Southwest

Category Archives for Southwest.

Airline slot swaps, GDS scrutiny, Chicago flying high, Singapore on the cheap & a respectable angry flight attendant

It’s time again for a quick wrap up of noteworthy news items from the airline and travel industry this week, summarized below: Delta Air Lines and US Airways have re-engaged each other for a potential slot swap at New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport aimed to align each carrier better with…

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United Airlines presents at the Global Transportation Conference

Yesterday, several airlines presented at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Transportation Conference in Boston. Zane Rowe, Executive Vice President & CFO, and Gerry Laderman, Senior Vice President – Finance & Treasurer, spoke on behalf of United Airlines. Zane and I actually attended the same undergraduate university concurrently, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach,…

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Southwest Airlines jet skids off runway, plus merger approved with AirTran

Southwest Airlines has been in the news in recent days for a couple of incidents, and successfully winning government approval to proceed with the AirTran Airways merger. Yesterday, Flight 1919 from Denver skidded off runway 13C after landing during a rainstorm at Chicago’s Midway Airport. None of the 134 passengers or five crew members were…

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Online bag tracking, new US-Australia service, Hilton lobby revamp, suing Sabre & first quarter losses

Here’s a recap of additional news from this week that caught my attention: Delta Air Lines introduces the ability to track your checked bags online, as well as at self-service kiosks at its largest stations around the U.S. These upgrades also allow you to submit a missing bag report electronically, where in the past you…

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The future of airline frequent flyer loyalty programs

This past February, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and likely others were in attendance at “Loyalty 2011,” an annual conference for all things loyalty programs. One of the main topics focused on the future of the now 30-year old marketing machines, noting specifically that the industry should evolve with the needs of those racking up the…

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US frequent flyer programs focusing more and more on revenue than miles & segments

As being widely reported in the news and blogs this week, Southwest Airlines is launching their revised frequent flyer program on March 1, 2011. Instead of the current segment-based earning system, it will now be based on the price of your ticket, with 6 points per dollar earned for the lowest fares, and 12 points…

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Southwest Airlines expands its routes and wings

This week brought a few noteworthy items from Southwest Airlines. First, they announced their frequency and city selections for all 18-slots they leased out of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). In August this year, Continental and United satisfied antitrust regulator concerns about their merger by granting 18 of their coveted EWR slots to fare-war-favorite Southwest.…

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The 2010 Zagat Airline Survey results are in

The publisher of the popular Zagat restaurant guides surveyed its readers for their opinions on airlines and airports around the world, and the results are out today. The 8,007 respondents flew an average of 17.4 flights per year, and were likely seasoned travelers as the age demographic skewed older with 57% over the age of…

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