United Airlines traffic rose 8.4% in April
May 4, 2006 - United Airlines parent UAL Corp. on Wednesday said passenger traffic rose 8.4 percent in April on a more modest gain in capacity.

Delta Air Lines April traffic declines
May 3, 2006 - Delta's passenger traffic slipped 5.9% in April, hurt by declines on domestic flights.

Delta adds flights to Dominican Republic; non-stop to Copenhagen starts
May 1, 2006 - Delta Air Lines Inc. will launch new non-stop service to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, starting Dec. 15.

Delta Unveils New Uniforms
May 2, 2006 - Casual gray culottes are out. Sophisticated red wrap dresses are in.

Check-in online with SWISS
May 2, 2006 - Passengers flying with Swiss International Air Lines from Dubai can now check-in and select seats through the carrier's website. The facility is available from 24 hours before the flight departs, and will close one hour before take off.

Sun Country adds D.C. flight
May 3, 2006 - Sun Country Airlines Inc. said Tuesday it will begin flying a new route to Washington, D.C., on May 22.

Workers look to unite rank and file
May 4, 2006 - Just as Northwest Airlines pilots Wednesday accepted a new contract that cuts pay, a new group is trying to unite airline workers to fight concessions in the industry.

Alliances Embrace E-Ticketing
May 1, 2006 - With the IATA's approaching 2007 deadline for 100 percent e-ticketing issuance, the major airline alliances —Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance—largely have achieved e-ticketing standards among member airlines, a key component for carrier connectivity.

NWA pay showdowns loom
May 2, 2006 - On Wednesday, Northwest Airlines' pilots will answer a question that will similarly confront thousands of metro Detroit workers: Should I take a pay cut?

Northwest reports April passenger traffic
May 3, 2006 - Northwest Airlines Corp. reported its April traffic figures Wednesday, and the number of passengers flying with the airline continues to drop.

American takes credit, debit cards during flights
May 3, 2006 - American Airlines will accept credit and debit cards for onboard purchases using wireless, handheld devices to process the transactions.

American stopping service out of Chicago Midway
May 3, 2006 - American Airlines is pulling out of Chicago's Midway International Airport on Sept.1, according to a Chicago Tribune report Wednesday.

Continental rips latest 'open skies' deal
May 4, 2006 - Continental Airlines vows to oppose a U.S. Transportation Department bid to give foreigners more control of U.S. airlines.

Southwest April traffic tops 5 billion miles
May 3, 2006 - The Dallas-based discount airline flew paying passengers 5.7 billion miles during April 2006, up from 4.8 billion during the same time period last year, the company said.

AirTran Traffic Up 33% in April
May 2, 2006 - AirTran Airways Inc. traffic grew 32.9 percent to more than 1.2 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs), on an increase of 22.5 percent in capacity, based on available seat miles (ASMs). AirTran flew 1,768,541 passengers in April -- a 33.2 percent increase over April 2005.

Frontier to initiate S.F.-L.A. service
May 3, 2006 - Frontier Airlines said Tuesday it will begin nonstop service between San Francisco and Los Angeles, doubling the low-cost carrier's service from SFO.

Spirit to add Detroit-Boston flights
May 3, 2006 - Spirit Airlines plans to start direct flights between Detroit and Boston in August, becoming the second carrier to serve that market daily from Detroit Metro Airport.

J.P. Morgan ups Southwest, Alaska ratings
Downgrades for Frontier and JetBlue
May 2, 2006 - J.P. Morgan analysts on upgraded Alaska Air Group and Southwest Airlines as higher revenue looks likely next year, but cut the ratings on Frontier Airlines and JetBlue Airways because of revenue-growth concerns.

Mesa Air extends fare sale for Hawaiian venture
May 1, 2006 - Mesa Air Group Inc. will extend its introductory $39 fare for its Hawaii inter-island service via its go! airlines.

LAX to offer valet parking
May 3, 2006 - Starting on May 10, airline customers using Los Angeles International Airport will be able to utilize a new valet parking service in the central terminal area.

Philadelphia airport gaining in passengers and rankings
May 1, 2006 - Philadelphia International Airport ranked second among the 30 busiest airports in the world and first in the country for passenger growth last year, according to preliminary statistics released Monday.

Rail / Hotel / Car / Cruise News

Hilton Hotels 1Q profit rises 63 percent
May 3, 2006 - Hilton Hotels Corp. reported Tuesday that first-quarter profit climbed 63%, driven by strengthening demand from business travelers and various one-time items.

Hilton Debuts Air Checkin Kiosk
May 1, 2006 - Hilton Hotels last month announced that 37 of its properties have been equipped with lobby kiosks that allow guests to check in for flights, change or upgrade seats, and print boarding passes for 18 airlines.

Extended Stay Chains Add Properties In All Tiers
May 1, 2006 - Hotel companies, such as Hilton, Extended Stay Hotels, Choice, Hyatt and Starwood, are introducing new extended stay offerings through acquisitions and new development to capture a share in a relatively untapped market.

Largest cruise ship set for maiden voyage
May 1, 2006 - The world's largest cruise ship docked in England on Saturday ahead of its inaugural trip -- a floating behemoth that dwarfs the Titanic, with facilities never imagined at the dawn of the liner age.

Buyers Resist Dynamic Hotel Pricing Tide
May 1, 2006 - Some hotel companies are pushing toward a dynamic pricing model for 2007 negotiations, leaving many corporate travel buyers perplexed and angered at the prospect of revamping hotel programs to account for fluctuating rates that may be higher than fixed, negotiated prices and tougher to estimate and budget.

Hotels Shun Leveraging
May 2, 2006 - Properties Resist Multi-Meeting Deals And Combined Group And Transient Contracts As Occupancy Soars In Top Cities

Other Industry Related News

The ultimate guide to free travel
May 1, 2006 - These ways to score a free trip are not for everybody. Research, patience, good timing -- and often a bit of luck and sweat -- are required. But there's just no beating the price.

Feds release terrorist travel ban strategy
May 2, 2006 - The government has drawn up its first strategy aimed at limiting terrorists' ability to travel, though acknowledging the U.S. could be years away from successfully clamping down on the threat.

Cendant Considers Selling Distribution Unit
May 1, 2006 - Cendant Corp. is exploring the sale of its Travel Distribution Services division, following unsolicited inquiries from several private equity firms. .

Workers adjust habits to save on gas costs
May 1, 2006 - Milwaukee public relations consultant Mark Goff is now driving his Harley-Davidson motorcycle twice a week for business meetings in Chicago.

US likely to stall on 'open skies' agreement
May 3, 2006 - The US government is expected on Wednesday to end any hope of implementing this year the long-awaited deal to liberalise aviation services between the US and the European Union.

Tourists from selected states can get some gas money
May 3, 2006 - Tourists from 10 states planning to travel through South Dakota this summer can get $20 vouchers to buy ethanol-blended fuels.

Managing Meetings at: Safeco Corp.--Co. Weighs Centralizing, Automating
May 1, 2006 - Under a companywide initiative to cut 20 percent to 25 percent in overall costs over the next two years, Seattle-based property and casualty insurance company Safeco is considering the reorganization of its two meetings management departments into one central department.

White House adjusts airline-ownership plan
May 4, 2006 - The Bush administration on Wednesday moved to defuse opposition to its plan to give foreign investors more management control of U.S. airlines.

Air travelers less inclined to be loyal
May 4, 2006 - Brand loyalty has become lesson a priority as carriers believe that price is what more and more customers care about.

Locally-trained bomb-sniffing dogs are protecting U.S. transit systems
May 3, 2006 - Explosives-detection canine teams trained in San Antonio are now patrolling the Baltimore Mass Transit System.