Help for Newark Is Coming, and Other Airline News This Week

In this week’s roundup of airline-related stories from the past 7 days that didn’t get their own article, we look at what’s going on at troubled Newark airport, then fly around the world from Peru to Taipei to check out what else is going on in aviation.

Improvements Coming to Newark, FAA Says

Infrastructure improvements designed to prevent air traffic control system outages at Newark (EWR) airport will be in place this summer, Federal Aviation Administration Deputy Chief Operating Officer Frank McIntosh said.

According to Aviation Week, McIntosh told a Senate hearing that the improvements will make telecommunication systems that air traffic control relies on faster and more dependable. This should prevent repeats of system outages on April 28 and May 9 that left controllers with blank radar screens, no radio communication with aircraft, and no backup, prompting a temporary halt to flights into and out of Newark.

United Airlines, which handles almost 70% of the airport’s traffic, has already reduced its schedule by 35 flights a day. Air traffic control issues are compounded by the closure of one of Newark’s 2 main runways until June 15 for maintenance.

United emailed Mileage Plus members in the New York area on May 12, reassuring them that “every United pilot is trained for a wide range of potential issues, including radar or communications outages.”

“When there are FAA issues, such as technology outages or staffing shortages, the FAA requires all airlines to fly fewer aircraft to maintain the highest levels of safety,” the email said. “In short, neither the FAA nor United will ever compromise on safety.”

According to NBC News, there should be 38 certified controllers serving Newark, per the FAA. Currently, there are 22.

At noon on Friday, May 16, the average departure delay at Newark was 52 minutes, and 81% of flights had been delayed the previous day, according to Flightradar24. Compared with the other New York airports, Newark wasn’t so bad: At JFK during the same timeframe, the average delay was 30 minutes, and 87% of flights had been delayed the previous day. At LaGuardia (LGA), it was 57 minutes and 91%.

Third Dallas Airport To Begin Construction

Construction on the third airport serving the Dallas metro area will begin in June. The McKinney airport (TKI), which currently handles only private flights, is scheduled to open to commercial traffic in 2026.

Local news outlet WFAA reported that the McKinney City Council this week approved a slate of construction contracts, including one worth $58 million, covering the bulk of the $72 million project.

“We are cleared for takeoff,” said McKinney Mayor George Fuller.

The 2 existing airports in the metro area — Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) and Love Field (DAL) — aren’t enough for the projected growth in commercial passengers. McKinney is in Collin County, like 2 other fast-growing Dallas suburbs, Plano and Frisco. The airport is about 30 miles from downtown Dallas.

Connecting on American in Dallas? Read This

There’s good news for passengers connecting through Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) on AA.

American Airlines has begun testing new technology at its biggest hub that identifies departing flights with connecting customers who might miss their flight. If the airline determines it can delay the flight without affecting the schedule, it will propose a short hold so connecting customers can make it. American said it plans to expand the test next to Charlotte (CLT), followed by other airports over the summer. We don’t know what parameters, other than short connecting times or incoming delays, the system may look at, but it’s undoubtedly good news for flyers.

After launching its new Flagship Suites business class earlier this month, American is also making a small improvement on domestic long-haul flights (1,500 miles or more) by reinstating the second beverage service it had eliminated in January. Select international flights departing before 9:01 p.m. local time get a pre-meal beverage service.

And, could you guess the top 3 destinations this summer for customers redeeming AAdvantage miles? The first 2 may be easy guesses: London (LHR) and Orlando (MCO), both tourist destinations in heavy demand. The third could be a bit more surprising. According to the airline, it’s not New York or Paris, but Boston (BOS).

Southwest Wants To Expand Internationally

The airline that flies the most domestic passengers in the U.S. may be getting ready to fly more of them internationally.

Southwest Airlines, which does have a relatively small international network focused mostly on Central America and the Caribbean, has applied with the U.S. Department of Transportation to serve any country with which the U.S. has an Open Skies agreement, Ishrion Aviation reported. Under Open Skies bilateral agreements, carriers from either country can serve any point in the other.

Those pacts apply currently to 136 countries, but there’s a catch: Southwest has no airplanes that can reach many of them and no plans to acquire any. Among its all-Boeing 737 fleet, it has some models that can reach Hawaii from the West Coast, but no true long-haul jets. Several Open Skies countries in the Americas and the Caribbean are within easy reach from the U.S. mainland on 737s, though, and we can expect Southwest to serve more of them soon.

The United Club in Hong Kong Will Reopen This Summer

We know that United plans to expand its lounge network worldwide, and we knew that its United Club lounge in Hong Kong (HKG) — which closed in 2020 during the pandemic — would return this year. Now, we have a date.

Executive Traveller reported, citing “a document shared by the Hong Kong government detailing the city’s airport lounges,” that the United Club will “reopen in June/July 2025.”

The United Club, while not at the level of United’s luxurious Polaris lounges, will be accessible to Gold status holders with Star Alliance, too.

Australian Airline Exits the U.S.

Jetstar Airways, the low-fare subsidiary of Australian flag carrier Qantas, is leaving the U.S.

The final Jetstar flight from Sydney (SYD) to Honolulu (HNL) will be on October 24, 2025. The final flight from Melbourne (MEL) to Honolulu was on April 30. Jetstar had been flying to Hawaii since 2006, but it now needs its Boeing 787s on higher-demand routes, from Australia to Asia.

In a statement to news.com.au, a spokesperson for Jetstar said passengers booked on or after October 24 to Honolulu will be accommodated on a Qantas flight or issued a refund. Qantas still serves Honolulu from Sydney and Melbourne.

Unprofitable Frontier Cuts 2 Routes

Frontier Airlines, which lost $43 million in the first quarter of this year, is cutting more routes to cope with lower demand, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium quoted by Simple Flying.

After a spate of cuts last year, the ultra-low-cost carrier will stop flying between Chicago-Midway (MDW) and Las Vegas (LAS) in July, and between Islip (ISP) on Long Island and Palm Beach (PBI) in August 2025.

Frontier is owned by Indigo Partners, a U.S. private equity firm that owns other ultra-low-cost carriers around the world: JetSMART in Chile, Volaris in Mexico, and Wizz Air in Hungary. It also used to own a stake in Frontier’s main rival, Spirit. Indigo boss Bill Franke said in March that a merger between Frontier and Spirit was the most logical solution for the 2 airlines, which both lose money. That was just before Spirit emerged from bankruptcy as a standalone carrier, but a Frontier/Spirit combo may still be possible as a way to return to profit.

Lima’s New Terminal Finally Has an Opening Date

After several delays, a new terminal at the Lima (LIM) airport will open on June 1, with a soft launch on May 15. The airport authority said that Aerolineas Argentinas, Air Europa, Volaris, and Arajet will be the first to operate from the new terminal and test out facilities and procedures, while all other airlines stay at the current, outdated one.

The 4 U.S. carriers with scheduled services to the Peruvian capital — American, Delta, United, and Spirit — will move along with everybody else on June 1. The airport will be closed for 12 hours during the move.

Score Free Wi-Fi on EVA Air

Taiwanese airline EVA Air is known for excellent service and flights to Taipei (TPE) from several U.S. cities. Its loyalty program, Infinity MileageLands, is quite obscure in the U.S., not least because its membership in Star Alliance makes it more attractive to earn and redeem miles Americans know and use, like United’s MileagePlus.

However, if you have an upcoming EVA Air flight, it may be time to open an Infinity MileageLands account. The airline plans to offer free Wi-Fi to members traveling in any class, Breaking Travel News reported.

To promote this, EVA Air plans a limited-time summer promotion, from July 1 to September 30, allowing all passengers (including non-members) to enjoy free unlimited Wi-Fi onboard Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft (Boeing 777-300ERs and 787s, and Airbus A330-300s). After the promotional period, complimentary Wi-Fi will be available only to business class passengers and Infinity MileageLands members.

Final Thoughts

This week’s airline news roundup has taken us all over the world and brought some positive developments, for example, for many of the almost 90 million passengers that pass through Dallas Fort Worth Airport each year. Those with flights from Newark airport aren’t as lucky, but according to the Federal Aviation Administration, help is coming.