Airports are readying for major disruptions in Texas, Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast before anticipated wintry blast.

According to Sharon Petersen, the CEO of AirlineRatings.com, while Air New Zealand came in first place for the world’s safest full-service airline, it was a pretty close race. There was only a 1.5-point difference between that airline and Qantas, which both “uphold the highest safety standards and pilot training,” as noted by Petersen.

The lawsuit alleges Southwest illegally operated chronically delayed flights and disrupted passengers' travel plans.

Southwest Airlines and Icelandair signed a strategic agreement on January 15 to allow travelers to connect between the two airlines’ networks, with sales and travel through Baltimore (BWI) beginning in February. The partnership will also provide connections to Iceland from Nashville (BNA) and Denver (DEN) later this year.

Airlines have taken full advantage of the relaxed policies regarding the deployment of narrowbody aircraft on flights to Hawaii. Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines heavily utilize the Boeing 737 on various Hawaiian routes, while carriers like American Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines deploy the Airbus A321neo.

Airlines have issued waivers allowing travelers to change their flights to, from and through Atlanta early this week.

Southwest Airlines is hitting pause on corporate hiring, promotions and summer internships to cut costs after months of pressure from an activist investor.

Air New Zealand, which flies one of the longest regularly scheduled routes on the entire planet, took the top award, handed out by AirlineRatings.com. The Kiwi carrier serves Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city, from New York’s JFK Airport — a distance of 8,828 miles. The trip takes 16 hours and 15 minutes.

Southwest Airlines says it's not filling some jobs and summer internships this year as the company looks to lower costs.

Southwest said that it will continue to evaluate its hiring needs on an ongoing basis to determine when it makes the most sense to restart hiring.

The season's latest winter storm could wreak havoc on air travel in the Northeast this weekend. Meanwhile, parts of Texas and the Gulf Coast are eyeing another potential winter storm.