Flight attendants, American Airlines at odds over contract

Contract talks between American Airlines and its flight attendants broke off Wednesday night, with the union declaring that negotiations were hopelessly stalemated while the company said it is looking forward to more bargaining.
The union said that it would ask federal officials to start a 30-day cooling-off period, after which the flight attendants could strike.
There is [...]

Spring break travel: Airfares up, hotel rates down

Average airfares for spring break are up from last year but hotel rates are down, according to data from Bing Travel and Travelocity.
Travelocity found average airfares are up 9 percent compared to last year, with the average domestic roundtrip flight at about $351, while hotel prices are down to an average nightly rate of about [...]

Continental Airlines to let coach customers buy more space

Continental Airlines will begin charging coach customers extra if they want a seat with more legroom.
Prices will vary depending on the length of a flight and popularity of the route. A spokeswoman said extra room on a Houston-New York flight might cost $59. International fliers would pay more than that.
Starting March 17, coach customers will [...]

Audio indicates kid directed planes at JFK airport

A child apparently directed pilots last month from the air traffic control center at John F. Kennedy Airport, one of the nation’s busiest airports, according to audio clips. The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it was investigating.
“Pending the outcome of our investigation, the employees involved in this incident are not controlling air traffic,” the [...]

Major runway closing at JFK airport

One runway, a whole lot of problems.
The main runway at New York’s John F. Kennedy International will be closed for four months starting March 1. Millions of travelers will experience delays — including some not flying anywhere near the Big Apple.
With about one-third of JFK’s traffic and half of its departures being diverted to three [...]

Alaska Airlines to offer Wi-Fi on all aircraft

Alaska Airlines, a unit of Alaska Air Group Inc., said Wednesday it will join other airlines and offer Wi-Fi service on its flights.
The carrier said it will offer Aircell’s Gogo service on all its aircraft. That is the same technology used by several other airlines.
Alaska and Aircell are currently working to install the Gogo service [...]

Many airlines waive change fees due to weather

Several airlines are again offering to waive fees customers would ordinarily pay to rebook their flights on alternate itineraries due to bad weather in some parts of the country.
AirTran Airways, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways and Continental Airlines were among the carriers offering change-fee waivers this week.
AirTran said Wednesday its passengers scheduled for travel Thursday [...]