Greetings from Houston! The ATX crew took an unexpected trip to Southeast Texas to visit some friends today. Thankfully, we drove instead of flying as the government shutdown and subsequent ATC issues continue to wreak havoc on air travel.
Unfortunately, the news cycle was dominated this week by the crash of a UPS Airlines MD-11 as it attempted to depart Louisville Muhammed Ali International Airport in Kentucky. That, and the other top stories, in the ATX Jetsetter weekly recap for the week ended November 8, 2025.
14 Dead and More Missing After UPS Airlines Crash in Louisville
The death toll has risen to at least 14 people with more considered missing after a UPS plane crashed on takeoff from Louisville Muhammed Ali International Airport (SDF). The incident occurred at approximately 5:25p local time on Tuesday November 4, 2025 when UPS Flight 2976, operating a regularly scheduled cargo flight from Louisville to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu, crashed shortly after takeoff.
In the days since, UPS and Fed Ex have grounded their fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft with Boeing going as far as to recommend that all operators ground the jets until further details emerge.
Airlines Forced to Cancel Flights due to Air Traffic Controller Shortage
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is requiring airlines to reduce flights by 10% at 40 high traffic airports. This will have a cascading effect across the country as up to 1,800 flights per day are expected to be impacted. I’d recommend looking at alternate travel options until this staffing shortage is resolved.
Air Astana Makes a Massive Boeing 787 Dreamliner Order
Air Astana has placed an order for up to 15 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, marking its largest aircraft order ever. The flag carrier of Kazakhstan plans to use the new aircraft to expand its route network across Asia, Europe, and North America.
Delta Adds Three New Routes From Austin
Delta is continuing its expansion push in Austin with the launch of three new leisure routes. The Saturday only flights are expected to launch in June 2026 and will utilize Embraer E175 aircraft operated by SkyWest. With these additions, Delta will serve more than 30 destinations from the Central Texas Airport in 2026.
Flying Blue Reveals November Promo Awards
Flying Blue, the loyalty program for Air France and KLM, has released the promo rewards for November 2025. These rewards are for tickets booked this month for travel through April 30, 2026. For the first time in months, we’re seeing a decent amount of Business Class availability to a number of destinations.
Summary
For the second time in 2025, the top story of the week involves a fatal crash of a commercial aircraft on U.S. soil. My thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and coworkers of the deceased. While the investigation is still ongoing, I’m sure we will learn from this incident and make air travel safer for everyone as a result. As always, thank you for checking out the weekly recap for the week ended November 8, 2025!