Airlines sue FAA over crew rest rules
Several of the nation’s largest airlines have joined in a lawsuit to block stronger federal rules on crew rest during the longest international flights. The airlines say that the Federal Aviation Administration bypassed usual rule-making procedures and denied them the right to comment before it notified American Airlines and Continental Airlines Inc. of the new rules in late October. The petition... [Read more]
Pack light or pay up for holiday flights
When airlines started charging some passengers $15 or more earlier this year to check their bags, they blamed soaring fuel costs. Since then, oil has plummeted. Yet the industry hasn’t stowed away the bag fees. Many of us are still paying to fly with a suitcase that doesn’t squeeze into the overhead bin or under the seat. The reason is simple: Airlines are still losing money, though now... [Read more]
Airfares: Powerful new e-mail alerts are on the way
The following news item is for serious bargain hunters only. Its for readers who are truly dedicated to finding the best fare possible—or who are simply fascinated by how the fare game works. Although Cheapflights, CheapTickets, Expedia, Kayak, Sidestep, Travelocity, and Orbitz shed a lot of light on low fares, they sometimes miss bargains. None of them list fares from Southwest Airlines, which flies... [Read more]
Airline traffic fell 8.4 percent in September
The number of passengers on U.S. airlines fell 8.4 percent in September, a decline of 5 million passengers from the year-earlier month, the Transportation Department said Thursday in the latest evidence of weakening travel demand. The department said preliminary findings indicate that 54.2 million passengers rode on domestic or international flights operated by U.S. airlines in September. It was the... [Read more]
A look at airlines’ Oct. on-time performance
U.S. airlines’ on-time performance and baggage handling improved in October, and the carriers overall posted a lower rate of domestic cancellations compared to the same month a year ago, the Transportation Department said Wednesday. Regional carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines had the worst on-time performance in October, while regional carrier Pinnacle Airlines had the best. The DOT’s... [Read more]
Airlines industry expected to lose $2.5B in ‘09
The global airline industry can expect a bleak 2009, with sector-wide losses of $2.5 billion despite deep cost cuts by U.S. carriers this year, the International Air Transport Association said Tuesday. IATA chief executive Giovanni Bisignani told reporters in Geneva that next year would see the worst revenue environment in 50 years, but that U.S. carriers — many of which have already slashed capacity... [Read more]
Major airlines ready to cut more flights in 2009
Executives of major U.S. airlines, already seeing signs of slumping travel demand, said Tuesday they were ready to cut more flights, and Delta hinted at more job losses as the carriers jockey to survive the deepening recession. U.S. airlines have been helped by a sudden drop in jet fuel prices, and they already cut capacity this fall to further reduce costs and drive up fares. But traffic has fallen... [Read more]
Delta details planned capacity cuts
Delta AirLines Inc. hinted Tuesday that more job cuts could be on the way as it disclosed that it will reduce consolidated system capacity by 6 percent to 8 percent in 2009, compared to the current year. The Atlanta-based carrier’s president, Ed Bastian, spoke to investors during a conference in New York. In a regulatory filing ahead of the speech, the world’s biggest carrier said domestic... [Read more]
More Americans stay home for the holidays
Travelers breezed through airport terminals Wednesday and drivers cruised open roads, the effects of a sour economy blamed for keeping people closer to home at the start of the annual Thanksgiving rush. Even though gas prices fell and airlines offered last-minute deals, many Americans appeared to be skipping trips this year. San Francisco resident Sharon McKellar called the Miami airport “shockingly... [Read more]
Brain Overload in Airline Pilots Studied
A new NASA study aims to figure out how best to monitor brains of pilots as they are flying in order to notify them when brain overload is causing dangerous levels of stress, fatigue and distraction. “No matter how much training pilots have, conditions could occur when too much is going on in the cockpit,” said Angela Harrivel, a NASA biomedical engineer who leads the research on 15 test... [Read more]