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USA Today
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Jul 18, 08 1:40 PM CDT
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Get ready—this holiday season is going to boast some of the most expensive airfares ever, USA Today reports. Because of high fuel costs, most airlines have cut back flight schedules; figure about 9% fewer flights in November compared to a year ago. Having constricted supply, expect the airlines to raise prices $50-$200 extra per seat. And don't bank on any late holiday sales.
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Associated Press
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Jul 16, 08 8:00 AM CDT
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Air China plans to buy 45 Boeing 777 and 737 aircraft, reports the AP, a purchase the airline says will increase its capacity by about 35% and help reinforce Beijing's status as a transportation hub. The list price for the planes—one of China's biggest airliner purchases—is $6.3 billion, but the final price is expected to be lower.
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Seattle Times
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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.
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New York Times
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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.
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Reuters
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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.
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BusinessWeek
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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.
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Associated Press
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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.
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Washington Times
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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.
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MyFox New York
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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.
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Wall Street Journal
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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.
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Travel Leisure
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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.
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Bloomberg
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Jul 4, 08 5:33 PM CDT
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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.
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BBC
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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.
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Guardian (UK)
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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.
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Dallas Morning News
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Jul 3, 08 10:56 AM CDT
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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.
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