From Reuters | Chicago-based Orbitz Worldwide said today it will pay a 10 percent commission to travel agents who use its site to book hotels for customers. It plans to pay 4 percent on travel packages.
Read the full story: reuters.com
Filed under: Airlines
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United seeks spot at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport
An airplane prepares to land at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. (Tomhiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg)
By Julie Johnsson | Five U.S. carriers are jockeying to be the first to enter Haneda
Airport, Tokyo’s equivalent to Midway Airport, which is being opened to
American airlines for the first time since 1978.
American, Continental, Delta, Hawaiian and United Airlines all applied
Tuesday for the four new flights to Haneda that the Japanese government
is making available as a result of a proposed aviation treaty between
the U.S. and Japan.
TSA: Prepare to get palms swabbed at airport
From CNN | The Transportation Safety Administration plans expand in the coming weeks a program to swab hands of randomly selected passengers for traces of explosives. With portable devices checks could be done at gates or security checkpoints.
Read the full story: cnn.com
American to resume flights to Haiti Friday
Tribune staff report | Starting Friday, American Airlines said
it will resume service into Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Commercial flights
from the U.S. to Haiti have been on hold since Jan. 12 when the
earthquake devastated the country. The first flight will depart from
American’s hub at Miami International Airport at 6:40 a.m.
United Airlines still eyeing Continental
Continental and United planes at O’Hare. (Charles Cherney)
From the Financial Times | Glenn Tilton, chairman and CEO or United Airlines, hinted in an interview that United may still be interested in pursuing Continental.
Read the full story: financialtimes.com
‘Silent Bob’s’ barrage squeezes airlines on obesity
By Julie Johnsson | Director Kevin Smith’s Twitter-fit during the weekend highlights one uncomfortable reality of U.S. airline flying: airlines have less leeway to accommodate obese passengers at a time when Americans are getting fatter.
Kevin Smith at the Chicago Film Festival
in 2008. (Nuccio DiNuzzo) >>
In a barrage of profane tweets and a podcast, Smith expressed outrage that he was bumped from a Southwest Airlines flight from Oakland to Burbank, Calif., after the crew determined he was too large to fit in a single seat.
American, British Air tie-up gets preliminary OK
An American Airlines jet taxies past the British Airways maintenance headquarters at Heathrow Airport. (AP/File)
By Julie Johnsson | The third time looks to be the charm for American Airlines and British
Airways, which have sought since the late 1990s to form a partnership
to closely coordinate flying across the North Atlantic.
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Saturday granted tentative
approval to the carriers’ application for antitrust immunity, filed in
2008 with Spain’s Iberia, to share flying, prices and revenues on
trans-Atlantic routes.
United improves on-time performance in 2009
| Associated Press | United Airlines had better on-time performance during December 2009 than any other major airline, including perennial front-runner Southwest, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. For the year, United ranked sixth, behind Southwest and four significantly smaller airlines. | See also • U.S. airlines had best year since 2003 |
Boeing may update 737, its best-seller
Visitors look at a display model of a Boeing 737 passenger plane during the Singapore Airshow. N (Roslan Rahmna/Getty)
Associated Press | Expect a decision by midsummer on a new
version of the world’s most popular jetliner, the 737, Boeing chairman
Jim McNerney said Thursday.
If the company moves forward with an updated 737 with new-technology
engines, McNerney told analysts at a conference put on by investment
firm Cowen and Company, the new version should be rolling off the
assembly lines by the middle of the decade.
Boeing names Schwab a director
Boeing’s board of directors has elected former U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab as its newest member.
Schwab, 54, was President George W. Bush’s principal trade adviser and
negotiator from mid-2006 through the end of the Bush administration in
January, 2009. Since then she has taught at the University of
Maryland’s School of Public Policy.
Get set for more small jets at Chicago airports
By Julie Johnsson and John Hilkevitch | Smaller jets once reserved for short hops to cities like Des Moines, Iowa, are taking on a larger role at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, squeezing both passengers and city revenues.
United and American Airlines, the airport’s two major tenants, schedule about two regional jet flights for every one flown on far-larger Airbus or Boeing jets at O’Hare, according to data compiled by OAG for the Tribune.
American Eagle planes waiting at O’Hare. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)>>
Ten years ago, the numbers were reversed: American operated two traditional jet flights for every flight by its American Eagle regional jet subsidiary. United flew three flights for every flight subcontracted to its United Express carriers. The airlines are making the changes mainly because the smaller jets are cheaper to fly, and experts say there is likely no going backward: In the future, domestic flights of two or three hours will likely be flown by smaller planes.
Sources: FAA eyes hefty fines for American
| Associated Press | American Airlines could face a fine in the ballpark of $10 million for safety violations involving wiring in its large MD-80 fleet, according to a government official familiar with the nearly completed federal investigation. While the Federal Aviation Administration hasn’t decided what fine to |
See also • United, American say O’Hare expansion talks may be off • American to stary charging most for standby |
American to start charging $50 for standby
By Mary Ellen Podmolik | Traditional coach passengers on American Airlines no longer will be able to fly standby for free.
The airline announced Wednesday that it was changing its policy and
beginning Feb. 22, only its premium customers can fly standby at no
charge for flights traveling within and between the United States,
Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada.
United, American: O’Hare expansion in jeopardy
By Julie Johnsson | An
elusive deal on funding the final new runways at O’Hare International
Airport finally appeared to be close at hand after years of
negotiations, until city officials undermined the agreement, airline
officials said Tuesday.
Representatives of United and American airlines said city aviation
officials caught the carriers off-guard with demands that they consider
unreasonable: They planned to hike O’Hare rents and landing fees by
millions of dollars, despite the recession and a struggling airline
industry. In addition, the city plans to use the money to repay bonds,
which carry a 4 percent variable interest rate and aren’t due for
another 20 years
Read the full story: chicagotribune.com/business
United Airlines leaves Super Bowl fans in the dark
By Julie Johnsson | Football
fans on some United Airlines flights Sunday evening were left in the
dark as to the Super Bowl’s outcome after dispatchers refused to share
game updates with pilots.
Pilots were angered by the black-out of a football game that drew
record audiences, the result of an apparent communications break down
within United. But the incident also highlighted the increased
sensitivity over distractions to airline workers performing critical
functions, experts said.
