Alaska Airlines has received approval from the US Department of Transportation to launch flights between San Diego and Ronald Reagan Washington National. The carrier notes that the DOT on 17 December approved its application as part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2024 to operate round-trip service between the airports. In addition to reauthorising and funding both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board through 30 September 2028, the Reauthorization Act signed into law on 16 May by US president Joe Biden authorised 10 new slot exemptions at Washington National. US carriers American, United, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest and Spirit have also submitted applications for the new slots. Alaska's year-round service will be operated daily. "We are pleased the DOT sees the value of Alaska providing direct service between San Diego and DCA, and we thank the many leaders, local businesses and organisations who supported our bid," states Alaska chief executive Ben Minicucci. "This new route reflects our commitment to San Diego, home of the nation's largest military community, and offers our guests a seamless travel option to our nation's capital." Alaska will be the sole carrier operating a San Diego-Washington National route, Cirium schedules data shows. Alaska currently operates routes to Seattle, Portland in Oregon, San Francisco and Los Angeles from Washington National.

Luxembourgish carrier Luxair has exercised options on two Embraer E195-E2s, bringing its total orders for the aircraft to six. Under a sale agreement originally reached last year, it retains two further options on E195-E2s which could also be switched to the E190-E2. Its first aircraft from the order are scheduled to enter service in early 2026, and deliveries from the latest deal to start in 2027. "The E195-E2 is a critical investment in Luxair's future, enabling us to balance growth with our commitment to a greener and quieter future," states the carrier's chief executive Gilles Feith. "Starting in 2026, these aircraft will mark the beginning of a new era for Luxair, bringing quieter operations, superior fuel efficiency, and unmatched passenger comfort to our customers. With a focus on a remarkably quiet interior cabin and low noise emissions, the E195-E2 aligns perfectly with our vision for a more sustainable, efficient and customer-focused regional airline." Luxair's E195-E2 will be configured with 136 seats. The carrier has 12 Boeing 737 Max jets on order and two already in service alongside 11 De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprops.

Delta Air Lines will reinstate seasonal flights from New York JFK to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on 20 December. The daily route – operating with Boeing 767-300ERs – will run through late March 2025. American Airlines also operates a daily seasonal JFK-Rio de Janeiro route, data shows. Delta is additionally increasing the frequency of Rio de Janeiro-Atlanta flights from thrice weekly to daily from 19 December until 31 March 2025. During this period, it will switch from 767-300s to Airbus A330-300s on the route.