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This week:
- CNBC: AA in talks for faster in-flight internet, considering bringing back seatback screens
- The Week on the JW Marriott, Tokyo
- Business Traveler on the Four Seasons, Houston
- If JetBlue is up for sale, Alaska has the strongest pro-competition argument
- What are the security lines like at JFK T8 right now?
- American’s new amenity kits and pajamas are a job well done
March 27, 2026
CNBC: AA in talks for faster in-flight internet, considering bringing back seatback screens
Leslie Josephs, reporting for CNBC:
American Airlines is “seriously considering” bringing back seat-back screens to its narrow-body planes and a decision could be made as early as next month, according to a person familiar with the matter.
It would be part of a major revamp of American’s in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi for narrow-body aircraft, said the person, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to talk about the plans publicly.
Part of those plans include discussions with SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon Leo to potentially provide in-flight Wi-Fi, according to the person.
March 26, 2026
The Week on the JW Marriott, Tokyo
One of the newest entries in Tokyo’s lively luxury hotel scene. The pool is the centerpiece, with, as The Week’s Stephen Kelly writes, floor-to-ceiling windows that reveal a glittering panorama.
March 25, 2026
Business Traveler on the Four Seasons, Houston
BT has a nice write-up of the facelift, which I missed when the hotel completed it in 2022. Highlights include the outdoor swimming pool, and the lobby bar, which offers over 250 whiskeys.
March 25, 2026
If JetBlue is up for sale, Alaska has the strongest pro-competition argument
Rohan Goswami and Liz Hoffman, in a blockbuster report for Semafor:
JetBlue has tapped advisers to assess the viability of selling itself to a rival airline, and has specifically scenario-planned how a deal with United Airlines, Alaska Airlines, or Southwest Airlines might fare in Washington, according to people familiar with the matter.
Assuming the folks in Seattle have the appetite, they would have a strongest pro-competition argument. JP Morgan’s math on the domestic market share of the combined entities:
- Southwest + JetBlue = 22%
- United + JetBlue = ~16%
- Alaska + JetBlue = 7%
Importantly, and unlike United, they barely compete on either domestic or international routes, which Alaska made the centerpiece of its sales pitch to acquire Hawaiian.
And together, Alaska and JetBlue would be a strong fourth competitor in the northeast, as opposed to the current situation, where JetBlue is losing ground to two giants in United and Delta.
Meanwhile, for oneworld flyers, an Alaska acquisition of JetBlue would reopen the airline’s path to the alliance.
American previously planned to sponsor JetBlue into oneworld when both airlines started the short-lived Northeast Alliance in 2020. By July that year, they were telling the DOJ they wouldn’t.
March 25, 2026
What are the security lines like at JFK T8 right now?
Field notes from journalist Rosie Gray, who passed through this morning:
- general security line very long, wrapped all the way around the entry hall
- TSA pre check line took ~10 mins to get through
- 3 ICE agents strolling (past security), holding Starbucks
For politically minded readers, Gray recently wrote an excellent essay on the American right and the power of aesthetics.
March 24, 2026
American’s new amenity kits and pajamas are a job well done
American, today:
As American Airlines marks its 100th anniversary, the airline is introducing a collection of limited‑edition onboard products designed to honor a century of innovation while elevating the travel experience for today’s customers. The new centennial amenity kits, premium pajamas and refreshed closed‑toe slippers will debut across premium cabins at the beginning of April.
Let’s start with the amenity kits, which nod to some of the most iconic imagery in AA’s history: the orange lightning bolt, the tricolor stripe, and the eagle emblem, embossed on the front of each kit.
Each kit also – finally – features upgraded items. First and Business passengers get Colgate toothpaste and an AA-branded bamboo toothbrush, for example; a huge step up from the dollar-store packetsfound in recent collections.
The centennial pajamas look great. Bold colors, branded with two classic AA logos, or the elegant 100th symbol. They pair nicely with the new grey closed-toe slippers.
Good stuff.