The DOJ is taking a second look at the proposed acquisition of ITA Software by Google, citing antitrust concerns. Earlier this year, Google agreed to buy ITA for $700 million in cash in order to bolster its travel division...
Will United Step in to Fill Void Left by Mexicana?
Mexicana ceased flying (again) on Saturday and it is increasingly likely that the historic Mexican carrier will be joining the likes of PanAm and TWA in that great boneyard in the sky. That gives other air carriers a chance...
Southwest Airlines to Serve Newark with Continental’s Permission
Southwest Airlines will begin service to Newark’s Liberty International Airport next March in a move that was actually encouraged by United/Continental. Southwest already serves La Guardia and Islip/Long Island, but will add service to Continental’s East Coast hub in...
Court Sides with Southwest Airlines, Allows Coupons to Expire
In California, it is against the law for gift certificates to have expiration dates. Furthermore, they cannot even lose value due to inactivity, as is stipulated in the fine print of many gift cards. Enter Southwest Airlines, who recently...
Delta Challenging AA: Planning Heathrow Service from Boston and Miami
In a move showcasing Delta’s emphasis on international expansion, the airline has announced plans to begin twice daily service from Boston to London Heathrow and daily service from Miami to Heathrow. With the recent approval of a joint venture...
Delta Adds Flights to Cancún
Bolstering its already impressive Latin America network, Delta Air Lines is adding service to Cancún from four U.S. cities. Starting in February, you will be able to fly non-stop to CUN on Delta from Columbus, San Antonio, Austin, and...
Bickering Over the Post-Merger Identity of United Airlines
With a Continental merger drawing near, the LA Times featured a great article yesterday on the struggle over the re-branding of United. I won’t quote from it, but it discusses the ongoing debate over the livery of the merged...
No Three Perfect Days in this Airline Magazine
Airline magazines are generally easy reads. Packed with travel-related articles, propaganda promoting the airline, crossword puzzles, and mostly advertisements, even the best mags in the industry hardly leave a lasting impression. I do appreciate United’s Three Perfect Days feature...
Southwest Airlines Considers Investment in 737-800
Southwest Airlines, America’s largest domestic carrier, is thinking big. Their fleet of 737-300, -500, and -700 series aircraft have served them well, but slot restrictions at airports like BOS and LGA have limited their ability to grow in key...
Airlines Raiding Desert Boneyards as Passenger Traffic Increases
Last week I booked a Sunday night redeye from Los Angeles to Chicago on United and was pleasantly surprised to see that the flight would be operated by a 747-400. Like Kevin’s experience last week, the aircraft featured the old...
Star Alliance or Oneworld? LAN and TAM to Merge
LAN and TAM have announced their intention to merge into a new South American mega-airline group, LATAM. If the merger goes forward, the new company would boast 40,000 employees and transport more than 45 million customers a year to 115...
Leaked JetBlue Memo Reveals that Steven Slater May Have Fabricated Story
The AP has obtained an internal JetBlue memo admonishing the actions of Steven Slater and warning FAs not to try anything similar. Most interesting is this: JetBlue Chief Operating Officer Rob Maruster says in the memo that the airline is still...
Ultimatum for Turkish Airlines FAs: Lose Weight or Lose Your Job
You read the title correctly and, no, I am not quoting a news story from the 1960s. Of course Turkish Airlines isn’t the only airline to set maximum weight and size thresholds for their flight attendants, but it always...
World’s Most Expensive Cities – 2010
The LA Times recently published a feature story highlighting the ten most expensive cities in the world. Here’s the top 10 list: Luanda, Angola Tokyo N’Djamena, Chad Moscow Geneva Osaka Libreville, Gabon Zürich Hong Kong Copenhagen I was surprised to see three African...
Jet Blue Flight Attendant Exits Stage Right After Rousing Vocal Performance
Steven Slater was already having a bad day. He had just landed at JFK from Pittsburgh a tad late and his passengers were restless. One even got up to fetch her hand baggage while the aircraft was still on...
United States Will Charge Tourists $14 to "Promote Tourism"
Sometimes, I wonder why members of Congress display so little common sense. Then I remember what it was like to work for them. In an astute move displaying superlative wisdom and unparalleled foresight, Congress has voted to levy a $14 tax on...
Delta to Begin Service to Iceland Next June
Yesterday afternoon I received an e-mail that Delta was starting service to Reykjavik, Iceland next June. The once daily flights will depart late from JFK, arriving the following morning in KEF and return late morning from KEF, arriving just...
New Livery Coming to Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic has unveiled a new livery that will eventually be applied to all 38 of its aircraft. New technology, reportedly unique to VS, will give each aircraft a highly reflective metallic appearance. In a press release announcing the change, Virgin...
Feds Come Clean: Admit to Storing Body Image Scans
Last week on Upgrd 66 I voiced skepticism about TSA assurances that body scan images are immediately deleted and never stored. After all, if something was found on a passenger wouldn’t the image have to be stored to have...
Mexicana Files for Bankruptcy
Mexicana has filed for bankruptcy in the United States and Mexico, suspending a number of flights and positioning the troubled airline to cut labor prices as they attempt to remain competitive. Mexicana has put most of the blame for...
