Travel Review 2025:










I continue to travel a bit less, which will unfortunately be the trend. The airline world has changed and many cutbacks post-Covid have gotten worst. I focused on seeking lesser known airlines in the rest of the world and I was so happy to fly the milk run in Norway. I finally flew the high density 737-8 variant and have little desire to return. Just need to cross that aircraft type off my list. Fiji Airways is a pleasant surprise and AeroItalia is a major disappointment. In terms of inaugural flights, I flew Alaska (well Hawaiian)’s inaugural flights to Tokyo and from Seoul Incheon to Seattle. It was underwhelming and therefore I decide to skip Alaska’s European inaugural flights in 2026 given Alaska is simply not ready especially in the premium cabin. All the promises were not kept so I will save my money for more interesting inaugural.

With less incentives and more cutbacks on airlines’ reward program, I think my amount of travel will continue to reduce, as airlines’ reward programs are simply not rewarding. Upgrades on US domestic flights are nearly impossible. I maintain my Alaska’s Titanium, but just not sure if I will maintain it, as it is harder to redeem tickets on their partner airlines. With my American Airlines Million Miller status as a Platinum Pro, I will hang on to Oneworld Emerald in the near future. I may just put my miles back on American next year. For Star Alliance, I got my status through KrisFlyer and will maintain through April 2027. I want to seek out other cheaper option just to hang on to the Star Alliance Gold status.

From an AvGeek perspective, I will finally do a proper trip to Indonesia in a few weeks and will get to fly a few interesting airlines. My only inaugural flight booked so far is the Starlux’s inaugural flight to Phoenix, Arizona.

I wish everyone a great New Year and let all stay safe and strong in 2026, despite a truly crazy world that we are living in now.

Carfield

New Airlines:
1. Fiji Airways
2. EasyJet Europe
3. Aeroitalia Airlines
4. Lufthansa City Airline
5. Malta Air

New Airports:
1. Nadi International Airport
2. Launceston Regional Airport
3. Everett Paine Field International Airport
4. Traverse City Cherry Capital Airport
5. Alta Airport
6. Berlevåg Airport
7. Vadsø Airport
8. Vardø Airport
9. Kirkenes International Airport
10. Tromsø International Airport
11. Kobe International Airport
12. Palermo Falcone Borsellino International Airport
13. Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández International Airport
14. Marseille Provence International Airport
15. Kinmen Shangyi Municipal Airport

New aircraft type:
1. Boeing 737-8-200 MAX

Inaugural Flights:
1. EVA Air Hello Kitty Pinky Jet’s Inaugural Kaohsiung to Hong Kong flight on January 22, 2025
2. Alaska Airlines X Hawaiian Airlines’ Inaugural Seattle to Tokyo Narita flight on May 12, 2025
3. Porter Airlines’ Inaugural Halifax Stanfield to John C Munro Hamilton on June 3, 2025
4. Porter Airlines’ Inaugural John C Munro Hamilton to Vancouver on June 3, 2025
5. Porter Airlines’ Inaugural Vancouver to John C Munro Hamilton on June 3, 2025
6. Porter Airlines’ Inaugural John C Munro Hamilton to Halifax Stanfield on June 3, 2025
7. JetBlue’s Inaugural Boston to Traverse City Cherry Capital on June 5, 2025
8. Cathay Pacific’s Inaugural Munich to Hong Kong on June 16, 2025
9. Cathay Pacific’s Resumption Hong Kong to Brussels on August 3, 2025 (no event)
10. Alaska Airlines X Hawaiian Airlines’ Inaugural Seoul Incheon to Seattle on September 13, 2025