Turbulence For The FAA Bill
Forbes.com |
07 May 2008
Travelers hoping Congress will help alleviate some of the congestion in the skies, buckle up: You're in for a bumpy ride.
Tuesday afternoon the Senate failed to force a vote on a bill to reauthorize funding for the Federal Aviation Administration. Central to the funding overhaul is a multibillion-dollar plan to upgrade the nation's air traffic control system, a move that could clean up some of the traffic jams that cause flight delays.
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EU drops limits on hand luggage
BBC News |
07 May 2008
Plans to restrict the size of hand luggage on planes have been scrapped by the European Commission because they are too much trouble for passengers.
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Upscale hotels show no sign of a downturn
USA Today |
06 May 2008
At a time when bank accounts and stock portfolios are draining, the high-end hotel business might be expected to be losing its fizz.
Not yet. While occupancy is down slightly as room count rises, rates and room revenues are up. And new luxury lodgings continue to pop up like bubbles in a glass of Champagne
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Projected Airline Cutbacks Would Reshape U.S. Air Travel
USA Today |
02 May 2008
Record-high oil prices are threatening to ground millions of travelers who have grown accustomed to flying for fun and business during the past 30 years.
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Senate Adds Safety Requirements To FAA Authorization Bill
CNN Money.com |
30 Apr 2008
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Legislation being considered by the Senate this week would put new requirements on the Federal Aviation Administration in an effort avoid the kind of oversight lapses that occurred with respect to Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV).
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United announces another round of airfare hikes
USA Today |
28 Apr 2008
United Airlines, the second-largest U.S. carrier, raised nearly all its domestic airfares by 3 to 5% Thursday as it struggles to cope with soaring fuel costs.
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DOT Report: U.S. Airfares Continue to Rise
USA Today |
24 Apr 2008
U.S. domestic airfares continued to rise in the last three months of 2007 from earlier in the year, according to a new government report.
The average fourth-quarter airfare rose 4% from the previous year to $331, according to the Department of Transportation's quarterly report on airline fares.
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United Increasing Fees for Changes and Cancellations
ADTRAV |
21 Apr 2008
In an environment where fuel prices are averaging $100 a barrel, United is facing a cost increase of more than $2 billion this year. As a result of this tough economic environment, we are continuing to adapt to today’s market realities and finding new ways to generate revenue.
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Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines Combining
ADTRAV |
16 Apr 2008
As one of our valued partners, we know how important convenient worldwide connections are to your clients' business and leisure travel needs. That's why we are excited to announce that Delta is joining together with our SkyTeam® partner Northwest Airlines to create America's premier global airline.
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Delta and Northwest Merger Info
New Global Airline |
16 Apr 2008
News and information concerning the merger of Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines.
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Delta Fee Changes Effective April 1, 2008
Delta |
01 Apr 2008
Due to rising fuel costs and business decisions reflecting today’s competitive landscape, Delta will implement a $3 curb administrative fee, and increase other fees and charges effective April 1, 2008. Please see attached for specific details.
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NWA Announces Changes to Luggage Policies
NWA |
31 Mar 2008
Northwest Airlines today announced changes to its luggage policies for economy class customers traveling within North America.
Northwest is matching several other U.S. network carriers and implementing a $25 charge for the customer’s second checked bag and $100 for each additional bag for reservations made in coach class on or after March 29, 2008, for travel on or after May 5, 2008. Coach class customers may continue to check one piece of luggage free of charge. These policies also apply to Northwest Airlink customers flying on Mesaba, Pinnacle or Compass Airlines.
The new policy does not apply to silver, gold and platinum Northwest Airlines or SkyTeam elite customers. Full fare customers, booked in Y or B class, and customers traveling on military or government fares can still check up to two bags free of charge. Customers booked in First class can continue to check up to three bags free of charge.
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EU-U.S. Open Skies: Greater Choice, Increased Competition
Forbes |
31 Mar 2008
After decades of regulation, which prevented most foreign carriers from directly serving cities in both the U.S. and the European Union, trans-Atlantic travelers can expect more options. Not only will there be more carriers to choose from when flying direct from Los Angeles to London or Dallas to Amsterdam, for example, but the heightened competition is expected to drive down prices.
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AA Cancels 200 Flights for Safety Re-Inspections
Dallas Morning News |
31 Mar 2008
In the face of unprecedented federal scrutiny of airline maintenance, airlines are taking dramatic steps to prove compliance, including canceling flights to redo work they may have already performed.
In the face of unprecedented federal scrutiny of airline maintenance, airlines are taking dramatic steps to prove compliance, including canceling flights to redo work they may have already performed.
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U.S. Carriers Cutting Fleets, Flights and Jobs
USA Today |
19 Mar 2008
Fewer planes, fewer flights and fewer jobs — that's how some U.S. airlines plan to cope with a 30% rise in fuel prices the past six weeks.
Top executives from United, (UAUA) Delta, (DAL) JetBlue (JBLU) and US Airways (LCC) announced new fleet cutbacks Tuesday, while executives from other carriers, including both global No. 1 American (AMR) and top discounter Southwest, (LUV) left the door open for capacity cuts or further slowing of their growth.
The executives spoke Tuesday at the annual JPMorgan Chase Transportation Conference in New York.
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EU, U.S. Examine Cost Affects of Airline Alliances
International Herald Tribune |
19 Mar 2008
EU and U.S. regulators will examine how airline alliances such as SkyTeam, Oneworld and Star Alliance affect prices for flying between Europe and the United States, the European Commission said Tuesday.
Airlines have agreed not to compete directly against alliance partners on some routes, instead sharing a code for the same flight and pooling some staff and services to lower costs. Alliances emerged because many national rules discourage airlines from merging for fear of losing exclusive rights to flying routes.
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U.S. Airlines Must Go Green or Lose Flights to EU
The Guardian |
17 Mar 2008
US airlines must pay for their carbon dioxide emissions or face a curb on flights to the European Union, the EU transport commissioner warned yesterday.
The green ultimatum was issued by Jacques Barrot as the transatlantic airline market undergoes its biggest shakeup in 30 years when limits on flights between the EU and US are lifted this month. Barrot said negotiations on a second phase for the treaty will include a demand that US carriers join the EU emissions trading scheme or an equivalent system in the US.
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Baggage Rules for US Airways and United
ADTRAV |
17 Mar 2008
There are some important policy changes for checking baggage for US Airways and United. Please see the information from both airlines' websites. If you have any questions feel free to contact our client services department at 205-444-4800.
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Big Sky Airlines ends operations
USA Today |
17 Mar 2008
The Billings-based company flew its final flights into the city on Saturday after its parent company announced in December that it would cease operations because of disappointing revenues.
Pilots coordinated their takeoffs at Havre, Glasgow and Sidney to arrive at the same time — a tribute to the airline's tenure serving Montana. The planes did a flyby past Billings Logan International Airport at 7:35 a.m., circled and landed a few minutes behind schedule. An earlier flight out of Sidney landed on time at about 6:30 a.m.
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Industry Experts: Outlook for Business Travel Positive
Purchasing |
14 Mar 2008
Buckle up: 2008 is going to be an interesting year.
Those are words of Frank Boroch, managing director, at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., speaking at the NBTA Business Travel Financial Forum at the Millennium Hotel in New York yesterday.
In a forecast on the airline industry presented to National Business Travel Association members attending the educational event, Boroch was speaking about possible mergers of domestic carriers (such as Northwest and Delta), fare hikes and capacity reductions. “Because demand for business travel is relatively inelastic, airlines’ corporate customers continue to bear the brunt of higher fuel prices,” he said. “But, we will weather this.”
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Justice Official Calls For Common EU, U.S. Visa Waiver Negotiations
International Herald Tribune |
13 Mar 2008
The European Union's top justice official on Tuesday called for common EU negotiations with the United States on visa-free travel, saying it was possible for the entire 27-member bloc to be granted access to the U.S. visa waiver program in June.
A U.S. official, however, said that Washington would continue to pursue negotiations with individual countries, not with the EU as a whole.
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EU Adopts New Air Safety Rules
Reuters |
12 Mar 2008
The European Parliament adopted new EU rules on Tuesday to make air travel safer from attack, but the finer points of who pays for tighter aviation security were left unresolved.
The rules harmonize in-flight security and cover areas such as the use of sky marshals and carriage of weapons on aircraft for the first time on a pan-EU level.
They also harmonize screening of passengers and cabin luggage, access control and security checks. The rules have already been approved by the 27 EU member states.
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Heathrow airport first to fingerprint
Telegraph |
11 Mar 2008
Millions of British airline passengers face mandatory fingerprinting before being allowed to board flights when Heathrow’s Terminal 5 opens later this month.
For the first time at any airport, the biometric checks will apply to all domestic passengers leaving the terminal, which will handle all British Airways flights to and from Heathrow.
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U.S. Gov't to Expand Test of Categorized Airport Security Lines
USA Today |
07 Mar 2008
The government said Wednesday that it's going to expand an airport security program that creates special checkpoint lanes for families and "expert" travelers.
Beginning in April, the Transportation Security Administration plans to launch the program in at least six new airports. "There's no real cap on the number of airports," TSA spokesman Christopher White said. "If this is well-received by the six airports, we'll continue to expand."
A test that began last month in the Denver and Salt Lake City airports found that segregating passengers speeds up security lines and eases traveler stress, White said.
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Fliers Apprehensive About Airline Consolidation
Chicago Tribune |
07 Mar 2008
Mention airline mergers, and Tom Lee, a road warrior business executive, flashes back to 1991 and the sensation of helplessly watching his bag bob down a conveyor belt into the bowels of New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.
"Congratulations, you're the last one," the Pan American World Airways agent told Lee, who had just checked in for his flight.
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Companies Using Various Strategies to Cut Travel Expenses
USA Today |
05 Mar 2008
Faced with a weakening economy, more companies are targeting travel and entertainment expenses.
"Everyone's starting to think about what's going to happen if there's an economic downturn," says Adam Weissenberg, who heads Deloitte's travel industry consulting division.
"Travel is one of the more controllable expenses."
Penny-pinching strategies vary. Some companies are asking employees to travel more cheaply by booking advance-purchase airline tickets, less-fancy hotels or more-fuel-efficient rental cars. Others are forcing them to cut trips or replace them with audio, Web or phone conferences.
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U.S. Feds Report Savings After E-Gov Travel Service Adoption
Management.travel |
03 Mar 2008
Of the 24 major federal agencies that were directed to adopt E-Gov Travel Service--a governmentwide, Web-based service that standardizes travel management practices--10 are fully deployed and last year saved hundreds of thousands of dollars and/or realized millions of dollars in cost avoidance.
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Open Skies Treaty May Lead to Lower Fares, Consolidation
US News and World Report |
03 Mar 2008
When Air France Flight 60 from London's Heathrow Airport touches down at Los Angeles International Airport on March 31, after an 11-hour, nonstop flight, it will be taking part in commercial aviation history—as will some other trans-Atlantic services starting that day.
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Brazil to Allow Airlines to Reduce International Air Fares
Bloomberg |
03 Mar 2008
Brazil will let airlines give bigger discounts on international fares in a bid to increase competition as demand surges.
Brazil's civil aviation regulator as of March 1 will allow airlines to cut prices on flights to other South American nations as much as 50 percent from the maximum fare set by the government, the Brasilia-based agency said in an e-mail today. The current discount limit is 30 percent, the agency said.
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Foreign Airlines Seek Opportunities in U.S. Mergers
CNN Money |
03 Mar 2008
U.S. airline-merger talk is piquing the interest of foreign airlines toward consolidation as a gateway to global expansion, but U.S. regulations would limit their reach.
International routes have become the growth engine for the world's major passenger carriers, as they tap into growing markets in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, and connect the dots among cities around the world.
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