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December 2, 2008 7:32:20 AM CST



Airline Industry track this thread

Started by Imperator; Last updated by D Lim | View history

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 81 - 100 of 339

  • June 2008
    • Stocks Stall, Finish Mixed

      Stocks Stall, Finish Mixed

      (Newser) - Markets ended mixed today, burdened by high oil prices and shaky financials. "It's been a terrible market. It definitely looks like we're going to re-test the lows all this week," an economist tells the Wall Street Journal. The Dow ended down 0.33 at 11,842.36, the Nasdaq down 20.35 at 2,385.74, and the S&P 500 up 0.07 at 1,318.00. More »

    • Naomi Ducks Prison Time in Airline Assault

      Naomi Ducks Prison Time in Airline Assault

      (Newser) - Naomi Campbell was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and about $5,600 in fines yesterday for her tantrum on a British Airways flight, the London Times reports. She pleaded guilty to assaulting two police officers and berating the pilot after the airline lost her luggage. "You are not leaving until you find my f***ing bags," she allegedly told the captain. More »

    • United, Continental Partner, But Won't Merge

      United, Continental Partner, But Won't Merge

      (Newser) - United and Continental Airlines have forged a marketing alliance that will let them book each other’s seats, share miles and join international flights—but won't merge, reports the Wall Street Journal . The deal provides welcome cost savings in the face of surging fuel prices, but avoids the labor tensions and service disruptions that come with a full-blown merger. More »

    • Fuel Costs Bump Up Budget Airfares

      Fuel Costs Bump Up Budget Airfares

      (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 »

    • In-Flight WiFi Takes Off

      In-Flight WiFi Takes Off

      (Newser) - Now you can manically check your inbox from 40,000 feet, reports Walter Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal . Certain American Airlines routes between New York and Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami will offer in-flight WiFi starting in July, and Virgin America will have it later in the year. The service will cost $12.95 for longer flights, and $9.95 for shorter ones. More »

    • Let the Carry-On Wars Begin

      Let the Carry-On Wars Begin

      (Newser) - With United, American, and US Airways all instituting charges for both first and second checked bags, a carry-on crunch is coming, the Wall Street Journal reminds us. Expect the baggage police to start heading off patrons flouting the cabin limit at security screenings. Airlines hope to to fight overcrowding in overhead bins and lower the total weight of aircraft, leading to lower fuel consumption. More »

    • Ex-CEO Revives Dreaded 'R' Word for Airlines

      Ex-CEO Revives Dreaded 'R' Word for Airlines

      (Newser) - The man who brought frequent-flyer and hub-and-spoke to airlines has a plan to fix the industry—with the dreaded "R" word as its centerpiece, Wired reports. Yes, former American CEO Bob Crandall wants the government to re-regulate: "It's time to acknowledge that airlines are more like utilities than ordinary businesses," he said, and suggested the following: More »

    • Tough Calls Await on Boeing Defense Bid

      Tough Calls Await on Boeing Defense Bid

      (Newser) - The Government Accountability Office must rule by next Thursday on Boeing’s appeal of an Air Force deal granting European rival Airbus a multi-billion dollar tanker contract—and CEO Jim McNerney has a tough call ahead if Boeing loses, the Seattle Times reports. He can ground the appeal, or draw more attention to political concerns neither the military nor GAO was allowed to consider. More »

    • United Adopts $15 Checked-Bag Charge

      United Adopts $15 Checked-Bag Charge

      (AP) - United Airlines will follow rival American Airlines in charging $15 for a first checked bag. The new fee was announced today, 3 weeks after American set the precedent. United says the fee affects customers who buy tickets beginning tomorrow for domestic flights Aug. 18 or later. More »

    • Airlines Become Weight Watchers to Save Fuel

      Airlines Become Weight Watchers to Save Fuel

      (Newser) - Airlines struggling with soaring fuel expenses are seeking new ways to save, and none is too small, from cutting the amount of water they carry for washrooms to cleaning engines more often to increase their efficiency, reports the New York Times . Some are pulling back on their cruising speed—from 500 mph to 480mph—while others study whether one 9lb set of pilot manuals in the cockpit will do instead of two. More »

    • Will Fewer Flights Mean Fewer Delays?

      Will Fewer Flights Mean Fewer Delays?

      (Newser) - With fuel prices soaring into the skies, fewer airplanes will be following suit, but don't think that translates to less time on the tarmac. Airlines' cutbacks will ground planes, but mostly on less-traveled routes to smaller cities, the New York Times reports. The congestion at LAX and JFK isn't likely to improve, despite new FAA regulations. More »

    • Fake Airline Has Philly Giggling

      Fake Airline Has Philly Giggling

      (Newser) - An ad for "Derrie-Air" airlines made Philadelphia readers the butt of a publicity joke today, the AP reports. The owner of two newspapers and an ad agency revealed that the airline—which claimed to charge passengers by weight, and be carbon-neutral—was cooked up to prove the power of advertising. And it's generating online buzz aplenty, a media company says. More »

    • As Oil Spikes, Airlines Rethink Business Model

      As Oil Spikes, Airlines Rethink Business Model

      (Newser) - In the 30 years since Congress deregulated airline travel, the country's major carriers have operated on a bigger-is-better strategy: fly more planes to more routes and you'll come out on top. But with fuel twice as expensive as a year ago, airlines are not just raising prices, they're radically changing their business models. Less is more is the new philosophy, writes the New York Times . “Air travel will be less democratic from here on out,” said one travel expert. More »

    • Continental Hacks 3K Jobs, 16% of Flights

      Continental Hacks 3K Jobs, 16% of Flights

      (Newser) - Continental Airlines today became the latest US carrier to slash its workforce and trim flights in the face of profit-busting fuel costs and an industry-wide slowdown, the Wall Street Journal reports today. The airline will cut its workforce by 3,000 jobs, scale back US departures by 16%, and aggressively trim its fleet of fuel-guzzling 737s. United and American also recently announced cutbacks. More »

    • 'Sketchy' Plane Parts For Sale Online

      'Sketchy' Plane Parts For Sale Online

      (Newser) - Spare Boeing and Airbus parts of dubious origin have been found for sale on Internet sites such as Craiglist, BusinessWeek reports. The parts, including vital valves and gears, are being sold by at least 24 vendors—mainly in China and the US—without FAA approval or documentation that they've been inspected for airworthiness. More »