Archives: February 2009

Airlines and Capital: Ownership Questions Loom

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 20

Last year, the Open Skies Treaty between the U.S. and European Union opened new routes across the Atlantic. The first phase dealt with liberalization of so-called “cabotage,” the rules that...

Southwest: NYC, Boston... Say What?

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 19

At first blush, it’s easy to think Southwest CEO Gary Kelly has truly gone off the reservation in terms of the airline’s business model. (That's him at the far right,...

JetBlue's Job-Loss Insurance

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 17

Here’s one way to spur ticket sales: Offer a refund for customers who get laid off and want to cancel a trip. That’s the tactic JetBlue Airways (JBLU) is trying...

Ice and the Buffalo Plane Crash

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 13

Early speculation about the cause of the Continental Express crash near Buffalo is pointing toward ice, one of the paramount dangers in aviation. Blogger Miles O’Brien, a private pilot and...

NTSB: Blame the Canadians for 1549!

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 12

Well, Canadian geese. The National Transportation Safety Board on Feb. 12 confirmed widespread speculation that Canadian geese were sucked into the engines of US Airways Flight 1549, which ditched safely...

Airline CEO Pay vs. Performance

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 12

The next time you fly and encounter a rude, clueless or generally unpleasant airline employee, recall one of the chief complaints these workers express repeatedly: the compensation of top airline...

Southwest's Racy New Paint Job

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 11

Southwest, an airline that garnered widespread attention two years ago for wrangling with passengers about attire choices, is offering this: The 2009 Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model painted on a...

Airline Pilots Under the Influence

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 10

For the past couple of weeks, the story of the “drunk” Aeroflot pilot has been making splashes far and wide across the Internet and newspapers. These inebriated aviator incidents occur...

Branson’s Take on Aussie Competition

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 09

My colleague Cliff Edwards has an interesting news analysis on the site today about the pending battle in the U.S.-Australia air travel market, with Virgin and Delta looking to jump...

Delta Grants Cincinnati Fare Relief

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 06

Here’s the kind of airline release you will not see often. Practically never, in fact. Unless, of course, you live in the Cincinnati area, a hub city for Delta Air...

Do pilots ever land late on purpose?

Posted by: Dean Foust on February 04

I stumbled upon this item on the One Mile at a Time blog at Boarding Area about a passenger who recounts a flight where he was told a pilot for...

Further Notes on the US Airways Crash

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 03

For those of us still in amazement over the successful US Airways ditching on the Hudson River Jan. 15, some new accounts have emerged offering greater detail. Among the more...

Virgin America: Will Private Equity be Patient?

Posted by: Justin Bachman on February 02

Virgin America disclosed some details on Monday of its financial performance, a day before the Dept. of Transportation was scheduled to release operating data the upstart carrier had fought to...