Oct 24th, 2010 at 10:00AM: The airline industry wants to thank you. Last year, it was mired in despair. The post-financial crisis recession left the carriers beleaguered and desperate for a turn of fortune. Corporate and leisure travel had fallen precipitously, and doubling down on extra fees, though prudent for profits, alienated both those considering a flight and the passengers with little choice but to hit the road. The ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
southwest airlines posts
Airline profits may mean more elbow room for a little while
Oct 24th, 2010 at 10:00AM: The airline industry wants to thank you. Last year, it was mired in despair. The post-financial crisis recession left the carriers beleaguered and desperate for a turn of fortune. Corporate and leisure travel had fallen precipitously, and doubling down on extra fees, though prudent for profits, alienated both those considering a flight and the passengers with little choice but to hit the road. The ...Airlines getting scammed online, fighting back
Oct 5th, 2010 at 2:00PM: Airlines lose a boatload of cash – tens of millions of dollars a year – because of online fraud. Think about it: you pay for your pillow and to check a bag because some degenerate can't bother to work for a living. The airlines are keeping their customers in mind (shockingly), though, and they're fighting back. Better protection systems, increased staff and a higher priority for ...Airline mergers could lead to fare "creep"
Sep 28th, 2010 at 12:30PM: The Southwest/AirTran merger isn't expected to push fares much higher. The disappearance of seats that comes with airline consolidation would make you think that prices are about to rise, as the fundamental commodity of the airline industry becomes increasingly scarce. But, we're not close to that point yet, notes USA Today:
"We're not at the tipping point," says George Hobica, founder of ...Five reasons airline fees up 50% year-over-year
Sep 27th, 2010 at 3:30PM: Does your wallet feel a little bit lighter? A new USA Today analysis reveals that airline fees are on the rise, with some up more than 50 percent relative to a year ago. The study compares the extra fees (not to be confused with fares) of 13 airlines and shows just how important this revenue source is to the airline sector.
According to USA Today, "The numerous fees are a sore subject for many ...BREAKING NEWS: Southwest Airlines will buy AirTran for $1.4 billion
Sep 27th, 2010 at 8:25AM: Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all of the outstanding common stock of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI), the parent company of AirTran Airways (AirTran), for a combination of cash and Southwest Airlines' common stock.
"Today is an exciting day for our Employees, our Customers, the communities we serve, and our ...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 reasons passengers looking for more than just a ride
Sep 22nd, 2010 at 8:00AM: As airlines cut routes and amenities while increasing fees, travel through the skies became a true labor. Sure, the cuts came as the result of market pressures that led to compensation reductions and other changes, but it also brought a problematic perspective. Somewhere along the way, it became acceptable for airline employees to claim that "you get what you pay for." With low fares, essentially, ...Four reasons airlines blame passengers for their current woes
Sep 14th, 2010 at 11:00AM: It would be so much easier if we'd just pay more, right? That's what the airlines seem to believe. It's impossible for them to turn consistent profits because we just won't accept higher prices. And, kicking the poor off the plane doesn't seem to be an option.
I got up this morning and read George Hobica's hilarious "interview" with Wilbur Flywright, CEO of BrokenWings Airways. In it, I was ...Southwest Airlines crew takes baby from abusive parents mid-flight
Aug 17th, 2010 at 4:45PM: MSNBC is reporting that the crew of Southwest Airlines flight 879 from Dallas to Albuquerque are credited with removing a baby from its parents mid-flight after witnessing her parents slap her.
Southwest Airlines spokesman Brad Hawkins confirmed the incident, and said "Our flight attendants do great customer service. In this case, it was a baby that was upset, and the flight attendant asked the ...Customer service slams airlines in overweight passenger policy enforcement
Jul 28th, 2010 at 11:00AM: Airline rules for passengers who take up more than one seat are neither new nor surprising. Forget about passenger comfort (the airlines already have, of course), it's a financial issue. A passenger who takes up more than one seat is consuming a scarce resource (in the economic sense): seat 42A on Flight ABC123 on July 29, 2010 can only be sold once. If it doesn't bring in any revenue, it never ...Southwest bumps thin passenger off flight for two-seater
Jul 27th, 2010 at 9:00AM:
Last week a 5-foot-4, 110-pound woman was removed from a Las Vegas to Sacramento Southwest flight in order to accommodate an overweight teenager who required two seats. Despite paying full-fare for the last available seat, the anonymous woman was booted off the flight when the heavier passenger boarded the plane just before departure. Southwest admits their handling of the incident was "awkward" ...Cougar attacks 14-year-old boy in flight
Jul 14th, 2010 at 11:00AM: Southwest Airlines is being sued. A passenger claims that the airline's flight attendants weren't able to protect his 14-year-old son from the prowling of an in-flight cougar. The older female passenger, he claims, offered his son illegal drug and made sexual advances during the flight to Orlando on July 13, 2008. The teenager was traveling alone, according to the Associated Press, and "was so ...Travel missing among fastest growing Facebook pages
Jul 13th, 2010 at 2:00PM: What happened to the hotels, resorts and destinations? These naturals for social media didn't make the cut on All Facebook's list of the fastest growing Facebook pages. Media and celebrities dominated the list, which consists of Facebook pages not on All Facebook's leaderboard, but even there, there isn't a travel-related site until #37, the destination- and company-agnostic "I need a vacation!!!" ...Southwest Airlines seizes shipment of human heads from cargo department
Jun 17th, 2010 at 12:30PM: View more news videos at: http://www.nbcdfw.com/video.
Of all the "baggage issues" we've covered here on Gadling, this is by far the weirdest/most disgusting. A Southwest Airlines employee contacted police when an incorrectly labeled package turned out to contain 40 to 60 human heads.
...
Top ten best airlines revealed in 2010 World Airline Awards
May 25th, 2010 at 11:30AM: Spoiler alert: U.S. based airlines apparently all suck. At least, if you believe the results of the Skytrax 2010 World Airline Awards. The top ten airlines in the world are mostly from Asia. The only upside for U.S. based airlines is that no European airlines made it to the list either.
American airlines are only represented in the "best North American Airlines" results - and even there, Air ...Travel Trends: The effect of Southwest Airlines' cheap fares on competitor fares
May 21st, 2010 at 1:00PM: The last time you wanted to book a trip somewhere in the U.S., what airline did you think of first? If you're like thousands of U.S. air passengers, you checked to see if Southwest Airlines flew in and out of the city you wanted to visit. Since its inception almost forty years ago in 1971, Southwest has been providing passengers all over the country with low-cost travel options.
Southwest uses ...GadlingTV's Travel Talk 012: Trains, planes, & mergers! Behind the scenes at Southwest Airlines, Gowalla & Gadling in Austin + a brand new GIVEAWAY!!
May 5th, 2010 at 5:30PM:
GadlingTV's Travel Talk, episode 12 – Click above to watch video after the jump
Well, we've been bouncing around the country this week and have got a great show to prove it! From Dallas, Texas to Austin, Texas and finally Portland, Oregon - we'll take you behind the scenes at Love Field Airport and the operational headquarters of Southwest Airlines!
In the news this week: United ...Southwest Airlines introduces Florida-themed plane and a Florida fare sale
Apr 23rd, 2010 at 3:30PM: "Florida One" a new Southwest Airlines plane decked out with an image of the state flag, was unveiled at Tampa International Airport this morning.
It's now making the rounds at the five other Florida cities Southwest currently serves: Jacksonville, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers.
Southwest is adding service to the new Panama City Beach airport on May 23.
Florida ...SkyMall & Southwest Airlines want to send you to Florida
Apr 20th, 2010 at 10:30AM: We're not shy about our love of SkyMall here at Gadling. And our favorite in-flight catalog has a history of partnering with the Dallas-based Southwest Airlines. But this time around, instead of giving away Garden Yetis, the two travel pals are teaming up to send a couple of lucky winners on a trip for two to Panana City Beach, Florida.
If you purchase anything from SkyMall between now and June ...Southwest Airlines offers double Rapid Rewards credits
Apr 8th, 2010 at 5:00PM: Southwest Airlines is offering "Double Credit Days" today through May 26.
To be eligible, you must be a member of the airline's frequent flier program, called Rapid Rewards, but you can join today and still earn the extra credits.
If you already belong to the Rapid Rewards program, you still have to register online to get in on the promotion. If you fly and don't register, you won't get the ...
