Travel Industry Archive

On Monday, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. reported it could be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange because it didn’t have the minimum $25 million of capitalization required for a 30-day period ending Dec. 22.  NYSE officials are reviewing the company’s listing and have declined to comment. The announcement set off warning bells for employees, management and analysts...

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Obama could ease Cuba travel sanctions – While President-Elect Barack Obama said he favors relaxing restrictions on family travel and sending money to relatives in Cuba, experts say he will stop short of lifting 1962 trade and travel embargoes that ban all Americans from traveling to the country. A November poll of Cuban Americans in Miami  showed 55 percent were in favor of lifting...

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Southwest filed an 8-K last week (thanks for the heads up, Things in the Sky) saying that their cash position had dropped precipitously.  At first look, it seemed alarming, but thanks to some people with a far greater understanding in this area, I now see that it’s not a cause for concern.  It all comes down to hedging. When Southwest was doing well with its hedges, it had cash in the...

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Is 2009 the year for hotel foreclosures and loan work-outs? At least one company seems to think so and may profit from the situation.  San Francisco-based PKF Capital has launched its Distressed Hotel Solutions Program, aimed at helping hotels in trouble with refinancing, bankruptcy, asset sales and other services for hotel owners “entering a crisis mode.” PKF Capital’s...

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A jet that’s too quiet? It seems oxymoronic, but that’s what pilots for Emirates airline are saying about their new A380s. There’s been a fair amount of online buzz about this recent blog post from Flight Global, the online portal for Flight International magazine. Pilots are complaining that they can’t get any sleep on long flights because Airbus designers did too good...

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The holidays always find business grinding to a halt, so I’ve had some extra time on my hands. I decided that it had been too long since I read Hard Landing, the outstanding book about the airline industry from Thomas Petzinger Jr., and I’m glad I came back to read it again. This book should be required reading for anyone with an interest in understanding how the industry evolved...

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Train derailment delays 3,000 Amtrak passengers — Sixteen rail cars carrying automobiles derailed over the weekend near Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana and upset holiday travel for thousands of Amtrak passengers. Workers were struggling Monday night to rerail cars and reopen the Burlington Northern Santa Fe main line, which is used by Amtrak. The company had to cancel its...

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Southwest has long been a fan of the old round dial cockpits where big fancy screens were always things of the future. It looks like they’ve finally found a reason to upgrade their older aircraft to the 21st century . . . Required Navigation Performance (RNP). Most of the 737-300 fleet will be upgraded beginning in 2011 with twin large screens that will allow for the use of RNP. The...

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The fear of creating a bigger carbon footprint is making some ecoconscious consumers pay to minimize the environmental impacts of air travel. And while some airlines are offering these carbon offsets on plane flights for a price, other private companies are attempting to cash in at major airports. Customers at San Francisco International Airport will be able to buy certified carbon...

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Checked-bag fees likely to stay — The checked-bag fee was originally created to offset the price of oil, but now it’s being used to offset the economy. Despite passenger complaints, customers are still paying airlines around $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second. With an estimated $4 billion loss for the industry in 2008, airlines will continue to use the fee and...

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