ANA’s ‘The Room FX’ Coming Soon, JetBlue Adds Fort Lauderdale Routes, and More Airline News

After a quiet first few days of the month, this week saw airlines around the world unveiling some significant updates.

We’ll cover an aircraft order and huge investment for the Alaska Group airlines, JetBlue’s continued expansion at Fort Lauderdale, some new aircraft news from ANA and Starlux, and more.

Let’s get started.

Alaska Airlines Announces Largest Fleet Order in Airline’s History

Alaska Airlines has started 2026 strong with a confirmed order of 110 aircraft.

The order, entirely from Boeing, includes 105 B737-10s and 5 B787 Dreamliners. Alaska expects to receive the whole order by 2035.

It is the one of the largest orders of any airline for the -10 variant of Boeing’s 737, which should be delivered for the first time in 2027.

Alaska’s preference is for its 5 orders to be the longer -10 version of the Dreamliner, but the variant hasn’t been confirmed. The airline expects these jets by 2030, supporting its goal of 12 long-haul destinations from Seattle (SEA) by this time.

Also this week, Alaska’s first Boeing 787-9 adorned with its eye-catching new livery took to the skies for the first time.

Hawaiian Airlines Will Invest in Airports in Hawaii

It was a big week for the Alaska Group. Hawaiian Airlines, which was recently acquired by Alaska Airlines, has announced $600 million investment to update its aging infrastructure and guest experience.

A huge portion of that budget is being allocated to airports. If you’ve passed through Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) lately, you’ll know as well as I do that some modernization can’t come soon enough.

Hawaiian plans to completely overhaul lobbies, gate areas, and amenities (which might include lounges) for its passengers at Hilo (ITO), Honolulu, Kahului (OGG), Kona (KOA), and Lihue (LIH).

Other investments include improved technology for passengers (the app and website) and employees, as well as in modernization of aircraft, including the introduction of a premium economy cabin.

JetBlue’s New Fort Lauderdale Routes

JetBlue used the first proper business day of 2026 to announce more routes from its Fort Lauderdale (FLL) base.

The New York-based carrier will introduce new services to Dallas (DFW) and Orlando (MCO), as well as additional 2x daily frequencies to LaGuardia (LGA).

While none of these routes is unique to JetBlue, they’ll be welcome additions for the carrier’s frequent flyers.

Conversely, on March 11, JetBlue is eliminating flights between Boston and Dallas and between LaGuardia and Tampa.

American Airlines Kicks Off Centennial Celebrations

2026 will go down in history as the year American Airlines turns 100.

“There’s no brand in aviation more iconic than American, built on a culture of innovation and forward-thinking,” said Robert Isom, CEO at American Airlines. “We’re poised to continue that legacy into the next 100 years for our customers and team members.”

Over the course of the next 12 months, passengers and employees alike will get to join in the celebrations as American launches limited-time amenities, in-flight dining options, and more.

ANA’s ‘The Room FX’ Business Class Coming Soon to Its 787-9s

Last year at the Paris Air Show, All Nippon Airways (ANA) unveiled a significant update to its already renowned The Room business class.

Dubbed “The Room FX,” we knew this new business class would be installed on ANA’s growing fleet of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and start flying sometime in 2026. Just over a week into the year, we can get excited about an August delivery date, with a potential first passenger flight following soon after.

The Dreamliner’s fuselage is narrower than the 777, so ANA had to make these seats narrower. However, they’ll include updated technology, such as Bluetooth headphone connectivity and multiple charging options. The most exciting change is the fact they turn into lie-flat beds without needing to recline in a similar way to Finnair’s AirLounge seat.

The cabins will feature 48 forward- and backward-facing seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.

While it may be a while before I can try this seat for myself, I know it’ll be a huge upgrade to the business class ANA currently offers on its Dreamliners.

ANA flies its current Boeing 787-9s from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND) to Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA), and Washington D.C. (IAD), making those U.S. airports the most likely to welcome The Room FX the soonest.

Starlux Takes Delivery of Airbus A350-1000s

Boutique airline Starlux has just received its first-ever Airbus A350-1000.

The extended range of the Airbus A350-1000 means Starlux could reach new destinations on the East Coast. However, the initial focus for these new jets will the carrier’s first nonstop flights to Europe.

Currently, Starlux uses smaller Airbus A350-900 jets to connect Taipei (TPE) with Los Angeles, Phoenix (PHX), Ontario, California (ONT), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle.

Starlux is keeping tight-lipped for now, but I expect Chicago (ORD) and New York (JFK) will be high on the list for its next U.S. destinations.

After trying out the airline’s unique, futuristic interiors for myself back in 2023, I’m excited to follow Starlux’s journey. Factoring in its plans to join the Oneworld alliance, Starlux is certainly one to watch for 2026.

Other News

This week also saw a few smaller items:

• American Airlines will start serving barbecue on some routes, offered in partnership with Pecan Lodge and available in first class.
• ANA’s Star Wars project has flown its last flight. The C-3PO plane took its final flight on January 9, 2026; these planes are all being repainted to the typical ANA livery now.
• Delta walked back its decision to exit Binghamton, New York, after a lot of press surrounding the decision, which would’ve left the regional airport without commercial service.
• Baltimore’s airport (BWI) unveiled its new $520-million project to the public this week, welcoming passengers into the new Concourse A/B Connector on January 8.

Final Thoughts

From JetBlue’s new routes from Fort Lauderdale, Alaska’s huge plane order, and Hawaiian’s airport investment to ANA’s and Starlux’s new cabins and planes, this week’s news has given us a lot to look forward to. I’m also curious to see what else American Airlines has up its sleeve to celebrate its centenary. Until next week!