airline industry

Stories 201 - 220 | << Prev   Next >>

Airline Changes Coach to 'Cuddle Class'

Couples can book a row and sleep

(Newser) - It’s not “economy” seating—it’s “cuddle class.” That’s the genius innovation cooked up by Air New Zealand, which is fitting its Boeing 777s with new “Skycouches,” rows of three regular seats that can convert into something vaguely resembling a bed. (Aol has...

Southwest Airlines to Buy AirTran for $1.4B

Will help it compete with Delta in Atlanta

(Newser) - Southwest Airlines will buy AirTran for about $1.42 billion, the companies announced today. The move will put Southwest in head-to-head competition with Delta in Delta's home base of Atlanta. The buyout, funded mostly with debt, will also give Southwest a bigger slice of the market in cities like Boston...

Two Planes Escape Disaster&mdash;Barely
Two Planes Escape
Disaster—Barely
Sep 23, 2010 6:13 PM CDT

Two Planes Escape Disaster—Barely

US Airways jet, cargo plane nearly collide over Minneapolis

(Newser) - Way too close for comfort: A US Airways jet with 90 passengers came within 50 to 100 feet of colliding with a cargo plane over Minneapolis. The NTSB is investigating the near collision, reports the Minneapolis Star-Tribune , which points out that it occurred over a residential neighborhood and two busy...

American Airlines Faces Record $24.2M Fine

FAA says it didn't correct faulty wiring

(Newser) - The FAA is apparently trying to prove it can't be bulled by the airlines. It plans to fine American Airlines $24.2 million—that's more than twice the size of the current record fine—over maintenance violations, reports USA Today . The agency alleges that American flew thousands of unsafe flights...

Slater Wants His Job Back
 Slater Wants His Job Back 
Aug 13, 2010 5:30 AM CDT

Slater Wants His Job Back

Investigators say they doubt JetBlue attendant's version of events

(Newser) - All chute-pulling, beer-grabbing indications to the contrary, Steven Slater loves the airline business and wants to continue working for JetBlue, his lawyer says. "This is a man who only cares about his industry, the airline industry," he told reporters. Slater—currently suspended from his job while JetBlue investigates...

Slater Was Cranky the Entire Flight: Witnesses

Slater warned airline fees were turning him into 'bag Nazi'

(Newser) - Steven Slater seemed upset all the way through the flight that will likely be his last as a JetBlue employee, according to witnesses who say they saw him bumping into passengers, slamming overhead bins shut and abruptly throwing an oxygen mask aside after a safety demonstration. "He was very...

JetBlue Hires Ex-Cops as Flight Attendants

Airline wants people who work well in emergencies

(Newser) - JetBlue isn’t interested in the good-looking stewardesses of bygone days. They want flight attendants who are good in an emergency, who can take charge and inspire confidence. So they’ve been actively recruiting ex-cops and firefighters, the Wall Street Journal reports. As a result, about 10% of its 2,...

Spirit Air Rolls Out Carry-on Fees

Airline says it went off without a hitch, will save time

(Newser) - Spirit Airlines rolled out its new fees on carry-on baggage today, lauding the move as a way to save time in loading and unloading planes. "The check-in process is going well so far," said a spokeswoman. Since airlines started charging for checked luggage, more passengers have brought carry-on...

Self-Boarding Comes to First US Airport
 Self-Boarding Comes 
 to First US Airport 


HOUSTON, WE HAVE A BOARDING PASS
Jul 28, 2010 5:52 AM CDT

Self-Boarding Comes to First US Airport

Houston experiment likely to spread

(Newser) - For Continental passengers flying out of Houston, boarding a plane has become a lot more like getting on the subway. The airport is the first in America to test "self-boarding" gates, in which passengers simply run their boarding passes through a machine before getting on the plane without having...

Passenger Complains of 3-Hour Wait on 100° Plane

He films it all on his phone

(Newser) - Ever had to sit on the tarmac waiting for your plane to take off for three hours? Sucks right? Now imagine you’re in Arizona on a hundred-degree day and there’s no air conditioning on the plane. That’s what happened to Tony Morales on Sunday at Sky Harbor...

Airline Sued for $5M Over Lost Bag

Flyer: American refused to return $25 luggage fee

(Newser) - Airlines that lose people's bags shouldn't be charging them for the service, says an angry passenger suing American Airlines. Danielle Covarrubias has launched a $5 million class action suit against the airline, complaining that after it lost her bag containing $800 in possessions managers refused to refund her $25 baggage...

Budget Airline's New Idea: Standing Tickets

Ryanair proposes another doozy, but safety issues loom

(Newser) - Ryanair—already considering a plan to charge passengers to pee—has another brilliant idea for budget travelers. CEO Michael O'Leary is floating the idea of removing the last 10 rows of seats in its planes so passengers could stand in exchange for cheaper tickets, reports the Telegraph . He calls them...

To Board Your American Flight Early: Pay $10
 To Board Your American 
 Flight Early: Pay $10 
more fees dept
Jun 18, 2010 6:17 AM CDT

To Board Your American Flight Early: Pay $10

$10 will buy option to beat the crowds

(Newser) - American Airlines is offering passengers the chance to pay twice for getting on the same plane. The airline plans to start selling passengers the option of being among the first to board a flight and avoid crowded aisles and jammed overhead bins, CNN reports. Early boarding is being offered as...

Airline Mishap Lands Kids in Wrong Cities

Delta switched their paperwork somehow

(Newser) - Next time you lose your luggage, remember it could be worse. You could, for example, be one of the two kids Delta sent to the wrong cities on Tuesday. A boy and a girl were each flying separately under the airline’s unaccompanied minors program, he to Boston, she to...

Airline Customer Satisfaction Rises (for Once)

Continental, Alaska, JetBlue and Southwest earn top marks

(Newser) - After three straight years of losing altitude, airline customer satisfaction ratings are on the rise, according to a study released today by JD Power and Associates. Overall satisfaction with North American carriers rose 15 points on a 1,000-point scale, the Chicago Tribune reports, with 10 of 12 airlines improving...

Obama Ups Fines to Bump Passengers Off Flights

Airlines bumping more passengers as they cut back on flights

(Newser) - The Obama administration has more good news for frustrated travelers. The Department of Transportation intends to increase the amount airlines have to pay you if they bump you involuntarily to a later flight. The regulation, one of several passenger-friendly moves from the White House, comes amid soaring bump rates, ABC...

Stingy Airlines Redeem Few Miles

Study shows big carriers turn down most requests

(Newser) - If you're hoping to redeem some of your frequent flier miles on US Airways or Delta, good luck. Those two airlines could fulfill just 10.7% and 12.9% of standard mileage award requests in a recent study, and while best-in-class Southwest could fulfill 99.3%, other US carriers didn't...

Continental, United Merging Into World's Biggest Airline

New behemoth hopes to turn around losses

(Newser) - United and Continental Airlines are joining to form the world's largest airline in a $3 billion deal, the carriers will announce today. The merger will test the notion that the money-losing airline industry can work better on a large scale—and test the Obama administration's antitrust regulators. While the companies...

No Quick Solutions for Volcano-Grounded Travelers

Even after airspace opens, huge backlog awaits

(Newser) - Even after airspace closed by volcanic ash reopens, the hordes of would-be travelers waiting at airports around the world shouldn't count on catching the first flight out. "An international airline system is such a carefully orchestrated network that any disruption, especially of this size, is really going to take...

Airline Fees None of Schumer's Business
Airline Fees None of Schumer's Business
opinion
Apr 18, 2010 12:10 PM CDT

Airline Fees None of Schumer's Business

It's a free market, so politicians should butt out

(Newser) - Spirit Airlines imposes a fee for carry-on bags, and suddenly it's Public Enemy No. 1 on Capitol Hill. Amid the outrage, Jeff Jacoby would like to remind the government (and he's looking at you Chuck Schumer and Ray LaHood) that Spirit is a private company fighting for its life in...

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