Who did the airlines vote for?

The Democratic Party and its candidates appear to have received more donations from airlines and their lobbyists than their Republican counterparts. This fact probably reflects the control that Democrats have over many key legislative committees and regulatory bodies at the national level. Continental Airlines spent $1,330,000 in lobbying this year. In addition, its political action [...]

Airlines begin cutting fares for holiday travel

When it comes to holiday travel plans, good things may come to those who waited. The major U.S. airlines have cut many fares for the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. The airlines, in the midst of their worst year since at least 2005, may see the price-cutting as necessary in the face of a slumping economy [...]

Delta completes deal to acquire Northwest Airlines

Delta AirLine completed its $2.8 billion acquisition of Northwest Airlines on Wednesday, turning two of America’s most storied airlines into the world’s biggest carrier. Delta and Northwest closed the deal just hours after the Justice Department said it had no antitrust objections. The company will keep Delta’s name, Atlanta headquarters, and chief executive Richard Anderson, [...]

Better air passenger prescreening expected in 2009

A long-delayed government program designed to more accurately prescreen the names of airline passengers against terror watch lists is expected to begin early next year. On Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced the final rule for the program, called Secure Flight, which would validate air travelers’ information so there’s less chance a person could [...]

Full names required to fly in 2009

Airline passengers starting next year will be barred from boarding planes if they refuse to provide their full name and birth date, the government said Wednesday. “You have to give this information,” Transportation Security Administration chief Kip Hawley said. The rule will “dramatically reduce” the number of people hassled at airports because their name resembles [...]

Frequent flyers redeem miles to beat higher fares

Airline customers are cashing in more frequent-flier awards this year, looking to avoid higher fares and believing that miles are worth less than in the past. With so many new ways to earn miles — on everything from car rentals to groceries — savvy travelers fear it’ll soon become harder to go where they want, [...]

Airlines eye more onboard advertising

As airline passengers grow wary, and perhaps weary, of the more fees and higher ticket prices, some U.S. carriers may look to onboard advertisements as a way to raise revenue without further tapping customers’ wallets and patience. Advertisements already adorn the bottoms of security bins, in-flight television screens and boarding passes — not to mention [...]