OCTOBER 2008

Travel Management - October 30, 2008
"Twenty-five to 30 officer-level and senior division managers" including several top sales executives will leave Delta Air Lines following the company's merger this week with Northwest Airlines, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Among those identified by the publication were executive vice president of sales and marketing Lee Macenczak, vice president of sales and distribution Pam Elledge and director of leisure and segmented sales Scott Slater. Delta officials did not immediately confirm the report.

msnbc - October 30, 2008
Airlines begin cutting fares for holiday travel
Good things very well may come to those who waited, travel experts say.

Wall Street Journal - October 30, 2008
Paying to Fast-Track a Passport
You're about to take off on a last-minute Caribbean getaway, and you're making sure your plans are in order. Plane tickets? Check. Hotel reservations? Check. Passport? Uh-oh!

Economist - October 29, 2008
Lufthansa to get BMI
DESPITE recent predictions of gloom and even mayhem in the airline industry, there has been less consolidation than might have been expected.

msnbc - October 29, 2008
Fed opens lines of credit to Mexico, others
WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that it will supply new lines of credit to the central banks of Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and Singapore to help those countries deal with the global credit crisis.

Bloomberg - October 29, 2008
Sterling Airlines of Denmark Is Declared Bankrupt
Sterling Airlines A/S was declared bankrupt after its Icelandic owner ran out of money, adding Denmark's second-largest carrier by fleet size to a list of more than two dozen around the world to cease operating this year.

Wall Street Journal - October 29, 2008
UAL to Offer FedEx Bag Service
If you want to be absolutely, positively sure your luggage arrives at its destination, United Airlines has a new option for you: FedEx.

USA Today - October 29, 2008
AA frequent-flier change: Short flights earn fewer miles
American Airlines has become the latest big carrier to say it will reduce the number of miles customers will earn on short flights.

Reuters - October 29, 2008
Avis cuts 700 jobs and records $1 billion loss
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Car rental company Avis Budget Group Inc (CAR.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) cut 700 jobs in the third-quarter and recorded a loss, before taxes, of more than $1 billion after writing down the value of certain assets, it said on Monday.

USA Today - October 28, 2008
Jet fuel's down, but surcharges have stuck
Thai Airways' cheapest Los Angeles-Bangkok ticket last week had a $542 fuel surcharge round trip — $352 more than the airline charged a year ago.

Economist - October 28, 2008
Taking liquids on planes
AMERICA'S Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expects to relax its rules regarding liquids in carry-on luggage by autumn 2009.

UK Guardian - October 27, 2008
Biofuel flying will take off in three years, says Boeing
Biofuel-powered aircraft could be carrying millions of passengers around the world within three years, according to Boeing.

Bloomberg - October 27, 2008
Airline Traffic, Cargo Face `Alarming Drop': Chart of the Day
Airline traffic fell in September for the first time since the SARS virus outbreak in 2003, and lower oil prices probably won't spur demand amid a widening economic slowdown, the International Air Transport Association said.

Economist - October 27, 2008
The end of business travel as we once knew it
HEADING abroad for business? Beware. This is a wretched time to be holding a business-related discussion anywhere other than the confines of your office.

msnbc - October 24, 2008
Airlines expect a solid holiday travel season
Planes will be as full — or fuller — as last year, largely due to capacity cuts.

BBC News - October 23, 2008
Airlines hit economic turbulence
US Airways and Air France-KLM have both suffered sharp share falls due to the current economic slowdown.

USA Today - October 23, 2008
Full names required to fly in 2009
ARLINGTON, Va. — Airline passengers starting next year will be barred from boarding planes if they refuse to provide their full name and birth date, the government said Wednesday.

Aviation News - October 23, 2008
ASUR 3Q08 Passenger Traffic Up 6.90% YOY
MEXICO CITY, Oct. 23, /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: ASR; BMV: ASUR), (ASUR) the first privatized airport group in Mexico and operator of Cancun Airport and eight other airports in southeast Mexico, today announced results for the three-month period ended September 30, 2008.

Reuters - October 22, 2008
North American air fares may fall in '09 -forecast
NEW YORK, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Lower air fares in North America are possible in 2009 and likely declines in occupancy levels will keep hotel room rate increases in check...

Economist - October 22, 2008
Flying through a storm
Oil prices are falling but airlines still have much to worry about...

Wall Street Journal - October 23, 2008
Savvier Airline Schedules, Fewer Cheap Fares
Budget-conscious travelers have long known that you can save a lot of money flying on an off-peak day. Tickets are cheaper on Tuesdays than Mondays, or on Saturdays compared with prices on Friday or Sunday.

USA Today - October 17, 2008
Travel industry gets flexible to calm clients' money fears
Mary and Mike Nadeau of Howell, Mich., considered canceling their October trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., because of the meltdown on Wall Street. But the couple, 64 and 65, respectively, decided to go anyway: They'd already spent $500 on non-refundable airline tickets.

Reuters - October 17, 2008
Northwest could cut capacity more if needed: CEO
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Northwest Airlines Corp (NWA.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), already cutting capacity by almost 10 percent in the fourth quarter because of high fuel bills, could trim even more if needed, Chief Executive Doug Steenland said on Friday as a recession looms.

Reuters - October 17, 2008
Smiles turn to frowns as hoteliers face downturn
HONG KONG, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The world's biggest hoteliers expect their industry to stagnate as the financial crisis hits lending for new projects and forces people to cut back on travel.

Reuters - October 16, 2008
Austrian Airlines cuts '08 view amid booking slump
FRANKFURT, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Austrian Airlines AG (AUAV.VI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) cut its 2008 forecast on Thursday and said it was now expecting a net loss before special items of 100 million to 150 million euros ($135 million to $202 million) due to a decline in bookings.

Reuters - October 16, 2008
Volatile fuel puts Southwest, Continental into loss
Continental reports loss, cites high fuel, Southwest net loss blamed on hedge mark-downs.

msnbc - October 16, 2008
Strong earthquake hits southern Mexico
No immediate reports of injuries or damage after 6.5 magnitude quake.

msnbc - October 16, 2008
Premium airline traffic down 1.5 percent
Drop in business-travel sales a ‘major concern for financial performance’.

Economist - October 16, 2008
Marriage of convenience for Kingfisher and Jet
Two of India’s biggest airlines have announced plans for an alliance. Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines, which have about 60% of the Indian aviation market between them, will not exchange any equity, but will seek other synergies...

Reuters - October 15, 2008
Delta suffer third-quarter losses on fuel
Delta reports loss, cites $800 mln rise in fuel costs.

Deseret News - October 10, 2008
AirTran to offer service to Cancun from BWI and Atlanta for spring break
Just in time for spring break, AirTran plans to offer new flights to Cancun, with roundtrip nonstops from both BWI and Atlanta.

Management.travel - October 8, 2008
U.S. Air Traffic, Capacity Descending
In a weakening travel demand environment, U.S. carrier operations data for September--a traditionally heavier business travel period than summer months--showed some steep year-over-year drops in passenger traffic (measured in revenue passenger miles), total passenger counts and capacity.

Forbes - October 8, 2008
American Airlines flight attendants to picket
FORT WORTH, Texas - American Airlines flight attendants will protest poor working conditions by picketing at four airports on Friday, according to union officials.

Associated Press - October 8, 2008
American Airlines considers a la carte pricing
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The idea of paying a single, simple fare to fly on an airliner is becoming as quaint as stewardesses in short skirts.

Chicago Tribune - October 8, 2008
United To Lay Off 414 Mechanics
United Airlines said on Wednesday it will lay off 414 mechanics at its San Francisco maintenance base.

Star Tribune - October 7, 2008
Sun Country Files For Bankruptcy
Sun Country Airlines, battling to survive a cash squeeze, filed for bankruptcy protection Monday in a move that separated itself from its majority stockholder, Tom Petters, whose other businesses have been taken over by a court appointee as part of a massive fraud case.

Wall Street Journal - October 7, 2008
Airports Suffer Terminal Illness
At 8:45 a.m. last Friday, the drop-off curb and the halls of Terminal 2 at Ontario International Airport in California were virtually empty. Twenty security screeners stood ready to check only a handful of passengers. "It's been this way since JetBlue left," said one Transportation Security Administration screener.

USA Today - October 7, 2008
Could the Low-Cost Carriers Unite In Alliance?
That's what at least one CEO at a low-cost carrier is suggesting -- or at least something along those lines.

msnbc - October 7, 2008
Heads Up For Holiday Fliers
What the Wall Street mess means for travelers.

Reuters - October 7, 2008
Mexico Peso Falls To All-Time Low Of 12 Per Dlr
MEXICO CITY, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Mexico's peso MEX01 fell to an all-time low of 12.06 to the dollar on Tuesday due to the global crisis.

Economist - October 7, 2008
BA's Traffic Jam
BRITISH AIRWAYS (BA) is feeling the crunch. Passenger traffic in September 2008 was 4.8% less than in September 2007.

Reuters - October 6, 2008
Airlines Brace For Credit-Card Processor Demands
CHICAGO, Oct 6 (Reuters) - U.S. airlines, struggling to find stability in a time of unprecedented economic turbulence, are bracing against possible trauma that could be inflicted by credit-card processors made skittish by the credit crisis.

Reuters - October 6, 2008
Macau Stocks Slide As Slowdown, Travel Curbs Weigh
HONG KONG, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Shares in Macau gambling stocks slid on Monday as investors feared Chinese restrictions on travel may dent the gaming haven's three-year casino boom, boding ill also for global operators such as the Las Vegas Sands (LVS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

|Return to Current Travel News|