United Airlines reaches deal with pilots, avoids furloughs
The Air Line Pilots Association said Monday that the deal will allow United to spread a reduced amount of flying across the airline’s 13,000 pilots to save jobs at least until June.
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Airline industry pleads for mandatory virus tests to prop up demand
While the call for testing isn’t new, the outlook has turned increasingly grim for airlines taking stock of a disappointing summer with rising infection rates and restrictions dashing hopes for a recovery.
Growing number of airlines offer ‘flights to nowhere’ as international travel remains stalled
Qantas, among the latest to advertise a flight that departs and arrives at the same airport with no stops along the way, said the trip sold out less than 10 minutes after going on sale.
Travelers nervous about flying with commercial airlines are turning to charters instead
According to FlightAware statistics, on Aug. 23, U.S. airlines operated 15,419 flights, down 45% from a year earlier. On that same day, the United States saw 8,883 business aviation flights—down only 4% from a year earlier.
Indianapolis International Airport getting new flights to Cancun, Memphis
American Airlines plans to offer seasonal flights to Cancun beginning in December, and Delta Air Lines will begin offering flights to Memphis starting Oct. 1.
Delta, American join United in dropping most U.S. change fees
Southwest Airlines didn’t levy the $200 change fees to start with, so Monday’s announcements mean that the four biggest U.S. carriers will have roughly similar policies.
United says it will drop widely scorned ticket-change fees
The move by United Airlines will put pressure on American Airlines and Delta Air Lines to drop their change fees, also $200 on domestic travel.
White House official: More executive actions in works as airline furloughs loom
The pandemic has caused airline travel to fall sharply, decimating revenue. Travel has recovered somewhat from very low points in March and April, but it still hasn’t come back to its pre-pandemic levels.
American Airlines plans 19,000 furloughs, layoffs in October
Passenger traffic has recovered slightly since the beginning of the pandemic but remains down 70% from a year ago, and carriers say they need fewer workers.
American considering cutting flights to many smaller cities
American Airlines is planning to drop flights to up to 30 smaller U.S. cities if a federal requirement to continue those flights expires at the end of next month, an airline executive familiar with the matter said Thursday.
United plans more Florida flights, but virus will get final say
United’s planned new winter flights to Florida, which will depart from New York, Boston, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, and Columbus, Ohio, are aimed at leisure travelers. But the airline is prepared to reverse course if necessary.
Southwest, American tighten mask rules; Delta widens testing
The moves come as airlines try to reassure passengers and their own employees about safety during a pandemic that has made many people afraid to fly.
United Airlines sending layoff notices to nearly half of U.S. employees
The furloughs would include 15,000 flight attendants, 11,000 customer service and gate agents, 5,500 maintenance workers and 2,250 pilots.
American Airlines to begin booking flights to full capacity
American’s move matches the policy of United Airlines but contrasts sharply with rivals that limit bookings to create space between passengers to minimize the risk of contagion.
U.S. airlines could ban travelers who refuse to wear masks
Airlines for America, a trade organization, said a group of major American airlines will begin “vigorously” enforcing face-covering policies after reports of travelers not being held to the safety standard.
Airlines aiming for takeoff as lockdowns ease, demand rises
After a pronounced slump in air travel in the spring, airlines are adding back flights as they hope to salvage some lost revenue during the key summer travel season.
United Airlines to require that passengers pass health checklist
As states and localities reopen for business, carriers are developing procedures to ensure that flying is safe.
Airline stocks soar as American, United add back flights
American Airlines said it will aggressively add back flights in July, while United Airlines also announced plans to add back flights, while taking a more cautious approach.
Boeing cuts 12,000 jobs, resumes production of grounded jet
Shortly after disclosing the job cuts, Boeing announced Wednesday that it has resumed production of the grounded 737 Max jetliner. Two deadly crashes of Max jets pushed Boeing into a financial crisis months before the coronavirus squeezed global air travel to a trickle.
Southwest posts first quarterly loss in almost a decade
The airline said trip cancellations have pulled back from a peak in March but remain at levels that Southwest has never seen, as customers scrap plans to travel during the coronavirus pandemic.