Airline News Archives

Houston authorities are interviewing a "juvenile" who might be the mother of a dead fetus found Sunday in an airplane bathroom trash can, to determine whether a crime was committed.

American Airlines parent AMR Corp. is seeking to raise at least $500 million through the sale of its investment management unit, according to people with knowledge of the plans.

Northwest Airlines has proposed to Delta that the airlines move ahead with their combination without a prearranged deal with pilots, a person with direct knowledge of the situation said on Friday.

“We informed our mechanics, pilots and flight attendants of the incidents and the corrective steps we are taking. We further conducted a stringent review process with our maintenance partners to ensure they had the same information.”

United Airlines has found faulty wiring in the landing gear of three of its Airbus A320 planes, the company said Monday. via CNN

“For us pilots the Air France plan is over”

Air France-KLM was to make a new push on Monday to get Alitalia's unions on board for the European giant's move to take over the nearly bankrupt Italian flag carrier and lay off 2,100 workers. via The Tocqueville Connection

“With Virgin Blue flying within Australia and to New Zealand and the South Pacific and Virgin Atlantic between Australia, Hong Kong and London, V Australia flights to the United States are the obvious last piece of the puzzle”

Virgin launches new premium airline Fare war, $999 return to LA SMS, free meals, drinks THE Virgin Blue Group has launched a premium, three-class international airline, V Australia, with a daily direct route ... via NEWS.com.au

Three baggage handlers at the Tampa International Airport have been arrested for dealing with stolen property, according to arrest reports.

Efrain Malave-Bermudez Jr., 34; Ernie Azucey, 23; and Juan Ayende-Nieves, 52, were arrested Friday on multiple charges.

The three handlers were employed by a company hired by Continental Airlines, authorities said.

Telephone messages left for Continental and the company were not immediately returned.

The trio is accused of dealing electronic goods that included laptop computers, digital cameras and iPods that were stolen from the luggage. Read more

Aloha Airlines said Sunday it will cease all passenger service after Monday, signaling the end of an airline that has served Hawaii for more than 60 years.

Aloha, which filed for bankruptcy for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 21, says it will stop taking reservations for flights after Monday.

'We simply ran out of time to find a qualified buyer or secure continued financing for our passenger business,' said Aloha President David Banmiller in a statement. 'We had no choice but to take this action.' Read more

“The Open Skies agreement could lead to greater competition between airlines for flights from Heathrow.”

The first plane has landed under the "Open Skies" agreement between the United States and Europe, heralding what many hope will be a new era in air travel. via CNN

BRITISH Airways drafted in extra staff overnight to shift 15,000 items of baggage built up since the disastrous opening of its showcase terminal at London's Heathrow Airport. via News.com.au

British Airways boss Willie Walsh has vowed his company "would not rest" until Heathrow's Terminal Five was working at a "high standard", as airport users continued to complain of delays and poor service. via IcNorthWales

Gov. Sonny Perdue travels to Shanghai on Sunday to start a weeklong economic development mission. via WJXT

Gov. Sonny Perdue travels to Shanghai on Sunday to start a weeklong economic development mission. via WJXT

Allegiant Air, a low-fare carrier that began flying out of Piedmont Triad International Airport last spring, is ending service to the airport on May 31.

The airline blamed the decision on high oil prices and less-than-desired passenger numbers. Allegiant spokesman Tyri Squyres told The News & Record of Greensboro that rising fuel costs made the move necessary.

An airport executive called the loss of Allegiant a 'moderate' hit.

In recent months, PTI officials promoted the fact that Allegiant and Skybus Airlines , both discount carriers that began service there last May, helped reduce fares at the airport. They said the airlines have helped bring back local passengers who had been traveling to Raleigh and Charlotte in search of lower fares and more convenient flights. Read more

A Southwest Airlines plane had engine trouble shortly after departing and had to return to the airport on Saturday.

Southwest spokeswoman Marilee McInnis says the flight had departed from Dallas bound for St. Louis at 4:20 p.m. Shortly after, the aircraft's pilot realized there was a problem with one of the engines and the plane returned to Dallas.

'The captain had a problem with one of the engines, and they did shut that engine down and returned to Dallas,' McInnis said.

The plane landed safely at Love Field around 5 p.m. and was taken out of service, McInnis said. The 137 passengers on the flight were transferred onto a new aircraft, which continued to St. Louis. Read more

“This is a procedural process and not indicative of any change in providing service to these excellent markets. This will be transparent to our customers.”

Faced with rising fuel costs, Colgan Air Inc. announced today that it will re-bid the majority of its Essential Air Service routes. via Earth Times

“This is a procedural process and not indicative of any change in providing service to these excellent markets. This will be transparent to our customers.”

Faced with rising fuel costs, Colgan Air Inc. announced today that it will re-bid the majority of its Essential Air Service routes. via Earth Times

By The Associated Press PEORIA, IL - Air travelers hoping to get from Central Illinois to Florida will soon have one less option. via Http

Allegiant Air announced today it will end its scheduled service from Greensboro, N.C. to Orlando and Tampa Bay, Fla. via WAFF-TV Huntsville

“Every penny more per gallon adds $195 million to the industry's expenses per year.

"You simply cannot make all of that up with fare increases.”

Your ginger-ale doesn't come in a glass anymore on most US Airways flights. On Delta you'll find yourself in a thinner, lighter seat. If you fly JetBlue cross-country, you'll get a dainty bag of 100-calorie crisps in place of the original snack box of cookies, crackers and spreadable cheese.

With jet fuel prices so high, airlines have no choice but to scour their planes for ways to lighten the load. There's no room for even the smallest bits of dead weight, from redundant wing lights to extra wires in the walls. Manufacturers also are using lighter materials in plane construction. Read more

US Airways Group Inc. has found problems on seven of its Boeing 757 aircraft during inspections prompted by the loss of a wing part from another company plane during a flight. via KESQ-TV Palm Desert

“We are fully prepared for security threats from any side and completely capable of foiling any terrorist attack”

A 19-YEAR-OLD female of Uygur ethnic background has confessed to a failed terrorist attempt on a passenger plane that left Urumqi on March 7, the Ministry of Public Security announced yesterday. via Shanghai Daily

The Vermont Human Rights Commission ruled there are grounds to believe Freedom Airlines discriminated against a woman ordered off a plane after refusing to cover up while breast-feeding her child. via Guardian Unlimited

Continental Airlines says four tires blew out on a jetliner as it landed in Houston.

Spokeswoman Susannah Thurston says no one was injured in Thursday's accident at Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport.

She says no emergency evacuation was needed. The plane was not making an emergency landing.

The flight from Oklahoma City carried 113 passengers and a crew of five. Read more

Hundreds of flights are expected to be canceled through early Friday morning as Delta Air Lines and American Airlines continue to inspect wiring bundles on some planes. via ClipSyndicate

Former St. Louis Rams defensive lineman Tyoka Jackson was ordered by a federal jury to pay a flight attendant $3,000 for pushing him on a plane, a tiny portion of the more than $1 million the attendant and his ... via KSDK NewsChannel 5

“Brazil is a country that needs more competition and a different kind of competition”

The founder of JetBlue Airways announced plans to start a new Brazilian airline on Thursday, to begin operating next year with three jets and eventually grow to a fleet of 76 planes flying nationwide. via WHDH

“We're doing it to make the point that Terminal 5 can be used to bring in up to 100,000 more planes a year even with the existing runways. That's huge.”

Heathrow Airport's gleaming Terminal 5 opened Thursday, launching operations with an early morning arrival of a flight from Hong Kong.

The $8.6 million terminal, able to handle 30 million passengers per year, will be used exclusively by British Airways, which is moving many of its flights from the run-down, congested airport's other terminals to the new building.

Airport operator BAA PLC said the gates freed up by British Airways' move to Terminal 5 will allow U.S. airlines, including Continental, Delta, Northwest Airlines and U.S. Airways, to operate between Heathrow and American cities beginning March 30. In addition, American Airlines is shifting several of its flights from London Gatwick to Heathrow, officials said. Read more

“Adding that little bit of humor, and different shots would engage the customer. So I hope we've achieved that.”

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is making waves with the help of a spunky flight attendant, who has become the newest sensation on YouTube. via WXIA-TV Atlanta

“When customers purchase a flight on Air New Zealand, they will now be able to make a concious choice about whether or not they want to take positive steps toward helping our environment.”

When passengers book they will be able to donate to an environment trust that will fund research into alternative fuels, a tree planting project on a Hawkes Bay farm and buy emission reduction units from a ... via The New Zealand Herald

The union that represents United Airlines mechanics, which is unhappy with the airline's ongoing effort to outsource maintenance work to lower-cost foreign providers, complained Tuesday that the carrier had during 2005 and 2006 exceeded by nearly $480 million its agreement to keep such work in-house.

The UAL Corp. subsidiary's contract with the Aircraft mechanics Fraternal Association contains a clause that establishes a cap on how much work UAL can outsource.

The union said that it had retained an auditing concern to review whether United has been complying with its contractual limit. Read more

You've heard of ski passes. How about airline commuter passes? As Frontier Airlines expands its service within Colorado, it is offering packs of one-way tickets to fly from Denver or Colorado Springs to its new ... via KMGH-TV Denver

“The concessions will allow for the start of talks”

Air France-KLM has promised a revised plan for cutting jobs at Alitalia as part of its takeover of the carrier, marking its first concession in talks with the labour unions. via Ireland.com

Mar.25 - European equities surge as investors scoop up battered banking shares after a raised buyout offer for Bear Stearns eases worries over financial sector valuations. via Reuters Video

Singapore Airlines Ltd. , the first carrier to operate the Airbus SAS A380, grounded the world's largest passenger plane for a second time due to a faulty fuel- pump. via Bloomberg.com

“It depends on the price. But we have made it clear that we will only do something in agreement”

British Airways said on Tuesday it had no current plans to bid for Iberia, after a newspaper speculated it was preparing an offer for the Spanish carrier. via Airwise

“For example, when Northwest flight attendants negotiated an early out program, more that $16 million of cost savings generated from the plan went directly back into the pockets of the remaining flight attendants.”

Delta Air Lines Inc. flight attendants will vote in April to decide whether to join the Association of Flight Attendants union. via Birmingham Business Journal

“Boeing notified us of numerous reports of fuel leaks from older models, but no fires”

Federal regulators have ordered inspections for hundreds of older model Boeing 737 jetliners after numerous reports of fuel leaks caused by a potentially faulty bolt. via Houston Chronicle

Two Continental Airlines employees at Newark Liberty International Airport have been accused of helping to smuggle heroin. via NBC Channel 10

“A great sense of responsibility on the part of the unions is needed”

Alitalia workers oppose the proposed job cuts Talks between unions representing workers at Italy's loss-making airline Alitalia and prospective owner Air France-KLM will resume on Tuesday. via BBC

A Continental Airlines flight carrying 158 passengers and crew has made an unscheduled stop in Denver to replace a cracked window.

Airline spokeswoman Kelly Cripe said Flight 635 was en route from Calgary, Alberta, to Houston when the crack was discovered in an "eyebrow window" above the windshield.

Cripe said the 737-800 landed in Denver without incident at 9:20 a.m. MDT.

The plane took off again for Houston at about 4 p.m. MDT. Read more

“The outlook revision and short-term rating downgrade are based on the expected impact of much higher jet fuel prices and a weakening U.S. economy, which we believe will cause AMR to report a loss this year”

Surging oil prices could leave American Airlines parent AMR Corp., the nation's largest carrier, with a much fatter fuel bill than it anticipated just two months ago. via Houston Chronicle

“There's no putting the genie back in the bottle after it's out.”

While talk of a combined Delta-Northwest and other airline mergers seems to be circling the gate, further delays could jeopardize carriers' chances of getting regulatory clearance under the business-friendly Bush administration.

Antitrust experts say any such combination will take several months to gain Justice Department approval, and that a decision likely would be needed before Election Day or the airlines will have to roll the dice with whomever follows George W. Bush into the White House. Read more

Delta Air Lines, the third- largest U.S. carrier, will follow United Airlines in charging $25 for a second checked bag to help recoup surging fuel costs. via Houston Chronicle

“So, we sat down with them and we weren't talking five minutes when I said, 'We really do need to work with these guys.'”

Allegiant Air doesn't advertise much in Las Vegas, but it climbed to become the seventh-busiest commercial air carrier at McCarran International Airport last year. via "The nashuatelegraph.com's local, sta...

“Our pilots knew that Pinnacle management was playing games-we simply built the case”

The Pinnacle Airlines pilots, represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l, won big when an arbitrator ruled that Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. via Air Line Pilot

Delta Air Lines has named Travel Impressions as the official operator of the airline's Delta Vacations ending a long relationship with Certified Vacations. via Travel Trade

“I fainted and I was admitted to a government hospital. Life-saving drugs saved my life”

Kolkata, March 19 : Controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen on Wednesday left India for an unknown destination and has reached London. via Express India

We've been trying for almost a year to get a refund from British Airways, but we can't even get a human to talk to us, let alone get our money back. via The Herald

Midwest Airlines has issued the following passenger advisory. Due to weather conditions in the Milwaukee area that have temporarily closed General Mitchell International Airport for snow and ice removal, many ... via Earth Times

With a live DVD, a new album and some touring on the docket, ZZ Top is revving up for a busy year. via Ultimate-guitar.com

Next month, up to 80 million Delta Air Lines passengers worldwide will know her as the face of Delta's newest safety video, in which Lee walks fliers through government-mandated safety instructions with a smile ... via WCTV Tallahassee

INDIANAPOLIS - Frontier Airlines is ending nonstop service between Cancun and Indianapolis International Airport in May, dealing a setback to airport officials' hopes that new international arrivals gates will ... via Palladium-Item

“In this particular situation, we identified a gap in our documentation”

The company heralded for having an enviable customer service rating, Southwest Airlines, found itself earlier this month in trouble for failing to conduct mandatory airplane inspections for structural damage. via Times Record News

“Buy"-rated airline stocks to "Neutral”

Airline investors braced for a further sell-off on Thursday as analysts at UBS and Lehman Brothers reduced estimates and downgraded certain carriers due to record fuel costs and recession worries. via The Dallas Morning News

“We have no doubt that the trend in claims is upwards and is approaching the levels seen in the earlier stage of the recession in 2001”

A sign for a Delta ticket counter is seen at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle in this Feb. via The Modesto Bee

- Aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Inc. (TSX:BBD.B) faces a small speed bump as Delta Air Lines plans to park several jets and defer an order for three new aircraft because of the weak U.S. economy and rising fuel costs, an analyst said Thursday.

The CEO of the recently bankrupt No. 3 U.S. airline told employees and a New York aviation conference that Delta will reduce its capacity by another five per cent by August, increasing its domestic reduction to 10 per cent..

The decision will result in idling as many as 20 mainline aircraft and 20 to 25 regional jets. Delta has 132 regional jets, all made by Bombardier. Read more

Frontier Airlines pilot Kent Katnik checks the landing gear on an Airbus A319 at Denver International Airport before flying the jet to Dallas in 2004. via Denver Rocky Mountain News

United Airlines parent UAL Corp. forecast higher first-quarter unit revenue Thursday, but also said it expects fuel costs to surge and non-fuel expenses to creep up as well. via Chicago Tribune

“The investigation didn't support the kind of action that Mr. Thrash wanted to initiate”

A former federal aviation inspector has criticized the investigation of the death of an El Paso airline mechanic sucked into the engine of a commercial jet. via Theeagle.com

Low-cost leader JetBlue Airways has come up with a creative way to earn more money. via ABC7.com

Northwest Airlines today announced it is offering cash back into customer PayPal accounts when they purchase a ticket at www.nwa.com using PayPal for payment. via Earth Times

“It is extremely challenging and marked by high operating costs, record high fuel prices and a very competitive pricing structure”

Tourists disembark from a flight from Maui, Hawaii on go! Airlines at the Honolulu International Airport in this Nov. via Kansas.com

United Airlines grounded several Boeing 747s today after discovering that on-board technology that ensures the giant aircraft steer clear of other planes in the air hadn't been maintained according to the Chicago airline's standards, sources said.

A United employee, who requested anonymity, said that three jumbo jets at San Francisco International Airport and one in Denver had been grounded until United technicians could ensure the technology was properly calibrated, something that would occur this evening. Read more

American Airlines and Northwest Airlines have raised their fuel surcharges for flights to Europe by an additional $20 per round trip, an air fare expert says. via NewsCenter 25

“As we work through [the investigation], we'll make the changes we feel are necessary to strengthen our controls and improve our documentation”

The Federal Aviation Administration is launching an in-depth review of airline maintenance records nationwide after an alleged inspection lapse at Southwest Airlines sparked a proposed record $10.2 million fine.

The agency said Tuesday it was ordering its inspectors to scrutinize airline maintenance programs to ensure that they are complying with special rules, dubbed 'airworthiness directives,' to correct potentially unsafe conditions in airplanes.

The March 2007 inspection lapse at Southwest, in which the company failed to adhere to a directive to inspect a portion of aircraft fuselages for cracks, 'makes it necessary for us to validate our system for overseeing your management of this regulatory requirement,' wrote Nick Sabatini, the FAA's associate administrator for aviation safety, in an e-mail to airline executives. Read more

Delta Air Lines said Tuesday it will offer voluntary severance payouts to roughly 30,000 employees - more than half its work force - and cut domestic capacity by an extra 5 percent this year as part of an ...

If you're the type of traveler who needs to unturn every stone in search of the absolutely lowest airfare before you'll buy, take a look at Priceline's new product, called Inside Track .

Major U.S. airlines are beginning to shrink their operations as they battle unrelenting increases in fuel prices, a weakening economy and a sharp decline in their share prices.

On hold for nearly a month, the merger deal between Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines is in danger of being called off.

Northwest Airlines CEO Doug Steenland, a widely anticipated merger with Delta Air Lines stalled over pilot seniority issues, said he may need to "rethink the size of the airline" as record fuel prices damp ...

TEMPE, Ariz. : Profit sharing checks totaling $49 million will be distributed to US Airways employees in hundreds of communities today as the airline celebrates its second consecutive year of profitability ...

The pilots of a go! airlines flight failed to respond to air traffic controllers 11 times during an interisland flight from Honolulu to Hilo on Feb.

Alitalia's board on Sunday unanimously accepted Air France-KLM's bid valued at $1.1 billion in a move to save the struggling national carrier.

The Air France-KLM offer values the airline at 139 million euros ($216 million), far less than expected, based on a share swap of 1 Air France share for every 160 Alitalia shares. The Franco-Dutch carrier also said it will pay euro608 million ($946 million) for convertible shares.

Air France said it will inject euro1 billion ($1.56 billion) in capital once the deal is complete. Read more