Travel Industry Archive

NTSB urges FAA engine inspections — The National Transportation Safety Board is asking the Federal Aviation Administration to inspect engines of more than 700 Boeing 757 aircraft because engine parts could open fuel tanks and create leaks or a fire. This comes after the inspection of several planes with damaged engines and missing parts, including an Aug. 6 incident in Las Vegas that...

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Here’s a good article from the November edition of the Atlantic about the sham that they say is airport security. It’s a good read about what’s wrong with airport security today. The Things He Carried by Jeffrey Goldberg In the article, Mr Goldberg speaks with security guru Bruce Schneier on one side and the TSA’s chief Kip Hawley on the other. It’s clear that he...

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IATA backs pond scum jet fuel — The International Air Transport Association is backing the use of second and third generation biofuels mixed with standard petroleum to lower emissions. Second generation fuels like farm waste are viable but third generation biomass, like algae, is still in the research stages.  The IATA hopes for a 10 percent rise in biofuels by 2013. The only problem?...

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In case you missed it, Boeing machinists have been on strike for over a month now, and airplane delays are beginning to pile up as the plant is effectively shut down. Over the weekend, talks were adjourned without any progress. While this is clearly bad news for Boeing, it may actually end up being good news for many airlines. The current financial crisis has accelerated the weakening of...

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Earnings for Southwest and Continental came out today, and if there are two things to keep in mind when you hear about the numbers, these are them: You’ve probably seen it plastered all over the wires today . . . Southwest lost money in a quarter for the first time since the first Gulf War. Despite what others may say, this doesn’t mean the world is ending. There were $247...

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Dollar Thrifty’s new president to hurry sale? — Tulsa-based Dollar Thrifty’s former chief financial officer Scott Thompson replaces president Gary Paxton, causing analysts to speculate that the move will speed the company’s sale to Hertz. The company’s stock has been trading around $1 from a peak of $55 in 2007, when it was rumored the company would merge with...

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While Delta reported a relatively small loss, American’s $360 million loss excluding special items was certainly more eye-catching. Without question fuel was a huge contributor to this number, but as was the case with Delta, the outlook has improved significantly. Still, CEO Gerard Arpey sent out a letter to his employees explaining why this is not going to be an easy time. Arpey cited...

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It’s earnings season once again, and Delta and American both kicked it off today with quarterly losses. Despite the negative numbers, the outlook going forward was pretty positive for the same reasons I mentioned here two days ago. Oil is dropping and the hope is that the reduction in costs will offset weakening demand at the very least. Let’s take a look at Delta’s...

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MGM Mirage quits Nevada Resort Association — The MGM Mirage, which has 10 resorts on the Las Vegas strip, withdrew from the Nevada Resort Association Tuesday in an effort to cut costs. The company was the association’s largest member. It is unknown how much money would be saved by leaving the lobby group. [Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal] American Airlines wants Dreamliners...

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It was noted earlier this week that Delta is planning to open a Saab 340 turboprop base in Atlanta. These aircraft are meant to replace the Atlantic Southeast ATR-72 aircraft that are currently on their way out of the fleet, but more importantly this move signals the beginning of what is likely to be many aircraft shifts as a result of the Northwest merger. It also appears that this could be...

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