Travel Industry Archive

Now that the Boeing strike has been settled, the company can refocus on exactly what the strike will mean for delivery schedules to airlines. In particular, people are watching the already delayed 787 closely. We all expected the 787 to slip, and it’s now becoming apparent that the 787 won’t fly until 2009, well over a year after it originally was supposed to fly. What’s...

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Princess Cruises unveils new Hawaii itinerary —  Princess Cruises added 14 new cruises in Hawaii, but tourism officials still say that even with the added voyages, cruise ship tours are expected to drop by a quarter next year.  For the 2008-2009 season,  Princess will be offering 14-day round-trip cruises from Los Angeles that will sail through April 2009. [Source: Honolulu...

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Now that the Delta/Northwest merger is done, it’s time to start aligning operations to make sure that customers have a more consistent experience. Painting airplanes and using one name will come in time, but for now, they’re starting with the basics. Most of the two airlines’ fees will now be aligned, and the big news is that Delta will adopt the first bag fee. It’s...

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Chinese company sells five jets to General Electric — One of China’s largest aircraft makers, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China,  signed a $750 million deal delivering five jets to General Electric and gives the company an option for 20 more. The five jets will be used in GE’s aircraft leasing branch. [Source: Reuters] Dollar Thrifty lays off 400 — Dollar...

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Here we have domestic mainline yields for third quarter 2008.  As you can see, fee-less Southwest had the most impressive gain of the bunch. Airline Mainline Yield YOY % Change in Yield AirTran 12.08 cents 0.1% Alaska 14.99 cents 4.8% American 14.34 cents 9.5% Continental 14.10 cents 9.8% Delta* 14.65 cents 7.5% JetBlue 11.78 cents 13.2% Northwest 14.47 cents 7.9% Southwest...

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How do Barack Obama and John McCain  see the travel industry?  Several Web sites have already jumped on the bandwagon with the answers, including the Los Angeles Times, MSN, Gadling, various blogs and, of course, BNET.  Evan Sparks’ Aviation Blog praised Obama’s team for having an aviation policy, while McCain’s team seemed to be more concerned with space exploration....

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Budget carrier Ryanair wants $13 flights from Europe to U.S. — Ryanair, a budget airline based in Ireland,  is planning on offering $13 one-way flights from Europe to the U.S. Of course, the flights are contingent on CEO Michael O’Leary buying up aircraft from bankrupt airlines and the whole gimmick may end up being financially impossible. [Source: Hartford Courant] Holland...

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Here’s some quick food for thought. Many US carriers were able to shed their pension obligations in bankruptcy. But some airlines, like Continental and American, didn’t go through bankruptcy and are still actually responsible for funding them.  But now those pension funds are struggling as stock prices have collapsed. These airlines may be facing some pretty ugly funding...

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US Airways to charge for blankets, pillows – US Airways will soon be charging passengers $7 for pillows and blankets. Previously, US Airways began charging customers for soft drinks during flights. So far, the airline has given no date for the new surcharge.[Source: Charlotte Observer] Royal Caribbean cancels South American cruises — Royal Caribbean announced it will cancel its...

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Now that the Northwest merger is done, Delta had to announce the team of people that would be running the show. In addition to Ned Walker’s arrival from Continental to run PR, we have the following . . . From Delta (with new position) Steve Gorman (EVP and Chief Operating Officer) Hank Halter (SVP and Chief Financial Officer) Tim Mapes (SVP Marketing) Ray Winborne (SVP Finance and...

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