How a series of air traffic control lapses nearly killed 131 people

By Sydney Ember and Emily Steel New York Times On a foggy Saturday morning in February, an air traffic controller cleared a FedEx cargo plane to land on Runway 18L at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas. A Southwest Airlines jet was on the same runway, but the controller said it would take off before FedEx’s

The Process of Launching New Airline Route

BY NOAM ISMAAILI OCTOBER 4, 2023 13 MINUTES READ DALLAS – If you check our routes section, you may have noticed it is common practice for airlines to stop flying to some destinations and to open new routes. Just last month, Air India (AI) made the decision to no longer operate flights to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) at the end of

How airlines hide the true cost of travel — and how to avoid hidden fees

By  Christopher Elliott Special to The Seattle Times Travel Troubleshooter When Carolyn DiDonato booked her ticket from Trenton, N.J., to Fort Myers, Fla., she says she was hit with a hidden airline fee. On the last screen, concealed behind a drop-down menu, Frontier Airlines revealed that she would have to pay a nonrefundable $23 carrier

Frequent Flying’s Dirtiest Habit: Mileage Runs

Imagine taking a flight you don’t want or need, to stretch your legs in the destination airport before heading straight back. Jerry (a pseudonym), who works in software sales, estimates that these kinds of flights make up about 15% of all his flights. Some Saturdays, he’ll take an immediate round trip from L.A. to the

What is ‘skiplagging’ and why do the airlines hate when you do it?

Scott Neuman A new lawsuit brought by American Airlines against a controversial ticketing website is bringing renewed attention to “skiplagging,” or “hidden city ticketing” — a technique used by some passengers to get lower fares. What is skiplagging? It works like this: Say a passenger wants to travel from New York to Charlotte, N.C., but

Airline Close Calls Happen Far More Often Than Previously Known

FLIGHT RISKS By Sydney Ember and Emily SteelGraphics by Leanne Abraham, Eleanor Lutz and Ella KoezeAug. 21, 2023 On the afternoon of July 2, a Southwest Airlines pilot had to abort a landing at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. A Delta Air Lines 737 was preparing to take off on the same runway. The sudden maneuver avoided a possible collision by seconds. Near miss NEW

Close Calls and the New York Times: What You Need to Know

The U.S. aviation system is the safest in the world, but one close call is one too many. The FAA and the aviation community are pursuing a goal of zero serious close calls, a commitment from the Safety Summit in March. The same approach virtually eliminated the risk of fatalities aboard U.S. commercial airlines. Since 2009,

Alaska Airlines reports record Q2 revenue but faces higher costs

Marissa Nall By Marissa Nall – Reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal Jul 25, 2023 Alaska Airlines (NYSE: ALK) reported a jump in revenue and net income during the second quarter, but its shares fell 10% by midday Tuesday over higher costs expected to affect its performance over the latter half of the year. The SeaTac-based

Airlines Grapple with Flights Delayed by Climate-Fueled Heat

Longer, more intense heat waves fueled by climate change could make it harder for planes to get off the ground By Mike Lee, E&E News on July 25, 2023 Last Thursday morning, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby wanted to talk about the weather. And not in a good way. He told Wall Street analysts that a wave of thunderstorms had snarled