Independence Air CEO: no regrets
Independence Air CEO: no regrets — The chief of Independence Air, which shuts down tonight, has no regrets about his failed experiment to create the industry’s first discount airline flying 50-seat jets. CEO Kerry Skeen said in an interview Wednesday that launching Independence Air from suburban Washington’s Dulles airport in 2004 made sense at the time. (USA Today)
United to emerge stronger after bankruptcy — United Airlines’ parent, UAL, perhaps just weeks from ending a three-year stay in bankruptcy, is poised to emerge strong, but analysts warn that fuel costs and a high debt load still present high hurdles for the No. 2 U.S. carrier. (Reuters)
Cancun has long recovery ahead — The discotheques are dark, many shopping centers and restaurants remain smashed, and the beaches have lost much of the sugar-white sand that made them famous. Two-plus months after Hurricane Wilma, Cancun remains a shattered, shadow of itself. (AP)
Families will be able to view victims’ remains at WTC memorial — Family members of Sept. 11 victims will be able to enter a private room in the World Trade Center memorial and look through a window at a chamber storing more than 9,000 unidentified remains, development officials said. (AP)
Extended-stay hotels extend gains — Extended-stay hotels, the lodging of choice for traveling consultants, new hires and the recently divorced, are the hottest properties in the hotel industry. (USA Today)
Atlanta’s airport busier than Chicago’s — Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has topped Chicago O’Hare International Airport as the nation’s busiest in terms of takeoffs and landings, the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday. Hartsfield-Jackson finished 2005 with 980,197 takeoffs and landings, while O’Hare was second with 972,246. (AP)
Los Angeles draws record number of tourists in 2005 — A record 25 million tourists visited Los Angeles last year as aggressive advertising helped the city continue to recover from a post-9/11 slump, officials said Tuesday. (AP)
Skunk on the mend after airport adventure — Just as a busy holiday weekend started, Bellingham International Airport had a problem. A skunk was parked in the middle of a taxiway, its head wedged in the entry hole of plastic rat bait box. Nobody on staff had training in dealing with this type of security threat. (The Bellingham Herald)
Delta continues international flight expansion — Delta Air Lines Inc. will launch this summer its inaugural non-stop service between New York and South America. Pending government approvals, the Atlanta-based bankrupt airline (Pink Sheets: DALRQ) will link New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport with South America’s largest city, Sao Paulo, Brazil, starting June 1. (Atlanta Business Chronicle)
US Airways reducing some fares from Eastern hubs — US Airways Group Inc. is reducing fares to nearly 20 destinations connected to its eastern hubs, including Pittsburgh. The Tempe, Ariz.-based airline said fare reductions for flights from Pittsburgh International Airport, Charlotte, N.C. and Philadelphia range from 42 percent to 61 percent. (Pittsburgh Business Times)
Northwest flight attendants threaten strike if contract voided — Northwest Airlines’ flight attendants union says in a bankruptcy filing that it may strike if a bankruptcy judge allows the carrier to reject its contract.
At least 15 killed in hotel collapse in Mecca — A building used as a hostel by pilgrims in Islam’s holiest city collapsed Thursday as millions of Muslims converged for the annual hajj, and at least 15 people were killed and 39 injured, the Interior Ministry said. (AP)
Delta to make non-stop flights from Long Beach to Salt Lake City — Delta Air Lines, will add non-stop flights between Long Beach and Salt Lake City beginning in March, the carrier announced. (AP)
Kansas City’s Hilton President Hotel reopens after 25 years — After being closed for 25 years, Kansas City’s historic Hilton President Hotel is reopening. Following a $45 million renovation, the 213-room hotel is scheduled to host its first guests Jan. 11. (AP)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.