Budget Carrier Vows New York-London for $13

Low-cost Virgin America is billionaire Branson's domestic US entry

(NEWSER) - Highlighting the difficulties of the US domestic market, inclement weather delayed today's first flight of Virgin America, the airline backed by impish British billionaire Richard Branson. The airline, which aims to provide first-class amenities at budget-friendly fares, operates from its San Francisco hub to Los Angeles and New York's JFK airport, where rain dampened Branson's parade. More»

Several major airlines lay groundwork for in-flight service next year

(NEWSER) - Several major airlines plan to roll out in-flight Internet service next year, USA Today reports. Carriers have been promising in-flight surfing for years, and now American, Lufthansa, Qantas, and Southwest are working with tech companies to deliver the midair surfing. The travel slump following 9/11 delayed the introduction of the service, which may not be widely available until 2009. More»

(NEWSER) - This could set off an interesting price war: JetBlue today began selling a $599 pass for all the flights you can handle between Sept. 8 and Oct. 8, reports Bloomberg. The idea is to try to keep their planes full once the peak summer season winds down. The offer's good for all 56 cities served by the airline, which has seen a 4.6% dropoff in traffic of late. More»

Docs blast 'nonsense' plan to keep ill off airplanes

(NEWSER) - British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will refuse to check in passengers with symptoms of swine flu unless they have doctors' notes saying they're healthy, reports the Times of London. Passengers with runny noses, headaches, or sore throats will be told not to board their flights. The new policy has outraged the British Medical Association, which calls the plans unworkable and "absolute nonsense." More»

Skies unfriendlier than ever

(NEWSER) - Airline passengers on domestic flights are unhappier than they've been in years, with consumer complaints up 60%, according to the annual Airline Quality Rating survey. Long delays, cancellations, overbooking, late arrivals, and lost baggage accounted for most of the complaints, which haven't been this bad since 2000, reports the AP. Complaints doubled on US Airways and Comair, and increased for 15 out of 16 carriers in the study. The sole exception was Mesa Airlines. More»