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The world's most expensive airline tickets revealed -- Flying in the lap of luxury doesn't come cheap, with wealthy passengers splashing massive amounts of cash - or expensing it to a company - to travel with perks those in economy could only dream of. First class airfare costs are so staggering a return ticket on one of the longest routes in the world can equal or exceed a year's salary for many workers. MailOnline Travel has compiled a list of some of the most expensive round-trip commercial flights in the world, including: Emirates, Los Angeles-Dubai $36,000, Etihad Airways, Los Angeles-Abu Dhabi $28,000 and Qantas, Melbourne-Los Angeles $20,000. U.K. Daily Mail
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222 million summer flyers fueling airlines', governments' fight over how to divvy up our dollars -- You and 222 million of your closest friends will be flying together this summer - a few of them probably much, much closer to you than you'd prefer. And that's the good news. The bad news is that so many of you - of us - will be flying this summer that the airlines and the government now are squabbling publicly over how they're going to split up all the money we will spend on air travel. It's the kind of argument that only occurs when the air travel business is, well, soaring. Dan Reed/Forbes
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| First class fares get affordable -- First-class seats have come down out of the stratosphere. Airlines are dropping fares to entice shoppers to buy more first-class tickets. They also are tempting frequent fliers with round-trip upgrades for as little as $100 or $200 on domestic trips. The catch: Frequent fliers used to get many more upgrades to first class free. For airlines, the shift in strategy is squeezing more revenue out of their best seats. Scott McCartney/Wall Street Journal |
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SBD to host air show -- For the first time since Norton Air Force Base closed and was converted into a civilian airport, a major air show is planned for Oct. 17. By that time, the General Aviation hangars and adjacent Sheriff's Aviation should be finished, and entry into the show will be at the south end of Victoria Avenue through a newly-rebuilt intersection and airport entrance. The total cost of the air show and an accompanying country music show is projected to be about $322,000, split among three major sponsors. Highland Community News
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Flight returns to gate at San Francisco to remove passenger -- A Virgin America flight from San Francisco to Austin, Texas, was delayed out of concerns over one of the passengers. Virgin America spokeswoman Christie O'Toole says the incident happened aboard Flight 218 on Thursday. She says passengers became concerned about the behavior of someone on board. AP
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Team announced for new La Guardia Airport terminal -- After months of delay, La Guardia Airport's operator has selected a team to finance and construct a new terminal. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Thursday selected the La Guardia Gateway Partners team to replace the airport's aging Central Terminal Building, known to travelers as Terminal B. The winning consortium includes development firm Skanska USA Inc., architecture and engineering company HOK as well as financial giants, such as Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Inc. Andrew Tangel/Wall Street Journal
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Virgin America adding new aircraft - and new markets -- More than two years ago, Virgin America reduced and deferred a major aircraft order, deciding to improve its finances before increasing capacity. Now, after two profitable years, it will resume growing, though some question whether the carrier will find enough worthwhile markets. Virgin America, which has not taken a new aircraft since March 2013, plans to proceed slowly. What was once 30 Airbus A320s slated to arrive soon is now 10, all coming during a one-year period beginning this summer. Brian Sumers/Aviation Week
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Southwest Airlines CEO: Ramping up the competition -- Last week, when Jim Cramer spoke with American Airlines' top exec on "Mad Money," he had no idea that the interview would send the entire airline group plummeting the next day. Whoops! That was exactly what happened when Cramer spoke with American's CEO Doug Parker, who shared his concerns regarding the large amount of capacity being added into the industry by his competitors. Why was he worried? Because excess capacity means bloody competition in the airline industry. Abigail Stevenson/CNBC
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Alaska Airlines was 'shocked' when Delta partnership unraveled -- Brad Tilden was poised and calm Thursday when discussing the future of Seattle's hometown airline. But things weren't always so relaxed for the Alaska Air Group CEO. Alaska Air Group faced a perilous situation last year when the company's longtime partnership with Delta Air Lines came to a screeching halt. Rachel Lerman/Puget Sound Business Journal
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Analytics, apps set airlines on course to becoming 'retailers with wings' -- The domestic airline industry, looking to capitalize on luggage fees and other new revenue streams after a string of profitable years, is turning to an unlikely inspiration in a new service push: Amazon.com Inc. Airlines, including Alaska Air Group, Virgin America Inc. and JetBlue Airways Corp. are developing software to facilitate in-flight purchases through passenger mobile devices and to analyze transaction data. Clint Boulton & Kim S. Nash/Wall Street Journal
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United, Boeing executives talk aviation -- United Airlines is working to improve customer satisfaction by improving the reliability of its flights, and Boeing says the U.S. government next month needs to reauthorize an international credit agency that not only helps the aerospace giant sell airplanes but supports American businesses and jobs. Those were among the topics that executives at United and Boeing talked about during a panel discussion on aviation Thursday at the Chicago Forum on Global Cities held at the Art Institute of Chicago. Gregory Karp/Chicago Tribune
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Can Eastern Air Lines, a start-up with an old name, survive In the modern market? -- Eastern Air Lines took to the skies for the first time in 24 years on Wednesday, operating a charter flight from Miami to Havana and back. The Florida-based carrier, one of America's iconic airlines for more than 60 years before it went bankrupt in 1991, is back -- at least in name . This new Eastern is a startup that acquired the intellectual property of the old airline, including its name, logo and even its slogans, and it's hoping to make a big splash in the Miami and Latin America markets. Ismat Sarah Mangla/International Business Times
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EU takes Germany to court over airport security controls -- The European Commission is taking Germany to the European Court of Justice for failing to adequately monitor security measures at some German airports, the European Union's executive body said on Thursday. "Inspections by the Commission have shown that Germany does not comply with the minimum frequency and the scope of controls required under EU legislation," it said in a statement. Reuters
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American Airlines CEO discusses comms strategy behind US Airways merger -- American Airlines Group's Doug Parker tells Diana Bradley why the company's PR unit has been a key part of its merger with US Airways. In April, the Federal Aviation Administration awarded American Airlines and US Airways a single operating certificate. Bradley: What has been your comms approach, internally, around the merger? Parker: The majority of my time has been working on comms efforts with my employees versus anything else. We have more than 100,000 staffers across the US and all over the world. PR Week
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United and American - Chicago's mayor has their backs -- First of all, let us say that Chicago is among the most important U.S. cities for commercial aviation. United has its headquarters, 14,000 employees and its largest hub in Chicago. American has a hub and 8,800 employees. Chicago has two major airports including O'Hare International, the world's fifth-busiest airport. So one would expect that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel would take an interest in representing the interests of the U.S. airline industry, which employs tens of thousands of his constituents and plays a major role in assuring that Chicago remains one of the world's premier cities. Ted Reed/The Street
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American Airlines exec Billy Nolen joins airline group -- Billy Nolen, managing director of corporate safety and regulatory affairs at American Airlines, is joining Airlines for America after nearly 26 years at American. Nolen takes the title of senior vice president of safety, security and operations at A4A, the trade group for large U.S. air carriers. Said the organization in its release: "In his new role, Nolen will work closely with A4A members to advise, evaluate and set standards and procedures that maximize safety and customer service and improve efficiency," the organization said. Terry Maxon/Dallas Morning News
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Walk Off The Earth singer claims she was kicked off flight over crying son -- Sarah Blackwood, member of the popular Canadian band Walk Off The Earth, says she was humiliated when she was kicked off a United Airlines flight over the behaviour of her toddler son, who the airline said was causing "safety concerns." The singer, who is currently seven-months pregnant and on tour with the band, told CTVNews.ca she was kicked off United Airlines Flight 6223 from San Francisco to Vancouver on Wednesday because her 23-month-old son was being "fussy." The flight was operated by United's regional partner, SkyWest Airlines. Marlene Leung/CTV News
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Airbus hints at production hike for A320 jets -- Airbus may be pushing out as many as 60 A320-family passenger jets per month as early as 2018, Airbus executives said Thursday. Airbus sales chief John Leahy said "we aren't committed to anything yet," but said the jetmaker's backlog of more than 6,000 A320-family orders could be the driver for such a large increase in production. Currently, Airbus produces 42 of the single-aisle A320s per month. Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/USA Today
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Budget airlines could save the Airbus A380 superjumbo -- In the 10 years since the mammoth Airbus A380 first took the air, the superjumbo has not become the game-changing aircraft the company had originally hoped it would be. Although Airbus has taken 317 orders for the jet, the company has struggled to expand its customer base past the dozen or so airlines that currently operate the airplane. And nearly half of those orders are by a single airline - Emirates. Benjamin Zhang/Business Insider
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Delta gets first 'maximum takeoff weight' Airbus A330 -- Airbus delivered its first 242-ton variant of the A330-300 to Delta Air Lines Thursday evening at the jetmaker's headquarters in southern France. The plane is Airbus' latest version of its A330 long-haul widebody jet, dubbed the "Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) variant" by the European manufactuer. It's capable of flying farther and taking off with more weight than prior versions of the jet, for which Delta is the launch customer. Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/USA Today
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Air traffic control tech upgrades face turbulence -- It's summer, and your flight is going to be delayed. The annual travel crunch-in what is projected to be the busiest air-travel season on record-is upon us. And relief from what critics say is a second-rate air-traffic-control system-promised year after year after year-is nowhere in sight. In fact, it's likely not to happen in full across the country until after 2020-the regulatory equivalent of being 17th in line for takeoff from JFK. And like passengers sitting on the tarmac, the Federal Aviation Administration's critics in Congress are getting restless. Jason Plautz/National Journal
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Ride-hailing apps Uber, Lyft blamed for drop in Orange County taxi permits -- Taxicab driver and vehicle permits have fallen sharply this year compared with 2014 - a sign, traditional taxicab operators say, of how Uber, Lyft and other smartphone-based ride services are crimping their business. The number of registered taxicab drivers dropped nearly 18 percent in March, to 1,315, compared to 1,595 during the same month of 2014, according to the Orange County Taxi Administration Program. Nicole Knight/Orange County Register
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L.A. labor leaders agree to delay minimum wage exemption for unions -- A union official said Thursday night that two prominent Los Angeles labor groups would not oppose the passage of a citywide minimum wage increase that omits an exemption for unionized businesses. Rusty Hicks, head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor and a leader of the Raise the Wage Coalition, has been at the center of last-minute debates over the final language of the wage-hike plan the L.A. City Council approved last week. If given final approval as expected, the ordinance would raise the minimum hourly wage to $15 by 2020. Peter Jamison/Los Angeles Times
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