Southwest Explains Itself, Lufthansa Retrofits Its Jumbos, and Other Airline News From This Week

Every week, we look at airline industry stories that did not get an individual article in the past 7 days. This week, we’ve seen news come from airlines ranging from U.S. giants to big European players.

Let’s dive in.

Southwest Explains Its Changes and New Fees

Southwest Airlines shook the air travel industry earlier this month when it announced major changes affecting the business model that has made it unique since the 1970s. Those changes include charging most passengers for checked bags, a new “basic” fare, and an adjustment of its Rapid Rewards loyalty program with more dynamic pricing.

The move hasn’t been popular with flyers, and the airline has reached out with a YouTube video in which Tony Roach, Southwest’s Executive Vice President of customer and brand, answers questions about the upcoming changes.

The video doesn’t reveal news we didn’t already know, but it reiterates some points that Southwest loyalists may like to hear. For example, there will be no bag fees for trips booked on or before May 28, even if the travel date is after. As for the amount of those bag fees, they will be “in line with industry standards.”

Lufthansa’s Allegris Retrofits Will Start With the 747-8

It took Lufthansa a long time to start rolling out Allegris, the name for the new business and first class seating that will take the place of the current, dated product. Lufthansa is especially behind the times in business class, where most of the long-haul fleet still sports 2-2-2 layouts when competitors have direct aisle access for all seats.

Now, the cabins have begun flying on newly delivered airplanes. The retrofitting of the existing fleet with Allegris is beginning this year.

The first plane to get it will be the Boeing 747-8, Lufthansa said in a statement. The airline didn’t specify whether the double-decker jets will be getting both Allegris first and business class. This is an important detail since not all Lufthansa long-haul planes are getting all of the new cabins at the same time.

For example, 9 Airbus A350-900s with the new cabins have been flying since last month, but only 8 of those have the new First Class, Lufthansa said.

According to the airline, Allegris first class is currently serving 3 destinations in the U.S. from Munich (MUC): San Francisco (SFO), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), and San Diego (SAN). Allegris business, premium economy, and economy (but not first) will arrive in April at Newark (EWR) and Charlotte (CLT).

There are, however, 3 airplane types in the Lufthansa fleet that will not be getting Allegris since they are slated for retirement in the next few years. Those are the Airbus A330 and A340 plus the older 747-400.

Condor Isn’t Shrinking in the U.S., After All

Lufthansa isn’t the only German airline with a sizeable presence in the Americas. Frankfurt-based Condor has several destinations in the U.S., and it can be attractive for people in North America since you can earn and redeem Alaska Mileage Plus miles on Condor flights. It also has a good business-class seat on modern Airbus A330-900s.

Condor announced last year that it would reduce flights to the U.S. for summer 2025. That came after a German court ruled bigger competitor Lufthansa was no longer required to provide Condor short-haul feeder flights in Germany. That would have reduced the appeal of Condor’s long-haul flights out of Frankfurt (FRA).

Then, on January 15, a decision by the European Commission turned the tables in favor of Condor. The executive arm of the European Union — which, among other things, protects competition — decided that Lufthansa should reinstate Condor’s access to its short-haul network. Condor also started some of its own feeder flying within Europe.

That probably convinced the airline to revisit its plans. According to the latest timetable published by Condor, it isn’t cutting capacity to the States after all. It will serve 9 U.S. destinations in the summer 2025 season, all with A330-900s:

It’s still possible, however, that Condor may deploy some of its long-haul A330s elsewhere if the political situation in the U.S. pushes European visitors to cancel bookings in favor of other vacation destinations.

American Airlines, Biggest in the Caribbean

American Airlines is focusing on the Caribbean, where it now serves 43 airports — all of them from its Miami (MIA) hub and many of them from other U.S. airports as well.

In fact, AA has more flights to the Caribbean than any other carrier. Simple Flying crunched the numbers and found that 1 in 4 flights between the U.S. and the Caribbean is on American.

The latest one began on March 15, when regional subsidiary American Eagle started the first service from Miami to South Caicos (XSC) in the Turks and Caicos Islands — a link so important to the country’s economy that the government showed up in force to welcome it.

Redeem Porter Points for Alaska Flights

Porter Airlines is a small but growing Canadian airline. It’s also a partner of Alaska Airlines. Now there is an interesting development: VIPorter points can be redeemed for flights with Alaska.

Canadian miles blog Points Miles and Bling reported that VIPorter points can only be redeemed on mixed Porter-Alaska itineraries (i.e., with one segment operated by Porter and another by Alaska). The attractiveness for U.S. flyers is that the opposite may soon be possible: flying on Porter, and its extensive Canadian network, by redeeming Alaska Mileage Plan miles.

The 2 airlines already have reciprocal points earning, after all. For most U.S.-based travelers, earning Mileage Plan miles is the best option when flying Porter.

United Reminds Passengers: Rideable Bags Are Banned

Lithium-ion batteries can catch fire and have caused accidents on cargo airplanes. Passenger airlines are taking no chances in dealing with items that contain large batteries of that kind, and they’re cracking down on their use on board. For example, many Asian carriers — the latest is Malaysia Airlines — prohibit charging or using power banks on board.

Suitcases with built-in Li-ion batteries aren’t allowed on most airlines unless the battery is removed. Now, airlines are focusing on an increasingly popular luggage type that contains Li-ion cells: rideable suitcases.

In its page on dangerous items, United Airlines has explicitly banned rideable suitcases — as both carry-on and checked luggage. (Powered mobility devices are admissibile, but rideable luggage doesn’t qualify as a mobility aid.)

Delta also bans rideable bags explicitly, while American has a blanket ban on “lithium ion battery-powered personal transportation devices,” which rideable bags are.

Turkish Airlines Credit Card Adds Lounge Perk

Miles&Smiles, the loyalty program of Turkish Airlines, has sent an email to its members introducing an interesting perk: lounge access for credit card holders.

While the Turkish flag carrier has a large network in the U.S. — and serves more countries than any other airline — the co-branded Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Premier Visa Signature^® Credit Card is a relatively small player in the U.S. card market.

More people might apply for it, now that Miles&Smiles U.S. credit card holders will benefit from free access to Turkish Airlines lounges.

The email specifies that only Turkish Airlines’ own lounges are accessible. In the U.S., this includes the Turkish Airlines lounge in Miami (MIA) and Turkish Airlines lounge New York (JFK). Only cardholders can enter; guests are not admitted. Notably, lounges can be used even when flying economy class.

People who collect Miles&Smiles can also benefit from a limited-time promotion with Hilton, requiring registration and booking by April 30, 2025. You can earn 1,000 Miles&Smiles miles on your first stay in any hotel or resort within the Hilton portfolio, valid until June 30.

Final Thoughts

Among the past week’s airline-related news, some news has been clearly positive for the industry’s growth: American Airlines has become even bigger in the Caribbean, and Germany’s Condor hasn’t given up on the U.S.

If you were planning to take a rideable suitcase on a flight, though, you are decidedly out of luck.