Southwest raises fee for last-minute priority boarding
Southwest Airlines has quietly increased the fee to nab a prime boarding position at the last minute on some flights. The airline, which famously does not assign seats, will now charge up to $50 one way to board in the first group of travelers. Upgraded boarding was introduced in 2013. Southwest started out charging $40 […]
Air France warns fliers to brace for Thursday strike
Air France will ground a significant number of flights Thursday because of a pay-related employee strike. The company said half of its long-haul flights from Paris would be canceled. Beyond that, Air France said about a quarter of its medium-haul flights to and from Paris-Charles de Gaulle would be grounded. About 15% of shorter flights […]
Star Alliance wants to add budget carriers as members airlines
Star Alliance is seeking to expand its network. The global partnership of airlines would like to add more low-cost budget carriers to the mix. The move would reflect the growing trend among airline customers to choose low-cost carriers when booking tickets. Star Alliance would be in a position to provide budget travelers with more benefits […]
Southwest Airlines reveals five new routes as it extends schedule into fall
Southwest Airlines announced five new non-stop routes Thursday as the carrier extended its booking schedule through Oct. 1. Several of the new routes will put Southwest into highly competitive markets. Its new Atlanta-Nashville service, for example, will go up against Delta"™s 11 daily round-trip flights on the route. Southwest"™s Denver-Cincinnati route also will face competition, […]
United Airlines voted most «On-Time» Airline
A new report by the Federal Bureau of Transportation says United Airlines is the most ‘on-time’ airline in the country. United saw its flights arrive on time nearly 85% of the time in January. Delta Airlines and Alaska Airlines followed United with a score of 83%. The lowest ranked airline was Jet Blue. It had […]
Avianca expands towards Asia and adds route from Lima to Mendoza
Colombia"™s flagship carrier Avianca has entered into two code-sharing agreements as part of an expansion towards Asia. Singapore Airlines (SIA), widely considered one of the world"™s best airlines and Star Alliance partner with Avianca (AV), agreed to add its official "SQ" code to Avianca-operated flights from two European hubs: Barcelona and London. In turn, Avianca […]
Hainan Airlines starting direct flights to Mexico
Hainan Airlines, China’s largest private airline, will launch direct flights between China and Mexico from March 21. It will also become the first Chinese carrier to operate nonstop flights between China and Latin America. The flight, which will stop at Tijuana, Mexico and arrive at Mexico City, will fly three times a week and be […]
Japan Airlines Expands Codeshare Agreements with Alaska Airlines and Qatar Airways
Japan Airlines has announced that it will be expanding its existing codeshare agreements with Alaska Airlines and Qatar Airways, allowing customers of all airlines to have more access to cities that the airlines serve around the world. The Japanese flag-carrier first entered into the codeshare agreement with Alaska Airlines in June 2016. The agreement provided […]
Google can now predict flight delays before your airline
If you don"™t trust your airline to tip you off about flight delays, you will love the latest feature on Google Flights. Google"™s flight booking product can now predict delayed flights even before your airline can. How, you ask? Google Flights will use a smart combination of historical data and artificial intelligence to provide live […]
Norwegian Air Argentina is granted AOC
Norwegian Air Argentina received its air operator certificate (AOC) from the Argentinian government Jan. 26. The much-delayed milestone is a major step for the airline to finally be able to start commercial flights later this year. The carrier has already been granted the authority for 72 domestic and 80 international routes now that Argentina has […]
