|
|
|
|
U.S.-Mexico airlines pact could boost traffic and tourism -- Mexico's Senate this week ratified a deal with the United States that would boost competition in air transportation, paving the way for expansion of the world's second largest cross-border market. The deal, which both governments have already signed and modifies a 1960 agreement, aims to open up new routes for airlines to fly between the countries, and allow for an unlimited number of flights. El Financiero/Reuters
|
Virgin America 1Q net profit up 37% to $17.5 million -- Virgin America posted a first-quarter 2016 net profit of $17.5 million, up 36.5% from a net profit of $12.8 million in 1Q 2015. The San Francisco-based carrier's results were "driven by continued unit revenue outperformance as compared with the domestic industry and the benefit of lower fuel costs," Virgin America president and CEO David Cush said. It is the airline's eighth consecutive quarter of profitability. Mark Nensel/Air Transport World
|
Second big deal in 2 days: Delta buys to buy 37 more Airbus jets -- Delta Air Lines said Friday that it will buy 37 more Airbus A321 aircraft, the carrier' second major aircraft order in as many days. Delta says the A321 order is part of an ongoing effort to "renew its narrowbody fleet." The 37 aircraft in the order will be delivered concurrently with Delta's existing A321 orders, which will give the airline 82 A321s by the end of the decade. Delta already has 126 other aircraft from Airbus' A320 family of jets in its fleet. Ben Mutzabaugh/USA Today
|
House bill aims to block Norwegian Air flights to USA -- House lawmakers remain opposed to allowing Norwegian Air International to fly to the U.S., as the Transportation Department has tentatively approved, because of concerns about the low-cost airline would skirt safety and labor laws. A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the Transportation Committee introduced legislation Thursday to block the department's approval, which was announced April 15. Bart Jansen/USA Today
|
Taking advantage of airline schedule changes to save money -- Airline schedule changes are often frustrating. Suddenly a mid-morning flight shifts to one leaving before sunrise or a leisurely layover turns into a mad dash to the next gate. Savvy travelers, however, realize that sometimes schedule changes - usually an hour or more - allow the freedom to make itinerary adjustments without paying hundreds of dollars in fees. Airlines typically publish schedules 11 months in advance. Scott Mayerowitz/AP
|
Southwest Airlines flight attendants launching new informational campaign --Thousands of Southwest Airlines flight attendant are seeing dollar signs, as in record-setting first quarter 2016 profits the low-fare behemoth announced late last week. But the visuals don't necessarily thrill them. Even though Southwest is rolling in dough, the carrier's flight attendants, members of Transport Workers Union Local 556, have been without a new labor contract for years. Lewis Lazare/Chicago Business Journal
|
Southwest Airlines, Delta Airlines considering changes in fares -- No one should blame consumers for being perplexed by airfares - even the airlines themselves can seem confused at times. Southwest Airlines caught rivals and Wall Street by surprise when it cut many U.S. fares by $5 each way. The reduction this week applied to tickets bought within seven days of departure, which are usually favored more by last-minute business travelers than vacationers. David Koenig/AP
|
Spirit Airways: The least liked airline also happens to be a great stock -- No frills, low-cost carrier Spirit Airways last year was the underdog among the airlines. Its stock lost close to half of its value and as announced recently, the airline came in last on the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, which measures consumer satisfaction on parameters such as on-time performance, in-flight experience and customer service among other. This year, the story is different. Siddhi Bajaj/TheStreet
|
LATAM Airlines, cutting capacity in Brazil to cope with weak economy, unveils new image -- LATAM Airlines Group is cutting capacity in Brazil, its biggest market, to cope with the country's struggling economy, but nevertheless unveiled on Thursday its first brand update since the 2012 merger that created Latin America's largest airline. The Santiago, Chile-based company, formed from the fusion of Chile's LAN Airlines S.A. and S�o Paulo-based TAM SA, has already reduced flights in Brazil and slashed plans to buy new planes. Jeffrey T. Lewis/Wall Street Journal
|
Delta rolling out RFID tags to track baggage -- Delta Air Lines plans to soon start using baggage tags with RFID technology to track bags more efficiently and accurately. The idea is to help avoid misdirected bags and give customers a more accurate view of where their baggage is. Atlanta-based Delta will install the tracking technology on belt loaders at 84 of the airports where it operates by the end of August. Kelly Yamanouchi/Atlanta Journal-Constitution
|
NYC-Boston shuttle market just got a little more crowded -- JetBlue Airways Corp. will begin flying between New York's LaGuardia and Boston later this year, jumping into a route popular with business travelers and now dominated by American and Delta airlines. Fares as low as $49 each way go on sale today, the New York-based carrier said Thursday. Six daily weekday round trips between LaGuardia and Boston's Logan airport start on Oct. 31. Two round trips will be flown on Saturdays and three on Sundays. Mary Schlangenstein & Justin Bachman/Bloomberg
|
JetBlue adding more flights from Newark to Florida after airport change -- JetBlue is the first airline to take advantage of Newark airport's new federal reclassification, announcing Thursday it will add six more flights a day from the Garden State to the Sunshine State. Starting in the fall, the airline said it will increase its daily roundtrip options to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Orlando International Airport, Tampa International Airport, Palm Beach International Airport and Fort Myers' Southwest Florida International Airport. Craig McCathy/NJ.com
|
Major flight school at Santa Monica Airport to close -- After years of battling the city of Santa Monica for a reasonable business environment at the Santa Monica Airport, several businesses have thrown in the towel and vacated the airport property. The biggest hit came on Tuesday as Justice Aviation, one of the biggest flight schools in southern California, settled with the city and will shut its doors in the next few weeks. Pia Bergqvist/Flying Magazine
|
ONT international traffic continues to take off -- International passenger traffic continues to see a sizable growth at L.A./Ontario International Airport, according to figures released Thursday by Los Angeles World Airports. Meanwhile, for domestic travel service, the medium hub facility handled 940,839 passengers between January and March 2016, a 1.29 percent increase compared to the same period in 2015. Liset Marquez/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin ONT Statistics LAX Statistics LGB Statistics PSP Statistics SNA Statistics
|
JWA, Fashion Island janitors poised to strike Monday if contract negotiation falls through -- Janitors working at John Wayne Airport could join thousands more statewide in a planned strike Monday to protest wages and work conditions, according to the union representing them. Janitors who clean John Wayne Airport and office buildings in the Fashion Island complex, along with 1,400 other janitorial employees across Orange County, are asking for higher wages, protection against sexual harassment and continued family health insurance, said Marisol Rivera, vice president of the local chapter of SEIU-USWW. Lauren Williams/Orange County Register
|
Racist statements lead lawmakers to reject John Wayne Day -- What a California lawmaker intended as a benign resolution honoring a late, world-renowned movie icon exploded into an emotional debate over decades-old racist comments Thursday. Republican State Assemblyman Matthew Harper of Huntington Beach sought to declare May 26, 2016, as John Wayne Day to mark the day the actor was born. He represents the legislative district that includes John Wayne Airport in Orange County. The airport was renamed after Wayne's death in 1979 and hosts a nine-foot-tall statue of the actor. Don Thompson/AP
|
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport: a primary regional airport in search of expanded international service -- The City of Phoenix, Arizona, and its region are typical of the Sun Belt metropolitan areas that lured firms away from what became known as the 'rust belt' cities of the northeast and Midwest of the US from the 1970s onwards. Phoenix's main airport, Sky Harbor International (PSHIA), while serving a large local population in what is still a fast growing state, has increasingly found itself competing for hub traffic with other such big city-region airports, such as Los Angeles and Las Vegas. CAPA Centre for Aviation
|
Passengers leave hefty cash 'tip' for the TSA -- You're expected to tip your restaurant server a percentage of the bill and leave a few dollars per night for the housekeeper in a hotel. But how much should you give the officer at the airport security checkpoint who pats you down and sends you on your way? Trick question. No tip is expected, yet in 2015 passengers in a rush to gather their belongings after going through airport checkpoints left behind more than three-quarters of a million dollars in the plastic buckets and bins. Harriet Baskas/USA Today
|
|
|
|
In car-crazy L.A., rail to the beach promises stress relief -- A $1.5 billion light rail line that opens May 20 will connect Los Angeles with the ocean and adjacent parts of the city's west side. The new route could be a important step in turning car-obsessed Angelenos into bus and train users. Right on its heels, municipal executives are pushing for a new half-cent sales tax and the extension of an existing levy that could raise $120 billion for transportation infrastructure over the next four decades. But the new line is opening as public transit ridership in the region is declining, leading some to say it's all a waste of money. Christopher Palmeri & James Nash/Bloomberg
|
Board approves new high-speed rail plan -- The board that oversees California's high-speed rail project has approved the latest $64 billion business plan calling for trains to run from the Central Valley to the San Jose area starting in 2025. Board members approved the plan Thursday after delaying the vote by a week. Rail officials have pitched a $21 billion first segment between Merced and San Jose as the only way to ensure a useable segment gets built with the existing funding. Juliet Williams/AP
|
|
|
|
|
|
