Associated Press via Bloomberg | United Express will offer nonstop flights from Pensacola, Fla., to O’Hare International Airport starting Nov. 4. The flights will be operated using 50-seat Embraer jets.
Get the full story: businessweek.com.
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UAL puts Continental talks on front burner
From Bloomberg | United Airlines parents UAL Corp. says it has tabled merger talks with US Airways to pursue its bid for Continental. “Given the right terms, United would probably prefer to partner with Continental,” said Matthew Jacob, a New York-based analyst at Majestic Research LLC who doesn’t rate either airline. “Having it be made public that US Airways and United were in talks probably spurred Continental into action.”
Read the full story: bloomberg.com.
United, other airlines say no to carry-on fees
Passengers wait to check in at Logan International Airport in Boston. American, Delta, JetBlue, United and US Air agreed not to follow Spirit Airlines in instituting fees for carry-on luggage. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
Associated Press | Five major carriers on Sunday agreed not to
follow the lead of a small Florida airline that plans to charge for
carryon bags. Their commitment comes just in time to keep travelers
from running for the exits during the peak summer flying season, but it
is doubtful that it marks a change in strategy.
Airlines are going to tack on every fee they feel they can get away
with because it bolsters their revenue stream while allowing them to
keep base fares lower. They just don’t feel like passengers will
tolerate losing their sacred free carryons — at least not right now.
United, Continental renew merger talks
By Julie Johnsson |
United Airlines has resumed merger discussions with Continental Airlines
that were suspended two years ago after the Houston-based carrier’s
board opted to remain independent, said people with direct knowledge of
the talks.
Continental was drawn back to the merger table after learning last week,
via press reports, that Chicago-based United was also courting
Phoenix-based US Airways, said a source. The source declined to speak on
the record due to the sensitive nature of the discussions.
Boeing wins $2.95 billion order for 12 of its 777s
Bloomberg via the Daily Herald | Boeing Co. won an order valued at about $2.95 billion at average list
prices for 12 of its 777 planes from an unidentified customer.
Get the full analysis here: dailyherald.com.
American starts online check-in on overseas flights
By Julie Johnsson | American Airlines is overhauling the way its passengers check in for
international flights, allowing wired travelers to potentially avoid
lengthy lines in its airport lobbies.
Effective April 14, American’s passengers will be able to check in
online for overseas travel, printing boarding passes at home or at
airport kiosks or downloading the passes to mobile phones.
Read the full story: American starts online check-in for international flights.
Ryanair: Boeing won’t scrap toilets for seats
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary. (Julien Warnand/AFP/Getty Images)
Tribune staff report | Budget airline Ryanair says aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co. balked at
its request for planes with more seats and fewer toilets over concerns
the revised seating plan would compromise passenger safety.
Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary says he still hopes to convince
Boeing that removing two toilets and adding six seats would not slow
down emergency evacuations.
Labor issues loom for US Airways and United
United Airlines pilots and flight attendants picketing outside a board of directors meeting in 2009. (Alex Garcia/Chicago Tribune)
From Reuters | Airline industry analysts say that dissatisfied pilots, flight attendants and ground workers are a huge obstacle to the success of a merger between UAL Corp’s United Airlines and U.S. Airways. “If anyone thinks that sitting these groups down together and coming up with a single contract is going to be easy, they’re not reading the tea leaves,” Pat Friend, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, told Reuters. “I’m not even talking about what’s happening with the pilot groups — that’s another train wreck waiting to happen.”
Get the full story: reuters.com.
United, US Airways talks ‘very serious’
Dow Jones Newswires-WSJ | Merger talks that came to light last
week between UAL Corp.’s United Airlines and US Airways Group Inc. have
become “very serious,” said one person close to the matter. But they
remain sensitive and it is just as likely the discussions will fall
apart as result in a done deal, this person noted.
Any
transaction would be an all-stock merger, with United being the
surviving entity, this person said. The share premium to be paid to US
Airways shareholders hasn’t been settled. Another person familiar with
the talks said the two sides haven’t yet agreed who would run the
combination.
American Airlines CEO: Mergers no threat
Associated Press | The CEO of American Airlines says his company isn’t threatened by reported merger discussions among other airlines.
The carrier’s CEO Gerard Arpey declined to directly comment on reports that United Airlines and US Airways are discussing a combination that would be bigger than his airline. But he says no matter what happens, American is well positioned with strong hubs in Dallas, Chicago, Miami, New York and Los Angeles.
Fewer on-time flights in February
Associated Press | U.S. airlines operated fewer on-time flights
in February, the Department of Transportation said Thursday, as massive
snowstorms shut down some of the largest East Coast airports. United Airlines ranked fifth, with a 79.6 percent on-time rating,
behind Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines and
Frontier Airlines.
United, US Airways shares surge on merger talk
Associated Press | News that United Airlines and US Airways are in talks about combining was met with approval by shareholders and analysts Thursday. Shares of both companies rose in morning trading. US Airways gained 83 cents, or 12.2 percent, to $7.65, and United Airlines parent UAL Corp. rose $1.38, or 7.3 percent, to $20.33.
United, US Airways eyeing merger
A United Airlines jet lands as US Airways jets prepare for flight at Los Angles International Airport in July 2008. The New York Times reported on April 7 that UAL Corp. and U.S. Airways were in the midst of merger negotiations. (David McNew/Getty Images)
By Hugo Martin and Julie Johnsson | Chicago-based United is pondering a merger with US Airways, the third time the companies have attempted to combine their businesses in the past decade and the kickoff to what could be a frenzied round of dealmaking among U.S. carriers.
Boeing: 787 wing and fuselage tests successful
Associated Press | Boeing Co. says the stress tests for its new 787 jetliner’s wing and
fuselage went as planned.
On March 28, workers at Boeing’s Everett, Wash., plant bent the wing of a
special test 787 by 150 percent of the most extreme forces it would
experience in flight — about 25 feet upward at the wing tip. They also
pressurized the fuselage to 150 percent of its maximum normal operating
condition.
Gary/Chicago Airport parking repossessed planes
From the Times of Northwest Indiana | There Airbus 320s and a stripped Boeing 737 have taken up residence at the Gary/Chicago International Airport after being confiscated by Valparaiso, Ind.-based Sage-Popovich Inc., an airplane repo firm. Three to five more could be brought in.
Get the full story: nwitimes.com
