Southwest's Chase Partnership

Southwest is opening four airport lounges — Austin, Nashville, Baltimore and Honolulu — with seven more to follow. That gives travel managers more choice for their clients, and more leverage when negotiating the next round of airline deals.

It comes with a new JPMorgan Chase premium credit card, replete with lounge benefits.

Southwest’s partnership with JPMorgan Chase, which already has its own lineup of seven Chase Sapphire lounges, could get very interesting.

Will premium seats and more long-haul international routes be in the mix, as well?

JetBlue is banking on domestic first class cabins to turn its fortunes around. The seats will go on sale later this year, and JetBlue is changing its fare structure to prepare for the launch. The carrier is also looking to lower operating costs by taking over some of Spirit Airlines’ real estate — namely the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Skift Global Forum

The room at North Javits is sold out. The stage is still open to you.

Airbnb, Uber, Booking Holdings, Hilton, and Expedia CEOs take the stage in New York this week from September 22-24, and the livestream carries every session live. Skift annual subscribers watch free.

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New Research: 5 Revenue Moves for an Uncertain Market

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Waiting for certainty could mean falling behind. A new report outlines five moves to protect revenue and margins while continuing to invest.

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Headlines

Equipment Outage Triggers Flight Delays, Cancellations at Northeast Airports

by Meghna Maharishi
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Airports in the New York area and Philadelphia are facing flight disruptions after the FAA issued a ground stop due to an equipment outage.

Airbnb’s Pivot: Inside Its New Push Into Hotels

by Sean O'Neill
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It's shaping up to be Airbnb's biggest new business. Hotel operators who've joined are liking the new customer pool so far. But how long can it stay exclusive?

Cutting Passenger Demand May Be Only Way to Save Heathrow’s Net Zero Case

by Tasmin Lockwood
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The UK's official climate advisors just told the government that a Heathrow expansion does not work with the country’s climate goals — and if technology to bring emissions down doesn’t materialize, demand management could be on the cards.

Southwest Airlines Hopes to Capture More High-Spend Customers With New Lounges

by Meghna Maharishi
September 17, 2026

Southwest is looking to lure in more premium customers with the new lounges and credit card it will launch next year, making Rapid Rewards more “aspirational.”

Turo Wants to Bring Rental Cars Into the Hotel Booking Flow

by Adriana Lee
September 17, 2026

Turo already delivers cars to travelers. Now it wants hotels, vacation rentals, and travel platforms to help sell them.

But Does It Have Starlink? It’s the New Must-Have, but at $500k a Plane, Somebody’s Got to Pay

by Meghna Maharishi
September 13, 2026

Airlines are racing to get into Starlink. The installation costs are high, but airlines are betting that the service will attract more customers.

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Watch or Listen

Starlink is becoming the must-have feature in aviation but the price tag is staggering. $500,000 to outfit a single plane, $28 million just for American's narrowbody fleet, and then another $20 million a year in monthly fees on top of that.

In this clip from Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down who is actually footing the bill, why airlines are racing to install it anyway, and whether passengers will start choosing flights based on whether they have Starlink.

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