Planes line up on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport on November 10, 2025 in New York City.Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesFrom Spirit Airlines’ fight for survival to American Airlines’ planned glow-up, from new international routes and brand-new airport lounges to stingier frequent flyer policies, class divides in the sky will intensify in 2026.Airlines went into 2025 upbeat: Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian forecast a record year for the century-old carrier. But concerns about President Donald Trump’s trade war, skittish consumers and an oversupply of domestic seats brought U.S. airfare down and weighed on industry profits.”It’s the airline version of the K-shaped economy. Monetize the top of the K and minimize the shortfall at the bottom,” said Robert Mann, who has worked at several airlines and is president of aviation consulting firm R.W. Mann & Co. Now, the leaders of the country’s biggest airlines are putting even more focus on customers who will pay extra for their tickets in exchange for a little more space or other perks like earlier boarding and access to never-sufficient overhead bin space.The view into American Airlines first-class cabin on a Boeing 737.Leslie Josephs/CNBCThey still face continued problems, like a shortage of air traffic controllers and aging infrastructure. Despite billions of additional federal spending to fix some of the problems, major improvements will take years.Mann said airlines need to do more to improve reliability. U.S. carriers had a 77% on-time rate, according to the Department of Transportation, which defines on-time as arrival within 15 minutes of the schedule.”When the flight is late or canceled, it doesn’t matter if you’re at the top of the K or the bottom of the K,” he said.Here’s how the next year is shaping up for the airline industry:Winners take (almost) allThrough the first nine months of the year, Delta and United Airlines accounted for nearly all of U.S. airline profits. [embedded content]It’s an industry divide that’s been brewing for years, further fueled by a surge in costs and shifting consumer tastes as wealthier travelers have increased their share of overall spending.While the economy has been resilient for the most part, any weakening in 2026 could have an outsize effect on more price-sensitive consumers and, therefore, airlines that are more exposed to coach-class domestic travel, like lower-cost carriers.Those airlines have been making moves of their own. JetBlue Airways, for example, has been shifting its focus to more profitable routes and premium seats. It plans to debut a domestic business class in mid-2026 with seats up at the front of the cabin that are roomier but not quite as elaborate as its top-tier lie-flat Mint suites. Stable faresAirfare will likely remain steady next year over 2025, according to an American Express Global Business Travel forecast in mid-November. Demand has rebounded after dropping during a record-long government shutdown, but it’s not clear whether 2026 will be a blockbuster.Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan told CNBC in December that the “first quarter looks strong” but that “it’s hard to say,” whether it will be better than a year ago.Read more CNBC airline newsAmerican Airlines no longer lets basic economy flyers earn milesArchitect of Delta’s premium strategy to retire in FebruaryFrontier Airlines replaces longtime CEO Barry Biffle with carrier’s presidentSouthwest CEO says airline ‘actively pursuing’ network of airport loungesWhither SpiritS …
