United and Continental Close to Merge

United and Continental airlines closed their merger of equals Friday. The combination creates a carrier that in most, but not all, respects is bigger than Delta, formerly the world's largest. Read more

What Airline Merger Means for Travelers

On Monday, Southwest Airlines Co. said it will buy AirTran Holdings Inc. and with it AirTran Airways. What do travelers need to know about this union? Once the merger is complete, the new entity will largely follow Southwest's customer-service policies, Southwest says. Read more

Southwest uses AirTran for access to business travelers

The key to success in the airline industry is the business traveler. This category flies often, has less flexibility in pricing and spends more on flights than a leisure traveler could possibly imagine. Read more

Frontier Airlines now sells tickets to Midwest flights

Frontier Airlines has now combined the ticketing, reservations and online check-in systems of Midwest Airlines into its own as part of the two airlines' merger. Read more: Frontier Airlines now sells tickets to Midwest flights - Denver Business Journal. Read more

Pearson airport lowering some fees

Canadian airlines are applauding the operator of Toronto's Pearson airport for cutting some passenger and landing fees. The Greater Toronto Airport Authority says an airport improvement fee charged to connecting passengers is being lowered from $8 to $4, effective Jan. 1, 2011. Read more

American Eagle Airlines Launches Nonstop Service Between New York LaGuardia and Minneapolis

American Eagle Airlines, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, today launched four daily nonstop flights between New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). Eagle flies the route with CRJ-700 jet aircraft, featuring Eagle's new First Class service. Read more

US Airways pilots raise concerns about rest rule

The pilots' union at US Airways says a proposed federal rule on pilot working hours could actually increase fatigue and threaten safety. The US Airline Pilots Association said Thursday the new rule would let airline managers schedule crews for one-fourth more flight time in a day and 60 percent more in a week. Read more

Fast airport security check starts Friday - Jacksonville, FL

Travelers with a preferred or elite flight designation will be able to get through security faster at Jacksonville International Airport starting Friday, an airport news release stated. Read more

Slight Comeback for Hotels

According to Hotels.com's twice-yearly price index released last week, room rates world-wide rose 2% in the second quarter of 2010 compared with the same period last year. In North America, the increase was 3%. The online lodging-booking site samples about 91,500 properties in more than 15,750 locations for the index. Read more

Houston Hilton hotel installs facial recognition; system can ID suitcases, employees and guests

The 1,200-room Hilton Americas-Houston - Houston's biggest hotel - has installed a cutting edge digital video system that relies on facial recognition technology. The system will let managers track employees, locate missing suitcases, recognize a VIP guest - and much, much more. Read more

iPad Users, Looking for Some Extra Battery Life for Those Long Trips? Kensington has come out with a battery pack/kickstand that adds up to 5 extra hours of juice

Kensington® Announces New iPad Accessories to Deliver Continuous Power and Protection Everywhere You Go, Anyplace You Stay

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