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Started by Imperator; Last updated Feb 27, 08 6:28 AM CST by D Lim | View history

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Airline Industry

Business in the friendly skies hasn't been high-flying of late

It's been a long, hard, half-decade for much of the airline industry. Since 9/11, it has been trying to recover from the decrease in passenger travel, only to be clobbered by high fuel prices in recent years—landing several of the American ‘majors’ in bankruptcy. Some of the upstarts continued to do well, including Southwest and JetBlue in the US and Ryanair and easyJet in Europe. Yet even the new lean airlines stumble from time to time, as JetBlue learned the hard way in February 2007, when an ice storm in New York snarled operations for almost a week.

Stories

Stories 41 - 60 of 317

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July 2008
- Boeing Says Dreamliner On Track, Despite Glitches
  
  Seattle Times | Jul 15, 08 6:56 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The inaugural flight of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner jet remains on track for this fall, but mechanical glitches are making the production schedule tighter than the company would like, the Seattle Times reports. Delays, mis-drilled holes, and ill-trained workers have contributed to the thinning cushion Boeing allowed for itself to meet the fall deadline. The jet promises to save 20% on fuel while improving cargo space and passenger comfort. More »
- Airport Overnights Take Off as Hotel Vouchers Vanish
  
  New York Times | Jul 15, 08 3:05 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Stranded passengers are finding ways to settle in for the night at airport terminals as hotel vouchers become a thing of the past in the cash-strapped airline business, the New York Times reports. Frequent fliers advise terminal sleepers to bring something soft to sleep on and to stock up on food and drink before airport stores close—or spend their own cash on a hotel. More »
- Fighter Jet Dazzles Airshow
  
  Reuters | Jul 14, 08 3:05 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Aviation experts were treated to a display of the world’s most advanced fighter jet at the kickoff of the Farnborough International Airshow today in England, Reuters reports. In its first international exhibition, the Lockheed Martin F-22 “Raptor” executed a dizzying array of flips, dips, and dives as it showed off the dual engines that allow it to achieve twice the speed of sound. More »
- US Airways Jettisons Movies
  
  BusinessWeek | Jul 10, 08 3:18 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Rising oil prices may spell the end of the in-flight movie—at least on domestic flights. US Airways will become the first airline to rip out the in-flight entertainment systems from 200 jets plying domestic routes to save $10 million in fuel and other costs, reports BusinessWeek . The systems, which weigh about 500 pounds each, will be jettisoned beginning in November. Other airlines may do likewise. More »
- Pentagon to Re-Open $35B Air Force Tanker Bid
  
  Associated Press | Jul 9, 08 12:16 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Pentagon will re-open a $35 billion contract to build the Air Force's fleet of new refueling tankers and pick a new winner by the end of the year, congressional sources say. The Office of the Secretary of Defense—not the Air Force—will oversee the new competition between Boeing Co. and a team led by Northrop Grumman Corp. More »
- Could Stun Bracelets Replace Boarding Passes?
  
  Washington Times | Jul 8, 08 1:44 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A bracelet that would track airline passengers and shock them if they get out of hand might be under consideration by the Department of Homeland Security, the Washington Times reports. The Electronic ID Bracelet could someday replace boarding passes. We "are interested in … the immobilizing security bracelet, and look forward to receiving a written proposal," an official wrote to its maker. More »
- Flight Grounded Over Irate Passengers
  
  MyFox New York | Jul 8, 08 11:55 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The passengers of an American Airlines flight from Miami to New York on Sunday night probably thought the worst was over when their flight crew finally arrived at the gate an hour late. But angry passengers greeted them with boos and, according to some accounts, obscenities. The crew responded by refusing to board the plane, citing a "hostile work environment," Fox News reports. More »
- Fuel Costs Ground Extended Flights
  
  Wall Street Journal | Jul 8, 08 4:52 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Super-long flights were hailed as the future of aviation only a few years ago, but the soaring price of fuel has grounded those plans, reports the Wall Street Journal . Airlines are delaying or canceling intercontinental routes as the cost of keeping "flying tankers" in the air for over 12 hours stops making economic sense. More »
- How to Vacation on a Dime
  
  Travel Leisure | Jul 6, 08 5:19 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - With airline and entertainment prices rising, “free stuff isn’t just a bonus, it can be a vacation-saver,” writes Jeryl Brunner in Travel + Leisure , which offers 11 ways to beef up your trip on a budget. House-swapping: Cancel the hotel, and vacation in someone else’s home for free while they reside in yours. More »
- Italians Impatient With Alitalia Rescue Efforts
  
  Bloomberg | Jul 4, 08 5:33 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Fed up with government efforts to resuscitate Alitalia, many Italians think Rome needs to face reality and let the airline die, Bloomberg reports. PM Silvio Berluconi characterizes Alitalia’s survival as “a matter of national security,” but it hasn't turned a profit in nearly a decade. The latest plan for Alitalia is a restructuring scheme by Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’s second-largest bank. More »
- Historic China-Taiwan Flights Take Off
  
  BBC | Jul 4, 08 6:16 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Commercial flights between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan resumed today for the first time in 60 years, with simultaneous flights landing at the Taipei and Shanghai airports, the BBC reports. China Southern Airline's chairman described the first flight to land in Taipei as "a sacred moment." The agreement to reopen the route, weekends only, is the result of improved relations across the strait since Taiwan's new president, Ma Ying-jeou, took office in May. More »
- Continental Faces Manslaughter Charges
  
  Guardian (UK) | Jul 3, 08 12:17 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Continental Airlines will have to stand trial for manslaughter over its role in the explosive crash of an Air France jet, a French judge ruled today. Five individuals have also been charged in the 2000 accident, which saw a Concorde jet burst into flames while leaving a Paris runway, killing all 109 people aboard and four others on the ground. More »
- American to Cut 7K Jobs
  
  Dallas Morning News | Jul 3, 08 10:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - American Airlines plans to cut as many as 900 flight attendants from its ranks next month as part of nearly 7,000 expected layoffs this year, reports the Dallas Morning News. The job cuts, intended to counter rising fuel expenses, mirror an intended 8% reduction in the airline's worldwide flights. The cuts will leave American with fewer than 80,000 jobs, a low it hasn't hit since 1988. More »
June 2008
- US Airlines May Need Foreign Aid
  
  Wall Street Journal | Jun 30, 08 8:43 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Troubled US airlines could be looking to Congress to ease foreign ownership laws, as financial woes push them into the arms of new investment partners, the Wall Street Journal reports. Overseas companies, barred from holding more than 25% of the voting stock of US carriers, are eager to relax the rules. "It could be the financial exigencies of the day that finally make for a breakthrough," British Airways Chairman Martin Broughton tells the Journal. More »
- Air Travelers Will See 10% Flight Cuts by Fall
  
  New York Times | Jun 28, 08 6:20 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Travelers will start to feel the full force of airline moves to grapple with rising fuel costs by Labor Day, as 10% of flights will be cut, a dip that will downsize the industry to post-9/11 levels, the New York Times reports. The reductions could push fares up by 40% over the next 4 years, on top of 17% hikes in the cost of tickets already this year. Some 100 smaller cities will also lose service. More »