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, ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
DepartmentofTransportation posts
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 ...Airlines told to cough up the cash on lost luggage
Oct 11th, 2009 at 8:00AM:
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The Transportation Department is getting serious about lost luggage reimbursement. The department has told airlines that they can't set arbitrary limits on reimbursement for the bags they lose – or items that they have to replace because of delays. ...International visitor spending down 20%, misses $10bn mark
Oct 5th, 2009 at 8:00AM:
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Visitors to the United States from other countries spent a mere $9.6 billion in July, down almost 24% year-over-year, according to data from the Department of Transportation. Currency exchange rates continue to make a recession even more ... ummm ... ...Spirit Airlines receives record fine for mistreating passengers
Sep 19th, 2009 at 1:00PM: A quick search for past posts about Spirit Airlines here on Gadling shows not much more than negative news.
Sadly for Spirit, today's news is no different. The low cost carrier was handed a $375,000 fine by the Department of Transportation for the way it treats its passengers.
The fine is a record, but the violations also appear to be pretty nasty. They include:
False fare advertising
...Airline on-time performance improves, more than 1 out of 5 late
Sep 10th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Continued route and seat cutbacks have led to yet another month of improved airline performance this year. For July, the 19 largest airlines in the United States reported an on-time arrival rate of 77.6 percent. This is higher than July 2008's 75.7 percent and June 2009's 76.1 percent, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. But, it still ...Rochester tarmac delay: "lack of common sense"
Aug 22nd, 2009 at 3:00PM: "There was a complete lack of common sense here," U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood said in a statement released yesterday. "It's no wonder the flying public is so angry and frustrated."
When 47 passengers were stranded overnight on the tarmac in Rochester, Minnesota, the pilot repeatedly asked for permission to deplane them. All the pilot wanted was to get the passengers off the plane. ...Top U.S. ports of entry
Aug 2nd, 2009 at 12:00PM: Eighty-six percent of international arrivals to the United States come through only 15 ports of entry, according to data from the Department of Transportation. This represents an increase of one percentage point over last year (measuring the first five months of 2008 to the first five months of 2009.
The top three ports of entry are hardly surprising: New York (specifically JFK), Miami and Los ...Airline cancellation fees worse than baggage fees
Jul 30th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Airlines rely on you to have minor and major personal crises. Everything from changed meeting dates to family emergencies generate around $2 billion in change and cancellation fees a year, according to the Department of Transportation. That's pretty much twice the amount the airlines pull in from extra bag fees – a measure that's already been lauded by the Wall Street set for its impact on ...On-time airline improvements continue, third month in a row
Jun 10th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Airlines in the United States posted an improved on-time performance rate in April relative to the same month the year prior – stretching their streak to three. The 19 largest airlines were on time 79.1 percent of the time in April 2009, compared to 77.7 percent in April 2008. The industry also performed better than it did in March 2009, showing a month-to-month improvement from 78.4 ...March a good month for on-time arrivals
May 13th, 2009 at 8:00AM: We all love to hate the airlines, and on-time arrivals are among our largest gripes. There's nothing worse (well, within reason) than seeing the toe-tapping that comes with the disgruntled looks of people waiting to pick you up ... it's not like they had to spend endless hours on the runway or circling LaGuardia. Well, in March, they weren't as bad.
The 19 largest airlines in the country reported ...How to complain about your airline or hotel service - and get results
Jan 14th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Lets face it - poor service has become a fact of life. It doesn't matter whether you are at the airport, in the air, or at your hotel. Sooner or later you are going to run into something that is handled poorly, and you'll end up suffering. In my years of traveling I've ran into all kinds of horrible service - from 2 off-duty pilots fighting in the first class cabin, to a hotel room with water ...Collapsed 35W Bridge Rebuilt in Minneapolis, Other Projects Lagging
Sep 24th, 2008 at 12:00PM: Last August, the collapse of the 35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis captured national attention. Though the loss of life was significantly less than it could have been, the idea that a collapse could and did happen had people cringing and gritting their teeth whenever their crossed any bridge. A new bridge was being planned within hours of the demise of the old one. Local ...Dept. of Transportation: Airlines should auction off flight slots
May 17th, 2008 at 11:00AM: Auctions are coming to the New York area -- but probably not the kind you'd want to attend. The Dept. of Transportation has announced that it plans to hold a series of "slot auctions" at Newark Liberty International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport. What are slot auctions? Slots amount to the number of planes that can either take off or land at an airport. An airport sells its ...
