Consumer Traveler Today: March 26

Consumer Traveler Today: How airlines fared in 2009 by the numbers
 
 
How airlines fared in 2009 by the numbers
What we’re reading: New Air Force One, cargo screening deadline looming, JAL pilots shift to rivals
Delta and US Airways engage in slot swap shenanigans
A “non-smoking” seat on USA3000? What is this, the 80s?
How airlines fared in 2009 by the numbers
Posted: 26 Mar 2010 04:05 AM PDT
An analysis is the nine largest U.S. airlines show that the accumulated losses in 2009 was was just over $4 billion. In 2008 losses added down to a $3.5 billion loss. Predictions for 2010 show $2.7 billion of new profit.
       

What we’re reading: New Air Force One, cargo screening deadline looming, JAL pilots shift to rivals
Posted: 26 Mar 2010 03:00 AM PDT
Pentagon to buy new Air Force One fleet, cargo screening deadline has everyone scrambling, Japanese rivals see opportunity
       

Delta and US Airways engage in slot swap shenanigans
Posted: 25 Mar 2010 07:30 AM PDT
Last August, Delta Air Lines and US Airways proposed a swap of arrival and departure slots between Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, and LaGuardia Airport, in New York City. This swap would concentrate each of the airlines’ schedules — US Air would gain more gravitas at Reagan National and Delta could build up their [...]
       

A “non-smoking” seat on USA3000? What is this, the 80s?
Posted: 25 Mar 2010 06:30 AM PDT
When Betty Lees booked a flight from Philadelphia to Cancun, Mexico, recently, her confirmation contained an odd relic from the past: a request for a “non-smoking” seat. It also contained a nasty whiff of the future — a $9 charge for the seat.