<\/p>\n
Hawaiian Airlines and Japan Airlines airplanes prepare for takeoff at Honolulu International Airport in Honolulu on June 26 2015.<\/p>\n
Eric Broder Van Dyke\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
In this week\u2019s air travel news, Israel\u2019s national airline is due to end its six-year hiatus from SFO-Tel Aviv flights<\/a>; Delta jumps into the Los Angeles-Hong Kong market; another African carrier introduces LAX nonstops; Alaska Airlines<\/a> drops another SFO transcontinental route but increases SFO-Hawaii service; Delta starts flying one of LAX\u2019s busiest domestic routes; in the face of higher jet fuel prices, American Airlines is set to temporarily suspend several California routes in August; United and Frontier are slated to add new transcontinental routes from LAX this summer; Alaska Airlines no longer allows basic economy travelers to earn Atmos Rewards points; Hawaiian Airlines is slated to end a longtime in-flight perk for economy-class passengers in July; Delta adds new benefits for its credit card customers; San Francisco International prepares to add a pricey private passenger terminal<\/a> offering VIP treatment; and Delta plans to open a second Delta One lounge at Los Angeles International.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a prime example of putting a positive spin on an airline service announcement, courtesy of Hawaiian Airlines, a division of Alaska Airlines. \u201cHawaiian Airlines elevates onboard service with pre-order dining by celebrated Hawaii chefs, fresh fare across all cabins and complimentary local snacks,\u201d the carrier said in a news release<\/a>. But here\u2019s the headline on the story<\/a>\u00a0on the Live and Let\u2019s Fly blog: \u201cHawaiian Airlines ends free economy meals, marking the end of an era.\u201d It notes that \u201cHawaiian was the last major U.S. airline still offering free meals in economy class on domestic longhaul flights.\u201d Starting July 1, Hawaiian said, customers in economy class on mainland routes will be able to pre-order paid in-flight meals up to two weeks in advance (as they already can in first class) or as little as 20 hours before departure. The service includes a Hawaii-inspired menu overhaul directed by Maui restaurateur and chef Sheldon\u00a0Simeon, a James Beard Award finalist. The initial menu includes a dozen selections ranging in price from $10.99 (a breakfast of coconut overnight oats, vegan and gluten-free) to $16.99 (crispy mochiko chicken and garlic noodles). \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n An El Al Up airline near the air traffic control tower of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.<\/p>\n wavemovies\/Getty Images<\/p>\n In international route news,\u00a0Israel\u2019s El Al Airlines announced plans to offer nonstop service from San Francisco International Airport to Tel Aviv starting Oct. 25<\/a>, restoring its first Bay Area flights since 2020. The airline will operate three flights a week on the 15-hour route, using a 787-9. Given the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, no U.S. airlines are currently flying to Israel, and any announcements of resumed service are subject to revision depending on the geopolitical situation, but El Al has been the most consistent in providing regular service. With the addition of SFO, El Al\u2019s upcoming winter schedule includes flights to six U.S. airports<\/a>, with the other five being Los Angeles, New York JFK, Newark, Miami and Boston, according to Simple Flying.\u00a0<\/p>\n Two Alaska Airlines flights taxi on the runway at SFO in San Francisco on\u00a0Feb. 11, 2026.<\/p>\n Douglas Zimmerman\/SFGATE<\/p>\n At Los Angeles International Airport, Delta will enhance its transpacific network on June 6 when it introduces daily nonstop service to Hong Kong, using an Airbus A350-900<\/a> with Delta One, Premium Select, Delta Comfort (extra legroom) and main cabin seating. The route is already served by United and Cathay Pacific. According to Airline Geeks<\/a>, Delta will also resume service from LAX to Vancouver this fall after an eight-year hiatus, offering twice-daily A319 flights beginning Nov. 21 in a crowded market already served by five other carriers. Aeroroutes reports<\/a> that Egyptair\u2019s new nonstop service from LAX to Cairo, which had initially been scheduled as a seasonal operation only through Oct. 25, will now continue through the winter season with three flights a week from Nov. 1 to March 12. And LAX will get another new route to Africa on June 7 when\u00a0Morocco\u2019s Royal Air Maroc introduces its first West Coast service with three weekly 787-8 flights from LAX to Casablanca, according to Aeroroutes<\/a>. Also at LAX, Mexico\u2019s Volaris this week introduced new service to Puebla with four flights a week, Simple Flying reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n On the domestic side, Alaska Airlines is continuing to draw down some operations at San Francisco International, with its final SFO-Newark flight slated to end after June 9<\/a>. So far this year, Alaska has eliminated its SFO routes to Austin, Boston, Burbank, Orlando, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. But on June 10, Alaska has scheduled an increase in flight frequencies on its SFO-Lihue, Kauai, route from four flights a week to seven. On June 7, Delta will jump into the busy Los Angeles International-Chicago O\u2019Hare market<\/a> with three flights a day.<\/p>\n The schedule watchers at Ishrion Aviation reported on social media\u00a0that American Airlines will suspend six California routes from Aug. 5 through Oct. 5 \u201camid elevated oil prices<\/a>\u201d: Sacramento-Charlotte, Ontario-Charlotte, and Los Angeles International to Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh; and Washington Dulles.\u00a0Ishrion also noted that United Airlines will introduce daily service from Orange County\u2019s John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana to its Washington Dulles hub starting Aug. 11. Simple Flying reports that low-cost Frontier Airlines plans to revive seasonal daily service from LAX to Orlando on July 1<\/a> but will operate it only through Oct. 26 instead of the 11 months it flew the route in last year\u2019s schedule.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Alaska Airlines is the latest carrier to tighten up the restrictions on its basic economy fares, which it brands as Saver fares \u2014 i.e., the lowest fare category it offers. The new restriction involves the carrier\u2019s Atmos Rewards loyalty program. For trips booked after June 11 and operating on or after\u00a0Aug. 1, \u201cthese fares are not eligible to earn Atmos Rewards points or status points,\u201d the company said\u00a0on its website<\/a>. \u201cHowever, 100% of miles flown on Alaska or Hawaiian will count as lifetime flown miles toward achievement of Million Miler.\u201d Earlier bookings and flights on Saver fares will continue to earn 30% of the points flown. Alaska \u201cnow joins American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines in adding new restrictions to basic economy tickets, which have gotten increasingly restrictive and punishing in the past few years,\u201d the Points Guy commented<\/a>. It also noticed\u00a0a revision in the fee charged to Atmos Rewards members who want to book award travel on a partner airline. Starting July 1, that nonrefundable fee will jump from $12.50 to $20 each way. \u00a0<\/p>\n Delta said this week it has added a few new benefits for holders of Delta\/American Express credit cards,\u00a0with no increase in annual fees. Effective immediately, a free second checked bag on Delta-operated domestic flights<\/a> will be offered to holders of Basic Delta SkyMiles Gold, Platinum and Reserve consumer and business cards. \u201cNearly two-thirds (63%) of travelers say they spend more time deciding what to pack than planning their actual trip and 41% of small business travelers say they would pack more outfit options if they had a second free checked bag,\u201d Delta said, citing a May 2026 consumer poll. In addition to the extra free bag, enrolled SkyMiles Gold and Gold Business cardholders will gain access to the program\u2019s $120 annual ride-hailing credit when they renew their cards, \u201cunlocking up to $10 in monthly statement credits on eligible U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers,\u201d Delta said. Meanwhile, the companion certificates that Delta offers to SkyMiles Platinum and SkyMiles Reserve customers can now be redeemed toward the eligible flight portion of a Delta Vacations package, the airline said.<\/p>\n A few major U.S. airports have been adding luxurious separate passenger terminals for flyers willing to pay a price for VIP treatment, and View From the Wing\u2019s Gary\u00a0Leff reported<\/a> that San Francisco International could be next. He said SFO\u2019s Airport Commission has posted a public notice requesting proposals for a \u201cprivate terminal ground lease<\/a>\u201d and has scheduled an informational conference for June 18, with proposals to be submitted from Sept. 30 through Oct. 7. He said the airport\u2019s notice specifies that to be eligible, a vendor must have a minimum of two years\u2019 experience managing a private terminal that includes screening by the Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection, with gross sales of $15 million or more a year. Leff said that restriction would apparently limit the opportunity at SFO to one company: PS, which currently operates private terminals at Los Angeles International and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airports, and has new locations coming this month at Dallas\/Fort Worth and Miami.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Stay informed, and entertained.<\/p>\n By signing up, you agree to our Terms Of Use<\/a> and acknowledge that your information will be used as described in our Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cPS is a private terminal for people flying commercial flights, designed to replicate much of the private aviation ground experience,\u201d Leff notes. \u201cThe terminal is away from the main passenger terminal, with dedicated line-free TSA screening, customs\/immigration processing on eligible international arrivals, luggage handling, and airside transportation directly to or from the aircraft.\u201d Sounds great, but it\u2019ll cost you. According to the PS website<\/a>, individuals who don\u2019t have an annual membership will pay $1,295 per person for a single use of the terminal. The rate drops to $995 for those with a \u201cSalon Membership\u201d ($1,250 a year) or $895 with an \u201cAll-Access Membership\u201d ($4,850 a year).<\/p>\n In other airport news, Delta Air Lines reportedly plans to open a second Delta One lounge at Los Angeles International, though details are scarce. Unlike its paid-membership Sky Clubs, the airline\u2019s Delta One lounges are intended only for customers with a same-day flight in the Delta One front cabin or in first or business class on select international partner carriers. The airline currently has Delta One lounges at New York\u00a0JFK, Boston Logan and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, as well as one in LAX\u2019s Terminal 3. The new LAX lounge will be in Terminal 2, which is connected post-security to Terminal 3. One Mile at a Time said the lounge will open in an \u201cinitial phase<\/a>\u201d this summer, to be followed later by a newer, better version. \u201cIt sounds like the initial facility will be more of a makeshift setup, while the real purpose-built Delta One Lounge concept will open in 2028,\u201d One Mile at a Time reported. \u201cDetails remain very limited as of now, though it sounds like there will be transportation directly to the lounge from Delta One check-in and the exclusive security line. Terminal 2 is getting a larger redevelopment, and this is the first stage of that, as more work to the entire terminal space is expected to take place in 2028 and beyond.\u201d Delta\u2019s development plans for its Sky Club airport lounges also include adding a second location in LAX\u2019s Terminal 2 in 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hawaiian Airlines and Japan Airlines airplanes prepare for takeoff at Honolulu International Airport in Honolulu on June 26…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":349604,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[101,103,102,104,106,105,925,108324,1228],"class_list":["post-349603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news","tag-sfgfreelance","tag-sfgroutes","tag-sfgtravel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=349603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/349603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=349603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=349603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=349603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
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