Airline News - North America.

Aug 13, 2007

First-class upgrades a nice bonus for educated travelers. Coach passengers can sometimes get lucky and score the option to purchase a discounted upgrade to first-class during their airport check in. An even better option for savvy travelers is to look for specially coded seats that offer an upgrade to first-class when they purchase their plane tickets. Aug 10, 2007

Airlines working hard to lessen impact of delays. Airlines are doing all they can to make life easier for passengers caught up in delays caused by weather and an overstressed air traffic control system, including extending employee workdays and improving communication with air travelers. These stopgap measures offer much-appreciated but limited benefits. What American aviation really needs is a modern air traffic control system, but passengers will have to help pay for it, says this article. Aug 9, 2007

Fliers feel inconvenienced, not necessarily safer. Fliers are resigned to long security lines and focus on what they can do to move smoothly through the system. Overscheduled businesspeople consider driving to avoid the airport lines, and passengers grumble about having to purchase water in departure areas. Some travelers say the extra security makes them feel safer, while others feel certain that a determined terrorist will find a way through the airport obstacle course. Aug 9, 2007

Air passengers take note of airplane sanitation. Travelers notice the cleanliness, or lack thereof, of their surroundings, particularly those who are on an airplane sitting through a ground delay. Deep-cleaning cycles and between-flight wipe downs are getting more attention, and passengers are particularly sensitive about the availability of clean, working lavatories. Aug 8, 2007

US Dept. of Transportation said that the 20 reporting US carriers posted a combined June ontime arrival rate of 68.1%, down from the year-ago month's 72.8%. Cancellations climbed to 2.7% of scheduled flights from 1.7%. Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines predictably were the most punctual, with SkyWest Airlines coming in third at 77.9%. Atlantic Southeast Airlines' 56% was the worst among the 20, followed by American Airlines' 57.9%. Mesa Airlines' 6.4% cancellation rate was the worst, with Hawaiian (0.2%) and Frontier Airlines and Southwest Airlines (0.4%) the best. June's mishandled baggage rate of 7.92 reports per 1,000 passengers was up from the year-ago month's 6.30. Hawaiian's 3.48 was the best, followed by AirTran Airways' 4.44. Worst was American Eagle Airlines at 15.91. Aug 8, 2007

Airlines improving communication with passengers. Airlines are responding to customer complaints by doing a better job of keeping them in the loop when flights are delayed or schedules change. Passengers can now get e-mails and text messages, allowing them to keep up with up-to-the-minute information about individual flights. Aug 6, 2007

Airlines report planes flying about 90% full. Travelers on U.S. carriers may have noticed that seating was tighter than usual in July. At least seven major airlines reported record passenger loads, with nearly 90% of seats filled on domestic flights. Aug 6, 2007

Passengers willing to pay for the "good seats". Carriers increasingly are aware that travelers covet certain seats on the plane and will do a lot to avoid others, such as the middle seat. Some airlines are giving passengers a bit more control over where they'll wind up sitting, and opening a new revenue path while they're at it. Aug 6, 2007

Reductions in capacity good for airlines; hard on passengers. With fewer seats on the market, air carriers are flying fuller planes at higher profits. That's great news for their bottom lines, but cascading delays can lead to huge headaches for passengers. The scarcity of seats means that shifting passengers to new flights is getting harder, and doing it within hours has become almost impossible. Aug 6, 2007

American Airlines, AirCell

American Airlines is teaming with Colorado-based communications provider AirCell in the launch of an onboard Wi-Fi system on transcontinental flights early next year. The high-flying broadband service is expected to give travelers the ability to check e-mail, surf the Web, access corporate intranets, and monitor the latest news through the use of any Wi-Fi enabled laptop, PDA, or smartphone. Aug 10, 2007

Eos

Eos giveaway is music to passengers' ears. All-business class airline Eos has launched its latest promotion to woo customers a free Apple iPod for flights taken during August. The carrier is offering passengers the choice of an 80GB video iPod, or 45,000 Club 48 miles, when they purchase a return flight London-New York Aug 10, 2007

World Airways

World Airways and North American Airlines parent World Air Holdings reported earnings results for the first quarter revealing net income of $518,000 for the three months ended March 31, an 85.4% drop from net income of $3.5 million in the 2006 first quarter. World said reporting was in accordance with its legal requirements under the terms of its merger agreement with ATA Airlines parent Global Aero Logistics. WAH shareholders last month approved the company's takeover by GAL in a deal expected to close by the end of the current quarter. First-quarter revenue increased 3.1% to $222.9 million as expenses fell 7.4% to $222 million, producing operating income of $830,000, a 91.2% decline from $9.4 million in the prior-year period. Aug 8, 2007

ZZ

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