Southwest Starts Red-Eyes, Plus Other Airline News From This Week

Every week, we look at the most important stories that did not get an individual article in the past 7 days.

This week, Southwest made news with a first in its 54-year history, but that’s not the only notable development from U.S. and foreign airlines.

Let’s dive in.

Southwest Begins the Red-Eye Era

Southwest Airlines has been flying since 1971. In all this time, it has never had overnight flights. That changed on Friday when the first-ever Southwest red-eyes landed. That’s all part of a strategy to make the airline more profitable, announced last year, which includes the introduction of assigned seating — another first for Southwest.

The overnight flights were from Las Vegas (LAS) to Baltimore-Washington (BWI) and Orlando (MCO); Los Angeles (LAX) to Baltimore; Phoenix (PHX) to Baltimore; and Los Angeles to Nashville (BNA). Southwest expects to add more this year.

On October 2, Southwest will also resume flying from Austin (AUS) to Jacksonville (JAX) and start flights from Fresno (FAT) to San Diego (SAN).

American Doubles Down on LaGuardia-Boston Flights

American Airlines is jumping in where JetBlue stepped out. JetBlue will stop flying Boston (BOS) to New York-LaGuardia (LGA) after April 29, and American plans to double its flights on the route from 4 to 8 per day starting May 5.

The Points Guy reported that American will fly regional jets with first class on the route, which has a heavy presence of business travelers.

This week, American Airlines also resumed flying from Carlsbad (CLD). Flights will connect the Californian airport, just 35 miles from San Diego, to Phoenix (PHX).

Hawaiian Closes Its Top Lounge, VIP Services

Hawaiian Airlines is ending its airport VIP service and closing its top lounge, which has existed for just a year. The airline told The Points Guy that the Apartment 1929 lounge at the Honolulu (HNL) airport will close on March 14.

Access to the lounge, named for the year 1929 when the airline began flying, isn’t open to passengers in its business class or with elite status. Only passengers who buy Hawaiian’s Premium Airport Service ($500 and up for 2 people) can enter.

Hawaiian, which is merging with Alaska Airlines, is working on a new top lounge that will open in Honolulu in 2027. It isn’t clear why it decided to shut down its existing premium lounge while a new one is still far in the future.

Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic End Partnership

Unwelcome news for flyers loyal to Singapore Airlines or Virgin Atlantic: the 2 airlines are ending reciprocal benefits on April 24.

Members of Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer loyalty program will no longer be able to earn or redeem KrisFlyer miles on Virgin Atlantic flights. KrisFlyer Elite Gold and PPS Club members will lose access to status benefits when flying Virgin Atlantic, including access to Virgin’s Clubhouse lounges.

The same applies to Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club members flying on Singapore Airlines.

As reported by Executive Traveller, KrisFlyer miles can still be used for Virgin Atlantic flights until April 2026, but those bookings must be made before April 24.

No More Delta Comfort+ for FlyingBlue Elites

Unlike Virgin and Singapore, Air France–KLM and Delta Air Lines are in the same alliance — SkyTeam — but Air France-KLM status holders are getting a downgrade on Delta.

Effective now, Silver and Gold elite members of Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue loyalty program no longer have a discount on payment for Comfort+ extra-legroom coach seats on Delta. Additionally, Platinum and Ultimate elites are no longer eligible for free Comfort+ seating.

Chasing Garuda’s Excellent — Though Rare — First Class

Garuda, the flag carrier of Indonesia and also a SyTeam member, has one of the best long-haul first classes in the world. The catch is that you will only find it aboard 2 of the airline’s Boeing 777-300ERs, and those jets aren’t deployed consistently across the network. Right now, your best bet to fly this rare, excellent product is between Jakarta (CGK) and Amsterdam (AMS) on flights GA88 and GA89.

Aeroroutes reported that from July 31 the Amsterdam route will switch to a 777 with just business and economy, while the jets with first class will be deployed to Tokyo-Haneda (HND). You can find those rare birds on flights GA874 and GA875.

Booking Garuda first class isn’t easy on points, but it’s relatively cheap in cash. You can book a one-way from Jakarta to Amsterdam for $3,100, which is a bargain for such a long trip in first.

Lounge Closes for Renovations in Tel Aviv

Israeli flag carrier El Al will close its main lounge, the King David Lounge at the Tel Aviv (TLV) airport, for renovations. The lounge will close on February 16 until an unspecified date in March.

DansDeals reported that the airline’s Top Platinum members, the highest level in the Matmid loyalty program, can still access the Top Platinum lounge, which will be renovated after the King David.

Matmid Gold members and guests will receive vouchers for dining in the terminal.

Avianca Adds Yet More Routes in the U.S.

Colombia-based Avianca has been growing in the U.S., and now the airline has announced even more flights from U.S. airports. On May 26, it will begin flying between Bogota (BOG) and Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) 4 times a week. Avianca already flies from DFW to San Salvador, El Salvador (SAL).

Avianca will also add a second route to Chicago O’Hare (ORD). In addition to Bogotá, it will fly from San Salvador 3 times weekly between June 3 and August 30.

Final Thoughts

The week has brought exciting news for Southwest flyers, who now have options they didn’t previously, as the airline has started overnight flights. Frequent flyers with Virgin Atlantic and Singapore Airlines are losing their reciprocal benefits, and people who might have been after the excellent first class aboard Indonesia’s Garuda may have to adjust their plans.