What's in the news this week ...

US to enforce new travel requirements
June 4, 2008 - Visitors to the United States - not including Canadians, at least initially - will need to fill out online forms with personal biographical details at least three days before they arrive, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced yesterday.

More travelers fall back on frequent flyer miles as air fares rise
June 4, 2008 - Some summer vacation travelers may have sticker shock if they've looked at airfares lately, and those higher prices are prompting more consumers to try to cash in frequent flier miles.

Are online rewards programs better than the airlines?
June 5, 2008 - It seems only yesterday that many of us in the mileage-earning community were gung-ho on online rewards programs. The Internet was booming, both in terms of user growth and growth in market value of online enterprises. Traditional programs were migrating as much functionality as possible onto the Internet. And there was a host of programs born in the Digital Age that had no offline presence whatever.

U.S. Airlines' On-Time Rate Rose in April to 77.7%
June 4, 2008 - U.S. airlines' on-time arrival rate improved in April, a month after they posted their worst March results since 1995, the Transportation Department reported.

USA Today analyzes airline cutbacks by state
June 5, 2008 - USA TODAY analyzed domestic airline schedule data from OAG — Official Airline Guide for October 2008. The data reflects what airlines had reported to OAG regarding their October schedules as of June 2. The analysis examined domestic schedules because that's where airlines are making the deepest cuts. It focused on October schedules because several airlines have announced bigger cutbacks in the fall.

American says few passengers will pay new bag fee
June 5, 2008 - American Airlines says its new $15 fee for checking a single bag will affect fewer than one in four customers.

United, US Airways CEOs say no deal for now
June 4, 2008 - CHICAGO The CEOs of United Airlines and US Airways formally shelved their effort to create the world's largest airline, backing away from a deal that could have shored up their finances but also would have resulted in fewer routes and higher ticket prices for consumers.

NWA pilots draw firm line on pay parity with Delta
June 5, 2008 - Two Delta Air Lines executives came to St. Paul Thursday to hear Northwest Airlines pilot union leaders deliver an unequivocal message that Northwest pilots be paid equally to their Delta counterparts when a joint contract takes effect.

Continental Airlines to cut flights, 3,000 jobs
June 4, 2008 - Continental (CAL) on Thursday became the latest large airline to announce a sweeping restructuring plan to cope with soaring fuel prices.

Modern air travel like a subway in the sky
June 5, 2008 - In another move designed to streamline skyrocketing airline costs, US Airways announced today that it no longer will provide seating to passengers who fly in coach.

10 airports install body scanners
June 5, 2008 - Body-scanning machines that show images of people underneath their clothing are being installed in 10 of the nation's busiest airports in one of the biggest public uses of security devices that reveal intimate body parts.