Virgin America to file application to operate
Virgin America to file application to operate today — Airline start-up Virgin America plans today to file its application to operate with federal safety regulators, a key step in CEO Fred Reid’s plan to start flying, possibly this year. (USA Today)
Smaller, faster, cheaper new jets may transform flying — Taking off for the first time this year will be small, speedy, cheap jets that big airlines worry will cause traffic jams around major metropolitan areas. Called “microjets” or “very light jets,” (VLJs) they’ve been likened to SUVs with wings. (AP)
Northwest: Carrier to lose more than $1 billion without cuts — Northwest Airlines will lose more than $1 billion in 2006 if it does not get $1.4 billion annually in labor costs from pilots and flight attendants as it seeks to emerge from bankruptcy, a company official testified Wednesday. (AP)
US Airways reaches key deal — The new US Airways reached a key agreement with its flight attendants Wednesday but comments from union officials and a separate move by a union representing baggage handlers suggest continuing discontent on the America West side of the family. (The Arizona Republic)
High winds disrupt travel — High winds knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers in the Northeast on Wednesday and wreaked havoc for commuters, blowing trees across railroad tracks, overturning tractor-trailers, and making for wild ferry rides. (AP)
Chicago hope: saving its architectural icons — Sleek skyscrapers dominate this city’s skyline, but the squat old water tanks nestled between them are the latest rescue mission for preservation groups. (USA Today)
U.S. travel cards still costly, Ontario minister says — New identification cards for Americans travelling home from a trip to Canada will be cheaper to buy than passports, but are still an expense that could impact border traffic, Ontario’s tourism minister says. (Canadian Press)
Bradley International Airport has its busiest year ever — Bradley International Airport had its busiest year ever in 2005, according to statistics released Wednesday. The airport, New England’s second largest, was used by 7.4 million customers, up from the previous record of 7.3 million in 2000. (AP)
Online travel sites say Orlando among top destinations — Two online travel sites have ranked Central Florida among the most popular destinations and top destination values. (Orlando Business Journal)
American Airlines CEO defends executive bonuses — Bonuses for about 1,000 executives at American Airlines could be worth more than $70 million at the parent company’s current stock price, and the airline’s chief executive publicly defended the payments, which drew howls of protest from union leaders this month. (AP)
CEO: Delta could emerge from bankruptcy in over a year — Delta Air Lines has completed 70% of the goals in its recovery plan and could emerge from bankruptcy court in little over a year, Chief Executive Gerald Grinstein said. (AP)
L.A. scraps $11 billion expansion plan for airport — The City Council has agreed to scrap an $11 billion plan to modernize Los Angeles International Airport as part of a settlement with neighboring communities that had opposed the project. (AP)
Museum exhibit examines history of the Holy Bible — The story of how the text of the Bible has been written and disseminated over the centuries is recounted in a new exhibition at the Florida International Museum that boasts artifacts as rare and priceless as they come, among them bits of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a fragment of the Gospel of John dating to about 250 A.D., a 1455 Gutenberg Bible and a first edition of the King James version from 1611. (AP)
JetBlue takes off in Austin — JetBlue Airways Corp. on Thursday launched nonstop service from Austin to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Boston’s Logan Airport. (Austin Business Journal)
Carrie Charney, Christopher Elliott, John Frenaye, Charles Leocha, Marge Purnell, Valerie Schneider, Mary Staley, Stephanus Surjaputra, Richard Wong.