Southwest Tinkers With Seating

Meanwhile, airline grounds 79 planes, cancels hundreds of flights

(NEWSER) - Fatigue cracking has been found along the entire 5-foot section of a Southwest Airlines jet that ripped open on Friday, forcing an emergency landing in Arizona. The NTSB says that mechanics will cut a 9-foot by 3-foot section of the plane and send it to Washington, DC, for testing. Southwest has responded by grounding at least 79 planes, reports the AP; at least 300 flights were canceled yesterday. More»

Continental, Alaska, JetBlue and Southwest earn top marks

(NEWSER) - After three straight years of losing altitude, airline customer satisfaction ratings are on the rise, according to a study released today by JD Power and Associates. Overall satisfaction with North American carriers rose 15 points on a 1,000-point scale, the Chicago Tribune reports, with 10 of 12 airlines improving their scores. Alaska and Continental airlines were the top-rated major carriers, with JetBlue and Southwest taking home the low-cost honors. More»

Airline with no assigned seats starts charging for first dibs

(NEWSER) - Southwest Airlines doesn’t assign seats, but now it will start charging for the privilege of finding the best one, the Dallas Morning News reports. For an extra $10, the new “EarlyBird Check-in” allows passengers to board first, or at least right after the Business Select and Rapid Rewards A-List customers. 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»

Discount carriers forced to dump discounts or go bust

(NEWSER) - Rock-bottom airfares are going the way of the zeppelin as fuel prices continue their climb into the stratosphere, the New York Times reports. Some budget carriers have gone bust. Others have hiked fares and begun to woo more business travelers, blurring the line between big carriers and discount operations. Southwest and JetBlue have ditched their caps on fares, with JetBlue doubling its one-way cross-country fare to as much as $599. More»