Airlines | featured news

2012 ended for 162 passengers on a Spirit Airlines plane with an unexpected bump.

Southwest Airlines customers will soon pay a fee for not canceling a ticket before their flight. The airline outlined the new policy Friday at an investors' conference in New York. Right now, Southwest lets passengers who don't use their ticket apply the price toward a new ticket. Southwest says it can reduce no-shows and generate more revenue by adding the cancellation fee on restricted tickets.

Pilots at United Continental Holdings, the world's biggest airline, have ratified a contract with the U.S. carrier that will provide enhanced pay and retirement plan contributions, their union said on Saturday.

Airline passengers can already get online 30,000 feet over Oklahoma. Soon U.S. airlines will offer Internet connections over the ocean, too. United, Delta, and American — the nation's three biggest airlines — said Wednesday that they're within weeks of having their first international flights with Internet service.

Delta Air Lines said it will buy almost half of Virgin Atlantic for $360 million as it seeks a bigger share of the lucrative New York-to-London travel market. Delta plans to form a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic, where the two airlines would share money from the flights operated under the partnership. In order to coordinate the schedules of the two airlines, they’ll need antitrust approval from U.S. and European regulators. Landing rights at London’s Heathrow Airport are limited.

United Airlines says it has fixed a computer problem that led to widespread delays for thousands of its passengers. The outage lasted for about two hours Thursday morning. The problem was that dispatchers couldn't send flight information to about half of the United's mainline flights.

United Airlines says Superstorm Sandy cut its October revenue by about $90 million as it was forced to cancel almost 5,300 flights.

If the sting of paying to board early, check a bag or enjoy a few extra inches of legroom has gotten a bit sharper lately, you’re not alone. According to a new report, the world’s airlines will earn an estimated $36.1 billion in ancillary revenues this year.

Airlines hastily canceled flights in the Northeast Sunday as Hurricane Sandy moved up the coast. The massive storm threatens to bring a near halt to air travel for at least two days in a key region for both domestic and international flights.

In the skies over Europe, Asia and the Middle East, airline passengers can chat and text on cellphones without getting an angry look from a flight attendant. Thai Airways, with regular flights from Los Angeles to Bangkok, recently announced plans to offer onboard cellphone service, joining about 20 other foreign-based carriers that already offer it.