Held off on taking a summer vacation? You may still be able to squeeze in one on the cheap. Record numbers of travelers have been flooding airports since the pandemic, but U.S. airlines now face a surplus of empty seats after racing to add capacity. Many are slashing prices to …
Read More »NTSB grills Boeing execs on safety culture and retaliation allegations
Members of the main U.S. transportation regulator grilled Boeing executives Wednesday over the company’s workplace safety culture and allegations of retaliation linked to two employees who were sidelined over a January mishap involving a Boeing 737 Max 9 in which a door plug detached mid-flight. Jennifer Homendy, chair of the …
Read More »CrowdStrike says it isn’t to blame for Delta’s flight cancellations after July outage
CrowdStrike on Sunday said Delta Air Lines had rejected on-site help during last month’s massive outage that sparked thousands of flight cancellations. Delta CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” last week that the mass cancellations following the outage, which occurred at one of the busiest times of the year, cost the company about $500 million, including …
Read More »Maine’s housing woes are holding back a robust tourism economy
Yearly sales at the 21-room hotel and restaurant have surged more than 500% since Soutiea bought the property in 2018, he said. Bookings this summer are already on par with the last two, when people’s discretionary “revenge spending” was booming. But “housing has been a significant challenge for not only …
Read More »Delta CEO offers employees free flights after CrowdStrike-Microsoft chaos
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian on Friday offered employees two free travel passes to thank staff members who were caught in massive disruptions last month sparked by a botched CrowdStrike software update that stranded thousands of customers and crew. Delta had more trouble than competitors in recovering from the outages that took thousands of …
Read More »Budget airline Spirit is trying to go upmarket — and blocking middle seats
Free Wi-Fi? Free checked bag? Free snacks? On Spirit? The Florida-based carrier that is practically synonymous with budget air travel in the U.S. said Tuesday that it plans to offer packages for its highest-priced tickets, wrapping in perks it used to charge for a la carte. It’s a bid to increase …
Read More »U.S. airlines cut growth plans in a bid to stem profit-eating fare discounts
U.S. airlines are reducing their capacity through the end of the year in a bid to cool an oversupplied domestic market that has led to lower fares and reduced profits despite strong summer travel demand. For passengers, that could mean higher fares are on the way. Over the last week, U.S. airlines …
Read More »Extreme heat makes flying harder. Airlines and airports say they aren’t sweating it.
It’s been another summer of record-smashing temperatures and record-smashing air travel. Airports and airlines say they can handle both. U.S. airlines expect to transport 271 million passengers worldwide this summer, up 6.3% from last season, the Airlines for America trade group has projected. Carriers have added flights and seats — …
Read More »Greece’s Santorini bursts with tourists as locals call for a cap on visitors
Armed with selfie sticks and phones, the tourists flood into Santorini from everywhere — on dinghies from giant ocean liners, on coaches that zigzag up the steep hillsides, atop donkeys that clip-clop along the narrow cobbled streets. Some brave the afternoon heat to find a good spot among the white-washed …
Read More »Southwest to get rid of open seating, offer extra legroom in biggest shift in its history
Southwest Airlines is ending open seating and will offer extra legroom seats on its airplanes as mounting pressure on the carrier to increase revenue prompts the biggest changes to its business model in its 53 years of flying. The airline plans to start selling the first flights that will offer extra …
Read More »Southwest Airlines near-miss incidents: FAA gets involved
The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday it was placing Southwest Airlines under a heightened safety review after a string of recent near-miss safety incidents involving the low-cost carrier. In a statement, the agency said it was increasing oversight of Southwest “to ensure it is complying with federal safety regulations.” “Safety …
Read More »Some lingering delays Wednesday, but the worst may be over
Dozens of Delta Air Lines flights were canceled and more than 200 delayed Wednesday as the Atlanta-based carrier continued to recover from last week’s global CrowdStrike-Microsoft IT outage. But in a statement, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the carrier had largely recovered from the outsized impact it experienced from the …
Read More »Delta Air Lines cancels hundreds more flights as DOT opens probe
Delta canceled another 400 flights Tuesday as its troubles in the wake of the global CrowdStrike-Microsoft IT outage dragged on for the fifth consecutive day. The Atlanta-based carrier also saw more than 300 flights delayed Tuesday. The ongoing issues have prompted the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Consumer …
Read More »Delta cancels hundreds more flights as its recovery from global CrowdStrike-Microsoft outage lags
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian apologized and offered frequent flyer miles to travelers for thousands of flight cancellations as the carrier struggled to recover from Friday’s globe-spanning IT outage, disruptions that sparked criticism from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The Atlanta-based airline canceled more than 4,600 flights from Friday through Sunday, more …
Read More »American Airlines flight aborts take-off after tire issue on runway
An American Airlines flight was canceled after it experienced a tire issue while attempting to take off in Tampa Wednesday morning, the airline said. Flight 590, which was set to head to Phoenix, “experienced a mechanical issue on the runway prior to taking off,” American Airlines said in a statement. …
Read More »Barcelona protesters throw items and spray travelers with water while shouting ‘tourists go home’
Millions flock to Barcelona every year to enjoy a sweet taste of idyllic European life. But over the weekend, thousands of locals marched through the streets and sprayed visitors with water guns in outrage over mass tourism. Protesters were seen clapping and chanting, “Tourists go home!” and carrying signs with …
Read More »Boeing to plead guilty to criminal fraud charge stemming from 737 Max crashes
Boeing will plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge tied to fatal 737 Max crashes, the Justice Department said Sunday, months after U.S. prosecutors said the aerospace giant violated a 2021 settlement that shielded it from prosecution. Under the deal, Boeing agreed to pay a $243.6 million fine. An independent compliance monitor would …
Read More »Extreme heat is changing where and when we vacation
Cathy Balestriere was expecting “especially low” bookings last month at Crane’s Beach House, the boutique hotel she manages in Delray Beach, Florida. Instead, they jumped 12% from the year before. “It feels like a miracle based on where we were sitting just a few weeks ago,” she said. It’s not …
Read More »Amtrak services between New York and Boston suspended for remainder of Saturday
All Amtrak services between New York Penn Station and Boston South Station have been suspended for the remainder of Saturday, the company said, citing power outage issues. Amtrak said in a service update posted to its website at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday that trains would be canceled due to a …
Read More »Air travel is getting worse. That’s what passengers are telling the U.S. government
WASHINGTON — Air travel got more miserable last year, if the number of consumer complaints filed with the U.S. government is any measure. The Transportation Department said Friday that it received nearly 97,000 complaints in 2023, up from about 86,000 the year before. The department said there were so many complaints that it took …
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