Southwest Airlines will begin retrofitting the interiors of its entire fleet on May 1, installing premium seating and changing to an assigned seating boarding procedure. In an interview with Aviation Week, Landon Nitschke, senior vice president of technical operations, says the airline must retrofit over 800 aircraft by December 31 to be ready to offer the extended legroom product. To complete this, it aims to convert between seven and ten aircraft per night in its various hangars across the United States, including Dallas, Houston Hobby, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson, Orlando International, and Denver International. Southwest Airlines will also open a new line maintenance hangar at Baltimore International, which will be able to accommodate up to three B737s and have apron space for up to eight more. This new feat is part of Southwest’s ongoing business turnaround which also includes red-eye flights, voluntary redundancies, baggage fees, assigned seating, and expanded airline partnerships following a turbulent 2024 in which the carrier reached a cooperation agreement with activist investor Elliott Investment Management.<br/>
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The same day that Southwest Airlines' new policy ends the Dallas carrier's practice of providing two free checked bags, another beloved perk is going away. Starting next month, flight credits, the travel funds customers receive when a flight is canceled or a fare is downgraded, will now have expiration dates. Previously, Southwest fliers didn't have a rush to use flight credits, but now that the airline is adopting policies similar to competitors, travelers will need to use up the credit in one year or less, depending on the fare purchased. The policy switch is slated to go into effect for flight credits created from reservations booked or changed on or after May 28. But if you manage to secure flight credits by the day before, on May 27, Southwest will honor the former policy of never having those expire, according to the airline's help center. <br/>
Ryanair is considering cutting more flights from medium and small Spanish airports next winter and in 2026 if operator Aena does not lower its fees, newspaper El Economista reported on Monday citing the Irish airline's CEO Eddie Wilson. Regional airports "need low fees to stimulate growth", Wilson told El Economista in an interview, "otherwise the formula will not work", he said, adding that the company would not invest in loss-making operations. The largest European airline in terms of passenger numbers said in January that it would reduce flights at seven regional airports in Spain this summer and cancel some 800,000 passenger seats compared to the previous year. However, it added 1.5m seats at popular larger airports such as Madrid, Malaga and Alicante, according to El Economista. A spokesperson for Aena declined to comment, though the company in January called Ryanair's arguments "spurious" and said its fees were among the lowest in the region.<br/>
PLAY (Iceland) has been fined ISK15.8m kronur (US$123,900) after it was found guilty of breaching European Union regulations regarding the timely disclosure of insider financial information. The fine forms part of a settlement with the Financial Supervisory Authority (FSA) of the Central Bank of Iceland according to which the low-cost carrier accepts the FSA’s conclusion that it breached EU disclosure rules, the airline said in a statement. The issue concerned whether the company's interim third quarter 2022 draft financials presented at a board meeting on October 27, 2022, contained inside information and whether their disclosure on November 3 of that year was therefore made too late. The FSA disagreed with PLAY's argument that its initial forecast was broad and based on general expectations, and that the information in the draft financials was not price sensitive. The case is now closed, the airline said.<br/>
El Al Israel Airlines has notified the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) that it has received state approval to resume distributing dividends to investors in 2025, one year earlier that the agreement it signed with the state during the Covid pandemic. However, El Al will not be able to distribute dividends on the record profits it earned in 2023-2024. In 2024, due to the war, which made it the dominant airline in Israel's skies, as foreign carriers stopped flying to Israel, especially on the profitable routes to the US, El Al reported record profits of $545m, an almost five-fold jump from 2023, on record revenue of $3.4b, up 37% from 2023, which was itself a record. El Al has now announced that it will be able to distribute up to 30% of net profit in 2025 and up to 40% in 2026-2028. After that, there will be no more restrictions on dividend distribution. El Al also stresses that the state agreed to amend the agreement (cancelation of the dividend restriction clause), after El Al "completed repayment of all loans the state provided to the company, totaling $45m, in the fourth quarter of 2021." El Al also notes that as of today, "No decision has been made about distribution of a dividend for the 2025 profits, and if such a decision is made, it will be published in a proper manner."<br/>
Batik Air has reintroduced exclusive private terminal transfers for business class passengers through a partnership with Leapmotor Malaysia. Leapmotor, the first new energy vehicle (NEV) brand introduced by Stellantis Malaysia, offers the pioneering Leapmotor C10. This model brings new levels of comfort, efficiency and sophistication to the service. "This will further elevate the travel experience for Batik Air's business class passengers," the airline said on Monday. The Leapmotor C10 is also the brand's first global range of battery-electric vehicles, with Malaysia being the first country in Southeast Asia to debut it. Batik Air noted that the Leapmotor C10 has received the prestigious French Design Award 2024 and the US Muse Design Award 2024. "Business class passengers will travel in the first-class space and comfort of the Leapmotor C10, enjoying ample room and superior cabin amenities." Passengers will be chauffeured between Gate G1 at the main terminal and Gate C1 at the satellite building, ensuring a smooth and effortless transition.<br/>