Airlines

FORT WORTH, Texas, May 27 -- On June 1, American Airlines will go cashless onboard flights within the continental United States, as well as flights to and from Hawaii, Alaska, and Canada. Effective Monday, for inflight purchases such as headsets, fresh meals, snacks and alcoholic beverages, American will accept major credit or debit cards only.

"We believe that, by moving to a cashless cabin, the transaction process is more convenient for both our customers and flight attendants," said Lauri Curtis, American's Vice President - Onboard Service.    » read more »

Airline Will Maintain Service Between Ithaca Tompkins And Newark; Service Provides Region With Critical Access To Domestic And International Flights

May 26, 2009 -- United States Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that Continental Airlines has withdrawn their plan to end their daily round-trip flights between Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport and their New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The service is operated by CommutAir as Continental Connection. The change comes after Schumer wrote and called Continental Airlines CEO Larry Kellner, urging him to reverse his decision, and after unprecedented lobbying on the part of community members and the Tompkins County business community.    » read more »

HOUSTON, May 26 -- Continental Airlines (NYSE: CAL) last week announced that it will launch daily nonstop flights between its Houston hub at Bush Intercontinental Airport and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and through flight service between New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro beginning August 1, 2009. Effective as of May 19, the airline has made seat inventory available for sale in preparation for the start of service.    » read more »

PARIS, ATLANTA and AMSTERDAM, May 26 -- The Air France KLM Group and Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) last week announced a new long-term joint venture whereby the partners will jointly operate their trans-Atlantic business by coordinating operations and sharing revenues and costs of their trans-Atlantic route network. The airlines will cooperate on routes between North America and Africa, the Middle East and India, as well as on flights between Europe and several countries in Latin America.

For customers, this joint venture will result in more choices, frequencies, convenient flight schedules, competitive fares and harmonized services on all trans-Atlantic flights operated by the partners.    » read more »

EVERETT, Wash., May 21 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] continued to make steady progress toward the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner, completing the first engine runs on the all-new airplane. The occasion marks the first all-electric start of a commercial jetliner engine on a twin-aisle commercial jetliner; the engines had been started electronically in test facilities earlier.

Engine runs began at 9:30 a.m. (PDT) today and ended 40 minutes later. During initial engine runs, the engines are started and operated at various power settings to ensure all systems perform as expected. Today's engine run test began with the Auxiliary Power System providing power to start the two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.    » read more »

FORT WORTH, Texas, May 22, 2009 -- What do tech-savvy frequent flyers want most? The desire to stay connected via Wi-Fi topped the technology requests, according to a new study conducted by American Airlines and HP.

The recent survey among frequent flyers shows how flyers continue to rely on technology to meet their business and travel needs.

More than 47 percent of business travelers surveyed indicated Wi-Fi was the most important airport amenity, outscoring basic travels needs such as food by nearly 30 percentage points.    » read more »

May 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) last week applauded a decision by the Obama Administration to end slot auctions at airports in the New Jersey-New York area airports. Under the Administration’s proposal, the Department of Transportation would halt plans announced by the Bush Administration last October to withdraw slots from airlines flying in the region and auction them to the highest bidder.    » read more »

May 14, 2009 - The number of scheduled domestic and international passengers on U.S. airlines in February 2009 declined by 11.8 percent from February 2008, dropping by 6.7 million to 49.8 million in the largest decrease from the same month of the previous year since December 2001, the Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today reported .

February was the 12th consecutive month with a decrease in passengers from 2008, dropping the number of scheduled airline passengers to the lowest total since January 2004.    » read more »

May 12, 2009 -- The nation’s largest airlines had a rate of on-time flights this past March that was higher than the same month last year but down from the mark posted in February 2009, according to the Air Travel Consumer Report released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

According to information filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), a part of DOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), the 19 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 78.4 percent in March, better than the 71.6 percent on-time rate of March 2008 but down from February 2009’s 82.6 percent.    » read more »

ISTANBUL, May 06, 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Turkish Airlines have signed an order for five Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) airplanes valued at $1.36 billion at current list prices. This is the first time Turkish Airlines has purchased new 777s directly from Boeing. The airline currently operates a fleet of 65 Boeing airplanes including Next-Generation 737s and leased 777-300ERs.

"The 777-300ER will provide Turkish Airlines with exceptional fuel economy, efficiency and reliability, combined with unmatched levels of payload and range," said Aldo Basile, vice president of Sales for Europe, Russia and Central Asia, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "It will also help Turkey build on its position as a rapidly growing market of international importance."    » read more »

EVERETT, Wash., May 03, 2009 -- The Boeing [NYSE: BA] 787 Dreamliner that will fly later this quarter has moved to the flight line. Fuel testing - the first in the next phase of extensive checks the airplane must undergo - will begin in the next few days.

"We are making great progress, and moving ever-closer to first flight," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 Dreamliner program.    » read more »

SEATTLE, April 16, 2009 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today celebrated a special program milestone with the delivery of the 6,000th 737. It was delivered to International Lease Finance Corp (ILFC) which will lease the 737 to Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA. The airplane's tail features a special decal denoting this milestone.

"We couldn't be more pleased about being part of this important milestone for the 737. With its continuous innovations, the Next-Generation 737 brings the right combination of operational and environmental performance to address the requirements of our markets," said Bjorn Kjos, chief executive officer of Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA.    » read more »

SEATTLE, March 09, 2009 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Mexicana Group today announced a lease agreement for 25 Boeing 717-200 airplanes to be used by Mexicana's Click operation.

Under a multi-year arrangement, MexicanaClick will begin receiving the 717s from Boeing Capital Corporation in March, making Mexicana the first North American 717 operator outside the U.S. Boeing Capital is the world's largest lease provider of the modern, fuel-efficient twin jet.

In addition to the airplanes, Boeing through its Commercial Aviation Services group will provide training for flight crew, cabin crew and maintenance staff as well as spare parts provisioning. In total this approach represents a comprehensive Boeing solution to Mexicana Group's fleet renewal needs.    » read more »

Airline Agrees to Further Improve Safety

March 2, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today reached a settlement agreement with Southwest Airlines to resolve outstanding enforcement actions. Under the agreement, Southwest Airlines will pay a $7.5 million civil penalty that could double to $15 million if the airline does not accomplish specific safety improvements outlined in the settlement agreement.

The agreement stems from a $10.2 million civil penalty proposed on March 6 against Southwest Airlines for operating 46 airplanes on 59,791 flights without performing mandatory inspections for fuselage fatigue cracking.    » read more »

February 24, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today announced it has made steady and measurable increases in air safety that have made flying safer than ever before. The work of DOT’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) resulted in a 65 percent reduction in the aviation fatal accident rate between 1997 and 2006.

Prior to the fatal accident near Buffalo this month, there had been no fatal commercial accidents for more than two years. The rate of runway incursions also has fallen, as have the number of accidents caused by ice on aircraft.

The FAA is committed to further reducing accidents related to icing in all parts of the aviation industry.    » read more »