Aloha Airlines Shuts Down

Hong Kong airline becomes 4th carrier to go bust this month

(NEWSER) - Thousands of passengers have been stranded in Hong Kong, London, and Vancouver with the collapse of Asian budget airline Oasis, the New York Times reports. In a sign that the industry's woes are spreading rapidly, the Hong Kong-based airline joins three US budget carriers to have gone under this month in the face of soaring fuel prices and economic jitters. More»

Low-cost Ohio carrier with $10 fares is airline industry's third casualty in a week

(NEWSER) - Anybody who wondered how Skybus could make money with its famous $10 airfares can stop: they didn't. The Ohio-based airline has become the latest US carrier to go bankrupt in the face of soaring fuel costs and a sluggish economy, the Columbus Dispatch reports. It made its last flight yesterday and passengers boarding planes were warned their return tickets had suddenly become one-way. More»

(NEWSER) - United Airlines’ dismal service and financial stature may soon send it to Chapter 11, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a “teachable moment,” Shaun Rein writes in Forbes. Herewith, three lessons:

• Loyal customers return: "Consumers are more price sensitive in this economy, and they are trading down, but it's still a great time to capture loyalty," Rein writes. "People don't want to waste money on brands that fail to meet their expectations."

Analyst predicts carriers could be back in the black next year

(NEWSER) - Airline shares rose yesterday following an analyst's prediction that the big carriers could be back in the black by next year, reports the Wall Street Journal. The stocks have been recovering since mid-July as oil prices started to slip downward and the industry's cost-cutting and revenue-boosting measures began to take effect. More»

Carrier is the latest to scale back operations citing fuel costs

(NEWSER) - Continental Airlines today became the latest US carrier to slash its workforce and trim flights in the face of profit-busting fuel costs and an industry-wide slowdown, the Wall Street Journal reports today. The airline will cut its workforce by 3,000 jobs, scale back US departures by 16%, and aggressively trim its fleet of fuel-guzzling 737s. United and American also recently announced cutbacks. More»