Greetings from Houston Austin! We were supposed to be visiting some of Mrs. ATX’s friends over in The Woodlands this weekend but, unfortunately, ATX Jr. got sick and we had to cancel the trip last minute.
We aren’t the only ones who aren’t traveling this week as Air Canada shut down operations in advance of a possible strike by its flight attendant union. That story and more in the ATX Jetsetter Weekly Recap for the week ended August 16, 2025.
Southwest Airlines Will Start Flying to Knoxville
Southwest Airlines has just announced its newest destination. The Dallas based carrier will begin flying from Knoxville’s McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) beginning March 5, 2026 to four destinations.
Air Canada Ceases Operations in Advance of Strike
Air Canada is preparing for a strike by its flight attendant union by winding down operations for Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge. All flights have ceased operations as of August 16, 2025. Air Canada Express flights operated by Jazz and PAL Airlines are not affected and will continue to operate.
Google Flights Adds a Basic Economy Filter
Google Flights has added functionality allowing users to choose between showing or hiding Basic Economy tickets when booking Economy flights. The company began trialing this feature earlier in the year and it appears that it has finally been released to the masses.
Spirit Airlines CEO Downplays Financial Woes
A day after Spirit reported its 2Q financials which stated there is “substantial doubt” regarding its ability to continue operations, its CEO sent a memo to employees downplaying the company’s financial woes. While more changes have been promised, it remains to be seen how the airline expects to return to profitability.
Chase and Emirates Are Ending Points Transfers
As of October 16, 2025, Chase cardholders will no longer be able to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to Emirates Skywards. This change comes as Emirates has been devaluing the transfer ratio for cardholders and tightening some redemptions for Skywards members.
Review: Fairfield New Orleans Downtown
This property was one of the nicer Fairfield Inn & Suites I’ve stayed in in recent years. I visit New Orleans quite often and have stayed at a variety of hotels in the city. For a quick stay, this hotel has a great location and is walking distance from the Caesars Superdome, Bourbon Street, and other locations in the Central Business District and French Quarter.
Summary
This was a chaotic week with news regarding Spirit’s financial struggles, Southwest expanding its route map, and a bitter battle between Air Canada and its flight attendants. While I couldn’t include everything in this recap, we’ll keep bringing you the top stories each week at ATXJetsetter.com. As always, thank you for checking out the weekly recap for the week ended August 16, 2025!