Mechanic sucked into jet engine
Mechanic sucked into jet engine — A mechanic standing near a Boeing 737 at El Paso International Airport in Texas was sucked into one of the engines and killed Monday, officials said. (CNN)
When fliers benefit from airline bankruptcy — Customer service, so the conventional wisdom goes, is the first casualty of an airline bankruptcy filing. And for certain airlines, notably those with intractable labor disputes, that may still be the case. But it is no longer universally true. (The New York Times)
Could airlines wing way to profitability in 2006? — The most remarkable news of 2006 might turn out to be that the long-beleaguered U.S. airline industry turns a profit  or comes close. (USA Today)
Waldorf turns lavish brand into chain — The Waldorf-Astoria  the legendary Manhattan hotel where Ginger Rogers danced under the stars in the 1945 film Weekend at the Waldorf is branching out. Hilton Hotels, which has owned the Waldorf since 1949, is scheduled to announce today it will launch a chain of luxury hotels under the Waldorf-Astoria brand. (USA Today)
Airbus tops Boeing in plane orders — Airbus outsold Boeing Co. in 2005 with 1,055 net orders, it said Tuesday, capping a record year for both planemakers marked by fierce price competition and strong demand from Asian and budget airlines. (Reuters)
Panel: New Orleans needs jazz museum, cultural investments — While the city builds better levees and new homes, a mayoral arts commission is recommending that the city not forget to reclaim its legacy as the birthplace of jazz. (AP)
Where $150 rooms go for $300 and up — In New York, according to PKF Consulting’s monthly survey of five categories of hotels, the average room rate paid in November in the top niche - hotels whose cheapest posted rates start at $300 - was $375.43. That’s a 19.2 percent increase over November 2004. (The New York Times)
Hoteliers search for ways to stand out from rivals — U.S. hotels are trying to build a new brand image that focuses on forging an emotional link with customers in a lodging landscape where everything increasingly looks the same. (Reuters)
More than 100 free parking passes revoked at San Francisco airport — More than 100 passes for unrestricted free parking at San Francisco International Airport were revoked after it was revealed that the passes were given to the wealthy and well-connected. (AP)
FAA:Alaska Airlines safely maintains planes’ jackscrews — The Federal Aviation Administration has determined that Alaska Airlines has safe procedures in place for lubricating jackscrews on its planes. The FAA investigated the airline after discovering 15 cases in which company mechanics reported they had found jackscrews without adequate grease. (AP)
Africa hopes to shame airlines flying ‘coffins in the sky’ — Africa will name and shame airlines operating “coffins in the air” in a continent where air travel is more perilous than elsewhere, the head of a continental civil aviation body said Monday. (AFP)
A valuable lesson for security checkpoints — Last year, the TSA had 12,800 claims for lost or stolen items, according to TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis. Of those, 11.5 percent, or about 1,500 claims, were from items that went missing at security checkpoints. (The Washington Post)
Alitalia to cancel 74 flights because of strike — Italy’s flag carrier Alitalia said Tuesday it will cancel 74 flights on Thursday because flight attendants are planning a daylong strike. (AP)
Israeli government awards New York flights to charter airline — Israir, an Israeli charter airline, is receiving rights to operate regular flights to New York and back, the Tourism Ministry announced Monday. (AP)
Continental posts narrower fourth quarter loss than expected — Continental Airlines posted a narrower fourth-quarter loss Tuesday as higher revenue and cost-cutting efforts offset sharply higher fuel costs, but executives at the nation’s fifth-largest carrier told analysts they expect a “significant loss” in the first quarter of 2006. The company’s stock plunged after the news. (AP)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.