The theme of this week was routes, routes and more routes. New services launched, some airlines announced larger plans, and there were some interesting developments in an airport lounge and at the U.S. border. There's something for everybody who loves flying, points collecting or simply following along with the movements of an airline map.

A summary of the key facts

Nevertheless, JetBlue has scored the coveted LaGuardia Slots with a catch.

LaGuardia (LGA) is one of the most regulated airports in the country and take off and landing slots are scarce. The Federal Aviation Administration has auctioned off all 22 of the former Spirit's slots over the summer and now they've all been sold to JetBlue.

That's a huge positive, but it's not a green light for JetBlue to start adding flights immediately. The airline has not yet a sufficient number of gates to store the planes to be used in the additional flights. Without a place to hang an aircraft, a slot is of no use and at an airport such as LaGuardia, slots are as uncommon as they come.

To help, the FAA has permitted JetBlue to go against the 80% use-it-or-lose-it rule. An airline is required to book its slots for 80% of the time or the slot may be lost. With the exemption, JetBlue will have more time to secure gates, which will not be lost while the airline works out its issues. Patience will be required if you are looking for more JetBlue in New York.

Alaska Airlines is seeking to Expand its Presence in the Asia Region

ICN (Seoul Incheon) and NRT (Tokyo Narita) were just the first destinations in Alaska Airlines' Asian route network. The Seattle-based carrier aims to make the best of its Pacific Northwest advantage, and it said this week it foreshadowed additional destinations in Asia-Pacific before the year's end.

But for the moment, it doesn't appear to concern Alaska to be competing on routes that other airlines have already been running. It may turn out to be good news for travellers because increased competition should bring down fares and greater options to them. It also hints at popular tourist destinations such as Taipei (TPE), Taiwan, and its fast-growing popularity as a tourist destination could be included.

This should be watched by all people that accumulate miles. A larger network, spanning the Pacific, would open up new options for point usage for extended travel, particularly from the West Coast of Alaska.

American Drops the One Item Rule in Charlotte

A little positive news for lounge aficionados. The Provisions at Charlotte Douglas (CLT) NC's Admirals Club has announced that all of its guests may take whatever they want once again. Last year the lounge opened, but for a time, staff had a one item per guest policy.

View From the Wing states that this has now been eliminated. Even better, staff members seem to be actively offering snacks and drinks to passengers instead of putting limits in place. It's a gentler way and one that will make the space look more like a lounge than a vending machine.

New International Routes

This week several airlines introduced or announced new international service, with a few of these being the only nonstop on their routes.

• New Delta: daily service to San Jose (SJC) from Austin (AUS) began on October 6.
• Breeze: Tampa (TPA) to San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO) began October 3.
• Bermudair: 3 daily flights October 26 from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Belize City (BZE) and Providenciales (PLS).
• Bermuda: Central Florida to Bermuda (BDA) is from Orlando (MCO) to Orlando Sanford (SFB) on October 31.
• Icelandair (AF): St. Louis (STL) to Reykjavik (KEF): 3 times weekly May 14 - October 24, 2027.

Austin is part of the bigger plans Delta has in a plan to grow at the Texas airport, and it provides a service to those who don't travel on Southwest, the only other airline that runs between the two cities. Breeze's flight from Tampa to the capital city of Costa Rica is the first direct route from Tampa to Central America, and is part of Breeze's expanding international network.

The only other direct flights between the two are Bermudaire routes from Fort Lauderdale. Those who travel to Bermuda from Central Florida should be aware of which airport they will use after October 31st, as there may be a significant cost difference between MCO and Sanford.

The big winner this week is St. Louis. It becomes Icelandair’s 16th U.S. destination and gets its only nonstop service to Iceland. If that's not enough, Icelandair's list of departing and arriving flights at Reykjavik offers a lot of onward options for flights to cities around Europe for travelers from St. Louis.

Domestic Route Updates

There were also some minor updates in the local area. Here are the most essential ones that you should know.

• American resumed flights to Seattle from American's New York JFK on April 6, 2027 with 2 daily flights.
• American launches a weekly service to JFK from LGA, increasing to up to four times daily, seasonally from Bozeman (BZE).
• After a five-year hiatus, United will resume service to Flagstaff (FLG). Arizona, two times daily from Denver (DEN) on August 10, 2027.

The Flagstaff addition is patterned after Delta, and travelers to northern Arizona will have more options. The Bozeman change is a good example of how airlines rearrange flights between airports to construct better schedules, and anyone traveling to Montana should make sure to check which New York airport they are using.

U.S. Passport Stamps Are Slowly Being Phased Out

Many travellers see the passport stamp as a memento of each of their travels. The once-tight stamp is becoming a thing of the past in the U.S. If you're an international visitor arriving in the country, it might be unusual to not see the stamp at immigration. The details of which airports are first to be affected have not been announced yet, but the stamping process will be phased out of the country with the exception of some special cases.

It's a cost-saving measure, U.S. Customs and Border Protection says. The days of traditional paper records for passports are over as much of the functionality is now replaced by biometrics and automated records.

But for stamp collectors, there is still a solution! You can ask for your passport to be stamped, although whether the border control agent agrees is up to the individual officer. Although it might be polite, it is not to be expected.

The Bottom Line

Another busy week in airline news with most of the headlines related to route changes. There are many new options to consider, from new slots at the LaGuardia terminal at JetBlue, to Alaska's Asia expansion, to new nonstop services flying to Costa Rica, Iceland and Belize. The changes in the travel experience, such as the lounge rule change in Charlotte or the disappearing passport stamp, have been seen even in the smaller stories.