German giant will own 19% of ailing US airline
Wall Street Journal Dec 13, 07 4:59 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Lufthansa will purchase a 19% stake in lagging JetBlue Airways for about $300 million, a move that reflects the industry-wide consolidation underway in recent months. The sale price of $7.27 a share is a 16% premium on yesterday's closing price of $6.25. The announcement immediately bounced JetBlue shares up 13% to $7.06, the Wall Street Journal reports.
More »
Firm grappling with supply issues; will still deliver 1st in late '08
Chicago Tribune Dec 11, 07 3:25 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Boeing said today that it remains committed to delivering 109 Dreamliners by the end of 2009 despite persistent supply-chain problems, the Chicago Tribune reports. Although the aviation giant expects to eventually be able to produce one plane in 3 days, the first six—which will be used for test flights—won’t be finished until the second quarter of 2008.
More »
Houston pilot program said to add security, save paper
USA Today Dec 4, 07 2:29 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Passengers flying Continental out of Houston today will be able to use their cellphone or PDA in lieu of a boarding pass as part of a three-month pilot program, USA Today reports. After checking in, an encrypted barcode is sent to passengers’ mobile handsets, which is scanned by a TSA screener at boarding. A successful test could lead to national expansion.
More »
New company would keep United name, says AP
Associated Press Nov 14, 07 3:47 PM CST
(Newser)
-
United Airlines and Delta are in talks to merge and create the nation's largest airline, the AP reports. The new airline would keep the United name and surpass American as the nation's biggest. Delta's CEO denied that any specific talks are under way, but the company said it had formed a committee to consider all its options, including mergers, the Wall Street Journal says.
More »
Already-slow industry prepares for the worst Thanksgiving in more than a decade
Washington Post Nov 13, 07 4:08 PM CST
(Newser)
-
A 4% increase in holiday passengers will likely cause lengthy delays, the airline industry warned yesterday—bad news for those who miss connections and could wait 3 days for another flight. Though airlines have hired seasonal workers in the first staff expansion since 9/11, some 2.5 million passengers may travel next Wednesday, up from a typical 2.1 million, reports the Washington Post .
More »
Carrier guarantees priority boarding,
throws in a cocktail
MarketWatch Nov 7, 07 9:28 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Southwest unveiled today a raft of new initiatives designed to shore up revenue, including new pricing plans that benefit business travelers. The discount carrier’s new “business select” program will price seats $10-30 higher than regular fares. In exchange, Southwest, which doesn’t assign seats on its flights, will guarantee business travelers first access to the plane and a complimentary cocktail.
More »
But questions persist over company's production abilities
Bloomberg Oct 15, 07 9:19 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
After 2 years of delays, Airbus SAS delivered its first behemoth A380 to Singapore Airlines today. The world’s largest jet fell behind schedule, and development costs ballooned to $18 billion, when workers were forced to install 300 miles of wiring by hand. It should fly on Oct. 25, but investors still doubt Airbus can meet production goals for future A380s, Bloomberg says.
More »
Everyone has their travel hell story, but which airlines are the true villains?
Forbes Oct 4, 07 1:31 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Lost luggage, canceled flights and appalling delays seem to be par for the course in air travel these days. But some airlines are worse than others. Forbes provides the hit list: Atlantic Southeast Airlines Comair (a division of Delta Air Lines) American Eagle Airlines (a division of American Airlines)
More »
This summer sees five-year high in lost luggage
Washington Post Oct 1, 07 1:28 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
As if delays and cancellations weren't enough of a headache, airline customers have another nuisance to deal with: a surge in lost bags. From May to July, US airlines delayed, lost, damaged, or confiscated a record 1 million pieces of luggage, the Washington Post reports. Airlines blame the air traffic control system and bad weather, but the culprits are manifold.
More »
Air New Zealand, Virgin Air plan green commercial flights
BBC Sep 30, 07 5:45 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Kiwis are planning to launch the first green commercial flight in about a year, the BBC reports. Air New Zealand promises to fly a 747 with 1 of 4 engines running on a kerosene-biofuel blend, but Virgin Atlantic may beat them to it with a bio-flight in early 2008. "It's not particularly a race, that's not the objective," says a spokeswoman.
More »
Airline will introduce boarding queue, keep free-choice seating
MarketWatch Sep 19, 07 6:24 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Southwest Airlines will keep its trademark open-seating policy but will assign a boarding order to cut down on passengers queuing up far in advance of boarding. Southwest currently boards its airplanes in a sequence of three groups, with passengers free to pick their seat. While Southwest fans enjoy the freedom, critics that have called the procedure a "cattle call."
More »
New system won't be ready until 2025
BusinessWeek Sep 2, 07 10:24 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
With canceled flights, hours on the tarmac, overbooking and a disturbing increase in near collisions, one might be better off traveling by pony than plane, reports Business Week, and the authority responsible seems least able to fix it. As FAA chief Marion Blakey steps down, she leaves an antiquated agency mired in a struggle to get its Next Generation Air Travel System airborne.
More »
Appointment revives rumors that merger with Northwest is preparing for takeoff
Wall Street Journal Aug 22, 07 8:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Delta's choice for its new CEO—an outsider who won the job over two internal candidates—is raising questions, the Journal reports. Newly emerged from 19 months of wrangling in bankruptcy court, the airline appointed former Northwest CEO Richard Anderson yesterday, sparking speculation about a future merger with Northwest and a possible new post-Chapter 11 strategy.
More »
Passengers snap up
$10 seats but extras add up fast
Los Angeles Times Aug 20, 07 6:36 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Budget-conscious flyers have snapped up seats on Skybus Airlines from Columbus, Ohio, to 11 cities, with $10 tickets selling out on each new route hours after they go on sale. The Los Angeles Times tests the Skybus experience, where everything costs extra, from pillows to pretzels. The plane, a new Airbus A319, gets high marks, but cost-cutting applies to leg room, too, with 2 inches less per seat than on other airlines.
More »