jetBlue smokes competition in J.D. Power survey

The 2009 J.D. Power and Associates 2009 North American Airline Satisfaction Study was released earlier today, and jetBlue came out top, not just in the low-cost carrier group but overall, as well - for the fourth year in a row. For the 'traditional network carrier' category, Alaska topped the list for the second consecutive year. (Just to be clear, JD Power defines low-cost carriers as airlines that "operate single-cabin aircraft with typically lower...

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Standing only flights on Spring Airlines?

That's right - CCTV is reporting that Chinese carrier Spring Airlines is looking at standing-room only flights on some of its Airbus A320s. The airline, billed as the first low-cost carrier in China, will try to get regulatory approval for the idea by the end of the year. Apparently, the new passenger layout means that the A320s can fit up to 40% more passengers (that's quite a bit) as well as cut costs by 20%. "It's just like bar stools," the airline...

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Problems ahead for global airline alliance immunity

The Department of Justice recently expressed objections to the antitrust immunity agreement that nine Star Alliance carriers (plus Continental, which will be a Star member later this year) are seeking. The airlines, which include United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, SAS and Swiss (but notably, not US Airways), have been looking to obtain global immunity from antitrust laws for some time now. In April, the Department of Transportation gave the carriers...

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ANZ presents 'bare essentials of safety'

Last month's Air New Zealand TV ad was enormously popular, having generated almost two million views on YouTube (and also a lot of free publicity). Seeking to build upon that, the airline has released a new safety video for its Boeing 737-300 aircraft, featuring crew members wearing nothing but body paint. Maybe this will cause people to finally start paying attention to those safety videos...

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"The Blue Skyway" flies again on Continental

One more airline adds a 'retrojet' to its fleet. Continental has recently taken delivery of a brand-new Boeing 737-900ER that's painted in 'The Blue Skyway' livery, in preparation for the airline's 75th anniversary on July 15. The paintjob was first used on Continental planes back in 1947. Here you can see it on a DC-7 back in the day, and much more recently on a shiny 737 (photo by Drewski211...

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Maybe Air India is "too big to fail"?

Looks like the Indian government is getting set to perform a bailout of ailing flag carrier Air India, which has lost almost $1 billion in the last fiscal year. Indian Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel sounded an awful lot like Barack Obama talking about GM when he said that "it doesn't mean there is a checkbook open to Air India... It will be difficult for the government to keep continuing our support unconditionally."In order for Air India to...

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It'll cost you $2 to watch this safety video

Here's a clip from MADtv showing a fictional airline safety video... although it's two years old, it seems to be ahead of its time when it comes to predicting excessive airline fees ("Seatbelts can be purchased for $5"). While airlines won't be charging for seat belts, they can (and often do) charge for just about everything else. Good old Ryanair might come to a lot of people's minds, let's remember than on Ryanair, they wouldn't even give you that single peanut for free. (Thanks to FlyersView for the heads u...

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Republic buys Frontier and Midwest

I can't think of a time when an airline company has purchased two airlines in as many days, but that's what has happened, now that Republic Airways Holdings has agreed to not only purchase Denver-based Frontier Airlines, but also long-struggling Midwest Airlines. If it wants to pull off the hat trick, then all it needs to do is purchase one more airline.You might not have heard of Republic before - and that's not surprising, since the airline doesn't...

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An interview with Mark Malkoff

Mark Malkoff is a New York comedian with a fear of flying, and has taken a pretty novel approach to confronting his fear: he's been spending the entire month of June living on a plane. Well, not just one, of course; he's been eating and sleeping on quite a few AirTran planes since the month began. He stays in touch with the rest of the world through Twitter and his website, MarkonAirTran.com, where he posts some pretty amusing videos he's taken on board. Last week, The Airline Blog had the opportunity to ask him a few questions:So first of all,...

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OpenSkies to become ClosedSkies?

If you're not familiar with OpenSkies, it's the premium transatlantic brand that British Airways launched a year ago with some BA 757s, which fly in an all-business class configuration. It merged with French competitor L'Avion last July, and the process was completed in April. The subsidiary took advantage of the identically-named Open Skies treaty, which allows European Union airlines to fly from any EU country to the US.But The Guardian is now...

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BA's 'value calculator' goes after Ryanair, easyJet

If nothing else, British Airways certainly deserves credit for their latest attempt to fight back against its two main low-fare rivals, Ryanair and easyJet. The airline has launched a "value calculator" on its website, which illustrates the various "hidden" fees that have made the low-fare airlines famous. BA shows what Ryanair and easyJet charge for checking baggage and food and drink, among other costs, and then contrasts those with BA's "no extra...

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Good news about United? I can't remember any

I really can't remember the last time that I heard some good news regarding United Airlines, at least in terms of financial performance. Let's see here... good news, good news, good news... can't think of any. If you can, please do let me know.In his blog post What a Difference a Decade Makes on the Wall Street Journal's website, Scott McCartney rounded up a few interesting statistics that looked at United and Southwest - both today, and ten years...

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An interview with JetAmerica

New start-up airline JetAmerica has attracted a lot of attention recently, and not all of it has been positive. Sure, the flying public (and Jay Leno) have been talking about the airline's much-promoted $9 fares, but some have been doubtful of JetAmerica's business strategy. I figured that it would be a good thing to let someone with ties to JetAmerica to have an opportunity to elaborate on the airline's plan for the future.As head of World Satellite...

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Buying airplanes, the Ryanair way

As airplane manufacturers gear up to pitch their products at the annual Paris Air Show, they're uncomfortably aware that the market for new airplanes is at its lowest in years. The realities of the tough market conditions aren't lost on Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary, either. But while Airbus and Boeing are struggling with a significant drop in orders, O'Leary is figuring that now's the time to open up the wallet, much as United is planning on doing;...

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Passenger survey ranks best, worst airlines

Seatguru.com has released the results of its 2009 survey of over 1600 fliers. Airlines were ranked based on the quality of their in-flight service (food, seating, and flight attendants). Unsurprisingly, Singapore Airlines came out the clear winner, having the highest rating for flight attendant politeness, best food, and most comfortable business-class seats. British Airways also scored well in the flight attendants and food categories.American,...

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US Airways CEO: Consolidation needed

It seems like a few years can't go by without US Airways CEO Doug Parker talking about a merger. Parker came over from America West Airlines when it merged with US Airways in 2005, and by the end of 2006 had made a hostile bid for Delta. That fell through pretty quickly, but didn't put an end to speculation that Parker would be interested in shopping his airline around or looking to combine it with another. Back in April 2008 Parker mentioned in...

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America's top 'greenest' airlines

"Ever since jet engines have been roaring and guzzling Jet-A, kerosene-based refined petroleum, carbon emissions have been accumulating. Jet-Age progress has a price and with some estimates showing jet aircraft accounting for 11% of greenhouse emissions, it doesn't take a John Muir to discern that flying the friendly skies exacts a price on the environment," says a press release by the online 'guide to green living,' Greenopia, which has released...

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BA, AA hopeful for transatlantic alliance

American CEO Arpey. photo by APIf British Airways CEO Willie Walsh had his way, he might want you to overlook all of the recent media attention his airline has garnered, almost all of which paints a gloomy picture for BA's future. First BA posted a record loss, and now there's threat of a possibly crippling strike this summer during a period that Walsh has said British Airways faces "our greatest-ever challenge." The Sydney newspaper The Daily Telegraph...

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As BA hurts, Iberia looks to Air France, Lufthansa

photo by jmiguel.rodriguezThe relationship between British Airways and Spanish carrier Iberia runs long and deep. BA owns 13.5% of Iberia and has two seats on its board, and the two airlines are members of the oneworld alliance. The airlines have been pursuing a merger for a while now, and back in February, Iberia chairman Fernando Conte said that a 'preliminary decision' on a merger would be arrived at in March. But only a few weeks ago, Spanish...

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United Airlines finally goes shopping

photo by Telstar LogisticsUnited Airlines is eying a large new order for up to 150 airplanes, worth $10 billion, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal. United is apparently choosing between Boeing and Airbus, and according to the article, it's an all-or-nothing deal, meaning that purchases won't be split between the two manufactures; this way, United might be able to get a better deal. And the deal shows that United has been thinking...

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A Virgin interlining agreement

photo courtesy flightglobal'Virgin' airlines Virgin America and V Australia (part of Australian carrier Virgin Blue) announced that they're going to start a US-Australian 'interline' agreement that allows travelers to book travel on both airlines between the US and Australia. For example, if you lived in Boston, you could fly from Boston to Los Angeles on Virgin America and then from Los Angeles to Sydney on V Australia, all on a single ticket.Despite...

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O'Leary: Ryanair interested in takeover of Lufthansa

photo by lorenteyEuropean budget airline Ryanair head Michael O'Leary might have a history of making rather outlandish statements, and the announcement that he made this morning that Ryanair is "seriously interested" in taking over Lufthansa is no exception. According to an orf.at article, Ryanair "could almost buy [Lufthansa] in cash," according to O'Leary. This statement has been backed up over at the Financial Times, which also reports that O'Leary...

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Delta president: bankruptcy was a good thing

photo by Drewski2112At a recent gathering of the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference, Delta Air Lines president Ed Bastian said that Chapter 11 bankruptcy was a good thing for the newly merged Delta and Northwest, according to a Detroit Free Press article. "Bankruptcy worked for our companies... Now we stand as the strongest airline in the United States and the largest in the world," he said.Yes, in terms of financial performance,...

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