A United executive outlined plans for a new "base fare" scheme where customers would pay a lower "base" fare for a flight that did not include many elements now bundled into the price. For example, you would now have the option to pay a bit extra for frequent flyer miles, seat assignment, or checking bags. [...]
Read the Rest of the Story: United’s Innovative Fare Plan (Maybe)A Turkish mechanic was fired after he sacrificed a camel on the tarmac of Istanbul’s international airport to celebrate getting through a backlog of aircraft repairs. Really. There are photos.
Read the Rest of the Story: Camel Sacrificed for Aircraft Parts (Basically)JetBlue and American Airlines have (separately, of course) announced that they are updating some of the interiors of their aircraft. American will spend $20 million to update the business and first class cabins on their 767-200s (the planes they use for transcon flights), to put in new seats and video-on-demand. Good stuff.
JetBlue, meanwhile, will add [...]
The more I think about the AirTran/Midwest merger, the more confused I am. Why exactly is AirTran buying them? Because putting new aircraft on Midwest’s routes will save money? If Midwest’s Kansas City and Milwaukee-based routes were so prime, why wouldn’t AirTran just open routes from those cities, rather than paying a 30something percent premium [...]
Read the Rest of the Story: Midwest and AirTran: Huh?Yet another solid story about airport security: Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith shipped his trophy home to Columbus because airport security would not allow him to bring it into the airport. I don’t know specifically why they wouldn’t allow it, but I’m guessing it’s because several airplanes have been hijacked with the Stanley Cup.
Read the Rest of the Story: No Toothpaste, No Heisman, No WaterA long, long rumored merger between Continental and United is in the early stages, according to the NY Times. Don’t expect an announcement tomorrow, but talks are under way to jam together Continental’s Eastern US, Latin and European routes with United’s Western US and Asian routes to form a massive carrier you’ll never get upgraded [...]
Read the Rest of the Story: Continental and United in Merger Talks (and So Are Midwest & AirTran)US airports tend to portray themselves as the pinnacle of security, but you may be surprised to hear the China has taken a giant leap over most other countries. China will gradually install 147 state-of-the-art machines that can scan for liquid explosives. I know all of you prefer not being able to bring your water [...]
Read the Rest of the Story: China’s Airports to Scan for Liquid ExplosivesBill O’Reilly is going to a have a field day with this one:
Sea-Tac Airport has removed the 9 Christmas trees it had up after a local rabbi complained that there were no Jewish symbols in the airport. Rather than put up menorahs for the upcoming Chanukah (Hannukah?) holiday, the airport decided to just take down [...]
Gate 1 Travel has a great deal on a cheap trip to Turkey: $599 gets you a flight from New York and 4 nights hotel in Istanbul. Packages are available through March. It’s not high season, but March in Turkey is much better than March in New York. Other departure cities are available for a [...]
Read the Rest of the Story: Cheap Trip to TurkeyThe Ultra-Orthodox community in Israel is quite angry that El Al recently flew several flights after sundown on a Friday night because of an airport strike that would’ve potentially stranded many passengers. El Al typically doesn’t fly on the Sabbath, which has made Israel’s religious leaders quite happy (this is an amazing feat for an [...]
Read the Rest of the Story: El Al Causes Fury After Friday Night Flights