This evening, we reported that Jetblue had stranded passengers on several planes for more hours than even they thought were accepted, and followed up on American’s response to their similar situation. Our counterpart at Upgrade Travel reported on their attempt to take the wind out of the sails of the Passenger Bill of Rights…the way they…
ABC 7 New York reports that at least four Jetblue planes were stuck on the runway fully loaded with passengers and children for hours. JetBlue said the passengers were held on the flight because “we were operating as if the aircraft would be able to fly.” The airline says it was relying on forecast models that indicated…
Jetblue announced today it has entered into a marketing partnership with Cape Air. Cape Air will provide connecting service from Boston…a Jetblue hublet, to Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Provincetown, and Hyannis. Cape Air operates this service using small Cessna 402 aircraft. The alliance will begin March 19, 2007. Cape Air might not seem like a good fit…
A German court rejected an attempt to prevent the closure of Berlin’s historic airport. The closure is part of a plan to build a new international airport. The closure for Tempelhof airport is scheduled for October 2008. Tempelhof Airport was the site of the Berlin airlifts. Tempelhof’s terminal is known as the largest built structure…
Delta’s return to Stewart Airport in Newburgh produced this newsbrief on Today in the Sky. In response to Delta’s plans to expand to New York’s Stewart International Airport near Newburgh, AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson offered this response: “We apparently do the route planning and scheduling for two airlines — AirTran Airways and Delta Air Lines. …
This week brings a bunch of new service offerings. American Eagle will add nonstop service between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Shreveport, Louisiana beginning April 10 using a 50-seater Embraer regional jet once daily. Delta is adding five new nonstop destinations this summer from Atlanta: Fort Smith, Arkansas(June 7); Halifax, Nova Scotia(June 7); Kalispell, MT(June…
We commented last week on the Spirit Airlines plan to charge $10 for the second bag, $100 for each additional bag above that. The Coalition for Luggage Security had even more interesting things to say than we do. The coalition is in favor of further separation of the cost of the ticket and the cost…
Not to be outdone by Jetblue’s recent Bay Area Trifecta, Southwest has announced its intention to resume service to San Francisco International Airport. Southwest operated at SFO from 1982 to 2001. At the termination of service, Southwest offered 14 daily departures to San Diego and Phoenix. Southwest credits its return to the airport to the…
USA Today’s Today in the Sky blog has a good roundup on the new British Airways luggage fees. Many will be surprised about these fees, as the press confirms that BA actually failed to instruct its sales staff to advise customers of the new baggage policies when they booked their tickets. Thus, those who didn’t…
Delta has ordered 30 Bombardier CRJ900 Aircraft at a value of $1.1 billion. Delta operates 350 out of the 1395 CRJ series aircraft. US Airways is in talks with Boeing and Airbus about buying sixty new aircraft to replace its aging 737 and 757 aircraft. UPS has ordered 27 new Boeing 767-300ER cargo planes to…
The Belligham Herald reports new Bellingham airline, Western Airlines, has apparently cancelled all service. Certainly a short time for an airline to be in business. Delta is offering an expanded summer schedule to Alaska. On May 23rd, it will offer daily service from Anchorage to Atlanta and to Cincinatti. On June 3rd, it will offer…
We were reading The Consumerist and discovered this story, about a man who tracked down a baggage handler who stole a digital camera out of his checked luggage, had him prosecuted, and received a less than pleasant response from Delta. Delta’s position is that since he did travel…they will not compensate him for the actions…
Effective on Saturday, Spirit Airlines will charge passengers ten dollars for a second checked bag. Spirit will now have the strictest baggage policy in the industry…although ten dollars for an extra fifty pounds is not bad. A third bag will be one hundred dollars. Industry average in the U.S. is now at two bags, fifty…
Beginning May 1st, Midwest will launch new service from Kansas City to Columbus. In addition, Midwest Connect flights out of Milwaukee to Flint, Dayton, Duluth, Louisville, and Pittsburgh will be upgraded to larger aircraft. This will eliminate 19-seater turboprops from these routes. All routes will be operated by Midwest Connect with either 32-seater Fairchild 328…
Frontier and Northwest Airlines have been issued cease and desist orders on the serving of alcohol on flights to and from New Mexico. This follows an earlier order against US Airways, issued after its lack of state license was discovered during an investigation, as we mentioned last week. US Airways has filed an application for…
Negotiators began a new round of talks today on the Open Skies treaty between the European Union and the United States. These negotiations have failed in the past. The main sticking point has been foreign ownership in U.S. airlines…which the EU expects to be resolved before they will complete the agreement. Open Skies would allow…
Jetblue will form its first formal international alliance with Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus. Aer Lingus, which reformulated itself as a low-cost carrier in the aftermath of 9/11, operates service from two Jetblue cities…Boston and New York, to Shannon and Dublin, Ireland. From Dublin, it offers service into Europe. Jetblue currently does not offer interline…
Expressjet’s(Stock Ticker: XJT) move to start its own service is a rather controversial one. The question so many people are asking is if they will go the way of Independence Air. Independence Air had operated as a regional carrier for various airlines until United withdrew its contract and the airline went independent. Independence was unique…
Iberia will begin flights from Boston to Madrid on May 6th…offering service every day but Thursdays and Saturdays. Airbus 340-300 aircraft will be used to operate the service. Boston is Iberia’s fourth destination in the US, along with Miami, Chicago, and New York. Frontier will be declaring Cabo San Lucas its second focus city in…
Continental Airlines announced today that Colgan Air has been selected to operate 74-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprop planes on short and medium distrance routes starting early next year. The Q400, as we have mentioned in the past, is an update of the Dash 8 turboprop…with state of the art noise suppression, seating comfort, and engine technology.…
Pan Am Clipper Connection will begin flights March 9 from Tweed Regional Airport in New Haven, CT. Service will be to Elmira/Corning, NY; Baltim0re-Washington Airport; Portmouth, NH; and Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA. It will fly eight flights a day overall to these four destinations using 19-seat Jetstream turboprop aircraft. First Choice Airways began charter…
The recent increase in passenger duties on long-haul flights to forty pounds sterling for economy, eighty for premium, boosts the cost of taxes and fees on an economy ticket from the US to the United Kingdom to nearly $300. Domestic and intra-European flights increased by five pounds. The tax has been very controversial in England,…
LTU will begin nonstop flights from Los Angeles five times a week and Las Vegas twice a week to Dusseldorf this May. Air Canada will add a second daily nonstop flight to Beijing from Vancover during the summer. The extra flight will operate July 1 through September 30th using a 211-seat 767-300. Air Canada will…
Expressjet, best known for operating Continental regional flights, will be operating flights under its own name, due to decreased demand for its services. Expressjet is painfully aware of the lessons of Independence Air…whose independence did not last as long as many had hoped. Expressjet’s new commercial service includes, according to their website: San Diego to:…
Under a rule issued by the US Department of Transportation, baggage liability limitations will soon rise to $3000 per passenger from the current limit of $2800 effective February 28. It applies to any flight using large aircraft and only commuter air carriers are exempt. Airlines could pay an additional $2.6 million per year as a…