Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

U.S. Air Force airmen operated a semiautonomous jet-powered combat drone in a series of sorties recently, boosting the service’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft program.The force’s Experimental Operations Unit conducted hands-on testing with Anduril’s YFQ-44A aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, California, in an effort to utilize “principles of the new Warfighting Acquisition System,” according to a Thursday Air Force release.Previously, the concept employed by the force was fully human-piloted drones, and now, “there is no operator with a stick and throttle flying the aircraft behind the scenes,” Jason Levin, Anduril’s senior vice president of engineering for air dominance and strike, said…

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has capped daily operations at Chicago O’Hare Airport at 2,708 flights from May 17 through October 24, 2026, after concluding the airport could not handle the summer schedules airlines had filed. The cap cuts more than 300 flights a day from peak summer plans of more than 3,080 daily arrivals and departures. The FAA took the step to head off another summer of anticipated delays and as rival carriers United Airlines and American Airlines jostle for access at one of the US’s busiest airports. United and American have both been adding service as they compete…

I’m a pretty pro-union guy, but I have a hard time supporting the union on this one, at least based on my understanding of the situation (thanks to PYOK for flagging this). American crews demand more pay for Heathrow catering mess For several weeks now, American has had a bit of a catering problem for flights departing London Heathrow (LHR). For years, American had partnered with dnata on catering out of the airport, but American abruptly cut ties with the catering company, which is owned by the Emirates Group. It would appear that there might have been some health safety…

Boeing is hiring factory workers in the Pacific Northwest as it adds staff for a fourth 737 MAX production line as part of the company’s push to raise output while replacing retirees and supporting other programs. Reuters reported that Boeing has been adding about 100 to 140 factory workers each week, with union officials saying the hiring includes workers for the new 737 MAX North Line in Everett, Washington, as well as logistics, tooling, transportation and storage. The North Line will mark the first time Boeing has built 737s in Everett rather than exclusively in Renton, Washington. Boeing plans to…

Azerbaijan and Russia have reached a formal settlement over the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Embraer E190 that crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25, 2024, killing 38 of the 67 people on board. The agreement includes compensation payments and formally attributes the crash to the unintended firing of a Russian air defense system.  The foreign ministries of both countries announced the deal in a joint statement on April 15, 2026, declaring that the settlement had been reached in accordance with agreements made between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Dushanbe on October 9, 2025.  The statement confirmed that the crash…

Australia has chosen to retire its fleet of 10 Leonardo C-27J Spartan tactical transport aircraft and replace them with commercial airframes, the country’s 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS) confirmed on April 16, 2026. The decision pulls the Italian-built airlifter out of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) service barely a decade after its introduction.  The NDS document states that the Spartan fleet will give way to “a commercial aircraft fleet to support personnel and logistics transport across the Pacific”. No firm retirement date or replacement type has yet been announced.  The C-27J retirement is one of nine priorities laid out for the RAAF under the new strategy, which frames the air force’s future…

Strawberry (formerly known as Nordic Choice Hotels) has brought back its “hotel pass” concept for the summer of 2026, as flagged by Frequent Flyer Bonuses. While this is definitely a niche offer, there’s value to be had for the right kind of traveler. Unfortunately like so many of these kinds of programs, the value proposition seems to get slightly worse each year… Strawberry selling five night hotel passes at a discount Strawberry (which has a large number of properties in Scandinavia and the Baltics) is offering a promotion whereby you can book stay packages at a discount: You can buy…

On April 16, 2026, LATAM Airlines confirmed the final configuration of its future Airbus A321XLR fleet.   The aircraft, which the Latin American carrier is set to start receiving from 2027, will seat 170 passengers in a two-class cabin encompassing Premium Business and Economy.   The Premium Business cabin will be fitted with Thompson Aero Seating VantageSOLO full-flat seats on a 1-1 layout, offering direct aisle and window access to all passengers – a first for a single-aisle aircraft in Latin American.  In turn, Economy Class will be fitted with Recaro R3 seats, laid out in a typical 3-3 configuration.  The new…

U.S. officials have informed some European counterparts that some previously contracted weapons deliveries are likely to be delayed as the Iran war continues to draw on weapons stocks, five sources familiar with the matter said.The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the communications were not public, said several European countries will be affected, including in the Baltic region and in Scandinavia.Some of the weapons in question were purchased by European countries under the Foreign Military Sales program, or FMS, but have not yet been delivered, the sources added. Those deliveries will likely be delayed, U.S. officials told European…

The Amex Offers program frequently has promotions for hotel stays, which can save you money or earn you bonus points for stays you’d make anyway. Amex has just rolled out its latest targeted hotel offer, which could be worth it for a stay at a boutique luxury property. I’d consider this to be especially lucrative, given the opportunity to earn bonus Membership Rewards points, rather than bonus cash back. Spend $700+ with LHW, earn 15K bonus pointsThere’s a targeted Amex Offers deal for stays at Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) properties:Earn 15,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you spend…