Archives: July 2008

Back to the Fare Hikes

Posted by: Justin Bachman on July 31

So much for that respite from the near-weekly airfare raising seen throughout 2008. After a nearly 30-day hiatus, Northwest Airlines went for a hike late Wednesday and raised fares $80...

Flying + Drinking + Turbulence

Posted by: Justin Bachman on July 30

‘Fess up: How often do you find yourself dining while driving? Food and transport are uneasy partners at best, but given the time constraints of modern business meals are...

A New City for OpenSkies

Posted by: Justin Bachman on July 28

The British Airways premium upstart OpenSkies is expanding to a second European city this fall: Amsterdam. The airline, which closed its acquisition of rival L’Avion last week, currently flies from...

This Could Have Been Bad

Posted by: Justin Bachman on July 25

Here’s a scary sight. A Qantas 747-400 headed for Australia after a stop in Hong Kong was forced to land today in Manila after a section of the cargo...

The Airline Gods Were Angry

Posted by: Justin Bachman on July 24

A guest blog today from BW colleague and Detroit-based road warrior, David Kiley, on a recent harrowing travel experience Ever have one of those flights when you start looking up...

No Joke: (Short-term) Airline Profit

Posted by: Justin Bachman on July 23

When it comes to Worst Investment contests, it’s usually hard to top the U.S. airline industry. The costs are enormous, the revenues shaky, the margins razor-thin and the public generally...

Hope Amid the Airlines' Red Ink

Posted by: Justin Bachman on July 22

Continued hemorraghing of red ink today from airlines. Three big ones, United, US Airways and JetBlue, all swung to losses in the second quarter because of high fuel costs. From...

Your Boarding Pass For an Advert

Posted by: Justin Bachman on July 15

Coming to a boarding pass near you: A free appetizer at the Hard Rock Café! The six big U.S. legacy carriers have a new source of advertising revenue, unveiled...

The Airlines' Convenient Villain

Posted by: Justin Bachman on July 10

In times of economic stress, it’s often useful to find a scapegoat on which to heap the populace's scorn and anger. So it is these days with the U.S....

The Bizarro World of air travel

Posted by: Dean Foust on July 09

I don't know which of these incidents from the past week ranks as the most bizarre: A United Airlines plane headed from Denver to Des Moines was delayed after...

Is your airport at risk?

Posted by: Dean Foust on July 08

Most of the major airlines have announced 10% cuts in service commencing later this year, and some have already trimming back service to smaller markets: Delta and American each announced...

"Cover me, honey, while I check our bags..."

Posted by: Dean Foust on July 07

After reading this, some of you will say “Only in America...” My wife, however, would say, “Only in Georgia…” Earlier this year the Georgia Legislature, in its infinite wisdom, passed...

A Parisian Romance

Posted by: Justin Bachman on July 02

Another premium-class airline is tossing in the towel, in this case via a sale. Less than two weeks after its first flight, British Airways’ new Open Skies airline said today...