WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said that the original plan was to roll out the charters gradually as they became available, but the league was able to secure charters for every team within a week of the season starting.
More than 2.9 million travelers were screened at U.S. airports on Friday, surpassing a previous record set last year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, according to the transportation security agency.
Mikelsons founded and operated the nation’s largest charter airline service and one of the country’s largest airlines, both based in Indianapolis.
New federal rules for airlines will go into effect later this year, giving travelers a better picture of the full cost of flights before they book—and getting them an easier refund if things go awry.
Among the most recent problems, a chunk of outer aluminum skin was discovered to have fallen off the belly of a United Boeing 737 after it landed in Oregon. Earlier this month, a United jet suffered an engine fire during takeoff from Houston, and a tire fell off another United jet as it left San Francisco.
Boeing has been facing mounting pressure lately amid multiple government investigations. On Monday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that Boeing needs to make a “serious transformation” regarding its safety and manufacturing quality.
Spirit CEO Ted Christie said he was disappointed that the airlines could not combine and create a new challenger to the nation’s four biggest airlines.
American easily led the industry by bringing in $1.4 billion in bag fees in 2022, the last year for which U.S. Transportation Department figures are available.
Three separate unions representing flight attendants at major U.S. airlines picketed and held rallies at 30 airports Tuesday as they push for new contracts and higher wages.
Most U.S. airlines were more punctual last year than in 2022, despite major challenges over the year with weather and technical glitches.
Southwest Airlines said the five-year deal gives its pilots “industry-leading compensation” and has a new process for assigning pilots to flights during unusual events.
The Justice Department said if JetBlue were allowed to buy Spirit, it would especially hurt travelers who depend on Spirit’s low fares.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday that it is launching an investigation into whether aerospace giant Boeing followed rules to ensure the aircraft that it built were safe for operation.
The development came as signs indicate some travelers might try to avoid flying on Max 9 jetliners—at least temporarily.
The situation will no doubt compound the woes at Boeing, which has struggled to rebuild its reputation since an earlier model of the Max was grounded after two crashes killed 346 people several years ago.
The FAA’s emergency airworthiness directive grounding the planes affects 171 aircraft. Two airlines in the United States—Alaska Airlines and United Airlines—have Boeing Max 9 aircraft in their fleets.
Unlocked and with hours of battery life, the screen showed an email from Alaska Airlines about a baggage claim for the flight, based on the rescuer’s photos.
Alaska Airlines decided to restrict the aircraft from long flights over water so the plane “could return very quickly to an airport” if the warning light reappeared, according to a federal offoicial.
The airline again grounded all of its Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners on Sunday after federal officials indicated further maintenance might be required to assure that another inflight blowout like the one that occurred Friday doesn’t happen again.
For this holiday season, U.S. airlines prepared for massive waves of travelers by hiring thousands of pilots, flight attendants and other workers.
