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(AP Photo/Brian McDermott)
Associated Press | Spirit Airlines will charge as much as $45 each way for a carry-on bag, adding a fee that bigger airlines have yet to try. The charge will apply to bags in the overhead bin. Personal items that fit under the seat will still be free.
The new charge is $45 if paid at the gate, and $30 if paid in advance. It begins Aug. 1. Spirit says a new fare reduction means most customers won’t really pay more to fly.
McClatchy/Tribune News | American Airlines has added three non-stop daily flights from Jacksonville International Airport to Chicago, the Jacksonville Airport Authority announced today.
The inaugural non-stop Chicago flight took off today at 12:05 p.m., and regular daily flights will leave at that time and at 7:10 a.m. and 5:10 p.m.
Jacksonville International Airport now offers flights to and from 27 destinations, with an average of 94 departures daily and 10,308, the airport authority announced.
From the Post and Courier | Boeing Co. executives were on hand to watch the first steel beam placed at its South Carolina plant which will build Boeing’s 787 jetliner. The company still expects the 1.2 million square-foot North Charleston plant to open by July 2011.
Get the full story: postandcourier.com
From Crain’s Chicago Business | Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport may receive $400 million worth of federal funds, reports Crain’s Chicago Business columnist Greg Hinz.
Get the full story: chicagobusiness.com.
Associated Press | United Airlines is offering to bring its
flight attendants up to the pay scale of Continental Airlines workers in
exchange for changes in work rules.
A letter, from a United executive to the head of the flight attendant
union, suggests that some senior flight attendants would get raises of
more than 10 percent if they were brought up to the pay of those at
Continental.
Associated Press | Some pilots taking medication for mild or moderate depression will be
able to fly as early as next week under a new government rule aimed
partly at getting those taking antidepressants to disclose the
treatment.
The new policy, which takes effect Monday, reverses a ban on flying for
pilots taking medications like Prozac. Federal Aviation Administration
officials said the old rule was based on outdated versions of
antidepressants that could cause drowsiness and other side effects.
From Denver Business Journal | United Airlines, which began offering Wi-Fi on a select group of transcontinental flights in October, plans to start adding Wi-Fi access in late 2010 beyond just the 13 New York-to-California flights on which it’s now offered.
Get the full story: denver.bizjournals.com.
Associated Press via CNBC | United Airlines said Thursday that a new sales
agreement with Brussels Airlines will give United customers new
connections to cities in Europe and Africa. The flights, which begin Monday, add to nonstop
service between Chicago and Brussels that United launched March 28, the
airline said. United customers may now purchase tickets on flights operated by
Brussels Airlines, between Brussels and 24 destinations in Europe and 12 in
Africa.
Get the full story: cnbc.com.
Associated Press | Australian budget carrier Virgin Blue said Thursday it would buy up to 105 new Boeing 737s in its biggest ever single plane order, signaling confidence that the Australian market is recovering.
The price was not released, but CEO Brett Godfrey said the deal was completed on “attractive commercial terms.” He said financing was expected to be completed soon.
Associated Press | Boeing says it is reviewing its options for bidding on a $35 billion contract to make Air Force tanker planes. The statement comes a day after the Pentagon said it might extend the bidding deadline to give European competitor EADS a chance to re-enter the process.
By Julie Johnsson | United Airlines is giving a long overdue make-over to the Boeing 777 aircraft used on some of its longest overseas flights, adding perks like video-on-demand for passengers flying in the cheap seats.
It’s part of a broader customer-service push at United, which for much of the last decade neglected investing in its infrastructure as it restructured under Chapter 11 and dealt with other financial crises.
The Chicago-based carrier, which derives much of its profit from international flights, is aiming to improve passengers’ on-board experience and bring its service closer to that of overseas carriers like Emirates and Singapore Airlines, which are pushing the standard for luxury skyward.
Associated Press | Budget carrier Virgin Blue said Thursday it
would buy up to 105 new Boeing 737s in its biggest ever single plane
order, signaling confidence that the Australian market is recovering. The price was not released, but CEO Brett Godfrey said the deal was
completed on “attractive commercial terms.” He said financing was
expected to be completed soon.
By Julie Wernau | Boeing Wednesday joined a list of companies that have taken accounting charges because of recent health care legislation.
The Chicago-based company said it will recognize an income tax charge of about $150 million and that beginning in 2013, it will no longer be able to claim an income tax deduction for prescription drug benefits for retirees reimbursed under Medicare Part D’s drug subsidy program. The charge is expected to reduce Boeing’s net earnings by 20 cents per share in the first quarter of 2010.
By Julie Johnsson | A United Airlines Boeing 777 jet bound for Beijing narrowly avoided a mid-air collision with a small plane as it took off from San Francisco International Airport, Saturday morning, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Federal investigators are headed to San Francisco where they will review radar data, air traffic control tapes and the flight paths of the two planes to try and determine what caused the aircraft to pass within 300 feet of each other, said NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson.
Tribune staff report | Franco Tedeschi has been named the new head of American Airline’s hub at
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. He replaces Art Pappas, who had led operations at O’Hare, American’s
second-largest hub, since May 2006. Pappas is leaving to run American’s
home hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
