LM Otero / APAn American Airlines ground crew work an aircraft before departure at Dallas-Fort Worth International airport in Grapevine, Texas, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012. American Airline corporate leadership is having closed door meetings with union representatives about the future of jobs and the pension for workers (WASHINGTON) — A Democratic-controlled Senate panel Tuesday approved a $2.50 increase in airline security fees that would double the per-passenger fee for those taking nonstop flights. The move by the Senate Appropriations Committee would increase the fee on a nonstop round-trip flight from $5 to $10. Fees on a one-way, nonstop ticket would increase from $2.50 to $5. Passengers who change planes to reach their destinations would continue to pay $5 each way. (MORE: U.S. Airlines ‘Only’ Collected ... Continue reading →
BANGOR, Maine—A US Airways jet traveling from Paris to North Carolina was diverted to Maine on Tuesday after a French passenger handed a note to a flight attendant mentioning that she had a surgically implanted device, raising security concerns, officials said. An examination by doctors aboard the plane found that the passenger, a French citizen born in Cameroon, had no scars, said U.S. Rep. Peter King, who was briefed on the matter. The woman was traveling alone without any checked baggage and intended to stay in the U.S. for 10 days, he said. The FBI and Homeland Security Department warned airlines last summer that terrorists are considering surgically hiding bombs inside humans to evade airport security. In 2010, it was reported that British officials uncovered ... Continue reading →
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- American Eagle, which operates short-haul flights for American Airlines, says it's cutting about 100 management and support jobs as it pares costs during a bankruptcy reorganization. The regional airline plans to save $7 million a year with the layoffs, which would trim nonunion management and support staff by about 10 percent, including about 15 percent of executive officers. Daniel Garton, Eagle's president and CEO, told employees of the cuts in an internal memo dated Friday. A spokesman said Tuesday that the 10 percent equaled about 100 jobs. The company announced in March that it planned to shed 500 to 600 union and nonunion jobs, some by attrition. Eagle and American are owned by AMR Corp., and all three filed for ... Continue reading →
Gavin might not be so smiley next time he sees an airplane. (Gene X. Hwang/Special to the Chronicle 2006) Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom had a bit of time to kill while waiting to fly back from Washington, D.C. Sunday and decided to let all of his almost 1.3 million Twitter followers share in his disappointment at the “inexcusable” delays. The former San Francisco mayor tweeted Sunday that he sat on the tarmac for more than 5 hours while his flight to San Francisco went through various delays. Inexcusable @united waiting for over an hour in seat for “catering”-after almost 2hrs in seat waiting for mech fix & changing plane — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) May 20, 2012 @united -you now have us in seats on tarmac ... Continue reading →
NEW YORK (AP) — If you're flying this summer, be prepared to kiss your family goodbye at the gate. Even if they're on the same plane.Airlines are reserving a growing number of window and aisle seats for passengers willing to pay extra. That's helping to boost revenue but also making it harder for friends and family members who don't pay this fee to sit next to each other. At the peak of the summer travel season, it might be nearly impossible.Buying tickets two or more months in advance makes things a little easier. But passengers are increasingly finding that the only way to sit next to a spouse, child or friend is to shell out $25 or more, each way.With base fares on the rise ... Continue reading →
An airline pilot from Virginia was arrested and charged with attempting to board a plane with a concealed firearm Friday morning at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Brett Dieter, 52, of Barbersville, Va., faces a maximum 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine if convicted on the charge. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Dieter, who is employed by Piedmont Airlines, was scheduled to pilot a flight to LaGuardia International Airport in New York City. As Dieter proceeded through security, a Transportation Security agent observed what appeared to be a firearm concealed in his luggage. Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority police officers then retrieved from Dieter's bag a Smith and Wesson .357 magnum revolver that was loaded with five rounds of ammunition. Authorities believe Dieter also traveled ... Continue reading →
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration made "errors" when it exempted cargo airlines from rules to prevent pilot fatigue and will revisit the issue, Justice Department attorneys representing the agency said in a court motion.The department late Thursday asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to put a pilots' union lawsuit on hold so that the FAA could re-examine the exemption for cargo airlines.The FAA issued an overhaul of airline pilot-scheduling rules in December, but the new rules applied only to passenger airlines. FAA officials said at the time that imposing new rules on cargo airlines would have been too costly to the industry — $214 million over a decade.The Independent Pilots Association, the UPS pilots' union, sued, saying it ... Continue reading →
