FEBRUARY 2009

BBC News - February 27, 2009
Ryanair mulls charge for toilets
Irish budget airline Ryanair has said it is considering charging passengers for using the toilet while flying.

ACTE - February 27, 2009
ACTE Critical of White House Plans to Increase Airport Security Fees
The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) is opposed to plans by the Obama administration to raise airport security fees by an undisclosed amount in 2012. Passengers currently pay $2.50 per each leg of travel, for a total of $5, which the White House claims only covers 36 percent of airport security costs.

AirportBusiness.com - February 26, 2009
DOT, FAA sued in bid to force air safety changes
NEWARK, New Jersey_Airline safety advocates filed a lawsuit Tuesday to force the U.S. Department of Transportation to adopt long-standing safety recommendations in the wake of a deadly plane crash in New York earlier this month.

TravelDailyNews.com - February 26, 2009
IATA urges Obama administration to invest in airlines
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on the Obama Administration to prioritize aviation as a catalyst to stimulate the US economy. “Smart investments - not bailouts - in air transport will pay-off with jobs and boost other industries,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s director general and CEO in a speech to the Wings Club in New York.

Aviation Today - February 25, 2009
AirTran Airways Launches New Service to Cancun, Mexico
ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI), today launched daily nonstop flights from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Ga., to Cancun Airport International in Cancun, Mexico.

msnbc - February 25, 2009
Traveling with dietary restrictions
Following vegan, kosher, other diets on road is tough, but not impossible.

msnbc - February 25, 2009
Many airplane crashes survivable, experts say
BRUSSELS - Aviation experts say some recent airline accidents with few or no fatalities show that the chances of surviving crashes are better than ever.

Reuters - February 25, 2009
House votes to ease limits on Cuba trade, travel
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. restrictions on trade with Cuba and family travel to the island would be eased under legislation passed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday but the changes could encounter trouble in the Senate.

Reuters - February 25, 2009
Profits at Canadian airlines to plunge -report
TORONTO, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Profits in Canada's airline industry are expected to drop by nearly 86 percent in 2009 as demand falls due to a lack of consumer and business confidence, the Conference Board of Canada said on Wednesday.

msnbc - February 24, 2009
Choosing the aisle could keep you healthy
Research shows threats of deep-vein thrombosis, blood clots drop on aisle.

FOX News - February 24, 2009
How Keeping Your Flight Attendant Happy Can Pay Off for You
One thing we can all probably agree on is that flight attendants have seen it all.

BBC News - February 19, 2009
In-flight health issues 'on rise'
Growing numbers of older passengers and ever longer flights mean the likelihood of health problems in the skies is increasing, US researchers suggest.

TravelDailyNews - February 16, 2009
US airlines face sharp drop in international demand
Domestic carriers face a significant slump in international travel, driven by less consumer spending and reduced U.S. import and export growth, Morgan Stanley analyst William Greene warned last Wednesday.

TravelDailyNews - February 16, 2009
Virgin, Ryanair cut 800 jobs as slump squeezes travel
Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. and discount carrier Ryanair Holdings Plc will cut as many as 800 jobs as the recession stifles demand for travel.

TravelDailyNews - February 16, 2009
Air France-KLM to axe up to 1,200 jobs
Air France-KLM is to cut as many as 1,200 jobs after weak ticket revenues and dwindling cargo volumes forced a sharp rise in third-quarter losses to €200 million.

USA Today - February 13, 2009
Delta CEO gives bleak assessment of demand
ATLANTA — The chief executive officer of Delta Air Lines Inc. gave a bleak assessment Thursday of demand for air travel amid the enormous financial strain that many Americans have been under in recent months.

Nashville Business Journal - February 13, 2009
Tampa International, JetBlue promoting non-stop flights to Cancun
Tampa International Airport is taking a proactive role in promoting the JetBlue Airlines non-stop flight from Tampa to Cancun, Mexico.

msnbc - February 10, 2009
Looking for a silver lining? Don't bother — the industry is taking a beating
The first weeks of every year bring a blizzard of travel industry data: fourth-quarter and full-year financial reports, granular traffic stats, analyst pronouncements and all sorts of statistical minutia.

Chicago Tribune - February 11, 2009
United to shift jobs from India in call-center revamp
United Airlines said it plans to shift 165 customer service jobs from India and Mexico to giant call centers outside Chicago and Honolulu as it turns off a phone line that lets customers lodge complaints or praise service on its flights.

Reuters - February 10, 2009
Mexico's Telmex runs into more regulation
MEXICO CITY, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Mexico's Telmex ran into a new regulatory hurdle on Tuesday when the government introduced rules to boost competition by forcing the incumbent fixed-line phone operator to share its infrastructure with rivals.

msnbc - February 10, 2009
United to unplug number for complaints
MINNEAPOLIS - United Airlines is dropping an Indian customer call center that took compliments or complaints after a flight, telling customers to send a letter or e-mail instead.

Economist - February 9, 2009
Fighting for passengers' rights
IT'S been a busy time for those intrepid souls seeking new legal protection for airline passengers. In America, the Association for Airline Passenger Rights (AAPR) launched recently with the mission of lobbying policymakers and improving airline-service standards.

msnbc - February 6, 2009
Mexico turns to tourism to bolster economy
MEXICO CITY - It's got sun, white-sand beaches and better yet — a battered peso. Mexico is counting on its weakened currency against the dollar and its proximity to the U.S. to attract recession-shocked Americans and fuel its tourism industry — a major source of foreign income.

msnbc - February 6, 2009
American adds speech-recognition technology
FORT WORTH, Texas - American Airlines says customers who call for flight information will get it faster because of speech-recognition technology that it is adding to its service for frequent travelers.

TravelDailyNews - February 6, 2009
The number of American tourists in Cuba to double, if US lifts travel restrictions
40,500 Americans visited Cuba in 2007, and officials from the two shores of the Strait are predicting that the number could double if travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans, US academics, and cultural exchanges are lifted as President Obama promised during his election campaign, the St. Petersburg Times reported.

TravelDailyNews - February 6, 2009
Japan’s Airline Association asks government for aid
Japan Airlines Corp., the country’s biggest carrier, All Nippon Airways Co. and other domestic airlines asked the government for financial aid after passenger numbers tumbled the most in five years.

HuffingtonPost.com - February 5, 2009
US Airways To Charge For Pillows And Blankets
TEMPE, Ariz. — If you want a pillow and blanket in coach on US Airways, it's going to cost you $7.

USA Today - February 5, 2009
Delta cuts fares at USA's most expensive airport
Stung by travelers driving to nearby airports in search of cheaper air fares, Delta Air Lines is lowering ticket prices to destinations from its Cincinnati hub, long the most expensive airport in the nation.

FoxNews.com - February 3, 2009
How to Avoid Paying Full Fare When Your Child Flies
Let’s get the hard truth out of the way: Kids airfares in the United States are a thing of the past.

TravelDailyNews.com - February 3, 2009
Global airport traffic undercut by world economic turmoil
Preliminary traffic results for 2008 show that for the full year, worldwide passenger traffic remained flat, thanks to strong growth in the first quarter which balanced the year-end decline, whereas year-end results in the freight sector, which did not benefit from any significant surge in traffic during the year, retracted in 2008 (international freight -3%, domestic -7% and the worldwide average -4.5%).

USA Today - February 2, 2009
Airport Check-in: United tests faster bag tags
United Airlines says it will begin testing new plastic bag tags at Chicago O'Hare that will allow some customers to bypass waiting in line for paper tags required for checking luggage.

Aviation Today - February 2, 2009
Virgin America Releases Financial Results
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin America, the new California based domestic airline, today reported the company's past financial data for the fourth quarter of 2007 and the first three quarters of 2008.

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