Southwest Joins the Big Kids, Spirit Goes Alone, and Other Airline News This Week

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

This week, Southwest joined the top airline industry association in the world; Spirit Airlines got the go-ahead for its restructuring plan; and other airlines around the world made interesting news.

Let’s have a look.

Spirit Will Exit Bankruptcy Alone

Spirit Airlines got approval to restructure its debt and emerge from bankruptcy as a standalone airline. This ends, for now at least, the back-and-forth with rival Frontier over possibly merging into a single, giant ultra-low-cost airline.

On February 20, 2025, a U.S. bankruptcy judge approved Spirit’s conversion of $795 million in debt into equity, which makes Spirit the property of its lenders. Those include investment funds managed by Pacific Investment Management Company, UBS Asset Management and Citadel Advisors, Reuters reported.

The airline, which has been operating under bankruptcy protection since last year, expects to emerge from bankruptcy in the first quarter of this year.

Spirit has repeatedly rebuffed Frontier’s proposals. This latest development means that Spirit will now pursue a return to profit by carrying out its existing plan, which essentially changes its business model.

Southwest Joins an Important Club

Another major U.S. airline is making moves. Southwest Airlines has joined a club that the largest airlines around the world all belong to: IATA, the International Air Transport Association. Not every major airline is in the group; many large low-cost carriers — including Frontier, Spirit, Ryanair, easyJet, and Air Asia — aren’t, but all the big international players are IATA member airlines.

To join IATA, airlines must complete an operational safety audit which, according to the association, “is respected by regulators worldwide and well-established as a cornerstone for airline partnerships.” That might mean more partnerships coming for Southwest, which just teamed up with Icelandair as its first partner.

“The membership gives Southwest a voice in shaping the policies and procedures that govern our industry and more access to resources that help level the playing field with more capabilities for us to be competitive,” said an internal memo quoted by Airline Geeks.

Avelo and Delta Expand in Raleigh-Durham

Raleigh-Durham (RDU) is getting new flights from Avelo Airlines and Delta.

Last week, Avelo started its first international flight from the North Carolina airport, to Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ). This week, the low-fare airline added flights to Punta Cana (PUJ) in the Dominican Republic, Simple Flying reported.

Delta Air Lines will start a new route from RDU to Kansas City (MCI) on May 7, 2025, with a CRJ 900 jet, Ishrion Aviation reported.

More Flights to North and South Carolina

Raleigh isn’t the only place in the Carolinas getting new flights.

American Airlines is starting service from New York-LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Charleston (CHS) and Myrtle Beach (MYR) in South Carolina. The Points Guy reported the flights will be on Embraer E170 regional jets with first class. Charleston will begin on June 6, 2025, twice a week on Fridays and Saturdays, and Myrtle Beach on June 7, 2025, operating on Saturdays through August.

And Breeze Airways said that it’s beginning flights from Hartford, Connecticut (BDL), to Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina (GSO). The flights start on June 6, 2025, twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, using Airbus A220-300s.

Arajet Flights Now on Sale From Miami and San Juan

Dominican carrier Arajet, a startup budget airline, is now selling its first flights from the U.S. and Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic.

Arajet will begin flying from Miami (MIA) to Santo Domingo (SDQ) on April 11, from San Juan (SJU) to Santo Domingo on June 5, and from Miami to Punta Cana (PUJ) on June 13, 2025.

All flights will be on Boeing 737 MAX 8s with 185 sets in a single class. Airfare from Miami to Santo Domingo starts at $110.99 on the first day of service.

Passengers From Atlanta and Dallas Get Faster Connections at Heathrow

Some passengers connecting at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) coming from Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Atlanta (ATL) won’t have to go through security in London anymore.

The Points Guy reported that American Airlines and British Airways connecting passengers originating in Dallas will be covered under a new program, which began earlier this month.

The same applies to Delta Air Lines, British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic passengers flying from Atlanta and connecting at Heathrow’s Terminal 3 or Terminal 5.

WestJet Goes to Amsterdam

The 737 MAX 8’s long-range capabilities are helping Canadian airline WestJet expand across the Atlantic to Europe.

WestJet just announced a new service between Halifax (YHZ) in Nova Scotia and Amsterdam (AMS). The 3,052-mile route will operate from May 29 through the summer, 6 times weekly. From Halifax, the airline also serves 4 other European destinations: Paris (CDG), London-Gatwick (LGW), Dublin (DUB), and Edinburgh (EDI), all with 737 MAX 8s.

WestJet 737s have recliners in premium class but not a business class with lie-flat beds, unlike the airline’s twin-aisle Boeing 787s, which serve European routes from Calgary (YYC) and Toronto (YYZ). WestJet can be an attractive option for Delta Air Lines frequent flyers, who can earn SkyMiles and Medallion Qualification Dollars on its flights.

airBaltic First in Europe With Starlink Free Internet

Latvia-based airBaltic said it completed the first test flight with Starlink high-speed internet aboard one of its Airbus A220-300s. airBaltic expects to be the first European airline offering Starlink’s “ultra-fast, free Wi-Fi (to) stream, game, and stay connected from take-off to touchdown – no logins, no interruptions.”

airBaltic joins a number of carriers that have installed or will install free Internet with Starlink, including United, Qatar Airways, Hawaiian, and Scandinavian, which plans to debut it in late 2025.

El Al Matmid Points Can Be Redeemed Online for Virgin Atlantic Flights

Matmid is the loyalty program of Israeli airline El Al, and it’s not well known outside of Israel because of its lack of partners. Now, the program has made awards with Matmid points bookable online on partner Virgin Atlantic, AwardWallet reported.

Matmid has published a distance-based award chart for redemptions on Virgin Atlantic. Rates are extremely high. For flights of 4,001 miles or more, or all of the flights between the U.S. and Israel, economy class is 130,000 points, premium economy 170,000, and business a whopping 300,000. Testing by AwardWallet revealed that in practice, though, award seats can be cheaper.

Final Thoughts

The week brought good news for passengers connecting from Dallas and Atlanta through London, a spate of new flights, especially to destinations in the Southern U.S., and important developments for Spirit Airlines and Southwest.