AirTran AirwaysAirTran to exit belly cargo business. Higher jet fuel prices will prompt AirTran Airways to leave the cargo business on Dec. 1. Several carriers have said that the high cost of complying with security laws has forced them to reevaluate their cargo business.
Starting next year, low-fare carrier AirTran Airways will launch daily nonstop flights to San Juan. On March 5, service begins from Orlando and the airline's Atlanta hub, using Boeing 737-700s on both routes. Sample one-way fares start at $129 in coach and $349 for business class. "AirTran Airways customers have been asking us to extend our unique brand of low fares and friendly service to Puerto Rico--and we're responding," said Kevin Healy, vice president of planning for AirTran Airways.
AirTran Airways flew 1.46 billion RPMs in October, an increase of 34.5% from the year-ago month, against a 16.4% lift in ASMs to 1.88 billion. Load factor soared 10.5 points to 77.8%. All were records for the month. Nov 6, 2007
JetBlue Airways
JetBlue CFO resigns after 18 months on the job. JetBlue Airways CFO John Harvey resigned on Thursday, citing other professional interests. Senior Vice President Ed Barnes will serve as interim CFO, the airline said, he was Senior VP-Finance and Principal Accounting Officer Ed Barnes interim CFO. CEO Dave Barger said the LCC will "implement an executive search for a permanent CFO.''
JetBlue shares plunge after executive quits Shares of JetBlue Airways, the discount airline that has slowed growth to help end losses, fell 8.9 percent on Friday Nov. 9 to their lowest price ever following the resignation of the company's chief financial officer, John Harvey.
JetBlue Airways flew 1.99 billion RPMs in October, up 7% from the year-ago month. Capacity climbed 11.1% to 2.52 billion ASMs, dropping load factor 2.9 points to 75.9%.
JetBlue Airways may be close to recovering from extensive customer service problems it experienced earlier this year, writes Elinor Garely. Garely notes that the airline has developed an online reservation system that is easy to use. JetBlue's Neeleman speaks out on growth, energy issues: JetBlue's chairman and founder David Neeleman talk about JetBlue's growth and America's energy policy. Nov 7, 2007
SkyBus Airlines
SkyBus Airlines will end its Columbus, Ohio-Bellingham service Jan. 6. SkyBus, which offered $10 seats on flights between Bellingham and Columbus, is pulling out of the Seattle area as well as terminating service from San Diego and trimming service from Burbank, Calif. The no-frills carrier citied higher fuel costs along with the need to redeploy its fleet on shorter routes. SkyBus promises to sell at least 10 seats on every flight for $10, although most one-way tickets on the Bellingham route this month were priced in the $175-$230 range. Those who purchased tickets for travel after Jan. 6 will get refunds. Nov 9, 2007
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines will add two daily flights from Lambert Field to Philadelphia on March 17, the airline said Thursday. It's part of a big expansion by Southwest, which is trying to lure more business travelers. The airline saw strong demand on the St. Louis-Philadelphia route, spokeswoman Brandy King said. It will compete with American Airlines and US Airways.
Southwest CEO discusses company's changes, future. Southwest Airlines recently announced a number of changes, such as the introduction of fare classes, which includes a Business Select category launched to boost the carrier's market share of business travelers. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly discusses the company's moves as well as future changes.
Southwest Airlines has created a new fare category that it hopes will attract more business travelers. "Business Select" will reward travelers who pay higher fares with drink vouchers, priority boarding and additional frequent flier miles. CEO Gary Kelly said the airline will announce more initiatives to lure business travelers over the next two years.
Southwest Airlines flew 6.03 billion RPMs in October, up 5.9% from the year-ago month. Capacity rose 5.3% to 8.57 billion ASMs and load factor was ahead 0.4 point to 70.5%. Nov 6, 2007
Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways
Experts discuss how some carriers excel in customer service. Some airlines receive consistent praise from customers for certain aspects of their service. Travelers praise Southwest Airlines' chipper flight attendants and JetBlue Airways' seat-back televisions, for example. Three travel experts recently discussed which carriers excel in particular areas of customer service. Nov 9, 2007
Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines will launch thrice-weekly Fort Lauderdale-Panama City flights on Jan. 31. Nov 5, 2007
Virgin America
Virgin America inaugurates its daily service between San Francisco and San Diego on Feb. 12. At first, flights will operate three times a day, expanding to five daily on March 9. Connecting fights from San Diego will be available via San Francisco to New York Kennedy and Washington Dulles. Nov 8, 2007
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