- United Airlines is pulling all Boeing 787 Dreamliners out of service until at least May 12, at which time they intend to launch Denver-Tokyo nonstop flights. A company spokesperson said other 787 flights will be held until June 5, pending successful resolution of Dreamliner issues.
- Southwest Airlines has expanded its live television programming to all Wi-Fi enabled flights, and added movies. Prices run $5 per movie, per device and/or $5 per day for television.
- Lufthansa will reduce long-haul aircraft sporting first class in the coming year(s). Some Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 747-400 aircraft will be reconfigured due to the change. Vancouver flights are reported to be one of the specific markets affected.
- Delta Air Lines is once again attempting an airfare hike, looking to raise certain domestic airfares by $4-$10 roundtrip. As of earlier this afternoon, United is the only airline yet to match.
- Profitability per airline passenger has been dropping the past several years (PDF). Airlines for America has an interesting presentation showing the drop from 318 cents per passenger in 2010 to 77 cents in 2011, to 21 cents in 2012. Time to raise ancillary fees?
- Blogger-buddy NonRevAdventure has a thought-provoking post questioning hotel loyalty and whether it’s worth it to spend more just for added perks. My travel will be significantly decreasing later this year and I’ll certainly be back to choosing a hotel more on price vs. loyalty.
- Wyndham will reflag and operate a whopping 41 additional hotels in Germany, almost doubling its properties in the country. Additional locations in Belgium and the Netherlands will also be reflagged.
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Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 19, 2013