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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 1 - 20 of 339

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November 2008
- Airfares Dip on Last-Minute Holiday Trips
  
  Chicago Tribune | Nov 24, 08 12:14 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - With many consumers too concerned about their wallets to make pricey trips, airlines are, for the first time in memory, lowering prices before the holidays, the Chicago Tribune reports. The reversal of convention is allowing late buyers to scrounge tickets for as much as $200 less than travelers who locked in prices over the summer, when fares reflected much higher oil prices, the San Jose Mercury News adds. More »
- Flight Delays Decline Ahead of Holidays
  
  USA Today | Nov 24, 08 10:40 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - While flights will be packed during the Thanksgiving travel week, travelers can at least look forward to fewer delays, USA Today reports. Delays have plummeted this fall amid troubled airlines’ reduced flight schedules and government measures to reduce New York air traffic. In early September, flights were over 15 minutes late 17% of the time, compared to 21% in September 2007. More »
- Former Union Leader In Line for FAA Post
  
  Wall Street Journal | Nov 21, 08 9:07 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Barack Obama’s hoping to bring about long-needed reforms in aviation, but to do it, he’ll need the support of organized labor. Hence, reports the Wall Street Journal , the frontrunner for the top job at the Federal Aviation Administration is the head of the former pilots union, Duane Woerth. Air-traffic controllers have complained about low pay, understaffing, and authoritarian work environments; addressing their grievances will be key to advancing reform. More »
- Obese? Court Backs Two Seats for One Fare
  
  Reuters | Nov 21, 08 3:36 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Obese air travelers in Canada who need two seats must be given the extra seat for free, Reuters reports. The Supreme Court of Canada has refused to hear an appeal from Air Canada and two other airlines after they failed to win a lower court appeal on the fare issue. That means the country’s “one person, one fare” policy for disabled people—including those who are “functionally disabled by obesity”—will stand. More »
- Stewardess Helps Land Flight After Co-Pilot Cracks
  
  Guardian (UK) | Nov 19, 08 4:50 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - After an Air Canada captain had his co-pilot handcuffed and dragged from his seat during a January flight, a female flight attendant helped steer the London-bound passenger jet to safety in Ireland, the Guardian reports. The original co-pilot was “quite harried” when he entered the cockpit, a report released today shows, and his condition quickly deteriorated mid-air. More »
- Fewer Will Travel for Thanksgiving: AAA
  
  Chicago Sun-Times | Nov 19, 08 3:33 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - An estimated 600,000 Americans will forego the 50-plus miles of travel they made last year to celebrate Thanksgiving, AAA predicts. The dip is the first in 6 years, but the fourth consecutive for general holiday travel. Despite cheaper gas, fewer people will drive cars this year, opting for more-economical trains or buses instead, reports the Chicago Sun-Times . More »
- Airport Security Loophole Gets High-Tech Fix
  
  Wired | Nov 18, 08 1:05 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The government is finally closing a well-known loophole that makes it easy for would-be terrorists to board planes, Wired reports. Under current rules, it’s possible to forge a boarding pass at home. But new measures will put the passes, with secure barcodes, on smartphones, making it “well-nigh impossible to make a phony one,” Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff says. More »
- Ryanair Pin-Ups Don't Fly With Feminist Groups
  
  Der Spiegel | Nov 14, 08 4:15 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Feminist groups have slammed as sexist a pin-up calendar of stripped-down Ryanair flight attendants the budget airline has published to raise money for charity, reports Der Speigel . The calendar features employees in barely-there bikinis getting up close and personal with airplane parts. The Institute for Women in Spain, where the calendar was shot, is considering legal action. "It's significant only women are used in a sector in which there is a considerable percentage of men," said a spokeswoman. More »
- Families, Line Up Here—if You Have Time
  
  Associated Press | Nov 10, 08 6:32 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Airports will allow families to line up in more leisurely security lanes for the coming holiday season, the AP reports. The checkpoints, which have proven popular in tests at 48 US airports, allow slow-moving families to stick together and less seasoned travelers to avoid scrambling for standard Transportation Security Administration procedure. More »
- Hey, at Least Travel Costs Are Plunging
  
  Los Angeles Times | Nov 10, 08 8:28 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - There’s a spot of good news for travelers amid the barrage of dire economic reports: Those looking for a flight, cruise, or hotel stay may find surprisingly good deals. As financial woes keep many Americans grounded, the travel industry is forced to drop prices to fill space, the Los Angeles Times reports. For the industry, “it’s very bad,” says a consultant. More »
- Strike Grounds Dreamliner to '09
  
  Associated Press | Nov 5, 08 6:16 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The maiden flight of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner has been delayed for the fifth time, reports the AP. The company says the 8-week strike by its workers means the next-generation passenger jet now won't take off until an unspecified date next year. Canceled orders are unlikely despite the delay, says an industry observer, as there is "really no alternative" until the competing Airbus A350 arrives in 2013. More »
- UK Cabin Crews Knock Passengers Online
  
  Guardian (UK) | Nov 2, 08 4:16 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Virgin Atlantic has fired 13 cabin staffers for mocking passengers and joking about engine safety on Facebook, the Guardian reports. The online messages quipped about cockroaches on planes and referred to passengers as "chavs," a British term for "white trash." The airline publicly chided the workers, saying they could not uphold standards "that Virgin Atlantic is renowned for if they hold these views." More »
- Boeing Machinists End Strike
  
  Associated Press | Nov 1, 08 11:07 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - The Boeing strike is over. Machinists in three states overwhelmingly ratified a union contract to end an eight-week strike that cut the airplane maker's profits and stalled jetliner deliveries. The union says the contract protects more than 5,000 factory jobs, prevents the outsourcing of certain positions, and preserves health care benefits. It also promises a 15% pay raise over four years. More »
October 2008
- American Airports: Shiny, New, and Empty
  
  New York Times | Oct 30, 08 7:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - In the boom years of the last decade, cities across America broke ground on major airport expansions, from additional runways to new terminals. Now those projects are being completed—just as air travel has slowed and hundreds of planes are being grounded. Flights may be less congested, writes the New York Times , but travelers are paying for the new capacity through even higher fares. More »
- Feds OK Delta-Northwest Deal
  
  Reuters | Oct 29, 08 2:49 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Delta’s $2.6 billion offer to buy Northwest Airlines has passed the scrutiny of federal antitrust regulators. Ensuing labor issues aside, official say the merger—which creates the world’s most patronized airline—would not "substantially lessen competition" and will benefit customers, Reuters reports. More »