United Airlines Plays Hardball and 4 Other Aviation Trends This Week – Skift

Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines aviation.

For all of our weekend roundups, go here.

United Airlines Plays Hardball With Expedia and JPMorgan Chase: For years, airlines had little leverage with their partners. But airlines now are strong, and they have the advantage. Why shouldn’t they use it in contractual discussions?

Delta Frequent Flyers Are Fans of Less Seat Recline, More Laptop Room: Despite the issue of seat recline being a perennial hot-button topic, most passengers seem to be in support of Delta limiting the amount of seat recline on some flights.

U.S. Major Airlines Restart Fight Over Open Skies: A long-simmering fight over Open Skies is boiling over again and is dividing the U.S. airline industry. The U.S. major carriers say Air Italy is a Trojan horse for Qatar Airways to expand in the U.S. JetBlue and the cargo carriers argue changing the rules of the game now would invite retaliation.

How Airlines Decide What You’ll Eat and Drink On Board: With their onboard food and drink programs, airlines want to keep passengers happy. But they also want to keep costs reasonable.

JetBlue’s Expansion Into Europe Will Make TrueBlue a Better Loyalty Program: JetBlue’s upcoming expansion will be a great opportunity for those with extra TrueBlue points to book award seats to Europe. Don’t expect any screaming deals though.

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