Discount carrier JetBlue Airways said Wednesday that it extended the employment agreement of President and Chief Executive Dave Barger by two years to 2015. Get the full story »
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American Airlines yanks fares from Orbitz
Orbitz Worldwide Inc. stopped selling American Airlines’ tickets on Tuesday afternoon after a Cook County Circuit Court judge allowed the nation’s #3 airline to yank all content from the online travel giant.
American said it pulled its inventory from Orbitz immediately after the ruling. Customers who need to change tickets booked through Orbitz.com should call 1-800-433-7300, the airline advised.
Texas-based American had sought to sever ties to the Chicago-based online travel agency on Dec. 1 as a result of a contract dispute with Orbitz and Travelport, the online travel giant’s largest shareholder. Get the full story »
Dec. 21, 2010 at 1:41 p.m.
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Filed under: Airlines, Airplanes, Airports, International, Litigation French prosecutors appeal Concorde crash ruling
A French prosecutor’s office said Tuesday it is appealing the court ruling that blamed Continental Airlines for the deadly crash of a supersonic Concorde jet outside Paris a decade ago.
Prosecutors at the court in Pontoise, outside Paris, had argued that the former head of the Concorde program at planemaker Aerospatiale should share some legal responsibility with Continental for the crash. Get the full story »
United calls ‘LineBuster’ to get fliers out of line
Few holiday rituals cause more angst than air travel, where frazzled crowds and bad weather can transform even the simplest trip into a teeth-gnashing, garment-rending affair.
Adoption of technology such as text-message alerts and smart phone applications has smoothed some travel wrinkles, notifying travelers of rescheduled flight times or helping them navigate an unfamiliar airport. Airlines also have automated much of the process by installing self-service kiosks where passengers can check in for flights, look up their itinerary or request an upgrade. Get the full story »
Free cars part of culture shift at merged United
United Airlines workers with perfect attendance for six months may be eligible to win a free car under a new employee perk that takes effect Jan. 1.
The morale-boosting effort is one of the first public campaigns by parent United Continental Holdings Inc. to stamp Continental Airlines’ culture on its larger merger partner. During the past decade, Continental has given away more than 180 vehicles to its employees. Get the full story »
Southwest Airlines to order larger Boeing aircraft
Southwest Airlines will order 20 new, larger versions of the Boeing 737 that could pave the way for the all-domestic airline to offer international flights.
CEO Gary Kelly said Wednesday that Southwest will change an existing order with Boeing to get new 737-800 jets beginning in early 2012. The 737-800s have 38 more seats than the largest planes in Southwest’s current fleet. Get the full story »
World’s 5 largest airlines from Asia, Latin America
The world’s five biggest airlines now hail from Asia and Latin America, highlighting the industry’s shift away from the U.S. and Europe to higher-growth countries, the International Air Transport Association said Tuesday.
Air China is twice the size of either Delta in the U.S. or Germany’s Lufthansa. But despite emerging markets’ strength and a broad earnings rebound this year, weak economic conditions in Europe and low margins are acting as a drag on profits, the group warned. Get the full story »
Boeing boosts jet prices 5.2%
From Bloomberg News | Boeing Co. is raising aircraft prices by about 5.2 percent, the first increase in two years, and dropping the short-haul version of the 787 Dreamliner. Get the full story>>
International fees help add $900M to airline revenue
The sky appears to be the limit when it comes to the money airlines make by charging passengers to check luggage.
The 20 largest U.S. carriers collected $906.4 million in baggage-related revenue in the third quarter, a 23 percent jump from 2009 results, according to data released Monday by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Get the full story »
JetBlue to pay $600,000 for violations
JetBlue has been ordered to pay $600,000 for what the government said were violations of rules for handling disabled passengers and disclosing flight information to passengers. Get the full story »
Lufthansa to fly Frankfurt-New York with A380
Deutsche Lufthansa AG says it will start operating flights between Frankfurt and New York City with its expanding fleet of Airbus A380 superjumbos early next year.
The airline said Monday it will start flying twice a week to New York’s John F. Kennedy airport from February 18th onward, with daily A380 flights planned by April. Get the full story »
Continental appeals ruling in Concorde crash
AFP | Continental Airlines on Monday lodged an appeal against a conviction by a French court, which found it criminally responsible for the 2000 Concorde air disaster in which 113 people were killed.
Olivier Metzner, lawyer for the U.S. airline, said he had lodged the papers with the appellate court in Versailles, west of Paris. Get the full story »
United pilot duped AMA with fake M.D. claim
William Hamman watches data on a computer as he supervises doctors during a cardiology simulation. (AP/Gregory Smith)
He seemed like Superman, able to guide jumbo jets through perilous skies and tiny tubes through blocked arteries. As a cardiologist and United Airlines captain, William Hamman taught doctors and pilots ways to keep hearts and planes from crashing.
He shared millions in grants, had university and hospital posts, and bragged of work for prestigious medical groups. An Associated Press story featured him leading a teamwork training session at an American College of Cardiology convention last spring.
But it turns out Hamman isn’t a cardiologist or even a doctor. The AP found he had no medical residency, fellowship, doctoral degree or the 15 years of clinical experience he claimed. He attended medical school for a few years but withdrew and didn’t graduate. Get the full story »
American opens cyber lounge for troops at O’Hare
American Airlines and USO of Illinois today opened a cyber canteen for active military service members who are traveling through Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
The new facility, located off the L concourse at the far eastern end of American’s Terminal 3, can seat about 120 people and is available for military personnel and their families.
Open daily from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m., the lounge features free Wi-Fi Internet access, food and drink and a lounge area where traveling troops can recharge. Get the full story »
FAA steps up checks on Boeing 757s
Aviation regulators are poised to order stepped-up inspections of more than 600 Boeing Co. 757 jetliners worldwide, prompted by a recent in-flight incident that left roughly a one-foot hole in the fuselage of an American Airlines plane.
Impending safety directives by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to people familiar with the matter, are expected to cover certain older models of the widely used, twin-engine planes. The FAA is drafting enhanced inspection mandates in the wake of the sudden rupture and rapid decompression that occurred Oct. 26 while the American jet was cruising at 31,000 feet en route from Miami to Boston. Get the full story »
