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Some airline pilots would fly fewer hours and others would fly longer under proposed rules to help prevent dangerous fatigue, transportation and labor officials said Friday.
The proposal would set different requirements based on the time of day, number of scheduled flight segments, flight types, time zones and likelihood that a pilot is able to get enough sleep, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in his blog. The proposal is being released Friday. Get the full story »
A crowded CTA car on the Red Line. (Red Eye photo)
Just take some deep breaths, Chicagoans.
Chicago ranked eighth on Portfolio.com’s listing of the “Most Stressful Places in America,” with a stress index of 4.366. Detroit was deemed the most stressed-out metro area in the nation, with a stress index of 9.026 points.
Nos. 2 through 7 are Los Angeles, Cleveland, Riverside, Calif., St. Louis, Mo., New York and New Orleans. Get the full story »
Delta Air Lines Inc. plans to upgrade the seats on its Boeing 747s next summer, while cutting the number of seats in the plane’s most expensive cabin.
Delta detailed the changes Thursday, which are part of a $1 billion plan announced in January to overhaul seats and make other customer improvements. Get the full story »
Passengers at the United and Continental kiosks at O'Hare International Airport, May 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
The Justice Department approved the proposed merger of United and Continental airlines Friday, closing an unexpectedly speedy four-month investigation that paves the way for the mega-deal to close by Oct. 1.
To win the blessing of federal antitrust regulators, United and Continental agreed to lease slots for 18 round-trip flights to Southwest Airlines at Newark Liberty International Airport, beginning in March 2011.
Justice officials said the slot transfer was struck in “response to the department’s principal concerns” regarding the merger, which critics have warned will speed consolidation and eventually leave the three largest U.S. carriers with a lion’s share of the market. Get the full story »
FreightCar America Inc. said Friday that its chief financial officer left the company “to pursue new opportunities,” and named a replacement who will take over Sept. 13. Get the full story »
Boeing Co. said Monday it’s been given approval by the Federal Aviation Administration to start pilot training courses for its new 787.
The Chicago company called the approval a “significant milestone” as it ramps up to start flight training.
When Kraft Foods Inc. packs trucks with weighty items such as jars of Miracle Whip and pouches of Capri Sun juice, 40 percent of the rigs must leave the loading dock partly empty to avoid exceeding federal truck weight limits. Kraft says those rules force it and others to make extra trips and spend more on fuel.
Now, the Illinois food giant is part of a coalition of 150 companies lobbying Congress to allow trucks that are 20 percent heavier on U.S. highways. Supporters of the idea say truckers could pay an extra fee to offset road repairs.
There is an arms race of sorts in the shipping industry — and it is prompting a backlash. Efforts are under way to supersize trucks, trains, and cargo ships as freight haulers look to move more goods in fewer trips. Get the full story »
Southwest Airlines Co. is considering including Boeing Co.’s 737-800 aircraft in its domestic fleet, with a decision expected before year’s end, as the discount carrier plans a push to win more business travelers and restore capacity slashed during the economic downturn.
The largest carrier of domestic U.S. passengers said the company still needs to discuss the plans with its labor units, as well as look at issues such as network flow and scheduling. Get the full story »
The president of Chicago South Shore and South Bend Railroad will retire in October after five years on the job, the company announced Thursday. Henry Lampe, president and CEO will be replaced by Andrew Fox, managing director of Pacific Harbor Line and a former president at that company. Get the full story »
The government’s criteria for testing vehicles’ crash safety ratings are a-changin’.
For the past 30 years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been using its 5-star testing program to test how well vehicles sustain potential crashes. That rating system will soon expand to testing how well vehicles avoid accidents in the first place.
In other words, under these new guidelines, it’s going to become much more difficult for a vehicle to earn a 5-star safety rating, meaning it’s about to get easier for consumers to identify safe cars.
From Forbes | A stronger freight market sent Hub Group Inc.’s profit up 15 percent in the second quarter, the logistics and trucking company said Wednesday.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed suit Wednesday against a Melrose Park bus company, saying it defrauded a group of hearing-impaired students and their families.
The suit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, claims Sleepless in the City Bus Service Inc., took $1,750 from the Illinois Service Resource Center, then failed to provide transportation for 55 students and their families on April 27, 2009. Get the full story »
Buy those Forever stamps now. The cost of mailing a letter is going up again. Fighting to survive a deepening financial crisis, the Postal Service said Tuesday it wants to increase the price of first-class stamps by 2 cents — to 46 cents — starting in January. Other postage costs would rise as well.
From the Daily Herald | FedEx Ground said it will open its fourth Chicago-area sorting center in Lake County’s Grayslake. The company, which received a $1.2 million tax incentive, said it will result in 700 jobs.
