DECEMBER 2009

FiveThirtyEight - December 27, 2009
The Odds of Airborne Terror
Over the past decade, according to BTS, there have been 99,320,309 commercial airline departures that either originated or landed within the United States. Dividing by six, we get one terrorist incident per 16,553,385 departures.

USA Today - December 26, 2009
TSA imposes new restrictions on fliers following failed bomb attempt, reports say
Federal officials have moved to tighten airport security on U.S. and U.S.-bound flights following a failed bomb attempt aboard a Delta flight on Christmas Day that has been alleged to be an attempted terrorist attack.

Reuters - December 26, 2009
Europe tightens security after foiled U.S. attack
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Airports and airlines across Europe moved rapidly to tighten security on U.S.-bound flights on Saturday after a man tried to set off explosives on a plane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit.

Travel Daily News - December 24, 2009
OAG reports global airline capacity up 4% in December 2009
Global airline capacity for December 2009 shows positive growth compared to December 2008, reports OAG, with its monthly report on trends in the supply of airline flights and seats.

Travel Daily News - December 24, 2009
Worldwide total airport income in 2008 reached USD 96 billion
Airports Council International (ACI) Director General Angela Gittens announced annual airport economics results.

msnbc - December 23, 2009
Escaped otters delay Ohio-bound flight
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Passengers on a Continental Airlines flight couldn't believe it when they saw an otter scurry from the plane's cargo hold and onto the tarmac at Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport.

The Economist - December 12, 2009
The TSA security leak
EARLIER this year, America's Transportation Security Administration, the agency responsible for airport security, published an improperly redacted version of its operating manual on the internet.

Travel Daily News - December 11, 2009
European passenger traffic down -2.1% during October 2009
The latest air traffic statistics from European airport trade body, ACI Europe reveal that the overall passenger traffic at European airports decreased by -2.1% in October 2009 compared with October 2008, while the overall freight traffic among European airports decreased -3.1% in October 2009 when compared with October 2008.

msnbc - December 11, 2009
ATA predicts 41 million passengers to fly, a drop of 2.5 percent vs. last year
WASHINGTON - Air travel over the holidays will fall 2.5 percent from last year, a trade group for the nation's major carriers predicted Thursday.

USA Today - December 11, 2009
Airline passenger traffic up in September, first increase in 17 months
In yet another sign of a possible rebound in air travel, the passenger volume for U.S. airlines in September rose a modest 0.8% from September 2008. But it was the first year-over-year uptick since March 2008, according to a monthly traffic report released Thursday by the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

USA Today - December 8, 2009
United Airlines places one of largest jet orders since start of recession
CHICAGO/PARIS — United Airlines placed a $10 billion-plus order for 50 wide-bodied jetliners divided between Airbus and Boeing on Tuesday, in a bid to slash fuel costs and emissions by a third on some routes from 2016.

Travel Daily News - December 8, 2009
American Airlines wins ‘Airline of the Year’
Widely referred to as the ‘Oscars’ of the travel industry, American Airlines is celebrating its recent win at the British Travel Awards where it was crowned ‘Airline of the Year’.

Travel Daily News - December 8, 2009
European travel industry cautiously optimistic in the wake of massive losses
In the calendar year following the worldwide economic and financial crisis the international travel industry has experienced a serious decline, but nonetheless has survived this period in better shape than was expected in the spring of 2009.

The Economist - December 8, 2009
Air France KLM November traffic falls 3.2 percent
PARIS, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) reported a 3.2 percent fall in passenger traffic for November but saw gradual improvement in unit revenues, while a "more dynamic" cargo sector underscored signs of a fragile economic recovery.

The Economist - December 6, 2009
Walmex to buy Wal-Mart in Central America
MEXICO CITY, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Mexico's top retailer Wal-Mart de Mexico, or Walmex (WALMEXV.MX), said on Sunday it had signed a deal to buy Walmart Centroamerica, the local division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N).

The Economist - December 3, 2009
Lessons from the birds
ACCORDING to this week's Economist, researchers have been studying the way birds fly in order to develop new ways to improve fuel efficiency in aircraft. It has long been known that birds flying in formation expend less energy than when flying alone. Indeed one aeronautics expert recently suggested that a formation of 25 birds might enjoy a range increase of 71%. And now a team at Stanford University has applied the principle to aircraft.

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