Winter Storms Play Havoc With Festive Travel, Riyadh Air Completes Test Flight, and More News

Santa’s been, it’s still 2025, and none of us has a clue what day of the week it is.

Well, I can tell you, it’s Saturday, and in our final weekly airline news roundup of the year, we’ve got some interesting topics to get through. They include news from Riyadh Air, an update on the winter storm situation, some good news out of Dallas for American Airlines passengers, and more.

Let’s get started.

Winter Storms Means 1,000+ Cancelations

Never have the festive lyrics “Oh, the weather outside is frightful” been more apt.

Severe winter storms have lead to the cancelation of well over 1,000 flights across the U.S., playing havoc with travel plans as people try to fly home home after visiting family and friends for Christmas.

Delta and JetBlue are 2 of the mosted affected airlines. So many of JetBlue’s flights have been cancelled that it has issued a change and cancellation fee waiver through Saturday 27 December, 2025.

The bulk of cancellations at New York’s airports were on Friday evening, but there are still many cancelled flights today.

Further up the coast in Boston (BOS), weather isn’t wreaking as much havoc. Only a handful of flights are cancelled.

Hopefully, you didn’t get caught in this. Whether you did or not, we’ve compiled some reasons for why it’s a good idea to avoid JFK at this time of year if you can.

American Promises Improved Passenger Experience at DDFW

There’s good news for American Airlines flyers who find themselves transferring through Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

A new strategy is about to be implemented at the busy Texas hub, hoping to make transiting through the airport a far smoother experience, specifically for AA passengers.

As of April 2026, American will increase the number of waves of arrivals and departures from 9 to 13. These so-called “banks” are how the airline manages to facilitate around 100,000 daily passengers connecting between 930 flights.

The addition of 4 flight banks should help increase the connection times between flights, provide more connection opportunities, make the airspace around DFW more efficient, and reduce the number of missing and lost bags. It should also help you get to your next flight more efficiently.

Air Transat Adds Quirky Route to Tirana, Albania

2025 has been the year for North American airlines announcing new routes to lesser-known European vacation destinations.

The latest route of its kind comes from Canadian leisure airline Air Transat, which will launch a nonstop service between Toronto (YYZ) and Tirana (TIA) in Albania next year.

It’s surprising that Air Transit beat the likes of Air Canada, American, Delta, and United to announce North American’s first nonstop flight to Albania. Over the last few years, Albania has been slowly climbing the ranks of beach hotspots for Europeans who are looking for alternatives to the more popular Mediterranean beach resorts with a less-expensive cost.

The route will start on June 18, 2026, and will operate once per week on a seasonal basis with the following schedule:

• Depart Toronto (YYZ) at 10 p.m. and arrive in Tirana (TIA) at 1 p.m. (+1)
• Depart Tirana (TIA) at 3 p.m. and arrive in Toronto (YYZ) at 7:15 p.m.

Due to the flight distance, Air Transat needs to use its wide-body Airbus A330, rather than its smaller Airbus A321LR. Offering between 333 and 345 seats, time will tell if Air Transat can fill it on a weekly basis.

Riyadh Air Is One Step Closer to Flying Its Own Planes

Riyadh Air made its debut this year with its inaugural flight from its home in Riyadh (RUH) to London Heathrow (LHR).

However, this first flight, and its regularly scheduled daily flights to London since then, have been operated by an 8-year-old Boeing 787 that used to belong to Oman Air.

As of 4 days ago, the start-up airline became a step closer to flying its own aircraft after Boeing test pilots completed the first B1 test flight in Charleston, South Carolina (CHS) on December 23.

The aircraft still has a considerable amount of testing ahead before it enters service for Riyadh Air. When it does, its will be one of the most hotly anticipated inaugural flights of the decade.

That’s not only because Riyadh Air wants a route network with over 100 destinations in less than a decade, but the carrier is determined to set a new standard when it comes to luxury travel. We saw a glimpse of this when the airline revealed its stunningly designed cabins earlier in the year.

Alaska Airlines Has an Opening For an Atmos Loyalty and Credit Card Expert

Alaska Airlines is hiring, and it’s for a very niche role that I’ve not head of before.

The airline is looking for a someone to fill the title of Manager Loyalty Inflight Engagement. For a salary of between $118k and $177k, the post should drum up interest. But what does the job entail, exactly?

The job description states, “This role is responsible for developing and executing strategies that empower flight attendants and other employees to confidently represent the Atmos Rewards Visa Card program.”

In other words, Alaska wants someone who’s knowledgeable about their 3 new credit cards and can teach flight attendants and other employees about the products — and how to sell them. Alaska has invested a lot of time and money in its new cards and Atmos Rewards loyalty program, so it’s no wonder it wants to increase the revenue they bring.

I understand that airlines need new sign-ups to their loyalty programs and credit cards, but having cabin crew shamelessly plug them in-flight — something I’ve only ever witness when flying U.S. carriers — I find to be a little crass.

Final Thoughts

We’re ending the year on probably the most varied weekly roundup yet.

If you’re looking for a change of career in 2026, Alaska Airlines might have just what you’re looking for! As for Air Transat’s Albanian adventure, American Airlines’ promised improvements at DFW, and Riyadh Air’s first plane inching toward the green light to fly passengers, these are all things to watch out for in 2026.

With that, I sincerely hope you weren’t caught up in this weekend’s travel chaos, and I’ll be back the same time next week with our first installment of 2026.