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Can it be? Flight schedules improving after Blizzard of 2016 -- Finally, the worst of the Blizzard of 2016 appears to be over for air travelers. Airlines had canceled more than 13,400 flights since the storm began Friday. But Tuesday's schedule indicated that cancellations had leveled off, allowing airlines to turn their focus to resuming normal operations and clearing the backlog of fliers stranded by storm-related cancellations. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today Also: Why it's taken so long for airlines to bounce back
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From FlightAware.com: Total cancellations today at all U.S. airports as of 6 a.m. PST: 1,376. Total cancellations today at LAX: 11; SNA: 4; ONT: 2; BUR, LGB and PSP: 0.
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American cancels 6,647 flights, most among airlines, because of storm -- By a wide margin, American cancelled more flights than any other carrier during the three-day winter blizzard that struck the East Coast of the U.S. Through Sunday, American cancelled 6,096 flights, according to statistics compiled by air travel intelligence company OAG. The carrier also cancelled 551 Monday flights. Cancellations accounted for 32% of the carrier's Friday schedule, 38% of its Friday schedule and 27% of the Sunday schedule. Ted Reed/The Street
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Alaska Air employees get $98 million bonus as profits soar -- After announcing record profits on Thursday, both Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air have promised large year-end bonuses for their employees. The extra cash will add up to about nine percent of employees annual wages. That means that workers will be given the equivalent of an extra five weeks' worth of pay. This seems like a generous move, especially as other major carriers are making noise about cutting operational costs and employee expenses. Josh Lew/Travel Pulse
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Alaska Airlines' iconic Eskimo gets a makeover -- As part of a broad brand update, Alaska Airlines on Monday unveiled a makeover for the company's logo and iconic Eskimo face that has been on the tail of the carrier's airplane fleet since the early 1970s. The change to the logo -- or wordmark is subtle. Basically, it's a streamlining of the capital "A" in Alaska and an overall bolding of the font. Modifications to the Eskimo face are more noticeable and were made, in part, to allow the image to show up better online and on mobile devices." Harriet Baskas/USA Today
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American Airlines pilot union leader blasts 'culture gone awry' after US Airways merger -- The president of the American Airlines pilots union is blasting the airline for an "on the cheap" philosophy, and ranking it below Delta and United for employee relations, after a series of contractual disputes. "We have all witnessed a culture gone awry," Keith Wilson, president of the Allied Pilots Association, wrote Saturday in a letter to the airline's 15,000 pilots. Ted Reed/Forbes
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Southwest Airlines lays out plans for accelerated fleet renewal -- Southwest Airlines is planning to use the extra revenue generated in 2015, buoyed by previous fleet modernization initiatives and lower fuel prices, to accelerate its plans for fleet renewal. While the company plans for year-over-year fleet growth through 2018 of no more than 2 percent on average, it has revised plans to further accelerate the retirement of its classic fleet by four years - to no later than mid-2018, as compared to the previous goal of 2021. Juliet Van Wagenen/Aviation Today
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JetBlue's cabin update means new video screens, less legroom -- JetBlue Airways Corp. turns 16 next month and it's marking the occasion by revamping the cabins of the oldest model in its fleet. The carrier's goal is to make its Airbus A320 interiors more like those of the newer A321s, which customers have responded to positively, according to Jamie Perry, JetBlue's vice president of brand and product development. Here's what to expect: More Seats - "Seat densification" is airline lingo for stuffing more seats into the cabins, which chops per-seat costs while boosting revenue. Justin Bachman & Mary Schlangenstein/Bloomberg Business Brett Snyder/The Cranky Flier
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Airlines' fuel price bets not always paying off -- In the poker game of predicting fuel prices, American Airlines has shown it holds the winning hand. American, which reports its earnings Friday, is one of the few airlines that hasn't been paying a premium to lock in fuel prices, preferring instead to ride the petro roller coaster. That strategy has paid off handsomely as oil prices have fallen. With no big spikes on the horizon, American executives may want to keep riding it out. Chris Woodyard/USA Today
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How United Airlines got to its sorry state, and why it can't take off again -- More than five years after the everyone-but-the-media-saw-it-coming disaster that is the merger of United and Continental airlines, big business media is switching gears. Instead of the fawning pieces about merging coffee service, swapping planes around the network and phantom billions in synergies that United executives conjured up on fantasy spreadsheets, now the media is focusing on the mystic power of an inexperienced (and seriously ill) new boss and the renewed commitment of the bureaucracy to somehow get right what it's fouled up year after year. Joe Brancatelli/The Business Journals
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United to offer 'Exclusive Assistance' meet-and-greet concierge service -- United Airlines announced it would offer a meet-and-greet concierge service, sometimes referred to as a VIP service, at some of the airports it serves. The fee-based United Exclusive Assistance offering includes meeting the passenger at curbside, priority check-in, and expedited screening (where available), United Club access (at an additional fee), an escort to the departure gate, and assistance with what the airline termed "special requests." Paul Riegler/Frequent Business Traveler
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Burbank terminal replacement scrutinized -- Burbank City Council members weighed in last week on what issues they want studied as part of a report on the potential environmental impacts of a proposed 14-gate replacement terminal at Bob Hope Airport, calling for greater clarity about the project's details and citing concerns about added traffic, parking and noise, among others. City staff has prepared a letter incorporating council members' comments, which will be discussed during a council meeting on Tuesday, with plans to submit the input by the Jan. 31 deadline for feedback on the scope of the environmental review. Chad Garland/Los Angeles Times
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Traffic delayed for hours at LaGuardia Airport; officials blame 'a number of different factors' -- A massive traffic jam caused hours of delays at LaGuardia Airport Monday. A Port Authority spokesman blamed the jam that ran into the night on "a number of different factors," including congestion on the Grand Central Parkway, a vehicle fire from earlier in the day and an influx of airline passengers arriving and departing storm-delayed flights. John Annese/New York Daily News
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Denver airport pays homage to Peyton Manning's 'Omaha!' calls -- Thanks to those fancy microphones near every field, one of the most common things that happens during any Denver Broncos game is that everyone watching at home hears Peyton Manning scream, "Omaha!" Everyone knows about it. A lot of people want to talk about it. "Peyton Manning Omaha" yields 614,000 Google results. It even made it into one of his Nationwide commercials. Jared Dubin/CBS Sports
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Tampa airport workers move into new jobs amid $1 billion expansion -- The massive expansion project at Tampa International Airport will not only benefit future air travelers, but is already benefiting thousands of workers who are engaged in the construction work and will fill positions at 65 new shops, restaurants, kiosks and bars throughout the airport. The construction is the first in a three-phase master plan that will allow TIA to handle 34.7 million passengers, double last year's total, by 2041, according to an airport fact sheet. Jerome R. Stockfisch/Tampa Tribune
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How to get to Super Bowl 50 for $50 -- Private jet company JetSuite usually caters to the travel whims of the rich and powerful, but it's celebrating the Super Bowl's 50th anniversary with an unbeatable deal: Over two days next month, you can charter a four- or six-seat jet for $50. That's for an entire plane-and it includes tax. Here's how it works: On February 5 and 6 JetSuite will list on its website the routes that will be available for travel the following day-Saturday and Sunday of Super Bowl weekend-at the promotional price. Brian Sumers/Conde Nast Traveler
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Would you use this instead of an airline blanket on your next flight? -- Sleep is the quest of travelers who take red-eye flights. Now one company has come up with a hoodie wrap for travelers that offers a "soft, snuggly alternative" to blankets, which many airlines now charge for. Betabrand sells the aptly named Red-Eye Wrap which has a built-in eye mask you can pull down as well as thumb-hole cuffs to keep your hands warm. Mary Forgione/Los Angeles Times
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