ABX Air today announced that it agreed to buy a 767-223 aircraft formerly operated by American, which it will convert to freight operation. ABX has 35 767 aircraft in its fleet. Reuters reported earlier this week that Boeing may increase production rates for the 787 to accomodate demand. The company expects to build 112 in…
The Star Alliance has launched a Visit South Africa campaign to “promote travel to Southern Africa and underscore the wide choice of flight connections to the African continent provided by the Star Alliance member carriers to US and Canadian traveler.” They want to highlight how easy it is to plan your dream trip to Africa.…
American Airlines is setting aside money to pay its employees their first profit-sharing payments since 2001. This is subsequent to their ongoing labor issues. American avoided bankruptcy in the last decade through cost-cutting and concessions made by labor, and as the employees watch management receiving bonuses…they feel entitled to their fair share after the sacrifices…
ATA will be adding service from Chicago-Midway to Oakland and Ontario, effective May 11th. ATA will also add service three times per week from Oakland to Kona, Hawaii effective June 14th. On June 15th, they will begin service four times weekly from Oakland to Lihui, Hawaii and daily nonstop service from Las Vegas to Maui,…
On Wednesday, an American Airlines employee allowed the former vice president and two aides to circumvent security by taking Gore from the airline’s ticketing counter through a door in the baggage claim area where only “badged employees” can enter. The door led to a tunnel and then a ramp that got them to an American…
American Eagle launched once-daily roundtrip service from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico yesterday using an ATR72 turboprop. Frontier Airlines launched nonstop service today to Cabo San Lucas from Sacramento(three flights per week) and San Jose(four flights per week) using A319 aircraft. Frontier also launched its new nonstop service from Denver to Hartford last night. It marks…
Reuters reported yesterday that the DOT will review this month’s service meltdown at Jetblue and December’s incident at American. The review will include the airlines’ customer service contracts and policies on ground delays and any recommendation could extend to airlines as a whole as well as the air traffic control system, and its operator, the…
The Associated Press reports that beginning tomorrow, coach passengers can use the front lavatory on American Airlines planes. The airline restricted it to first-class fliers on 2003. American had the only such rules. A Boeing 757, for example, has 22 seats in first-class, 160 in coach. It has two bathrooms in the front, and two…
On April 1st, American Eagle will discontinue service from Boston to Newark Airport, which it operates four times daily. On June 1st, the carrier will end twice-daily service from Chicago O’Hare to Washington-Dulles. With United operating nine flights a day between O’Hare and Dulles, and Continental operating twelve flights from Boston to Newark…it seems that…
American Airlines has announced a major initiative to increase its presence in New York. David Cush, American’s Senior Vice President of Global Sales, put it this way: “We want to make it crystal clear that American Airlines and American Eagle are the airlines of choice for the greater New York area. It’s no secret that…
After USA Today wrote of United abandoning passengers this past December, they were contacted about a similar incident on February 8th. A United Express and an American Connection flight, both heading to Denver from Madison, Wisconsin and St. Louis were abandoned in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Both Scottsbluff and Cheyenne are currently only served by turboprop service…
An American Airlines plane enroute from Tokyo-Narita to Dallas-Forth Worth diverted to Honolulu, Hawaii. The airline blamed the diversion of the Boeing 777 on a squirrel that stowed away on the flight. Pilots feared the squirrel would chew through wiring or cause other problems. The squirrel may have boarded in New York, the plane’s previous…
Air Canada is launching seasonal nonstops from Halifax to Holguin, Cuba. Air Canada operates twenty-seven flights to Cuba each week, including five to Holguin. For US Residents, visiting Cuba is illegal. Airtran announced effective May 8, they will introduce new nonstop service between Orlando and both Memphis and Kansas City, and will launch a second…
This evening, we reported that Jetblue had stranded passengers on several planes for more hours than even they thought were accepted, and followed up on American’s response to their similar situation. Our counterpart at Upgrade Travel reported on their attempt to take the wind out of the sails of the Passenger Bill of Rights…the way they…
This week brings a bunch of new service offerings. American Eagle will add nonstop service between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Shreveport, Louisiana beginning April 10 using a 50-seater Embraer regional jet once daily. Delta is adding five new nonstop destinations this summer from Atlanta: Fort Smith, Arkansas(June 7); Halifax, Nova Scotia(June 7); Kalispell, MT(June…
The Belligham Herald reports new Bellingham airline, Western Airlines, has apparently cancelled all service. Certainly a short time for an airline to be in business. Delta is offering an expanded summer schedule to Alaska. On May 23rd, it will offer daily service from Anchorage to Atlanta and to Cincinatti. On June 3rd, it will offer…
The Seattle Times has a good compilation of policies on getting a credit for future travel if the price goes down on your ticket. Here is the summary from that article. Alaska Airlines/ Horizon Air: Travel voucher good for one year for the difference in fares, minus a $10 service charge. Northwest Airlines: Two options:…
After hearing so many negative stories, when we find a story of an airline doing something nice without being asked…or threatened, we just have to write about it. Perhaps related to their big blunder the same day, a reader of the Consumerist was delayed with his wife for several hours due to the lack of…
In 1999, regulation of the airline industry with a Passenger Bill of Rights was by public agreements by airlines to change their practices…thus avoiding federal regulation. But now, studies indicate perhaps they’ve not only failed to live up to that, but they are lacking in many areas. A group of passengers who were stranded for…
Spirit Airlines has purchased thirty additional Airbus 319s, to be delivered from 2009 through 2013. This will, when complete, bring Spirit’s fleet to seventy aircraft. Airtran Airways announced service to St. Louis’s Lambert Airport, effective May 8, 2007, with nonstop service four times daily to Atlanta, and once daily to Orlando. Airtran Airways also announced…
Beginning in September 2007, Continental will inaugurate the first ever nonstop service from Jackson, Mississippi to the New York area. A single flight will operate daily from Newark’s Liberty Airport to Jackson. Continental already operates service from Jackson to Houston. American Eagle will add summer service from Dallas/Fort Worth to Montrose, Colorado operating once daily…
American Airlines, having fought with Southwest over the issues of flight freedom from Love Field, offering all manner of incentive on its flights out of that airport, will be pulling its MD-80 mainline service out of the airport. Effective April 10th, American Eagle will take over all service, and American insists, while they are terminating…
USAToday reported the other day on the loss of service in St. Louis. Over the last decade, commercial airline departures have dropped nearly fifty percent. St. Louis has two airports: St. Louis – Lambert International Airport, the main airport, a former TWA hub and a focus city for American Airlines, and MidAmerica Airport, opened in…
The Consumerist brought to our attention a story of schedule changes. in this case, American contacted the passenger to rebook due to a schedule change. The new itinerary caused a change of airline from Swiss to SN Brussels. The passenger asked if they needed new paper tickets and were told no. When they arrived for…
American Airlines announced today it would be adding more mainline service to its St. Louis focus city. American took over focus operations in the city when it absorbed TWA, which maintained a hub there. Beginning April 10th, service to Austin will feature round trips with one mainline jet and one regional jet. Service to Raleigh-Durham…