Liquid Restrictions Easing, Delta’s Dreamliner Order, and Other Airline News This Week

We’ve learned of a wide range of developments this week. From liquid restrictions to Wi-Fi updates and a potential Delta Dreamliner order, we’ve almost had it all.

Here’s your Upgraded Points weekly airline news roundup. Enjoy!

Restrictions on Liquids Changing in the U.S.

When traveling by air, we’re used to being subject to restrictions. For almost 20 years, these restrictions have included the 3-1-1 liquid rule thanks to a foiled terrorist plot in 2006 where explosives were disguised as soft drinks.

Almost 20 years later, restrictions are starting to change. Just days after the TSA binned the need to remove shoes when passing through security, Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, has hinted that restrictions on liquids could be eased next.

“The liquids I’m questioning, so that may be the next big announcement is what size your liquids need to be,” she said. The likelihood is that this will only be rolled out nationwide once more airports are equipped with new Computed Tomography (CT) security scanners.

Developments in the Alaska-Hawaiian Merger

In the latest update in the Alaska-Hawaiian merger, the Department of Transportation (DoT) has handed over the flying rights and codeshare approvals of Hawaiian’s international routes to Alaska Airlines.

As Alaska Airlines has completely acquired Hawaiian, this is a natural next step for the now-merged airlines. As a result, we’ll likely now see more of Hawaiian’s long-haul aircraft, such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, being used on different routes than what we’re used to.

Even before this week’s ruling, the newly formed Alaska Air Group had already announced 2 new long-haul routes operated by Hawaiian Airlines aircraft, but they aren’t departing from any of Hawaii’s airports.

Air Canada and ITA Airways’ New Codeshare

There were celebrations over the border this week as Air Canada confirmed a new codeshare agreement with Italian flag carrier ITA Airways.

Passengers flying on Air Canada and ITA’s flights between Toronto (YYZ) and Rome (FCO) will now be able to connect seamlessly onward to flights to 10 destinations on either side of the Atlantic.

For example, Air Canada flight numbers will now be placed on 10 ITA Airways routes within Italy and beyond. Destinations include the Italian cities of Bari (BRI), Catania (CTA), Florence (FLR), Lamezia Terme (SUF), and Palermo (PMO) as well as Algiers (ALG) in Algeria, Cairo (CAI) in Egypt, Tel Aviv (TLV) in Israel, Tirana (TIA) in Albania, and Tunis, Tunisia (TUN).

The announcement of the deepened relationship comes shortly after ITA left SkyTeam and joined Star Alliance, the alliance Air Canada is in, through its acquisition by The Lufthansa Group.

United’s Starlink Wi-Fi Issues Resolved

After showcasing its Starlink Wi-Fi to the world for the first time in May, a technical issue forced United to backtrack and turn off its Starlink systems shortly after the event.

Fast forward a few weeks, and United has turned back on its Starlink Wi-Fi and confirms that 60 of its regional jets are flying with the enhanced connectivity up and running.

United expects the rollout of Starlink Wi-Fi on the rest of its larger mainline fleet to go without a hitch.

Delta Might Have Just Ordered Its First-Ever Dreamliners

Wouldn’t it be odd seeing a Dreamliner in a Delta livery? Similarly, American Airlines branding on an Airbus A350 just wouldn’t sit right.

According to X’s JonNYC, who’s proved himself to be a reputable source many times over, we could be seeing Dreamliners in a Delta livery in the not-too-distant future.

Delta is allegedly close to finalizing an order of Dreamliner aircraft from Boeing. The most likely scenario is that these will be 787-10s — the longest of the 3 Dreamliner aircraft.

As it stands, Delta’s long-haul fleet is made up of predominantly Airbus aircraft, with the state-of-the-art A350-900 acting as its flagship aircraft.

Spirit Airlines Macon Route

In the name of regional connectivity, Spirit Airlines has announced a new route between Middle Georgia Regional Airport (MCN) in Macon, Georgia, and Fort Lauderdale (FLL).

The new 2x weekly service will take off on October 16, 2025, with the following schedule:

• Depart Fort Lauderdale (FLL) at 9 a.m. and arrive in Macon (MCN) at 10:40 a.m.
• Depart Macon (MCN) at 11:35 a.m. and arrive in Fort Lauderdale (FLL) at 1:15 p.m.

Spirit’s new service, which is part of a new strategic partnership with independent regional airline Contour, will be the only mainline scheduled flight from MCN.

Greek Airline Aegean Will Fly Lie-Flat Seats to India

This news out of Europe came from way out in left field. Aegean Airlines, the flag carrier of Greece, is a relatively small airline compared to European counterparts like Air France, British Airways, and Lufthansa.

It currently operates a robust network of short- to medium-haul routes with a fleet of solely narrow-body jets. As of March 2026, Aegean will add its first-ever routes to India, which it will operate with 2 Airbus A321neo XLR aircraft.

The jets are rumoured to have originally been ordered by JetBlue. If that’s the case, we can expect these new Aegean jets to boast the same Mint Suites that JetBlue operates on its transatlantic flights — or at least something very similar.

These jets will have the longest range in Aegean’s fleet, and, most importantly for those who like to travel in style, will feature lie-flat beds for the first time in the airline’s history.

Aegean’s plan is likely to use the combination of its new jets and the ideal location of its Athens Airport (ATH) hub (at the midpoint between the far Western parts of Europe and India) to afford them a piece of the Europe-to-India luxury travel market.

Final Thoughts

Not a week goes by without exciting developments in the world of airlines and aviation. I’ll be spending the weekend trying to wrap my head around a world with no TSA liquid restrictions, Delta Dreamliners, and JetBlue Mint Suites flying between Greece and India. Come to think of it, will there be enough demand for Spirit’s new route from Macon to Fort Lauderdale? Time will tell.

We’ll be back next week with more exciting updates.