Aviation Daily Digest — May 23, 2026

# Aviation Daily Digest — May 23, 2026

Your daily 60-second briefing for pilots, drone operators and aviation pros — auto-aggregated from the industry's top sources.

Top stories

• [6 Commercial Aircraft That Made Headlines For All The Wrong Reasons](https://simpleflying.com/6-commercial-aircraft-headlines-wrong-reasons/) — Simple Flying. A few aircraft that ran into trouble at some point.
• [Why Southwest Airlines' New Assigned Seating System Created Problems It Didn't Anticipate](https://simpleflying.com/southwest-new-assigned-seating-system-create-problems-didnt-anticipate/) — Simple Flying. The airline recently changed its long-standing boarding process.
• [What Pilots Actually Do During A 14-Hour Flight When The Autopilot Is Handling Everything](https://simpleflying.com/what-pilots-actually-do-14-hour-flight-autopilot-handleing-everything/) — Simple Flying. Modern airliners are incredibly automated, but pilots remain fully responsible for every decision during a flight. What do they actually do?
• [F-18 Fighter Jets Destroyed After Colliding Mid-Air Cost Nearly $70 Million Each, Navy Says](https://simpleflying.com/f-18-fighter-jets-destroyed-colliding-mid-air-cost-nearly-70-million-each-navy/) — Simple Flying. The $130 million loss of two EA-18G Growler aircraft in a mid-air collision highlights the financial and operational risks of military air shows.
• [Why Southwest Airlines Is Moving Away From Point-To-Point Flying](https://simpleflying.com/southwest-airlines-moving-away-point-to-point-why/) — Simple Flying. With this change to 'high-density stations,' Dallas-based Southwest Airlines will aim to offer more flights to more destinations.
• [Falcon Field Landing Fees Draw FAA Complaint, Federal Lawsuit](https://avweb.com/aviation-news/falcon-field-landing-fees-faa-complaint/) — AVweb. Flight schools are asking the FAA and a federal court to halt Mesa’s landing fee program.
• [Here's Why The Boeing 777X May Be Too Big For This European Airline](https://simpleflying.com/why-boeing-777x-too-big-european-airline/) — Simple Flying. Boeing's new flagship is set to enter service very soon, with Scandinavian Airlines taking a serious interest in the type. Is this the wrong move?
• [5 Airlines With The World's Most Superior Premium Economy Seats For Transatlantic Flights](https://simpleflying.com/5-airlines-worlds-superior-premium-economy-seats-transatlantic-flights/) — Simple Flying. Often, a good premium economy experience boils down to more about the service and catering than the seat itself.
• [A Flight Tracker For AvGeeks: Live Alerts, Military Aircraft, NOTAMs & More](https://simpleflying.com/simple-flying-new-flight-tracker/) — Simple Flying. Get ready for Simple Flying's latest feature!
• [Up To 70 Daily Flights: American Airlines Puts Pressure On Delta With 4 New European Routes](https://simpleflying.com/70-daily-flights-american-airlines-pressure-delta-4-new-european-routes/) — Simple Flying. The airline is heating up its transatlantic competition with its legacy rival.

Pilot community highlights

_The community is quiet today._

What pilots are talking about (X / Twitter)

_No fresh aviation Twitter activity captured._

Jobs of the day

_No new postings today — see all open roles on [our jobs board](/jobs)._

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