades with London alone, that’s a fairly substantial change.

[Ryan Ewing @FlyingHighRyan]

Phoenix is an @AmericanAir hub. But foreign carriers account for 94% of its net growth in long-haul departures since 2019.

Air France and two Taiwanese airlines have expanded the map beyond London. @Lufthansa is next.

That’s a meaningful shift for this airport. 🧵

[Ryan Ewing @FlyingHighRyan]

Taipei went from unserved to two airlines in a matter of weeks.

China Airlines launched in December 2025. STARLUX followed in January.

Together, they supplied a quarter of PHX’s long-haul departures in the year ending September 2026. Neither had operated for the full reporting year.

[Jennifer Homendy @JenniferHomendy]

Great job to the crew of @united flight 1775 from IAD to ORD! Their communications with passengers and flight attendants and focus on #safety during turbulence was exceptional… the best I’ve ever heard. (Yes, I immediately texted their VP of Corporate Safety)

DYK @NTSB published a study and recommendations on preventing turbulence-related injuries in 2021: https://t.co/mDawqgtiFX

[Ryan Ewing @FlyingHighRyan]

Trevor Milton gives an exterior tour of the @SyberJetAero SJ36.

[Ryan Ewing @FlyingHighRyan]

Checking out the BBJ at #NBAA2026 ✈️

[David Shepardson @davidshepardson]

.@FAANews confirms it has certified the Boeing 737 MAX 10

[Ryan Ewing @FlyingHighRyan]

.@lufthansa will add another point to its U.S. route map.

Starting in August 2027, the carrier will launch year-round service from its Munich hub to Phoenix.

https://t.co/TMwCsrkRHJ

[Ryan Ewing @FlyingHighRyan]

Former Nikola CEO Trevor Milton unveiled a full-scale mockup of SyberJet’s SJ36 light jet Monday.

The nine-seat aircraft is targeting Mach 0.88 and 3,000 nautical miles of range. Milton was pardoned by President Trump in 2025 following a fraud conviction. #NBAA2026

[David Shepardson @davidshepardson]

.@AmericanAir announces some management changes including Chris Kelly Singley
"will join the team as vice president – Commercial
Communications, Advertising and Sponsorships"