Students traveling for spring break may take comfort in knowing that the industry’s completion factor was about 98 percent between mid-February and mid-April last year. Scott Kirby, the C.E.O. of United Airlines, thinks completion factor may also be used to shape industry predictions. On an earnings call last month, he chastised analysts for not paying …
Students traveling for spring break may take comfort in knowing that the industry’s completion factor was about 98 percent between mid-February and mid-April last year. Scott Kirby, the C.E.O. of United Airlines, thinks completion factor may also be used to shape industry predictions. On an earnings call last month, he chastised analysts for not paying …
Flight attendant unions at the two carriers are pushing in opposite directions as federal officials decide whether and on what terms to allow the deal. Unions that represent workers at JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines are divided on the proposed merger of the two companies, with one union throwing its support behind the deal and …
JetBlue and Spirit Unions Split on Airlines’ Merger Read More »
The carrier said it had changed its booking system to make it easier for families traveling with children under 12 to sit together. United Airlines will now let children under 12 sit next to an adult in their travel group at no additional cost, the company said on Monday. The move follows a push by …
United Airlines Eases Family Seating After Call to Cut Fees Read More »
United Airlines and other companies have started a $100 million fund to invest in jet fuel that produces fewer greenhouse gases. A flurry of investments, policy changes and technological breakthroughs is giving a jolt of energy to the nascent market for sustainable aviation fuel, a low-carbon alternative to traditional jet fuel made from crude oil. …
A Sudden Rush to Make Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mainstream Read More »
The European Union has strict rules about refunds for flight cancellations and delays, but the German airline has racked up complaints about its willingness to make things right. Our columnist faces down the bureaucracy. Dear Tripped Up, Last May, my wife and I were headed from New York to Valencia, Spain, via Munich, when the …
Help! The Law Says Lufthansa Owes Me Money, but I Can’t Collect. Read More »
Seth Kugel, who writes the Tripped Up column for The New York Times, offers readers travel advice and problem solving — including, once, a $17,000 refund. Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. Seth Kugel’s ideal afternoon — if travel to an …
An American Airlines jet that was not carrying passengers struck a shuttle bus on Friday night in what was the latest in a spate of unusual incidents at major airports. Five people were injured on Friday night after an American Airlines plane struck a shuttle bus at Los Angeles International Airport in California, officials said, …
Plane and Bus Collide at Los Angeles Airport, Injuring 5, Officials Say Read More »
The company canceled thousands of flights around Christmas, disrupting travel for about two million people. Senators grilled a top Southwest Airlines executive on Thursday over the company’s holiday meltdown, which disrupted flights for as many as two million people during one of the year’s busiest periods for air travel. Over several hours, lawmakers on the …
Southwest Airlines Faces Tough Questions From Senators Read More »
In a surprise visit that started a two-day blitz of Western allies, the Ukrainian president implored Britain to provide planes he said would represent “wings of freedom.’’ LONDON — President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine pleaded with Britain on Wednesday to supply his country with fighter jets, making his dramatic appeal during a surprise visit to …
Visiting U.K. and France, Zelensky Pleads for Jets and Weapons for Ukraine Read More »
There are “strong indications” that President Vladimir V. Putin decided to supply the antiaircraft missile system that Russia-backed separatists used to shoot down a Malaysia Airlines jet above eastern Ukraine in 2014, a Dutch-led international team found. But the team said on Wednesday that it had suspended its criminal investigation because of insufficient evidence and …
Putin Likely Approved Missile System Used to Down Flight MH17, Inquiry Says Read More »
With airplanes producing a large amount of climate-warming emissions, a growing number of travelers are signing pledges to keep their journeys on the ground. These days, the skies don’t seem so inviting: Airfares are climbing. Passengers are fighting. Computer systems, and entire airlines, are melting down. Any of those might be reason enough for some …
The No-Jet Set: They’ve Given Up Flying to Save the Planet Read More »
A FedEx cargo plane had to abort its landing after a departing Southwest Airlines flight was cleared to use the same runway, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Two airplanes narrowly avoided a collision at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas on Saturday after an air traffic controller cleared the arriving and departing flights to both use …
Planes Narrowly Avoid Collision on Austin Airport Runway Read More »
The city’s reputation has been hammered by protests, a harsh security law and strict Covid measures. It hopes a giveaway of 500,000 plane tickets woos back tourists. Interested in visiting a place that still calls itself “Asia’s world city” despite mounting evidence that it’s marching toward an insular, authoritarian future? Would your answer change if …
Hong Kong To Give Away 500,000 Plane Tickets to Lure Tourists Read More »
More than a half-century ago, Boeing unveiled the 747, a massive and striking airplane that captured the public imagination and brought air travel to the masses. The jet has been a workhorse since, ferrying passengers and cargo around the world. But its days are numbered: On Tuesday, Boeing plans to hand over the last 747 …
Flybe, once the largest independent regional airline in Europe, canceled all flights on Saturday. A new owner failed to save the carrier, which was already struggling when the pandemic hit. The British carrier Flybe, once the largest independent regional airline in Europe, canceled all flights on Saturday after falling into administration for a second time, …
The airline, which canceled 16,700 flights before and after Christmas, said it lost $220 million in the last three months of the year. Southwest Airlines said Thursday that its holiday meltdown last month would cost it more than $1 billion, including lost revenue from the canceled flights and refunds and reimbursements to passengers. The debacle …
Southwest Lost $220 Million Because of Holiday Meltdown Read More »
Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, is facing scrutiny after a meltdown by Southwest Airlines and a Federal Aviation Administration system outage wreaked havoc on flights. WASHINGTON — Appearing on late-night television in September, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg expressed confidence that airlines would improve their performance after a dismal summer of flight delays and cancellations. “I …
Air Travel Debacles Put Pete Buttigieg in the Hot Seat Read More »
The workers “unintentionally deleted files” on the alert system for pilots, causing thousands of flights to be delayed on Jan. 11, just weeks after another nationwide air travel failure. The Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday that the system failure that caused thousands of flight delays last week occurred because contractors “unintentionally deleted files” on …
FAA Says Outage Was Caused by Contractors Who ‘Unintentionally Deleted Files’ Read More »
New technologies, including one fuel extracted from the atmosphere itself, could make flying more sustainable. But the challenges are many and the timeline is uncertain. By the middle of this century, most cars and buses should be powered by renewable energy, while bikes, electric trains and your own two feet will continue to have little …
Could Air Someday Power Your Flight? Airlines Are Betting on It. Read More »
An American Airlines plane crossed about 1,000 feet ahead of a Delta flight about to depart from Kennedy International Airport, officials said. A close call at Kennedy International Airport Friday night in which an American Airlines plane crossed a runway in front of an oncoming Delta Air Lines plane appeared to have occurred when the …
‘Delta 1943, Cancel Takeoff’: Wrong Turn Results in Near Miss at J.F.K. Read More »
Giacomo Bagnara What’s Up? (Jan. 8-14) System Breakdown On the heels of Southwest Airlines’ holiday travel meltdown, a much wider systemic breakdown grounded planes last week. The source of the problem lay with the Federal Aviation Administration, whose system alerting pilots to safety issues went down on Wednesday. In total, the disruption caused more than …
ABOARD A GULFSTREAM IV, over the Pacific — The winter storms pounding California this month have often come into being thousands of miles to the west, in the moist air above the Pacific. That has given a group of scientists and technicians a few days before one blows ashore to examine satellite readings, run computer …
ABOARD A GULFSTREAM IV, over the Pacific — The winter storms pounding California this month have often come into being thousands of miles to the west, in the moist air above the Pacific. That has given a group of scientists and technicians a few days before one blows ashore to examine satellite readings, run computer …
A Hawaiian Airlines pilot said a flight last month hit turbulence, injuring 25 people, right after a cloud shot up vertically like a smoke plume, according to a federal report. A Hawaiian Airlines pilot said that a cloud “shot up” like a smoke plume just before the airplane experienced severe turbulence that injured 25 people …
Cloud ‘Shot Up’ Just Before Severe Turbulence Struck, Report Says Read More »
In the days leading up to Christmas, the chief executive of Southwest Airlines, Bob Jordan, thought the company would quickly recover from the frigid weather that forced thousands of flight cancellations nationwide. But that changed by Dec. 25 when it became clear that the airline’s problems were spiraling out of control. After a sleepless night, …
Bob Jordan, Southwest Airlines’ CEO, on What Went Wrong Read More »
A group of lawmakers sent a letter to the airline’s chief executive seeking information about the widespread disruptions that stranded travelers last month. WASHINGTON — A group of Democratic senators are seeking an explanation from Southwest Airlines for its operational meltdown last month, another sign of the mounting frustration on Capitol Hill over the recent …
Democratic Senators Press Southwest Over Its Christmas Meltdown Read More »
Tens of thousands of flights were delayed or canceled around Christmas when frigid weather and storms made travel treacherous. But the weather was mostly fine on Wednesday morning when flights across the country were halted because the Federal Aviation Administration’s system to alert pilots to safety issues went down. The F.A.A. said on Wednesday night …
FAA Outage Highlights Fragility of the Aviation System Read More »
The executive, for the Indian subsidiary of Wells Fargo, was fired after the investigation became public. Air India faces scrutiny for how it handled the matter. The Indian police on Saturday arrested a top executive of a U.S.-based banking company in connection with an episode in late November in which the executive is alleged to …
Wells Fargo Executive Fired After Air India Urination Allegation Read More »
The airline has not said how much it might have to spend to reimburse customers and upgrade its technology systems. The meltdown that forced Southwest Airlines to cancel more than 15,000 holiday flights could cost the carrier hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue and customer reimbursements, industry analysts say. The total could equal …
Southwest’s Meltdown Could Cost It Up to $800 Million Read More »
Giulio Bonasera What’s Up? (Dec. 25-31) Stranded at the Airport Thousands of travelers were stranded in airports across the country over the holidays as Southwest Airlines canceled more than 2,900 flights on Monday and roughly 5,000 over Tuesday and Wednesday, more than 60 percent of its schedule. The disruptions were the result of staffing shortages …
The Week in Business: Southwest’s Holiday Meltdown Read More »
A police officer at Nashville International Airport told travelers whose Southwest flights had been canceled that they would be arrested for trespassing if they did not leave a secure area, a video shows. It wasn’t the canceled flight on Christmas Day that upset Shelley Morrison the most. It was the police officer threatening to arrest …
Their Flights Canceled, Southwest Travelers Were Threatened With Arrest Read More »
The troubled carrier says it will honor “reasonable requests for reimbursement” for those whose flights were delayed or canceled because of its meltdown. What will that mean in practice? For the many passengers whose holiday travel was disrupted by the meltdown at Southwest Airlines, one question now looms large: How — and how much — …
What Can Stranded Travelers Expect From Southwest? Read More »
Barring last-minute problems, the airline was poised to return to its usual schedule, but challenges remain. After a nightmare week of cancellations that left Southwest Airlines scrambling to repair its reputation, the beleaguered airline appeared set to finally return to its normal schedule on Friday. As of Friday morning, just 39 of Southwest’s flights for …
With Only Dozens of Cancellations on Friday, Southwest Steps Closer to Normal Read More »
The Choreography on the Ground That Puts Meals in the Sky Gate Gourmet, a global airline catering company, provides meals to flights out of 200 airports. Millions of people got on planes between Christmas and New Year’s — braving bad weather, armrest hogs and an epic Southwest Airlines meltdown. Frustration is often a part of …
The Choreography on the Ground That Puts Meals in the Sky Read More »
Residents have come to rely on the airline that now dominates the California market and bridges the northern and southern parts of the state. SACRAMENTO — For the past six years, Laura Friedman’s workweek has begun with a short commute up to Northern California on Southwest Airlines. “Every Monday morning, I fly to Sacramento,” said …
In California, Southwest Meltdown Reveals Cracks in Key Travel Link Read More »
Nearly a week after a winter storm upended holiday travel across the U.S., the airline says it is close to resuming service “with minimal disruptions.” Southwest Airlines, caught in a vexing tangle of misplaced staff and technical problems since last week’s winter storm, said Thursday that it planned to return to normal operations on Friday …
Its Reputation in Tatters, Southwest Aims to Resume Normal Schedule on Friday Read More »
Many welcomed Beijing’s plan to loosen quarantine rules for travelers, but concerns linger about the country’s Covid wave. For the past three years, China largely shut its borders and kept its people home, retreating from the global engagement that was the foundation for its rise. As the country now prepares to gradually reopen its doors …
As China Drops Travel Rules, Wariness Rises Over its Covid Outbreak Read More »
The airline canceled another 2,500 flights on Wednesday and said it would be days before normal service resumes. ATLANTA — Federal scrutiny is growing. The chief executive is apologizing to customers. And as the meltdown at Southwest Airlines, one of the worst that industry observers have seen in decades, entered yet another day on Wednesday, …
Southwest’s Canceled Flights Draw Federal Scrutiny Read More »
CHICAGO — Weary holiday travelers were left to sleep on airport floors, take long bus rides or abandon trips altogether on Tuesday as the meltdown spurred by the cancellation of thousands of Southwest Airlines flights stretched into yet another day. With nearly two-thirds of all Southwest flights canceled again on Tuesday, many families were searching …
Abandoned Trips, Lost Presents: Southwest Cancellations Wreak Holiday Havoc Read More »