Sep 21st, 2010 at 11:00AM: Airline fees are definitely not going away anytime soon – not after the second quarter it gave the airline industry. Carriers in the United States raked in $2.1 billion in fees and extra charges in the second quarter of this year, a 13 percent year-over-year surge. And, it was good enough to deliver the sector's first profitable quarter since 2007.
Well, here's the worst part for you: ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
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Airline extra fees: $2 billion in three months
Sep 21st, 2010 at 11:00AM: Airline fees are definitely not going away anytime soon – not after the second quarter it gave the airline industry. Carriers in the United States raked in $2.1 billion in fees and extra charges in the second quarter of this year, a 13 percent year-over-year surge. And, it was good enough to deliver the sector's first profitable quarter since 2007.
Well, here's the worst part for you: ...Trucker-style pilot gets nine months in jail
Sep 7th, 2010 at 12:00PM: Stephen Sharp was pushing for probation. The former US Airways Express pilot was nailed by the feds for selling "selling a powdered drink mix over the Internet that he claimed was '100 percent' effective in helping drug-using truck drivers, pilots and train engineers pass federally mandated drug tests."
Yes, it was a genius move for a man in a highly regulated profession ... which is why the ...NYC pulls trigger on mass execution of geese
Jul 14th, 2010 at 12:30PM: For the past several weeks, the last thing you'd want to be is a goose in New York City. Hundreds of them have been "euthanized," in an attempt to keep the skies safe. You may remember the impact that geese can have on a plane from a year and a half ago, when an unlucky bird forced a US Airways plane out of the sky and onto the Hudson River.
According to the Associated Press:
Carol Bannerman, ...Summertime, and the maggots are easy
Jul 1st, 2010 at 8:30AM: It's summertime, which means that for people in many parts of North America, certain types of vermin are particularly well-represented in kitchen cupboards, bathroom corners, basement nooks and, heck, just about everywhere. Mosquitoes, cockroaches, water bugs, and other little flying and scurrying insects make their presence especially well known across North America during the summer.
But ...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 ...US Airways inflight Wi-Fi service available on all A321 aircraft - with a freebie
Jun 1st, 2010 at 5:30PM:
After a brief introduction period, US Airways has become the next big airline to bring the Gogo Inflight Internet service to most of its planes. Starting this week, the service will be available on all US Airways Airbus A321 planes, and for the next seven days, access will be free of charge (June 1st - June 8 11:59pm)
When you board a Gogo enabled plane, you'll see a Wi-Fi symbol next to ...Earn double miles on US Airways this spring!
Apr 14th, 2010 at 10:15AM: US Airways just launched a promotion last night awarding double elite and earned miles to all registered travelers between now and June 15.
Elite miles, of course, are the special non-redeemable miles that count towards elite status, awarding passengers special perks like no baggage fees and better seat selection. Earned miles, on the other hand, are miles that can be cashed in for free flights ...Next candidates for an airline merger - United Airlines and US Airways?
Apr 8th, 2010 at 2:30PM: In what can probably be described as "just a matter of time", rumors are heating up about a possible United Airlines / US Airways merger.
The push for this kind of consolidation is being fueled by the last big airline merger - that of Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines. Of course, anyone who has followed the aviation world will know that a United/US merger has been in the news before. The ...US Airways launches Gogo Inflight Internet
Mar 29th, 2010 at 8:00PM:
Nine months after their initial announcement, US Airways and Gogo Inflight Internet have started offering wireless Internet access on the first aircraft in the US Airways fleet.
The service is currently installed on five Airbus A321 planes - and by June 1st, it'll be available on all 51 Airbus A321's.
Passengers boarding a US Airways A321 can tell whether their plane is one of the lucky ...US Airways the latest to increase extra bag fee
Jan 16th, 2010 at 2:00PM: US Airways has joined the ranks of airlines increasing their fees for extra baggage. The low cost carrier is raising its extra baggage fees by $5 each way, which is comparable to the increases levied by Delta, Continental and United. With the new charge, US Airways will be charging $25 for the first bag checked, with a second bag costing you $35 each way. The new fee takes effect on February 1, ...A gloomy travel market for 2010 will follow an ugly 2009
Dec 29th, 2009 at 3:00PM: Everybody seems to want the travel market to recover next year, but it looks like more time will be spent in yards, instead. According to a new USA Today/Gallup poll, only 16 percent of us are going to hit the skies or crash in hotels more than we did in what will go down in history as a dismal 2009. Close to a third said they are going to spend less time in guestrooms and cramped plane seats. The ...AirTran tries to make money like an internet company
Nov 18th, 2009 at 4:00PM: If they can't make money taking passengers from one place to another, maybe airlines can harness the power of eyeballs ... you know, the way the web does. If you get enough people passing by a particular spot -- physical or virtual -- it's possible to toss up a few ads and make some money. This is what AirTran has in mind. The airline is putting ads on the bottoms of seat-back tray tables. So, for ...Unruly Scot forces Boston landing
Nov 18th, 2009 at 1:00PM: US Airways Flight 728 was forced to land in Boston Monday night, far short of its London destination. John Alexander Murry, of Glasgow, was arrested just after 11 PM, causing the plane to stay on the ground for two hours before resuming its Philly-to-London route.
The 50-year-old Scottish man, according to prosecutors, was being "unruly and disruptive," it seems. The crew continually asked him to ...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 ...Galley Gossip: Advice for the employees of US Airways
Nov 6th, 2009 at 9:30AM:
Heather,
Yesterday the flight attendants got terrible news at US Airways. THREE base closures. Mine included. In all these years, I've never commuted. And now, gone early next year: BOS, LGA and LAS. We got the news in the crew room. Some of the senior girls started to tear up. One cried, "I have thirty years, I've never commuted." The base is closing and we didn't even receive any ...United to receive heavy fine for towel stuffed in engine
Oct 19th, 2009 at 10:30AM: US Airways and United Airlines both stand to receive multi-million dollar fines from the FAA for maintenance violations.
US Airways' violations include failing to inspect cargo doors and landing gear on a few plans and for failing to perform routine checks on dozen of others. US Airways responded quickly to the news, saying that the violations stem from the integration of their maintenance ...Gun-toting pilot gets gig back
Oct 10th, 2009 at 12:00PM: A gun was fired in the cockpit and so was the pilot. In March 2008, on a flight from Denver to Charlotte, US Airways pilot Jim Langenhahn's gun discharged, an action taken by his employer shortly after. Now that his 18-month disciplinary suspension is over, he's back in training and getting ready to take to the friendly skies. The Associated Press didn't mention whether the current program ...US Airways can't have New Mexico liquor license
Oct 2nd, 2009 at 4:00PM: US Airways sued New Mexico in 2007 because the state's Regulation and License Department denied its liquor license application. This came after a passenger killed five people in a crash while driving drunk after getting intoxicated on the flight.
In the suit, US Airways contended that New Mexico can't control its on-board liquor service, require training for cabin crew about alcohol or enforce ...Earn elite status on US Airways for 7,500 miles
Sep 20th, 2009 at 10:00AM: The jockeying for elite passenger revenue continues. Earlier this year, most of the major carriers announced double "elite qualifying mile" promotions, specials that drastically reduced the number of airline miles that one needed to fly to enjoy special perks. Usually, one needs to fly at least 25k miles to start earning low level perks such as bonus miles, preferred seats and upgrades. With those ...Airline fees continue, necessary evil
Sep 6th, 2009 at 8:00AM: Yes, you've heard about this all year, and you'll probably hear about it for a while to come. Airlines are still looking for ways to pull every dollar they can out of your wallets, but the reality is that they have no choice. Seven of the nine largest airlines in the United States had a rough time in August, making these measures more important than passengers might realize.
The second bag, ...
