Boeing order bonanza leaves Airbus in the dust

Aermacchi MB-339 trainer aircraft of the Fursan al-Emarat (UAE Knights) aerobatics team release smoke as they fly over with an Emirates Airbus A380-861 jetliner aircraft during the 2023 Dubai Airshow at Dubai World Central – Al-Maktoum International Airport in Dubai on November 13, 2023.  Giuseppe Cacace | Afp | Getty Images DUBAI, United Arab Emirates … Read more

Thanksgiving air travel set for records in test for airlines

Travelers wait in line to check in for their flights at a Delta Airlines ticket counter at Orlando International Airport during the busy Christmas holiday season on December 28, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. Paul Hennessy | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Airlines expect record travel demand this Thanksgiving. Executives say they’re prepared for the hordes. … Read more

Boeing hands over first 787 Dreamliner to China since 2019

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner sits on the tarmac at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington. Robert Sorbo | Reuters Boeing on Thursday handed over a 787 Dreamliner directly to a Chinese airline for the first time since November 2019, a milestone that could open up the possibility of deliveries of the manufacturer’s cash cow, the 737 … Read more

Airlines shave minutes off flight times with faster boarding, new tech

Passengers make their way through the terminal as they travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday at Washington Dulles International Airport in Dulles, Virginia, on Nov. 22, 2023. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters In air travel, minutes matter. A few moments could be the difference between making and missing a connection for passengers — and could avoid … Read more

Spirit Airlines offers buyouts to salaried employees

A Spirit Airlines plane takes off at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, June 1, 2023. Mario Tama | Getty Images Spirit Airlines is offering voluntary exit packages to salaried employees, the budget carrier’s latest cost-cutting measure as it expects financial strains to continue next year. The airline has been facing weak off-peak demand … Read more

Southwest, pilots union near a preliminary labor deal

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 aircraft lands at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, May 7, 2023. Nicolas Economou | Nurphoto | Getty Images Southwest Airlines and its pilots union are closing in on a new contract that would raise pay for the carrier’s more than 11,000 aviators and end months of contentious … Read more

Alaska-Hawaiian airline merger faces Justice Department scrutiny

An Alaska Airlines aircraft flies past the U.S. Capitol before landing at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., January 24, 2022. Joshua Roberts | Reuters Alaska Air Group‘s executives spent months working on its plan to buy rival Hawaiian Airlines. The airlines’ leaders will now spend many more trying to convince regulators the acquisition … Read more

Southwest fined $140 million for last year’s holiday meltdown

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Monday said it fined Southwest Airlines $140 million for violating consumer protection laws during last year’s holiday meltdown that stranded millions of customers following severe winter weather. The DOT said the fine is 30 times larger than any fine it has issued for consumer protection violations. It includes a … Read more

Christmas meltdown ‘will never happen again’

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan speaks as he is interviewed by CNBC outside the New York Stock Exchange on Dec. 9, 2021. Brendan McDermid | Reuters With the peak Christmas travel season just days away, Southwest Airlines‘ CEO vowed that the carrier will not have a repeat of last year’s meltdown that stranded thousands of … Read more

Delta beefs up Austin flights in battle for fast-growing airport

Angel Di Bilio | iStock Editorial | Getty Images Delta Air Lines is adding more flights next year at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, in a bid to gain market share in one of the country’s fastest-growing airports. The carrier plans to add 11 nonstop flights from Austin in April, giving it almost 50 peak-day flights, the … Read more