airline industry

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Alaska Airlines Begins Biofuel Flights

But it's costing a fortune

(Newser) - Alaska Airlines’ first biofuel-powered flights took off yesterday, kicking off an expensive trial program designed to improve the airline’s environmental footprint. Passengers on the first two flights—which were to DC and Portland, respectively—received a “Welcome to Greener Skies” flier explaining the program, the Anchorage Daily News...

Aussie Court Ends Qantas Strike, Grounding

Airline ordered back to the skies after 14-hour hearing

(Newser) - An Australian court has ended the Qantas Airways standoff that abruptly grounded the entire fleet yesterday, as tens of thousands of stranded passengers scrambled to find rides. After 14 hours of testimony, which included government arguments that forcing the airline back into operation was in Australia's best economic interests,...

10 Tips for Ducking Flying Fees
 10 Tips for Ducking Flying Fees 
Oct 15, 2011 12:21 PM CDT

10 Tips for Ducking Flying Fees

Don't check luggage, don't select your seat, and BYO pillow

(Newser) - As if things weren't financially miserable enough, it's gradually becoming even more expensive to travel. Domestic airfare prices spiked 8% from last year, and airlines are pulling out every stop to eke out more revenue. Here are some steps you can take to avoid unnecessary flying fees, courtesy...

Ryanair Plans to Remove Bathrooms to Cut Costs

They're trying to convince Boeing to let them install more seats

(Newser) - If you’re flying on Ryanair, remember what dad always said and do your business before takeoff. Europe’s biggest airline, ever on the cutting edge of new ways to squeeze money out of its flights, had been considering charging passengers to use the bathroom on its flights, but now...

Deaf Travelers Kept Off Flight for 'Security Reasons'

French government weighs in

(Newser) - A group of hard-of-hearing travelers in France was barred from its flight after checking its bags for “security reasons,” a French airline said. “Just as we were about to board, someone from the company told us we couldn't,” said a member of the group, 18...

Obama to Empty Congress: End FAA Shutdown

But there's no one in town to do it

(Newser) - The White House called on Congress to end a standoff over the FAA that has put 74,000 people out of work—but there were absolutely no signs it would do so, in part because everyone’s left town. Press Secretary Jay Carney said Obama was “looking at different...

Congress Goes Home Without Ending FAA Shutdown

GOP, Dems disagree about subsidizing service to rural airports

(Newser) - Congress has gone home for the summer without reaching a deal to end a partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration . Some 4,000 FAA employees and around 70,000 construction workers have been put out of work by the shutdown, caused by a partisan standoff, the Washington Post reports....

JetBlue Offers New Unlimited Flight Package

BluePass is catered toward business travelers

(Newser) - JetBlue introduced several new three-month, unlimited flight plans today in an attempt to snare more higher-paying business travelers. BluePass is available only for departure from Boston Logan International Airport or Long Beach Airport for travel between Aug. 22 and Nov. 22. The offer is a more focused version of its...

Rolls-Royce Paying $100M to Qantas for Engine Blast

Engine maker agrees to $100M compensation deal

(Newser) - Rolls-Royce has agreed to compensate Qantas for the mid-air disintegration of an Airbus A380 engine last year. The Australian airline grounded all of its A380s for weeks after the incident last year, which investigators blamed on an oil fire caused by a manufacturing defect. The disintegration triggered an emergency landing,...

Airbus Shows Off Transparent Jet of the Future

Imaginary jet features bar, video game area

(Newser) - Someday, Wonder Woman won’t be the only one with an invisible jet. Airbus has been showing the media a virtual “Concept Cabin” of what it imagines its passenger jets will look like in 40 years. The showiest feature: The jets' walls can turn see-through at the touch of...

Airlines' 2010 Checked-Bag Haul: $3.4B

They raked in billions more in reservation and change fees

(Newser) - You may want to take a deep breath before reading this one: Airlines collected a whopping $3.4 billion in baggage fees last year, up 24% from 2009. Reservation and change fees accounted for an additional $2.3 billion, down 3% from the year prior. The add-ons are one of...

Delta Backs Down On Soldiers' Baggage Fees

Policy changed after returning troops stung with excess charges

(Newser) - Delta, facing a firestorm of bad publicity after hitting soldiers returning from Afghanistan with excess baggage charges , is changing its policy on military baggage. Military personnel traveling on orders will now be able to check four bags free of charge, according to the airline's blog . A YouTube video of...

DoT: Oops, We Can't Ban Peanuts on Planes

Allergy sufferers are out of luck

(Newser) - The Department of Transportation has been publicly considering banning or restricting the distribution of peanuts on airplanes, in deference to those with severe allergies. But when it issued its latest airline rules yesterday, it revealed that it literally couldn’t do anything—thanks to a 12-year-old law specifically preventing them...

Minutes After Takeoff, Flight Returns to New Orleans

United Airlines pilot reported smoke in cockpit

(Newser) - And the airline mishaps continue —luckily, with more safe endings. United Airlines Flight 497 to San Francisco returned to New Orleans minutes after takeoff today after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit, the FAA said. As soon as the plane was on the ground, flight attendants shouted "...

NTSB: Southwest Jet Had Fatigue Cracking

Meanwhile, airline grounds 79 planes, cancels hundreds of flights

(Newser) - Fatigue cracking has been found along the entire 5-foot section of a Southwest Airlines jet that ripped open on Friday, forcing an emergency landing in Arizona. The NTSB says that mechanics will cut a 9-foot by 3-foot section of the plane and send it to Washington, DC, for testing. Southwest...

EasyJet Offers Israeli Fliers Choice of Ham or Bacon

Budget carrier sorry for pork-only mix-up

(Newser) - Just months after launching a Tel Aviv-London service with a kosher menu, EasyJet found itself with nothing to offer hungry Jewish passengers on a 4.5-hour flight but ham melts and bacon baguettes. The airline apologized for the blunder, saying the wrong food canisters had been supplied, the Daily Mail...

Winter Cancellations May Cost Airlines $600M

Record number of flights grounded by weather

(Newser) - If you’ve had to deal with a flight cancellation recently, rest assured that the airlines most definitely feel your pain. A seemingly never-ending string of winter storms has forced airlines to cancel a record 89,884 flights since Nov. 1, Bloomberg reports, costing them more than $629 million according...

No One Died on a US Flight in 2010

Fatal crashes 'on the brink of extinction' thanks to advanced technology

(Newser) - US airlines didn’t have a single fatality in 2010—a feat that’s at once rarer-than-you’d-think and becoming more common. Fatality-free years have not historically been unheard of in aviation, but they’ve been sporadic occasions—until now. This is the third time in the past four years...

Tech-Savvy Travelers Rebook Flights Via Twitter

It beats waiting in line

(Newser) - An extra twist of the knife for the poor souls waiting in line for ticket agents to rebook flights: Some of their fellow travelers got it done with a tweet. Delta, for instance, has had several employees focused mainly on handling direct-message Twitter requests from tech-savvy passengers since the East...

Investigators Pinpoint Airbus Engine Fault

Qantas starts legal action against Rolls-Royce

(Newser) - Following a Qantas engine explosion last month, investigators have isolated a major fault in some Airbus A380 engines, the BBC reports. Rolls-Royce’s Trent 900—the kind used on the Qantas flight—had a misaligned part that weakened an oil pipe wall, resulting in “fatigue cracking,” which led...

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