airlines

Delta Airlines, fresh off of its purchase of Northwest Airlines, has decided to trim domestic and international capacity in 2009. For the first time in years Delta will cut international capacity.

The airline industry has had a very hard time turning a profit over the last few years. Most recently, astronomical fuel prices have been the biggest burden for the industry.

Now, airlines face a slowing economy, not only in the United States but abroad as well. So once again cuts will be made.

Oh, and you might want to pack light. Your FIRST checked bag could cost you soon.

Delta just became the last major airliner to adopt a baggage fee on the first piece of luggage. The company already had a 50 dollar charge on the second piece of luggage.

The move by Delta comes on the heels of its merger with Northwest Airlines, which already charges customers a baggage fee. The new fee structure will be 15 dollars for the first bag and 25 dollars for the second bag. But of course there is a catch. Elite customers, full-price coach, first class, and business class ticketholders will not be subject to the new fees. So basically, you pay for a crappy discounted seat with your luggage. Nice.

We should clarify: cheaper than a really cheap date night. We’re talking a trip to McDonald’s for you and the missus/mister.

Ryanair plans to offer economy seats from Britain and Ireland to several US cities for somewhere around 13 dollars. Of course, the comfortable seats will be much…MUCH more expensive.

Delta Air Lines, Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. have just received the Justice Department’s blessing. Now, the two can combine to form the world’s biggest airline. There’s no one left to stop them.

The combined airline will be called Delta, and it will join the third largest and the fifth largest airlines in America. Put them together, you get (let’s just say it again)…the World’s Biggest Airline.

Members of the International Association of Machinists have been on strike for the past 52 days, and the effects have been felt across the country. Companies like Honeywell, which manufacture the parts needed to produce Boeing planes, have cut hours and eliminated positions during the strike. And Boeing is now 15 months behind on delivering its new fuel-sipping jet.

American Airlines has agreed to buy 100 new Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets between 2012 and 2020. The Dreamliner, Boeing’s newest generation in air travel, promises a 20% reduction in fuel efficiency and 60% reduction in noise. All these new planes should translate into more than 15 billion dollars in sales, based on The Dreamliner’s list-price.

But there’s a catcj. The companies have created a contract which hinges on American’s pending negotiations with pilots. Basically, if the pilots want too much money to fly the new planes, then American can back out of the deal without any penalties. But if all goes well, the first round of new planes should be hitting the runways for American in 2012.

Last night, JetBlue put more than 300 round-trip flights and a bunch of vacation trips up on eBay for auction. The bids started last night, with starting prices around 5 or 10 cents.

It’s a great stunt…who knows? They might get more than they would have charged for these tickets. Maybe that’s what they’re banking on. Smart.

Ticket gets too expensive? Hey, it’s not JetBlue’s problem…it’s YOURS!

Labor Day isn’t going to be very relaxing for over 140 Continental pilots.

Due to the slow economy, blah blah blah, Continental is cutting back on bout 3,000 positions system-wide. Only the pilots are getting the axe, though.

A Mobile, Alabama based group, “Alabamians to Build American Tankers,” or ABAT, as I like to call them, are lobbying for the right to…you guessed it…build American tankers.

But their strategically placed D.C. radio advertisements might not do any good. Not if Boeing has anything to say about it.

Sir Richard Branson is an ambitious guy. In some people’s minds, he’s a champion for the people’s right to space travel. Others think he’s insane.

Well, Branson has finally revealed some progress in securing a $200,000 ticket to space for everyone (we can all afford that, right?) with White Knight Two.

Everyone’s talking about the newly re-designed Yapta site. Their service is now a one-stop shop for all your airline ticket needs. Of course, it’s not perfect, but if fuel prices ever go down, it could help you get a credit if your ticket price goes down after you’ve bought it.