Jun 14th, 2011 at 1:00PM: So, how expensive is fuel for the airline industry? Brace yourself: the situation is pretty ugly. In April 2011, airlines in the United States dropped an average of $2.99 a gallon on fuel. That number sounds a lot better than what you're seeing at the pump, right? How can it be that bad?
Well, this is yet another month-over-month increase. In March, the airlines spent an average of only $2.80 a ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
DepartmentofTransportation posts
Airline fuel costs up almost a third since last year
Jun 14th, 2011 at 1:00PM: So, how expensive is fuel for the airline industry? Brace yourself: the situation is pretty ugly. In April 2011, airlines in the United States dropped an average of $2.99 a gallon on fuel. That number sounds a lot better than what you're seeing at the pump, right? How can it be that bad?
Well, this is yet another month-over-month increase. In March, the airlines spent an average of only $2.80 a ...Airline fees are worth more than Facebook
Jun 13th, 2011 at 3:30PM:
Outside the travel world, everyone's marveling at the prospect of a Facebook IPO, which could be valued at as much as $100 billion. So, what are we missing while we fawn over Mark Zuckerberg's creation? How about the slow, stodgy, ugly airline industry. Known for a painful user experience and a steady decline of free features, the likes of Delta and American Airlines are outdoing the hottest ...Airline tarmac delays: the first full year of results is in!
Jun 7th, 2011 at 1:30PM: We're now looking back on a full year of limited tarmac delays. In April 2010, the airline industry seemed like it was begging and pleading with the American public not to accept the insanity that the government was forcing upon them. Mayhem would rule, the industry claimed, as standards for performance would prevent everyone from getting anywhere. It would be ugly ... far uglier than the service ...No long tarmac delays in March 2011
May 11th, 2011 at 8:00AM: Good news! For the past six months, there have been no tarmac delays of greater than three hours, says the latest Air Travel Consumer Report. There were none in March 2011, a drastic change from the 25 reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation in March 2010. Year over year, for March, there was also a decline in the rate of canceled flights.
And, despite airline industry concerns, the ...Mixed Bag: Six stats about airline performance in 2010
Feb 11th, 2011 at 9:00AM: Last year was a good one for the airline industry in the United States. In addition to posting record profits, carriers also showed some improvement in other areas, such as on-time arrivals. The latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation shows a slight improvement in getting from Point A to Point B on time, edging from 79.5 percent in 2009 to 79.8 percent in 2010.
December was a ...Shocking: Airlines have no long tarmac delays, world doesn't end
Jan 15th, 2011 at 9:00AM: For the second month in a row, the world hasn't ended. The threat of heavy fines has ensured that the airlines haven't kept passengers trapped in the cabin on the tarmac for more than three hours at a time, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. October and November were good months for passengers, now that airlines are being held accountable. These are the only two months ...Airlines, airports and passengers: nothing but gains this year [INFOGRAPHICS]
![Airlines, airports and passengers: nothing but gains this year [INFOGRAPHICS]](http://www.blogcdn.com/www.gadling.com/media/2010/12/airportlounge_thumbnail.jpg)
Dec 10th, 2010 at 12:00PM: There are a whole lot more of us flying this year: 4.3 percent more, to be exact. That's the increase in domestic air traffic from September 2009 to September 2010, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. In that month, U.S. airlines had 57.3 million passengers, leading to the largest year-over-year gain since September 2007. Meanwhile, international passenger ...Airlines WRONG: Lengthy airport delays fall to zero!
Dec 8th, 2010 at 1:00PM: Now that the stakes are high enough to matter, airlines are finally getting their collective act together. The U.S. Department of Transportation just announced that there were no tarmac delays of loner than three hours in October for the largest airlines in the United States.
You read that right: none. And, the air transportation industry did not fall apart. It did not fail to operate. Flights ...Seven reasons cell phones kill people on road trips
Dec 8th, 2010 at 12:00PM: Even though Thanksgiving is behind us, there are still plenty of reasons to road trip before the end of the year. Well, there's one reason, really, and that's Christmas. But, a lot of people are going to get behind the wheel or whine in the back seat. Of course, we can expect a lot of people to be on their cell phones while they're driving about, according to the Insurance Information Institute's ...The death of cheap tickets? Four factors to watch!
Dec 7th, 2010 at 1:00PM: Are the days of bargain pricing over? There's a lot of pessimism around this issue. After getting smacked around in 2008 and 2009, this year has been a good one for air carriers, and USA Today reports: "Airfares are on the rise again and unlikely to fall again anytime soon." Yet, a travel industry recovery comes with advantages, as more people want to fly, and they tend to be willing to stomach ...New York City area airport rules aren't doing enough to stop delays
Nov 4th, 2010 at 1:00PM: If you're flying to or through the New York City area, bring a book Kindle. You'll probably be at the airport for a while. A new U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General report says that airports in this part of the country aren't measuring up, which disrupts air travel nationwide.
According to the Associated Press, the report says that "scheduling rules continue to put ...One three-hour airline delay this summer ... and the industry survived
Oct 13th, 2010 at 2:00PM: The latest data from the Department of Transportation suggests that airlines are figuring out how to survive in a world of on-the-ground delays that can last no more than three hours. The summer travel season had only one delay that was affected by the rule. This is a 98.5 percent decline from the summer of 2009.
The airline industry mobilized, when faced with the prospect of the three-hour ...Department of Transportation mulls expanded passenger delay rule
Oct 1st, 2010 at 1:00PM: The Department of Transportation is thinking about getting even stricter with the airlines. After implementing a rule last spring that involves heavy fines for carriers that keep passengers on a plane on the ground for at least three hours, the DOT is already considering expanding the scope to small airports and international flights.
MSNBC reports:
"The situation is much worse than the ...Airlines continued to cut jobs - 25 months in a row
Sep 22nd, 2010 at 3:30PM: There's a reason why airlines have positioned themselves for a solid performance in 2010: in addition to charging all those extra fees, they have been cutting positions (and thus expenses). In July alone, the industry in the United States trimmed 2.3 percent of its workforce relative to July 2009. That made 25 consecutive months of net job losses in the domestic airline sector.
According to the ...Five business travel factors for Obama and the midterm elections
Sep 8th, 2010 at 12:00PM: Leisure travel is irrelevant during the election season, but the woes of business travelers seem to resonate. With the midterm contests two months away, all eyes are on the White House ... and President Obama's success rate with road, rail and runway repair.
This is the one time business travelers make the presidential agenda, according to Portfolio.com: "Presidents (or people campaigning for ...Airline law ends long Tarmac delays, fine threat improves performance
Jun 6th, 2010 at 2:00PM: The world didn't end. No logistical disasters emerged. In fact, everything got a hell of a lot better.
Several months ago, the prospect of a maximum three-hour tarmac delay had the airline industry proclaiming the arrival of the four horsemen. They claimed that it would severely disrupt the industry to have to give passengers the option of getting off the plane would lead to chaos. People would ...Annual "DOTTY" awards honor traveling fools
Apr 13th, 2010 at 3:00PM: Those crazy kids at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) have released the winners of their annual DOTTY awards. Since 2008, the government travel industry watchdog has exhibited a most uncharacteristic sense of humor for a federal agency. Honorees are those travelers who have displayed the most moronic behavior. This year, the awards were issued just as DOT put new regulations into effect ...DoT gives airlines $175,000 reminder ahead of Thanksgiving
Nov 25th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Three airlines just scored a first with the U.S. government: they were fined for leaving passengers in the lurch. Continental Airlines, ExpressJet (a Continental affiliate) and Mesaba (part of Delta) racked up a total punishment of $175,000 when their combined efforts left fliers on a plane in Minnesota for six hours.
Continental and ExpressJet were slapped with a fine of $100,000, while Mesaba ...Another "blue ribbon" panel to fix the airline industry
Nov 23rd, 2009 at 3:00PM: It's been a tough month year decade for the airline industry. In the United States, it's lost $58.5 billion and cut 158,000 jobs. There never seems to be an answer, and news of an industry in jeopardy has become routine. So, .
But, it will be different this time. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says it will not be "just another advisory committee."
On his Department of Transportation blog, ...White House pushing for answers to airline industry woes
Nov 14th, 2009 at 12:00PM: The Obama Administration is taking a closer look at the airline industry with the hopes that something can be fixed. Transportation Secretary Roy LaHood is pulling together a panel that will investigate the problems the industry faces and hopefully come up with a solution. But, I don't think anyone's breath is being held.
The airlines are always swamped with criticism, with consumers unhappy ...
