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

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 Airlines to acquire Hawaiian Airlines in $1.9 billion deal

Alaska Air Group has agreed to buy rival Hawaiian Airlines in a $1.9 billion deal, setting up another potential regulatory battle in the second proposed airline merger in less than two years. Alaska would pay $18 a share for Hawaiian and would take on $900 million of its debt, the companies said Sunday. Shares of … 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

Southwest Airlines, pilots union reach labor deal

Southwest Airlines ranked as the second best domestic airline, according to Bounce’s 2023 Airline Index. Aaronp/bauer-griffin | Gc Images | Getty Images Southwest Airlines and its pilots’ union have reached a new preliminary labor agreement, ending months of tense negotiations and becoming the last of the largest U.S. airlines to strike a deal that is … Read more