Other News Highlights

Southwest Jumps Into Bidding for Frontier Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. on Thursday jumped into a bankruptcy-court auction for Frontier Airline Holdings Inc., potentially thwarting a rival bid with a $113.6 million offer for the smaller carrier.

Bumped from your flight? You've got rights
Airlines are operating fewer flights this summer, meaning that planes are packed even with the slump in travel. Often the airlines sell more tickets than there are seats on the plane. Last year, more than 63,000 passengers were bumped, according to government figures, and this year is shaping up as more of the same.

So what should you do if you get bumped? What if your flight is delayed so long that you miss your niece's wedding?

Congress takes steps to improve airline safety
Congress is taking steps to toughen regulations on pilot training, qualifications and hours in response to accidents involving regional airlines, including a February crash in upstate New York that killed 50 people.

How to slide on airline luggage fees
Like just about every other airline passenger this summer, Elizabeth Rodgers wants to avoid any unnecessary fees. So on a recent flight from Los Angeles to Boise, Idaho, she tried to carry all of her luggage on the plane.

Airlines hit by slowing travel increase fees
In this tough economy, does it make more sense for airlines to lower fares to draw in budget-conscious travelers or raise rates and fees to boost revenues? There seems to be no consensus, judging by the news of the past week or so.

American Airlines To Raise US Checked-Bag Fees By $5
American Airlines, looking to goose revenue in a recessionary environment, plans to raise checked-bag fees on U.S. domestic itineraries by $5.

Ticket Change Fees Are Big Business For Airlines
Fees to cancel a reservation and change a ticket are unique to the airline industry: no other business punishes their customers so regularly and so severely. And now some data from the Department of Transportation help show why: Ticket penalties add up to billions of dollars for airlines.

Good news for frequent fliers: fewer fees, more service
I don't travel enough to be overly concerned about frequent flier miles - unless I earned them on Southwest, I typically don't even bother. But I know lots of people do and these people are among the most loyal of any airline's customers. That's why Delta and United are throwing them a bone. A tasty one at that.

How Air Travel Can Be Made Less Annoying
The airline industry is suffering through one of its worst summers ever, with travelers pulling back on spending and fuel costs rising. Passengers who can still afford to fly are facing higher baggage fees, fewer flights and less and less contact with airline staff (though there appears to be a limit to how low-service an airline can go).

Airline waives last-minute fees for its frequent-flier members
With premium-class air travel down sharply for the year and no sign of recovery, United Airlines on Monday said it would soon waive last-minute fees in its frequent-flier program to attract more business travelers.

Are Airline Bankruptcies Going To Land This Fall?
Airlines typically make money in the summer and use it to tide them through the darker winter months. Yet this summer, like last summer, looks bleak for airlines and their cupboards are getting bare.

Business-Class Bargains for Overseas Travelers
From the airlines’ point of view, these are tough times for premium overseas travel. In May, according to the International Air Transport Association, global demand for business- and first-class seats was down over 26 percent from May 2008. It was the 12th consecutive month of year-on-year declines in demand for those premium seats, which at one time were a gold mine for airlines.

Continental Airlines Joins Star Alliance
The Transportation Department granted Continental Airlines immunity from antitrust laws on Friday, allowing it to join the Star Alliance of airlines to develop international service. The Transportation Department also approved a joint venture between Continental and the Star members United, Lufthansa and Air Canada for trans-Atlantic service. But in a nod to the Justice Department’s objections, the Transportation Department ruled that the immunity would not apply to several international routes where Continental and its new partners offered overlapping service. Those include four routes between New York and European cities, four between the United States and Canada and all flights between the United States and Beijing.

Buyers, Suppliers Brace For Challenging 2010 Hotel Contracting
Hotel suppliers, although hungry for business bookings at a time of depressed demand, may offer some resistance to buyer demands for additional rate decreases during upcoming 2010 contract talks, and any indication of economic recovery could afford hoteliers the opportunity to raise rates.

Playing the flexible flyer game with the airlines
Remember when you used to pick up the phone and simply said, “I would like to fly to California on Aug. 1what time can I go and how much will it cost?” Or you just went to the travel agent and said book me to Las Vegas. With the age of the computer, and many other factors booking a ticket to fly anywhere can become a computer game all its own.