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For the first time this year a legacy airline got absolutely no takers on an attempted airfare hike.
Delta Air Lines rolled back their attempted airfare fuel surcharge increase of an additional $10 roundtrip (route system wide) – initiated Thursday — as no legacy airline budged to match them over the weekend.
The average domestic U.S. fuel surcharge continues to remain at $50 roundtrip…
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Delta Dashed Two Weeks in a Row – No Takers on $10 Roundtrip Increase, Rolls Back
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The proposed merger between Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines is like something you might see in a celebrity gossip magazine. Are they together? Are they apart? Well, it depends on what week it is.
The latest news from the merger front is that Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines are back on. Pilots with both carriers have raised issues that have helped to stall merger talks, but now it seems the airlines might be willing to move forward without the full blessing of the pilots…
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On-Again, Off-Again: The Northwest Airlines/Delta Air Lines Story
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London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 was set to be the new gateway for British Airways’ long-haul flights. With Open Skies kicking off, Terminal 5 looked to be ready to go. The folks at Heathrow were excited, British Airways was excited, airport execs in the US were excited, and international travelers were excited. After all, Terminal 5 was going to make check-in more convenient, connections faster, and travel to and from Heathrow on BA simply easier to deal with.
So, how did it all work out? Well, not quite how Heathrow and British Airways had hoped. Instead of making life easier for international travelers, Terminal 5 descended into chaos and has left travelers stranded, baggage misplaced, and British Airways losing money.
After five days of service, things don’t seem to be getting better. Keep reading to see what British Airways is doing to try to make things right…
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Chaos at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 Continues
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UPDATE: ALOHA AIRLINES ENDS PASSENGER SERVICE! Many of today’s flights have been cancelled and NO tickets for flights after Monday will be honored. According to the Associated Press, Aloha’s president said, “We had no choice but to take this action.” They are working to seat passengers on other airlines. Read the article, and check with Aloha (they have updated information on their website) or contact your travel agent or credit card rep.
MARCH 21 (original post): For the second time in about 2-years, Aloha Airlines filed for bankruptcy. A lot of the pain Aloha is feeling is caused by jet fuel prices; it’s difficult to plan a budget when your major cost just keeps going up, up, up.
The other factor in the bankruptcy? Inter-island airfare WAR!
This is a “war” of sorts that’s been going on for some time, and it involves 3 different airlines; let’s take a look at that — just click on “more”.
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URGENT UPDATE: Aloha Airlines ENDS PASSENGER SERVICE
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It’s been all over the news, so I suppose I ought to make mention of it.
I’m talking about the woman who went through security with body piercings, and…and…if it hadn’t been on network news last night, I probably wouldn’t even mention it…
Know what? I’m getting a little bit squeamish. Better check out the post on our sister blog, Standard Upright Position.
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There’s a lot of doom and gloom out there over Open Skies — and I say, baloney!
Perhaps you saw this article on CNN.com (actually, it’s an Associated Press report); it quotes a lot of industry experts who contend that, when the Open Skies agreement kicks in March 30, there won’t be much in the way of lower airfares, or much of anything positive, unless you’re a business traveler.
Well, I have a different take…and, to quote one of my industry experts, much of Open Skies will make people “happy as clams!”
That’s what he said, alright. Keep reading…
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Open Skies: I Say, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”
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We are now in uncharted waters.
There has never been a time since we began closely tracking airfares back in 2002 with so many attempted airfare hikes of this frequency or magnitude. Nothing to compare it to.
Now it’s Delta’s turn — again. The carrier tried and failed with a $10 airfare hike last week, but today it’s trying with a $10 roundtrip domestic fuel surcharge.
Look for this to affect 21,000 business airfares city-pairs (without 14 day advance purchase) and 15,000 city-pairs for leisure travel.
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There was quite an interesting article in the Los Angeles Times today, about our nation’s “aging airline fleets.”
The reporters noted the recent delays due to maintenance issues, and blamed it in part on the age of the planes, saying U.S. airlines “operate some of the oldest fleets in the world.”
The big problem: older planes need more upkeep, which can mean more down time. And more delays for you and me.
Which U.S. airline operates the oldest fleet? Keep reading, and also keep reading about why this could put us at a disadvantage with “Open Skies.”
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U.S. Has OLD Planes– And That Could Cost Us
