News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Airlines

11/19/2008

Southwest Airlines changing strategy for LaGuardia presence
One of Southwest's operating commandments has been very clear since the airline began flying in 1971: Thou shalt not fly into congested airports with slot controls. But that commandment will be erased from Southwest's bible if the Dallas-based carrier is successful in buying ATA Airlines and its 14 takeoff and landing slots at New York's overcrowded but desirable LaGuardia Airport.

Fewer folks expected to travel over Thanksgiving
Holiday travel for Texans and other Americans will be down just over 1 percent this Thanksgiving, the first such drop in six years, AAA Texas predicted Tuesday.

11/18/2008

Southwest Airlines to buy ATA to get New York LaGuardia slots
Southwest plans to buy bankrupt ATA for $7.5 million to acquire 14 takeoff and landing slots at LaGuardia Airport.

Bush trying again to stem holiday flight delays
Anticipating another holiday travel crunch, President Bush said on Tuesday that his administration was taking steps to prevent frustrating flight delays during the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons.

D/FW Airport whistleblower files claim against FAA
The Dallas/Fort Worth whistleblower who helped expose a cover-up of air traffic control mistakes has filed a claim against the Federal Aviation Administration for about $1 million in lost pay, medical damages and other items.

11/14/2008

FAA starts amnesty plan for D/FW air tower errors

FILE 2007 / DMN

Anne Whiteman blew the whistle on errors but says reporting woes continue.

The Air Traffic Safety Action Program began on Sunday in North Texas, allowing controllers to report any unsafe situations without fear of reprisal and is roughly based on a similar self-reporting program used at most airlines.

11/12/2008

Planes likely to be stuffed with holiday travelers for Thanksgiving

Airline industry experts expect tplanes to be packed during the holiday travel season.

Economic problems probably will reduce the number of people flying, but airlines have also cut capacity.
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Blog: Airline Biz

Airline passenger rights are left stranded
Airline passengers looking for protection against being stranded for hours on tarmacs shouldn't count on help from a federal task force that's been wrestling with the problem for nearly a year.

11/11/2008

Southwest Airlines launches fare sale
Southwest Airlines announced a nationwide fare sale Tuesday, with a Thursday deadline to purchase.

11/10/2008

Low-cost carriers top airline quality rankings

FILE/Getty Images

Southwest Airlines ranked best in customer complaints, at one for every 300,000 customers.

Low-cost carriers topped the rankings of U.S. airlines for being on-time and uniting bags with passengers, while the big guys such as American Airlines brought up the rear, according to a new study of airline quality.
Blog: Airline Biz

Southwest Airlines taps into Mexican market
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines signed a code-sharing agreement with Mexican carrier Volaris with serice to begin in 2010.

Airline Biz blog: TSA says family security lines coming to all airports soon
The Transportation Security Administration says it will roll out its "family line" checkpoint concept to all its airports; it's in 48 right now, including Dallas Love Field.

11/09/2008

Airline unions hope Obama helps them
The president-elect's courting of organized labor has stirred hopes among unionized employees that he'll help them out as they negotiate the industry's next round of contracts and try to reverse concessions made earlier this decade.

11/07/2008

U.S. airlines improve on-time arrivals in September
U.S. airlines in 2008 enjoyed their best September on-time performance in five years, with 84.9 percent of flights arriving on time, the U.S. Department of Transportation said Friday.

11/06/2008

Travelocity: Airfares falling as Thanksgiving nears
Travelocity weighed in Thursday on the issue of whether air fares are coming down for Thanksgiving.

Southwest Airlines to launch Minneapolis service with $69 fares
Southwest Airlines Co. will launch its service from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Chicago Midway on March 8 with eight daily round trips and $69 one-way fares, the Dallas carrier said today.

D/FW Airport sees 6.2% fewer passengers

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport saw its September passenger traffic fall 6.2 percent as its primary tenant airline, Fort Worth-based American Airlines Inc., cut its schedule.

11/05/2008

American Airlines, other carriers report traffic declines in October
American said its traffic dropped 8.8 percent on a 7 percent reduction in flying capacity, while American Eagle said its traffic fell 15.5 percent on its 10.8 percent cut in flying.

Delta Air Lines adding $15 fee for 1st checked bag
Delta Air Lines has held out more than five months against the $15 fee for the first checked bag announced May 21 by American Airlines.

11/04/2008

D/FW Airport may curtail travel, expense policies for execs, staff
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is considering more restrictive travel and expense policies and may end a long-term compensation program for its executives and staff, in response to media criticism that the airport was too generous.

Southwest Airlines fills 70% of seats in October
Southwest Airlines Co. said Tuesday its airplanes in October were about as full as a year earlier, the first time in several months that the Dallas carrier had matched its 2007 performance.

10/31/2008

American Airlines making rest of announced cuts
American Airlines Inc. will implement the remainder of its capacity reductions Sunday as it cuts flights throughout its system, leaving the carrier about 8 percent smaller than a year ago.

Holiday airfares are falling
When it comes to holiday travel plans, good things may come to those who waited.

10/30/2008

Southwest Airlines, fleet service workers' union seek mediation
Southwest Airlines Co. and the union representing its fleet service workers plan to ask the National Mediation Board today to intervene in their stalemated negotiations.

10/29/2008

Delta-Northwest merger gets antitrust approval
The approval from the Department of Justice on Wednesday means the only thing standing between the two airlines and the deal closing is a trial in San Francisco next week in a lawsuit brought by 28 travelers.

Domestic air fares hit 13-year high, transportation officials say
The U.S. Department of Transportation said domestic fares averaged $352 in the second quarter, up 8.1 percent from the same period in 2007.

Airline Biz blog: Liquids ban may be lifted
The Transportation Security Administration is talking about lifting restrictions on liquids carried through airport security checkpoints in about a year.

10/28/2008

DFW Airport to sign deal with Shanghai airport
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is expected to announce a new agreement today with the Shanghai Airport Authority in which the airports will exchange information and build connections between Texas and China.

10/26/2008

With fuel costs lower, airlines say they can stand less demand
The big fall in energy prices means that they'll have billions of dollars more left in their pockets in the fourth quarter and next year than they had – until very recently – been expecting. As major U.S. carriers have taken turns talking about their dismal third-quarter losses – $2.5 billion for the 10 largest carriers – they've also expressed optimism they'll weather any economic downturn.