After several turbulent days, flight disruptions ease despite worries about 5G signals
Airline passengers who have endured tens of thousands of weather-related flight delays this week got a welcome respite from the headaches Saturday, despite concerns about possible disruptions being caused by new wireless 5G systems rolling out near major airports.
Travel stocks slump, with airlines, cruises, hotels tumble
Air travel in the United States hit another pandemic-era record over the weekend as vacationers jammed airports, but shares of airlines, cruise lines, hotels and almost anything else related to travel are tumbling on growing concerns about highly contagious variants of coronavirus.
Under pressure, some Ga. corporate leaders slam voting bill
The sweeping rewrite of Georgia's election rules that was signed into law by Republican Gov. AdThe reaction wasnโt much friendlier from voting rights groups that fought the legislation and criticized corporate players for not trying to block it altogether. Quincey noted on CNBC that Coca-Cola, even before Georgia's action, already had paused its PAC activity and would consider politicians' position on voting rights as part of future contributions. Bishop Reginald Jackson, who presides over more than 400 African Methodist Episcopal churches in Georgia, said too many corporate leaders have been โsilentโ on voting laws. Civil rights groups have filed federal lawsuits seeking to overturn the Georgia law.
Airlines return to old ways; Southwest drops boarding change
Delta is the only airline still blocking middle seats, but there's no guarantee that'll continue past April 30. Southwest Airlines has gone back to boarding passengers in lots of 30. Southwest and several other airlines that once blocked middle seats now sell out flights if they can. The last holdout is Delta Air Lines, which has extended empty middle seats through April 30. Tuesday marked the 13th straight day that more than 1 million passengers went through U.S. airport checkpoints, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
US airlines adding jobs, extending rebound from October low
The Transportation Department said Tuesday, March 9, 2021, that the airline industry employed 713,949 people full-time or part-time in January. Cargo airlines have added jobs while passenger airlines have shed workers, mostly through incentives for workers to quit or take early retirement. The Transportation Department said Tuesday that 713,949 people held full-time or part-time jobs at airlines in mid-January, up from 694,638 in December and the low of 673,278 in October. American Airlines eliminated 8,700 jobs, or 8% of its workers, and Southwest shed more than 4,600 jobs, or 7.5%. FedEx's express-delivery division grew by about 24,000 jobs, or 9.8%, United Parcel Service added 183 jobs, or 2.9%, in its air-shipment business, and smaller cargo carriers such as Atlas Air also added jobs, according to the Transportation Department.
Airlines push White House to reject testing for US flights
U.S. airlines are pressing their case against requiring coronavirus testing of passengers on domestic flights. The CEOs of several major airlines met Friday, Feb. 12, with the White House's coronavirus-response coordinator to lobby against a testing requirement. They say it would further undermine air travel, which is still running at less than half its pre-pandemic level. Airlines reacted with alarm, however, when CDC officials raised the possibility of testing the much larger number of passengers on domestic flights. Airline unions have joined the push against testing domestic passengers.
Delta Air Lines to leave middle seats empty through April
People wait in line at a Delta Air Lines gate at San Francisco International Airport during the coronavirus pandemic in San Francisco, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. Delta Air Lines said Monday, Feb. 8, 2021 it will continue to block some seats on all flights through spring break and Easter to provide a bit more space between passengers. Delta said it will block middle seats in most cabins although groups of three or more passengers can choose to sit together. Delta said it will block middle seats in most cabins although groups of three or more passengers can choose to sit together. During the early days of the pandemic, several U.S. airlines blocked middle seats, although United Airlines never did.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian discusses testing, summer 'surge'
FILE - In this Oct. 29, 2019 file photo, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian talks at the new $3.9 billion Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Bastian says travel demand will be weak for the next couple months, but he's holding onto hope for a summer surge " in 2021. Q: How much international travel do you expect this summer? Q: How important is testing passengers for COVID-19 to allow more international travel? Weโre seeing some revenue improvement ... and I donโt think thatโs a big step to go from $12 million a day to break-even.
United Airlines shares lose altitude after weak 1Q forecast
FILE - In this Oct. 15, 2020, file photo, a United Airlines airplane takes off over another United plane on the runway at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. United also gave a slightly more pessimistic first-quarter outlook than rival Delta Air Lines did just last week. The January-through-March period is a slow time for air travel even in normal years, but United said first-quarter revenue will be down 65% to 70% from a year ago. That prediction was five points worse than Delta forecast and implied no real improvement over Unitedโs fourth quarter. Except for around Thanksgiving and Christmas, U.S. air travel has stubbornly remained down more than 60% from a year earlier.
A $12 billion loss for 2020, Delta is cautious in early 2021
FILE - In this May 14, 2020 file photo, several dozen mothballed Delta Air Lines jets are parked on a closed runway at Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Mo. Delta Air Lines is reporting a $755 million loss for the fourth quarter, which brings its loss for all of 2020 to more than $12 billion. Delta on Thursday reported a quarterly loss of $755 and $12.4 billion in losses for all of 2020. So far in January, air travel in the U.S. is down nearly 60% from a year ago. Helped by two rounds of government aid, plus billions more from issuing new debt, Delta ended 2020 with $16.7 billion in liquidity.
Asian shares mixed following Biden speech, Wall St retreat
Asian shares were mixed on Friday after a late slide in several Big Tech stocks left major indexes lower on Wall Street. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)Asian shares were mixed on Friday after a late slide in several Big Tech stocks left major indexes lower on Wall Street. U.S. futures were trading slightly lower after President-elect Joe Biden announced his plans to propose a $1.9 billion package to help along a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Biden's coronavirus plan would include $1,400 checks for individuals, on top of $600 provided in the last COVID-19 bill. The plan would also extend a temporary boost in unemployment benefits and a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures through September.
Arbitrator rules that FAA chief aided retaliation case
The FAA declined to comment on the ruling, instead pointing to Dicksonโs past comments on the case, including that he wasnโt deeply involved in it. The pilot, Karlene Petitt sued Atlanta-based Delta in a Labor Department administrative proceeding in 2016. The judge said Delta failed to produce evidence of any shortcomings in Petittโs performance as a pilot. Dickson, a former pilot, was Deltaโs senior vice president of flight operations when Petitt raised her concerns. Dickson said in his deposition that Petitt โraised some important issues,โ but he disputed her claim that Delta pressured pilots to fly when tired.
US tightens definition of service animals allowed on planes
The Transportation Department issued a final rule Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, covering service animals. It decided that only dogs can fly as service animals, and companions that passengers use for emotional support don't count. The number of animals on planes took off several years ago, and a cottage industry grew around providing papers, doctor's notes and even dog vests for support animals. Delta Air Lines says it carried about 250,000 animals including service dogs in 2017 and about 600,000 last year. The Transportation Department stood by an earlier decision to prohibit airlines from banning entire dog breeds as service animals.
US airlines still piling up losses but say demand is rising
Southwest Airlines on Thursday, Oct. 22, lost $1.16 billion in the normally strong third quarter, which includes most of the summer vacation season. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)DALLAS โ Airlines are piling up billions of dollars in additional losses as the pandemic chokes off air travel, but a recent uptick in passengers, however modest, has provided some hope. However, air travel in October is still down 65% from a year ago. The Seattle company said that removing one-time gains and costs, the loss came to $3.23 per share, which was wider than the $2.86 per share loss predicted by analysts. Earlier this month, Delta Air Lines posted a $5.4 billion loss and United Airlines lost $1.8 billion for the third quarter.
United loses $1.8 billion, aims to shift focus to recovery
United Airlines, which furloughed 13,000 employees this month, is expected to report a large third-quarter loss as the coronavirus pandemic continues to batter air travel. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)United Airlines financial hole grew deeper over the summer as a modest recovery in air travel slowed down, pushing the carrier to a loss of $1.84 billion in the typically strong third quarter. The results from United, and those issued a day earlier by Delta Air Lines, reinforced the damage that the pandemic is doing to a major industry. Seven months into the worst of the coronavirus impact in the U.S., air travel remains down 65% from a year ago. United, Delta and American rely on business and international travelers for much of their revenue.
Delta posts $5.4 billion 3Q loss as pandemic hammers travel
Since then, Delta has concentrated on hoarding cash โ it raised $9 billion by mortgaging its frequent-flyer program โ and cutting costs. Executives said 40,000 took leave during the summer; 12,000 were on leave in September. โWe havenโt needed to furlough โ our employees took care of that themselves,โ Bastian said in an interview. They saved each otherโs jobs.โBack in April, airlines reached agreements with the Treasury Department for up to $25 billion in payroll relief, with Delta getting $5.4 billion. Delta employees say the company helped them apply for taxpayer-funded unemployment benefits if they took a voluntary leave of absence.
GOP Minnesota congressmen criticized for flight
President Donald Trump has been hospitalized with the virus and Biden was potentially exposed during Tuesday nightโs presidential debate in Cleveland. ___6 p.m.President Donald Trump has told his longtime friend and sometimes lawyer Rudy Giuliani that heโs โgoing to beatโ the coronavirus. ___5:30 p.m.With President Donald Trump in the hospital, his campaign is launching an effort itโs calling โOperation MAGAโ to maintain momentum. One by one, President Donald Trump and a series of GOP lawmakers have fallen ill with the virus that has killed more than 208,000 Americans. ___12 p.m.President Donald Trumpโs doctors say the president is doing well, is fever-free and isn't having difficulty breathing after contracting the coronavirus.
White House is mulling options to prevent airline furloughs
The airlines and their unions are putting pressure on Congress and the White House to approve more taxpayer help for their industry. However, the fate of the proposal is uncertain because negotiations between the White House and congressional Democrats over a larger virus-relief package have stalled. Meadows said Trump has spoken with people at American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said Meadows remarks indicate that the lobbying by airline unions is working. When Washington first approved airline aid, it was designed to help the carriers survive until air travel and ticket sales improved.
American Airlines plans 19,000 furloughs, layoffs in October
FILE - In this May 28, 2020 file photo, travelers check in at the American Airlines terminal at the Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles. American Airlines says it will furlough or lay off 19,000 employees in October as it struggles with a sharp downturn in travel because of the pandemic. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File )DALLAS American Airlines said Tuesday it will eliminate 19,000 jobs in October as it struggles with a sharp downturn in travel because of the pandemic. U.S. air travel plunged 95% by April, a few weeks after the first significant coronavirus outbreaks in the United States. In March, passenger airlines got $25 billion from the government to save jobs for six months, and American was the biggest beneficiary, receiving $5.8 billion.
Airline CEO: If you insist on not wearing a mask, weโll insist you not fly with us -- from here on out
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian has put out what some are calling an aggressive enforcement of mask-wearing on the companyโs flights. โIf you board the plane and you insist on not wearing your mask, we will insist that you donโt fly Delta into the future,โ Bastian told Today in an interview Wednesday. The CEO said the stance is one heโs taking in order to keep crew and passengers safe during the pandemic. As the coronavirus pandemic continues, Delta flights have been booked to 60% of their capacity, Today reported after speaking with Bastian. โWeโve had some customers indicate that they have (an) underlying condition that makes wearing a mask dangerous for them,โ Bastian said.