Airlines can’t agree on government pension aid
Airlines can’t agree on government pension aid — Struggling U.S. airlines are descending on Capitol Hill seeking help with pension costs, but they are not presenting a united front. Earlier this month Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines warned lawmakers that pension costs could push them into bankruptcy and pension default — like United Airlines — if Congress does not act. (Reuters)
Toronto cabbies barred from airport protests — A Brampton court has ordered striking airport taxicab and limousine drivers to not demonstrate at Pearson International Airport until their lawyers represent them in court today. The 24-hour interim injunction issued yesterday afternoon allowed for business as usual at Pearson, with traffic flowing freely to and from the terminals. (National Post)
Judge says hotel can’t be taxed — In a case that could set a statewide precedent, a San Diego federal judge ruled yesterday that the county can’t tax a hotel on Indian land, even if it’s operated by a corporate entity. Issuing an oral summary judgment in favor of the Rincon Indian band, U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Huff upheld the tribe’s 2004 lawsuit to halt county Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister’s efforts to levy more than $1.6 million in hotel transient occupancy taxes on Harrah’s Rincon Resort and Casino. (Union-Tribune)
Survey: airline Web sites gaining ground — While more than half of online travel shoppers begin their search with a travel agency, they’re evenly split between those sites and ones from airlines when it comes time to book flights, a research firm said Tuesday. Fully, 54 percent of travel shoppers begin their research at an online travel agency, compared to 37 percent that start with airlines, and 9 percent with a travel meta-search provider, according to Nielsen/NetRatings in its Quarterly Travel Benchmarking Survey. (InternetWeek)
Hawaii is this summer’s hot destination — Travel agents say Hawaii remains one of the top five U.S. travel destinations this summer, AAA reports. Travel agency managers cited Hawaii as having one of the most attractive discounts or values for summer travel this year, along with Orlando, Seattle, Las Vegas, and California generally. Hawaii did not make the top five last summer; New York did. (Biz Journal)
Ryanair boss to green rivals: “Sell your cars” — The thorny issue of climate change has left most airlines bending over backwards to sound green. But Europe’s largest low-cost carrier, Ryanair, has dismissed its environmentally nervous rivals as “lemmings”. Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, has refused to support an industry-wide effort to limit carbon dioxide emissions. Asked yesterday what he would say to travellers worried about the environment, he replied: “I’d say, sell your car and walk.” (Guardian)
Boy invents airline crash device — A Scots schoolboy has been praised by airport bosses after inventing a gadget which could help prevent plane crashes. Daryn Murray’s Aircraft Debris Protector warns pilots of dangerous material lying on runways before they prepare to land. (BBC)
DC envies Southwest’s “Maryland One” — he skies should be a little friendlier toward the nation’s capital, as far as one lawmaker is concerned. District of Columbia Councilman Jack Evans would like to see Southwest Airlines wrap one of its jets in the D.C. flag. So he introduced a measure Tuesday for a resolution asking the carrier to do so. (AP)
Uh-oh, here comes another fare hike — The nation’s two biggest airlines are initiating different fare hikes in efforts to get more relief from rising fuel costs. UAL’s United Airlines is boosting fares an average of 3% on “most” of its U.S. domestic and international published fares. The increase doesn’t cover sale fares, some contracted pricing and select international fares, but a spokeswoman said the percentage of flights affected is in the “high-90 percent” range. (TheStreet.com)
Who likes the Wright Amendment? Dallas does — A coalition of six minority Chambers of Commerce plans to express its support for the Wright Amendment at an event today in Dallas. Representatives from each group will gather at the Frontiers of Flight Museum, near Dallas Love Field, at 11 a.m. to urge Southwest Airlines to drop its effort to repeal the Wright Amendment, which restricts service at Love. (Star-Telegram)
Contributing: Charlie Leocha, Stephanus Surjaputra.