United Cuts European Routes From Newark, Singapore Changi Details Green Tax, and More Airline News

Welcome back to your weekly airline news bulletin.

This week’s update is quite varied, with JetBlue adding a new route, United cutting some European routes, Pittsburgh (PIT) opening its new terminal next week, and more.

Let’s get started.

JetBlue Adds New Route to Rochester

JetBlue will offer a new nonstop service from Rochester (ROC) in Upstate New York to Orlando (MCO) starting next spring.

The inaugural flight is scheduled to depart on March 26, 2026, as the airline’s summer schedule commences. The new Orlando service will join JetBlue’s connection from New York (JFK) as the airline’s second route to Rochester.

“JetBlue is proud to grow in Rochester, bringing our low fares and award-winning customer experience to more travelers,” said Dave Jehn, vice president of network planning and airline partnerships at JetBlue.

The new leisure route from Rochester (ROC) will operate 5x weekly on a year-round basis with the following schedule:

• Depart Orlando (MCO) 11:50 a.m. — Arrive Rochester (ROC) 2:37 p.m.
• Depart Rochester (ROC) 3:35 p.m. — Arrive Orlando (MCO) 6:25 p.m.

To celebrate the launch of the new route, JetBlue is offering one-way fares starting at just $49, which can be booked directly on the JetBlue website now.

Update: Spirit’s Outlook Worsens

Last Saturday’s weekly round-up covered the cuts in routes and staff wages that Spirit Airlines would make in an attempt to ease its financial burden.

This week, the revelation of Spirit’s third-quarter results, which show a loss of $317.5 million, gives reason to believe that last week’s cuts were too little, too late.

“After considering the measures taken, minimum liquidity covenants in the Company’s current debt obligations and cash flows to maintain current operational obligations require financial results to improve at a rate faster than what the Company is currently anticipating,” Spirit said in the filing of its financial results.

In other words, the ultra-low-cost carrier needs a miracle to survive.

You’ll Be Charged a Green Tax To Fly to Singapore Next Year

As of April 2026, the government of Singapore will impose a green tax on all flights departing from the country’s main international airport, Singapore Changi (SIN), starting from October 2026.

Airlines will pass this tax on to their passengers, which will be clearly displayed on ticket invoices.

The fees will be added to all flights departing from October and will vary depending on cabin class and the flight duration. However, if you’re transiting through Singapore, the tax won’t apply to you.

Here’s a breakdown of the fees:

Let’s face it, 76 cents on a flight from Singapore to somewhere else in Southeast Asia in economy isn’t going to break the bank. And if you’re paying for a business or first class ticket with cash or points from Singapore to North or South America, you probably have a healthy enough bank account that you won’t miss an extra $32.

The Singaporean government states that this money will be allocated towards purchasing sustainable aviation fuel.

Is This Airline’s Investment in a Loyalty Program a Waste of Time?

Air Serbia, the national flag carrier of Serbia, wants to revolutionize the loyalty industry with a new loyalty program, GRAVTY, in partnership with Loyalty Juggernaut. That’s a massive undertaking for any airline, especially for a small European airline with just 5 long-haul routes.

“Our ambition is to create one of the most engaging loyalty propositions in Europe,” said Snezana Radinovic, frequent flyer product development manager at Air Serbia.

This all sounds great, but perhaps a little too ambitious and a waste of time and money. Air Serbia doesn’t belong to any of the 3 airline alliances, which limits the cohort of people who are likely to sign up for GRAVTY to either Serbian-based Air Serbia frequent flyers or international visitors who frequently visit Serbia.

Then, when you factor in that the country has a population of just under 7 million inhabitants, GRAVTY will have its work cut out to compete with the likes of Air France-KLM Flying Blue program, which has over 30 million members worldwide.

Pittsburgh’s New Airport Terminal Opens Next Week

After 4 years and around $1.7 billion, a state-of-the-art new terminal at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) will open its doors on November 18, 2025.

Flyers using the new terminal can expect a significantly improved passenger experience compared to the old terminal. Speed will be key, with a total of 12 TSA lanes and a more efficient baggage handling system, short wait times should be in store for both departing and arriving passengers.

Additionally, there’ll be 3,300 parking spaces with twice the amount of covered spots, and an improved experience for passengers arriving on international flights.

The airport will also feature 4 outside terraces, which are currently still under construction.

United Cuts Flights From Newark to Europe Next Summer

It’s only a matter of weeks since United announced 4 new European destinations. In fact, the Chicago-headquartered airline has recently been sprinkling its route network with a host of exciting new destinations such as Nuuk (GOH) in Greenland and the Portuguese island of Madeira (FNC).

However, United only has a finite number of planes, and so has decided to trim down some of its current European routes next summer, as flagged by Aeroroutes.

The affected routes are as follows:

• Newark (EWR) to Frankfurt (FRA) reduced from 11 to 7 weekly flights from March 26, 2026
• Cancellation of the planned second daily Newark (EWR) to Brussels (BRU) service
• Cancellation of the planned second daily Newark (EWR) to Edinburgh (EDI) service

Still, summer 2026 promises to be a bumper season for United. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more new route announcements before the end of the year …

Final Thoughts

Will you be signing up for Air Serbia’s new loyalty program? That’s the question at the top of my list.

Aside from that, Pittsburgh’s new terminal and JetBlue’s new route from Rochester to Orlando are certainly things to look forward to for travelers in those regional areas. I also think Singapore Airport’s green tax is a good thing overall. If it can be proved it will have a net positive impact on the environment, it would be great to see this rolled out in other airports around the world.

And finally, will Spirit Airlines make it to next week? We’ll see you then.