American Airlines and easyJet are handling rising fuel costs through markedly different strategies, recent earnings reveal. American Airlines reported record quarterly revenue of $16.7 billion, up 16.3%, whilst capacity grew just 5.4%. Premium passenger unit revenue rose 13.4% and domestic increased 10.6%, showing strong pricing power across segments. However, fuel expenses surged 83% to $4.88 billion. The company expects another $1.7 billion year-over-year fuel cost increase in Q3. EasyJet's profits plunged 70% despite operational improvements. The airline has hedged approximately 72% of second-half fuel requirements, providing near-term protection. Year-to-date on-time performance reached 78% and customer satisfaction hit 84%. American Airlines relies primarily on premium pricing and demand to offset fuel costs. EasyJet depends more on fuel hedging and operational efficiency, though remains exposed to unhedged fuel and late summer booking trends.

American Airlines operates passenger flight using Infinium eSAF. Published: 7 Aug 2026 American Airlines has operated a commercial passenger flight using electro sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) produced from waste carbon dioxide and renewable energy. The flight departed Corpus Christi International Airport (CRP) in Texas and arrived at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). This milestone followed the first delivery of Infinium's eSAF to a US commercial airport for use on a passenger service. Milestone flight demonstrates real-world deployment of ultra-low carbon electrofuels produced at Project Pathfinder from waste CO[2] and renewable energy (C) American Airlines The fuel was produced and blended at Infinium's Project Pathfinder facility in Corpus Christi. The plant, which began operating in 2023, produces power-to-liquid eFuels using waste CO[2] and renewable electricity. The eSAF was blended with conventional jet fuel and tested against ASTM International specifications for Jet A. This means it can be used with existing aircraft engines and airport fuelling infrastructure without modifications. The delivery to CRP is also the first US commercial airport delivery of sustainable aviation fuel produced without biobased feedstocks. Infinium says its eSAF can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90% compared with conventional petroleum-based jet fuel. Unlike conventional SAF pathways that use biological feedstocks, the fuel is produced using captured waste CO[2] and renewable electricity. Infinium CEO Robert Schuetzle said: Since 2023, Airport Industry-News has been producing scalable, drop-in eDiesel and eNaphtha at its Pathfinder facility from waste carbon and renewable energy for use in commercial trucks and plastics processing. Adding eSAF to its product slate - and seeing it power a commercial passenger flight - marks another meaningful step forward in bringing practical, low-carbon fuel solutions to industry. The flight forms part of American Airlines' work to develop a supply of lower-carbon aviation fuel. The airline has an offtake agreement with Infinium for commercial volumes of eSAF from Project Roadrunner. Project Roadrunner is currently under construction and is expected to begin producing and delivering eSAF in 2027. The project has been financed by Breakthrough Energy Catalyst and Brookfield Asset Management, with non-recourse project debt provided by HSBC. At full capacity, Roadrunner is expected to produce more than 5 million gallons of eSAF per year. American is also working with Citi through a separate agreement intended to support Scope 3 emissions reductions associated with employee travel. American's CEO Robert Isom said: This flight represents a significant moment for aviation. Through its partnership with Infinium, Airport Industry-News is demonstrating how next generation technologies like eSAF can move from early investment to real-world application. Scaling SAF production at lower prices is essential to reducing emissions, strengthening its long-term competitiveness, and continuing to deliver the connectivity and economic benefits that its customers rely on. Global aviation consumes close to 100 billion gallons of jet fuel each year, while more than four billion passengers travel by air annually. SAF currently accounts for less than 1% of global jet fuel consumption. The use of drop-in fuels such as eSAF is intended to allow airlines to reduce lifecycle emissions without requiring changes to existing aircraft or airport fuelling systems. The Corpus Christi flight provides a commercial demonstration of that approach, while larger projects such as Roadrunner are intended to increase the availability of eSAF for airline use.

American Airlines elite upgrade changes quietly end the free jump from coach to business class seats. The upgraded seat can now be a premium-economy middle seat on nine of American's busiest routes. Published 07 August 2026, 4:27 AM BST American Airlines will quietly strip away a prized reward of elite status from 25 August, ending the free jump from coach to business class on nine of its busiest domestic routes and pushing loyal flyers into premium economy instead. For years, AAdvantage elite members sitting in coach on premium routes could clear straight into a lie-flat business seat when space opened up. That perk is the main reason many flyers chase status. American is now narrowing it. What is changing from 25 August. From 25 August 2026, elite members booked in the Main Cabin will be upgraded only to premium economy, not business class, on domestic flights that sell a separate premium-economy cabin. To reach business for free, they must first be sitting in premium economy, either by buying that fare or paying for an instant upgrade with cash or miles. American, in its AAdvantage programme update, framed the move as housekeeping, saying it was streamlining upgrades as it expands premium economy to deliver 'a more consistent customer experience'. In practice, the free front-cabin seat now sits behind a paid step into premium economy. The nine routes that lose the perk. The change applies only where premium economy is sold as its own cabin, which covers American's wide-body jets and the new Airbus A321XLR. That works out to nine routes for now. They run New York JFK and Boston to Los Angeles, JFK to San Francisco, Dallas Fort Worth to Honolulu, Kona, and Maui, Phoenix to Honolulu, and Chicago to Honolulu and Maui. These are among the most popular markets for upgrade-hungry flyers, so the timing stings. The sharpest loss lands on the transcontinental A321XLR, where elites in coach can no longer slip into American's new Flagship Suites for free. American has said more routes could be added later, which points to a wider rollout. Buried in the update is a detail few headlines caught. Some premium-economy cabins include middle seats, and an upgraded elite member can be assigned one when they clear. A flyer who once expected a flat bed at the front could now land in a middle seat a few rows back. System-wide upgrades are untouched and will still move a passenger from economy to business on these routes. Domestic first-class upgrades on two-cabin planes also stay the same, and already-confirmed business upgrades will be honoured as long as the itinerary does not change. Perks you earn, now perks you buy. The shift fits a pattern across US carriers. Premium cabins now drive a growing share of airline profits, so the industry is converting rewards flyers once earned into extras they must pay for. Locking business upgrades behind a premium-economy purchase protects those pricier seats for sale. American is also introducing cash-and-miles bookings on domestic flights, another sign of a loyalty programme leaning harder on paid options. Delta now offers the clearer path to a free lie-flat domestic upgrade among the big three, at least for the moment. Flyers who spent years building status on these very routes have watched its headline payoff shrink overnight. For American loyalists, the maths of chasing status just changed, and the reward they were promised now carries a price. Writer's pick