Top Airline and Airport Travel Stories From November

by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated:: 5:00 AM ET, Thu November 30, 2023

Passenger airplane sitting on the tarmac. (Photo via iStock/Getty Images E+/guvendemir)

PHOTO: Flight attendants at the gate about to board an American Airlines flight. (photo via American Airlines)

An Alaska Airlines 737-9 is serving as the flying test lab for Boeing's 2021 ecoDemonstrator program. (photo courtesy of Boeing)

Airbus A320 JetBlue tailfin with Mosaic design. (photo via rypson / iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus)

Southwest Airlines flight arriving at Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, Texas. (photo via Wikimedia Commons/Brett Spangler)

Boeing 787 Dreamliner (Photo Credit: United Airlines)

PHOTO: Finding a place to rest your head in Economy Class isn't easy. (Photo via iStock / Getty Images E+ / Hispanolistic)

Spirit's first Airbus A321neo (N702NK). (Photo Credit: Spirit Airlines Media)

Welcome to Las Vegas sign. (photo by Jessica Kelly)

PHOTO: Bikes on the bridge in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Europe. (Photo via NataliaDeriabina / iStock / Getty Images Plus)

Passport and plane ticket before boarding plane. (photo via Charday Penn / iStock / Getty Images Plus)

PHOTO: U.S. Capitol Washington DC. (photo courtesy of Thinkstock)

An exhausted and frustrated flight attendant. (photo via iStock/Getty Images E+/izusek)

U.S. Capitol Building. (photo courtesy of trekandshoot/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

American Airlines plane (Photo Credit: Eric Bowman)

Passengers waiting to board a flight at Spokane International Airport. (photo by Patrick Clarke)

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737. (photo via Joshua Olson/iStock Editorial/Getty Images Plus)

A traveler checks in with TSA security. (photo by Eric Bowman)

Emirates Airbus A380 airplane. (photo via Boarding1Now / iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus)

Group of American Airlines Flight Attendants Win Lawsuit

2/19

A group of American Airlines flight attendants filed a lawsuit over a change in uniforms. They said in court that the uniforms resulted in several health problems, and they won.

Alaska Airlines is Sued

3/19

Alaska Airlines Group is the subject of a lawsuit after one of its off-duty pilots flying on the carrier's regional airlines tried to hijack the plane and crash it and was subsequently charged with the attempted murder of 83 passengers and crew members.

JetBlue Considered Buying Alaska Airlines

4/19

JetBlue Airways thought growing was the only way to compete with the Big Four. To expand the airline, officials thought the best route was to acquire another carrier. That's why JetBlue considered buying Alaska Airlines at one point.

Red-Eye Flights for Southwest Airlines?

5/19

One thing certainly missing from the schedule for Southwest Airlines is red-eye flights. That is soon about to change. Southwest is planning to utilize red-eye flights.

United to Offer Record Number of Florida Flights

6/19

It’s winter in the East, Northeast and Midwest. It’s colder. People are thinking about what they can do to warm up. Taking a trip to Florida comes immediately to mind. So United Airlines has added a record number of flights to Florida this winter.

More Passengers, More Complaints

7/19

It’s just a logical progression. As more people are flying and the demand is growing, so are the complaints. The United States Department of Transportation says that the number of complaints against airlines grew in 2023.

Pushback on JetBlue/Spirit Merger

8/19

The biggest ongoing story in the aviation world has been the potential merger of JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines. The Department of Justice has even filed a lawsuit against JetBlue over claims of monopolization and likely higher airfares. Now, a former government official has come forward and said that this is the wrong approach.

Las Vegas Considers Second Airport

9/19

It’s getting busy in the desert. To that end, Las Vegas officials are considering building a second airport just outside the city to accommodate the overflow of tourism.

No Reduction in Flights to Amsterdam

10/19

No cap at this time. The Dutch government scrapped its plan to cap the number of flights going into and out of the airport in Amsterdam under pressure from the United States and others. The government was trying to make an impact on pollution as well as overtourism at Europe's third-largest airport.

Ticket Sales are Up

11/19

The demand for air travel is continually on the rise. The numbers don’t lie. United States travel advisers sold an impressive $7.2 billion worth of airline tickets in October, the most recent month in which statistics were available.

Has Congress Imperiled Flights?

12/19

Has Congress made flying even more difficult? An independent panel thinks so. The panel says inaction by Congress, including inadequate funding of the FAA, is making flying riskier.

Flight Attendants Ask for Permission to Strike

13/19

It could be a bumpy Christmas. Flight attendants for American Airlines have formally asked for permission to strike, as per federal regulations.

Senate to Launch Airline Fee Investigation

14/19

The United States Senate is investigating airlines and their ancillary fees, including baggage, ticket changes and more.

American Airlines Cuts International Routes from Seattle

15/19

The hopes of turning Seattle into a global hub for Trans-Pacific flights did not come to fruition for American Airlines. The carrier cut its international routes from the airport, including one flight to London.

Concern Over the Number of Air Marshals

16/19

There is concern over the number of federal marshals in the air. Or lack thereof. One former government official expressed her reservations that some air marshals are being deployed on the ground at the border instead of being on airplanes.

Changes at the Top for Southwest

17/19

Southwest Airlines made some managerial moves under the theory that change is good. The carrier decided to shuffle some key positions heading into 2024.

TSA Record!

18/19

The TSA processed over 2.9 million passengers on Sunday, November 26, an American aviation record for one day. The TSA announced a record with little fanfare, but most. News outlets picked it up.

Emirates Airlines Refurbishes Part of Fleet

19/19

Not only did Emirates Airlines decide to refurbish its fleet of A380 airplanes, but it also decided to do a good deed in the process. The carrier will recycle tens of thousands of pounds of leather into fashion accessories.

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In fact, the Transportation Security Administration announced a record – nearly three million passengers in one day.

Clearly, no news is good news.

Here are the rest of the notable headlines from November.

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