Nov 22nd, 2009 at 12:00PM: U.S. airline passenger revenue fell in October, completing a full year of dismal monthly performances. From October 2008 to October 2008, passenger revenue dropped 15 percent, according to calculations by the Air Transport Association. The study was based on a sample group of more than 24 air carriers. Falling ticket prices are said to be the problem ... which means we can trace it back to ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
airlineindustry posts
Airlines watch 15% of last year's revenue disappear
Nov 22nd, 2009 at 12:00PM: U.S. airline passenger revenue fell in October, completing a full year of dismal monthly performances. From October 2008 to October 2008, passenger revenue dropped 15 percent, according to calculations by the Air Transport Association. The study was based on a sample group of more than 24 air carriers. Falling ticket prices are said to be the problem ... which means we can trace it back to ...Congress to investigate airline fees ... but not for your benefit
Nov 14th, 2009 at 2:00PM: Congress is digging into all those new airline fees. Extra bags, special check-in situations ... you name it. Before you start cheering on our lawmakers, though, you should know that they aren't doing this from a sense of consumer advocacy. Frankly, Congress doesn't give a damn how much you pay for air travel. But, it does care how you pay. Why? A cash-strapped government is wondering if it's ...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 ...Will flights be less crowded next year?
Oct 17th, 2009 at 8:00AM: The number of passengers passing through planes in 2010 is expected to decline again. The Boyd Group, a consulting firm in this industry, forecasts a decline of 74 million passengers relative to 2008 - down to 675 million next year. This means you'll get a little more elbow room, as long as the airlines don't respond with more route cuts. The fact that unemployment is likely to break the 10% level ...United to try checked luggage buffet
Oct 6th, 2009 at 4:00PM: Do you always travel with two bags to check? Some people don't travel light, and they know that, in this new world of airline fees, they're going to have to stomach an extra charge as a result. Under a new United Airlines plan, you'll be able to "subscribe" to extra bag privileges. Instead of paying $20 for the first bag checked and $30 for the next one, you can shell out $249, buffet-style, and ...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 ...Airlines can breathe again - bottom of their recession may be in sight
Sep 8th, 2009 at 2:00PM: There is no doubt that 2009 is a year that most airlines will want to put behind them as fast as they can. In essence, it was the perfect storm combining everything that airlines hate. A report published back in May told the doom and gloom story about airline profits - and that not a single airline in the world would earn anything this year. As the first very small signs of economic recovery ...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 ...Need help? If you're flying Delta, look for the red coats.
Jul 29th, 2009 at 3:30PM: As much as I'm displeased about Delta's new policy to charge $5 more for bags checked at the airport , I do have to say I was pleased with how friendly the gate people were on each leg of our flights to New Mexico and back this month.
I think the people I came across are naturally pleasant, but Delta is making extra efforts to ensure passengers feel as if they can get great service from a real ...Airlines run out of services to cut, eye flights
Jul 25th, 2009 at 11:00AM: Cuts aren't limited to airline employees and passenger amenities. In the next few months, capacity – the number of asses that can be accommodated – will be sliced. Having fewer flights will lower costs and boost the all-important revenue per available seat-mile (RASM) metric. For passengers, the drop in supply is likely to push fares higher and convenience lower (if you're looking for ...Ten things that can (and will) spoil your vacation
Jun 11th, 2009 at 12:00PM: Vacation is meant to be a fun time - a chance to get away from it all and enjoy yourself. But things happen in life that can really mess up those plans. In this gallery, we've collected ten of the worst things that can happen on a trip that will really screw up your vacation. If you are lucky, you'll only run into one of them, but the really unlucky traveler may be thrown a combination of ...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 ...Pay to pee on Ryanair no joke
Jun 5th, 2009 at 4:30PM: Remember when we called Ryanair's plans to charge for lavatory access a stunt? Yeah, we do, too. Those were simpler days, I guess. It turns out, that stunt concealed an even larger one. CEO Michael O'Leary announced that the airline will begin charging one pound (around $1.65) for access to the special rooms at the front and back of the plane.
I actually see some restraint on the press-whorish ...Southwest Airlines new fees: Pets, children and baggage
May 30th, 2009 at 3:30PM: Starting in June, Southwest Airlines is allowing for pets on board for a $75.00 pet fare. This doesn't mean the animal that won't fit in a small carrier can climb on board. The carrier will count as a carry on bag. Hmmm, what if the pet fits in a purse and no one knows it's there?
In the human realm, there's another fee being tacked on in June for children flying solo if they are between the ages ...Delta backtracks on extra bag fees
May 29th, 2009 at 3:30PM: Delta is caving to competitive pressures, cutting its plans for extra bag fees on international flights. The airline says that others have not matched its fee of $50 for the second bag checked on international flights. Now, it will only apply to travel between the United States and Europe. The fee is effective July 1, 2009.
Originally, this new fee was supposed to bring the battered airline ...Misery works: airlines making money on baggage fees
May 14th, 2009 at 12:00PM: The one thing nobody says about the "nickel and dime" strategy is that it can work. For the airline industry, charging passengers for extra bags translated to more than $1 billion in lifeblood to a struggling business last year, according to the Department of Transportation. As much as you may hate to shell out that extra cash, last year, it went to businesses that desperately needed it.
Before ...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 ...New airline idea: goal is to beat the odds
May 11th, 2009 at 10:30AM: Columnist Jeremy Clarkson, at The Sun, has come up with a brilliant airline concept: take it easy, and play the odds. He laments the fact that it takes "about six years" to check in and considers the security process to be troublesome. They won't even let you keep your toothpaste!
Of course, we have all this security in place for a reason. There are many threats to safety ... and it's not just ...March airline plunge softens in April
May 9th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Passenger traffic is still falling. That's not going to change for a while. But, the decline slowed in April, signaling that the prolonged sharp dips may be behind us. Some optimists even believe that the worst is over – though I maintain a healthy skepticism.
Note the metric being used: passenger traffic. There's a lot of mileage between asses in seats and money in the bank. On a positive ...Israel, Mecca ... no difference to British BMI
May 3rd, 2009 at 9:00AM: Passengers headed to Israel on a British BMI flight were alarmed to find their destination was Mecca, according to the in-flight map. The airline, it seems, isn't terribly aware that the Middle East is know for a tiny amount of tension that's lasted for decades (the most recent iteration, at least).
Pick your joke about "wiping Israel off the map" – the Sydney Morning Herald did.
BMI, of ...
