Update #27: Lufthansa 787 Allegris update, Finnair to Melbourne, JAL’s A350 IROPS, temporary lounges and air travel in 1977

May 2026 hopes for Lufthansa 787 Allegris business, why Finnair is flying to Australia, what JAL’s A350 prang means for the industry, trends around temporary lounges, and a fantastic throwback 1977 video

By John Walton 10 min read
Interior, airport lounge, windowless area with temporary walls and industrial ceiling, muddy green and burgundy colouring.

Welcome back to The Up Front Update, as many of us are sliding into the end-of-year festive season — winter or summer, don’t think we don’t see you in the southern hemisphere — and season’s greetings to you and yours.

Before you head off, or with your first cup of coffee if you’re on vacation, don’t forget our first annual Christmas Quiz, a fiendish set of “name that seat” questions that already have experts scratching their heads. 

Make sure you enter by 0001 on 29 December to be eligible for our fabulous prizes (including a full year of our top Business subscription) and bragging rights on our top ten leaderboard.

The Update this week is one full of contexts, making connections between shared problems and looking at the implications for the industry, so we’ll dive right in…