Greetings from Dallas! Less than two weeks after returning from our trip to Japan, after which Mrs. ATX declared she didn’t want to travel for the rest of the year, we found ourselves back on the road to visit family and friends. It was another busy week on the travel news front with major updates from Southwest, new routes from Frontier, and a big change on American’s transcontinental service between Los Angeles and New York. All of that and more in the July 26, 2025 weekly recap!
In this post:
- Frontier Announces Major Expansion: 15 New Routes, and 3 New Airports
- Chase and Southwest Airlines Announce Changes to Rapid Rewards Cobranded Credit Cards
- American Adds Premium Economy Service on New York-Los Angeles Route
- Combined Loyalty Program for Alaska and Hawaiian Launching in August
- Southwest Unveils Details Around Assigned Seating and Boarding Groups
- Summary
Frontier Announces Major Expansion: 15 New Routes, and 3 New Airports
Frontier Airlines is launching 15 new routes this fall. The Denver based ultra-low-cost carrier is adding three new destinations to its route map as it continues to make adjustments to its schedule. All of the new routes will operate with sub-daily service, ranging from 1-4x weekly.
Chase and Southwest Airlines Announce Changes to Rapid Rewards Cobranded Credit Cards
Southwest Airlines and Chase have announced changes to its portfolio of Rapid Rewards cobranded credit cards. Benefits are changing across the entire portfolio and, with that, comes a fairly significant hike in the annual fee.
American Adds Premium Economy Service on New York-Los Angeles Route
American Airlines has announced that it will begin selling Premium Economy on the Los Angeles-New York route. The more interesting development is that this marks the beginning of the end for the Airbus A321T as it is being replaced by the Boeing 777-200. This change is temporary as American awaits delivery of its new Airbus A321XLRs.
Combined Loyalty Program for Alaska and Hawaiian Launching in August
Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are planning to unveil a new, combined, loyalty program in August. The new combined program will replace Alaska Mileage Plan and HawaiianMiles, with the final transition occurring October 1, 2025. While details are limited, I’m hopeful that the changes will be positive for members of the combined program.
Southwest Unveils Details Around Assigned Seating and Boarding Groups
Future Southwest flyers rejoice, the carrier has finally provided a date to transition to assigned seating, ending the cattle-call boarding process that the airline has used for years. The new policy goes into effect on January 27, 2026 in what I believe is a great upgrade for passengers. It should also cut down on the number of preboards as one of the major benefits of getting your preferred seat is gone.
Summary
Southwest Airlines was in the news multiple times this week as the carrier works to finalize its radical transformation over the past year. Alaska and Hawaiian are preparing to unveil a new loyalty program and American Airlines is beginning to phase out the Airbus A321T. Thank you for checking out the weekly recap for the week ended July 26, 2025!
