American Airlines plans to park about 10 percent of its MD-80 fleet this year and trim domestic capacity to stem losses from sky-high fuel prices. Get the full story »
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American Airlines shrinks loss, plans capacity cut
American Airlines parent AMR Corp. posted a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss, but soaring fuel costs are prompting the carrier to curb capacity later this year.
Delta jet back in air after rodent droppings found
Bloomberg News | U.S. health inspectors found rodent droppings “too numerous to count” in the galley area of a Delta Air Lines jet where food and drink are stored. The airline said the plane used on international flights had been cleaned and returned to service.
United to operate charter flights for Giants
United Airlines said Thursday it has agreed to fly the San Francisco Giants baseball team to road games and work with the defending World Series champions on customer and fan promotions.
The Chicago-based airline will also get its name on more signs inside the Giants’ stadium, AT&T Park, and on the schedule page of the baseball club’s website under a letter of agreement signed by the team and the air carrier. Financial terms were not disclosed. Get the full story »
Air Pacific cancels orders for 8 Boeing 787s
Boeing says that Fiji airline Air Pacific has canceled orders for eight 787s, a jetliner whose debut has been delayed by about three years. Get the full story »
FAA beefing up overnight air traffic control
Overnight staffing will be beefed up at 26 airports nationwide, federal air-safety officials said, in response to a spate of air-traffic controllers falling asleep on duty. In the latest incident, the pilot of an airborne ambulance landed in Nevada on Wednesday without help from a dozing controller. Get the full story »
Orbitz says it will defend self against American suit
Orbitz Worldwide Inc. said Wednesday that it will vigorously defend itself against a lawsuit filed by American Airlines, which is in a dispute with the online travel company over commissions. Get the full story »
Vote on recall of head of United pilot union delayed
A vote to recall the head of United Airlines’ pilots union has been postponed until Thursday, sources told the Tribune. Get the full story »
Southwest CEO: All but two planes back in service
A week after a hole ripped open on the fuselage of one of his planes, Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Gary C. Kelly said Friday that all but two inspected planes will be back in the air by Saturday.
During a panel discussion at a gathering of financial journalists in Dallas, Kelly said Southwest has inspected and returned to service 78 planes but is still making repairs on two Boeing 737s, including the plane with the damaged fuselage.
Decline in UAL traffic hits its stock, other airlines’
Airline stocks are declining after United Continental reported that traffic fell at a faster pace in March.
“People are very nervous about pricing due to rising oil prices,” says Wolfe Trahan analyst Hunter Keay. Get the full story »
United Continental traffic declines in March
United Continental Holdings Inc. said traffic at United and Continental airlines fell at a faster pace in March. Get the full story »
Airlines may be easing up on fare hikes
Travelers check in at at O'Hare International Airport, Sept. 14, 2010. (William DeShazer/Chicago Tribune)
There are some signs that airlines are starting to take their foot off the pedal after pushing through more than six major fare increases in the first three months of the year.
March may have been a turning point. A $10 fare increase launched March 9 by American Airlines and two other $10 round-trip fare hikes launched by United Airlines were rolled back after some competitors declined to push their prices higher. And some ticket prices showed sharp price drops in the second half of the month. Get the full story »
FAA issues emergency order to inspect airliners
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Tuesday ordered airlines to inspect their most heavily used older-model Boeing 737 jetliners for fuselage cracks. Get the full story »
Boeing: 737 wasn’t old enough to be worrisome
Boeing was surprised when a section of a Southwest jetliner’s fuselage ripped open in flight because the plane wasn’t old enough to be worrisome, a company official said Tuesday, as the airline cleared most of its older 737 planes to return to the skies. Get the full story »
Southwest grounds 5 planes for repairs
A photographer next to the fuselage skin which was torn from a Southwest Boeing 737-300 aircraft last week. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Southwest Airlines Co. said it was making repairs on five older Boeing 737-300 planes after inspections found fuselage cracks, and added that flight operations were returning to normal on Tuesday.
The inspections of 79 planes followed an April 1 emergency landing in Arizona of a jet with a hole in its fuselage. Flight 812 was heading from Phoenix to Sacramento, Calif., when a 5-foot tear opened up 20 minutes after takeoff. Get the full story »
