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. [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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,” [...]

Airlines baggage policies

Baggage policies differ by airlines. Read the rules on the carrier’s Web site or ask an agent before you fly. Here are fees that some leading U.S. carriers charge for a first, second and third checked bag, plus special rules for ski equipment on domestic flights. Note that most airlines waive baggage fees for elite [...]

Canadian court rules obese travelers get 2 seats

Canada’s largest airline is trying to figure out which obese and disabled passengers will be eligible for additional seats at no charge after the country’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the airlines. The Canadian Transportation Agency issued an order last January requiring Air Canada and other domestic airlines to make additional seats free to [...]