2025 was a busy, eventful — and, at times, sobering — year when it came to air travel.
We saw 8 of the 10 busiest days ever at U.S. airports, including an all-time single-day record just after Thanksgiving, as consumers continued to invest their money (and points) in travel at a record pace.
That was despite a roller-coaster year for economic sentiment — not to mention a barrage of concerning aviation headlines that included a deadly crash in January, mass delays in Newark in May and rampant air traffic control staffing shortages during the longest government shutdown in history.
As all that unfolded, Southwest Airlines turned heads with the end of its long-standing “bags fly free” policy. We saw Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines launch an all-new airline loyalty program. Delta Air Lines again led the pack in TPG’s Best Airlines Report.
And one of America’s best-known budget airlines remained in financial turmoil — a situation that tops our list of the biggest air travel storylines to watch in 2026.
Best airlines report: Delta tops TPG’s rankings for 7th straight year
All eyes on Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines begins 2026 just as it began 2025: in the midst of Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
This time, though, the situation appears more serious.
The Florida-based ultra-low-cost carrier, known for its big, bright-yellow planes, has been unable to climb out of a financial hole in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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DAVID SLOTNICK/THE POINTS GUY
Late last summer, Spirit executives raised doubts about the company’s future, and Wall Street analysts have done the same.
All eyes will be on the carrier in the coming weeks and months.
Will it ultimately merge with top budget competitor Frontier Airlines, after all? Will Spirit, as we know it, be around this time next year? Time will tell.
But even travelers who never fly Spirit should be watching with concern. After all, the downward pressure the airline puts on fares ultimately affects the price all flyers pay when they book a flight.
Spirit Airlines in bankruptcy: What consumers should know about booking flights=
Related: The best times to book flights for the cheapest airfare
Southwest’s biggest changes yet come this month
We’ve been talking for a good 18 months about the changes underway at Southwest, including its $35 checked bag fees that launched last spring, drawing the ire of loyal customers.
But its biggest change of all finally arrives this month.
On Jan. 27, the carrier will go live with its much-talked-about shift to assigned seating, ending its first-come, first-served policy that’s been in place for a half-century.
SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
The move will also spell the end of its single-file boarding process in favor of an eight-group setup that will look … well, like just about every other major carrier’s.
But it’s also worth watching what else Southwest does in 2026.
The airline has played coy about adding other once-unthinkable products like first-class seats, long-haul flights and lounges (the latter seems to already be in the works.
CEO Bob Jordan has framed these additions as a “2026 question.”
And 2026 is now here.
Read more: The true Southwest Airlines reboot is almost here — and it may be just the beginning
The premium wave comes into focus
Over the last few years, airlines have pledged to go all-in on offering travelers high-end experiences — from the big legacy airlines to the budget carriers and in between.
2026 will be the year we see many of those premium-focused products hit the market en masse.
This year, United Airlines is expected to debut its all-new Polaris product and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with an ultraluxe configuration.
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
After American Airlines launched its next-generation Flagship Suites on a handful of planes last year, the new business-class product will become a fixture on many more of the carrier’s jets as it gets new planes and updates older ones.
The carrier has also promised a “steady stream” of airport lounge news.
Also on tap this year:
TPG’s 2026 Travel Trends Report: The gap between premium and budget experiences is widening
A big focus on the ‘basics’
I think we’ll be talking about “basic” a lot this year.
American made an unfriendly-to-customers change to its basic economy policy just before the holidays.
Delta and United have dropped hints about adding a “basic business-class” fare. Heck, Delta’s already started offering “basic” versions of its extra-legroom “Comfort” tickets.
Delta now sells ‘Comfort Basic’ tickets: What to know before you book
SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
Don’t be surprised if you see more airlines tighten up their basic economy ticket rules — or roll out new, unbundled fare options — in 2026.
Exciting new routes coming
Here at TPG, we love to see exciting new airline routes and destinations, and there are plenty on tap for this year:
United has stolen the show in recent years with flights to head-turning places like Mongolia and Adelaide, Australia — and, perhaps most of all, the epic flight to Greenland that I took in June.
Traveling to Greenland on United Airlines: What to expect, and what to do once you’re there
United Airlines pilots commemorate the carrier’s launch of service to Nuuk, Greenland. SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
There’s more on tap in 2026, with a big focus on Europe: Bari, Italy; Split, Croatia; and Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Delta will launch service to Sardinia and Malta after letting its customers and employees vote on its newest European destinations.
American’s biggest splash will likely be the launch of transatlantic service with its brand-new, premium-heavy Airbus A321XLR plane — though the carrier will also begin flying to Budapest and Prague.
SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
Also worth mentioning: Alaska Airlines will make its debut in Europe, and Southwest next month will fly to its first new city in five years — a new Caribbean destination, at that.
What will happen with airfare in 2026?
Whether airfare will rise or fall is always top of mind for consumers. And there’s plenty to watch on this front in 2026.
Over the past couple of years, a glut of flights has ushered in historically low fares (adjusted for inflation) as carriers offered up discounts in an effort to fill seats on their planes.
If you flew last year on a low-demand Tuesday in September, you may have found a steep discount.
Will 2026 see fares climb?
Late last year, numerous U.S. airlines slashed flights, hoping fewer departures would help them regain pricing power.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean travelers will find sticker shock when booking a flight in the new year, said John Grant, industry analyst at aviation data firm OAG.
“I equally suspect that [consumer] demand will not be quite as strong,” Grant said. “All of which leaves me sitting on the fence with a prediction of very little change” when it comes to fares.
To find the best flight deals in 2026:
- Try flying on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday
- Book your summer trip for August, instead of the ultra-busy June or July
- Visiting Europe? If your schedule allows, consider joining the wave of travelers making the trek in the late-winter, early-spring or autumn — when prices are lower, crowds are thinner and temperatures are cooler.
Will AI determine your airfare in 2026?
Speaking of fares, Delta turned heads in 2025 when it revealed it was using artificial intelligence to influence prices on a growing portion of its flights.
Competitors threw shade at the tactic, and lawmakers sent angry letters.
But nearly every airline (like every industry) is trying to integrate AI into its operations in some form or fashion; we’ve certainly heard about how some airlines are using it to help with logistics and operations.
However, I wouldn’t be surprised if another airline or two gives its dynamic pricing algorithm an AI infusion of some sort.
Read more: Is AI the reason your flight costs more? What Delta’s new pricing tech really means
Air traffic control remains front and center
It seems like we spent half of 2025 talking about air traffic control.
And for good reason: Staffing shortages among this critical aviation workforce played a major role in the high-profile disruptions last spring at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), and fueled mass disruptions during this past fall’s government shutdown.
Congress has allocated funds for key ATC equipment upgrades, and the U.S. Department of Transportation has pledged a surge in controller hiring.
BING GUAN/BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES
But all of these improvements will take years to come to fruition, especially after the Federal Aviation Administration reportedly lost hundreds of controller trainees during the 43-day shutdown.
That means the threat of air traffic control-related delays remains real in 2026.
Flyers can only hope Washington avoids another shutdown, with another government funding deadline looming on Jan. 30.
Will more consumer protections get rolled back?
Worth watching in 2025: what, if any, air travel consumer protections the Trump administration opts to end, change or otherwise stop enforcing.
Already, we saw the DOT ditch a rule proposed by the Biden administration that would have given passengers cash compensation when their flight was delayed or canceled and the airline was at fault.
KENA BETANCUR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Meanwhile, the airline industry’s top trade group has called for additional passenger protections to be rolled back.
Will their lobbying prove successful?
We’ll be watching.
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