BUSINESS
March 23, 2014 | By Hugo Martin
More and more air travelers are buying expensive first-class and business-class seats, and airlines are coming up with some creative amenities to keep those big spenders happy. That includes scented pillows and chauffeur-driven SUVs. The number of passengers buying expensive premium seats jumped 4% in 2013 and continued to grow thanks to improved business conditions around the world, according to the International Air Transport Assn., the trade group for the world's airlines.
BUSINESS
March 23, 2014 | By Hugo Martin
The addition of airline bag fees several years ago created another travel annoyance: people who cram all of their travel necessities into carry-on bags to avoid the fees. United Airlines recently began a crackdown on those passengers. And it seems that many fliers agree with United. Nearly half of recent fliers who were questioned said they support United's crackdown, according to an online survey of more than 1,000 adults conducted by the London-based research company YouGov.
BUSINESS
March 23, 2014 | By Hugo Martin
Travelers protested when airlines began charging bag fees in 2008, claiming the extra charge was a blatant money grab. But a new study concludes that the nation's airlines quietly lowered fares slightly to make the bag fees more palatable to those fliers who would get stuck paying the new charge. Still, the airlines are coming out ahead because the drop in fares was so small that it did not totally offset the added cost of checking a bag, the study found. “The fact that the airlines are doing it must mean they are coming out ahead,” said Jan Brueckner, an economics professor at UC Irvine who co-authored the study with other economics experts.
BUSINESS
March 19, 2014 | By Hugo Martin
The merger of American Airlines and US Airways was unusual when it was proposed last year because it seemed to have the support of all the major employee unions involved. But one of the biggest unions for US Airways is threatening to strike, and the group now has the support of its union brothers from American Airlines. The International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers -- which represents about 14,000 US Airways machinists, mechanics and fleet service workers -- has been trying to negotiate a new contract with US Airways for more than two years.
BUSINESS
March 20, 2014 | By Hugo Martin
Has the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 nearly two weeks ago had an effect on travel to the Asian country? It depends on who you talk to. A German-based travel website says it has seen a 22% drop in searches among U.S. users for hotels in Malaysia since the flight disappeared. But Malaysian tourism officials say they have seen no significant drop in travel to the country. The Boeing 777, carrying 239 people, disappeared March 8, sparking a massive search across miles of open sea and theories that range from terrorism to alien abduction.
BUSINESS
July 30, 2005 | From Associated Press
China confirmed the bulk of a large order for Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner, but the aircraft manufacturer was trying to determine why the 50-plane sale was 10 short of what the Chinese had announced earlier. Airlines involved in the deal are the national flag carrier Air China, Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, the official New China News Agency reported. The deal with Chicago-based Boeing Co.