The Latest For Air Travel: Cartoon Characters, Make-A-Wish Trips And Inflight Fragrances

Booming travel is great for the airline industry, but also means that prices are quite high for summer travel. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council’s 2023 Economic Impact Research (conducted in partnership with Oxford Economics), travel and tourism in the U.S. is expected to contribute as much as $2.24 trillion to the economy this year, up from $2.17 trillion in 2019. Riding the wave of strong business, airlines are also investing in new products and community programs. Here are some of the latest airline news and updates for the summer season.

JetBlue overhauls loyalty program, partners with luggage brand

JetBlue is making big changes to its TrueBlue loyalty program giving members more ways to achieve Mosaic elite status. It involves offering multiple tier levels as well as expanding the number of perks available at each level (similar to what other airline programs offer, but allowing members to choose which ones are most important to them). Among the benefits are rewards like: priority boarding, bonus points and free inflight wine, beer or spirits.

JetBlue and United States Luggage Company, which owns brands like Solo and Briggs and Riley, have partnered to place the brand’s luggage on JetBlue’s merchandise platform Paisly.com. People can purchase new luggage while they are also buying their flights combining the travel shopping experience into one place. Travelers can also book rental cars, hotels and other travel activities via the platform. An extra benefit for buying items on the platform is that they can earn TrueBlue points based on their spend.

Private charter company Wheels Up adds signature fragrance

On-demand private jet charter brand Wheels Up is partnering with Hotel Lobby Candle to create a limited edition scent of leather, mahogany and champagne. The scent is designed to “evoke the serene joy of flying private,” and will be available as a surprise-and-delight experience for the company’s members. For some, the ability to cover up the smell of airline fuel will certainly be a win-win.

American Airlines and Make-A-Wish charity flight

In a partnership with The Points Guy, Make-A-Wish and The Walt Disney Company, American Airlines recently hosted a charity flight bringing kids to the “happiest place on Earth.” On board were 26 children batting a critical illness and their families. The flight from New York to Orlando was in honor of World Wish Day, which takes place on April 29. It included a private red-carpet welcome for the children and their families, a DJ-led party with Disney themed breakfast bar, face painters and live photo booth, interactive games inflight and the ultimate onboard host, travel guru Brian Kelly, the world-renowned “points guy” himself. He was the onboard “chief fun attendant” accompanied by Michael James Scott, who played the Genie in Aladdin on Broadway.

New Finnair livery dedicated to local cartoon character

Two Finnair Airbus A350s are getting a makeover with a special livery dedicated to the Moomins, iconic cartoon characters and beloved symbols for Finns. Finnish illustrator and writer Tove Jansson created the Nordic comic strip, and the new livery arrives just in time as the airline celebrates its 100th birthday. The two aircraft to show off the new design will be the aircraft registered as OH-LWP and OH-LWO showing the leading characters Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden in a special anniversary livery. The planes will fly around the airline’s network including to cities like Bangkok, Dallas/Fort Worth, London Heathrow and Tokyo.

Virgin boosts loyalty options with Virgin Red

As Virgin’s group-wide loyalty program, Virgin Red lets members earn points for a variety of shopping and other travel options (like Virgin Cruises or Virgin Atlantic flights). Members earn points that can be redeemed for free travel, experiences and merchandise. It’s also possible to transfer points from other programs, like Delta SkyMiles and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, into Virgin Red points to accumulate them faster.

Alaska Airlines hosts middle school students in Hawaii

In a partnership with STATE bags, Alaska Airlines recently hosted a dozen Oakland Middle School (California) students, many of whom were taking their first flight, on an educational trip to Hawaii. In addition to tourist activities, they also took part in regional sustainability activities that are in line with the airline’s own efforts in the state. As part of the Travel Academy Program, the two brands worked together to curate the trip. This is in conjunction with the airline’s larger efforts to gift travel to well-deserving young people. The airline cites a study by The Student & Youth Travel Association from 2019 that shows that 74% of teachers believe that travel can play a huge role in personal development,