Free Republic

Prices in the U.S. have been rising across the board, but the increase in airfares has been particularly acute. Part of that is due to a significant pilot shortage. A new report from the Oliver Wyman consulting firm finds that North America has about 90,000 pilots, falling approximately 8,000 pilots short of demand. And the problem is only getting worse, projected to rise to a shortage of 30,000 pilots over the next decade. We can blame three coalescing events: regulatory changes enacted under President Obama, vaccine mandates, and forced pilot retirements as airlines scrambled to stay afloat during the pandemic....

A Washington state councilman accused of using racy photos to promote speaking engagements and using campaign funds for luxury personal items is facing a recall. Lynnwood City Councilman Josh Binda, 23, could lose his job after being charged with four counts of misbehavior including lying to the council. Lynnwood City is located just north of Seattle. In a post from April, Binda share a photo of him showing off a new tattoo while topless and announcing he was starting a public speaking business. 'To all the students I've inspired, talked too [sic], helped, coached, or impacted this 'Love Conquers All'...

The coronavirus crisis has brought about bleak times for travellers, with flights to many popular destinations restricted or cancelled. But the good news is that with airlines struggling to fill cabins, flight prices are plummeting. And package holiday prices are falling, too. TravelSupermarket has been analysing customer searches and package holiday prices and reports significant drops.

In the second part of the year, Delta Air Lines aims to boost its fares as it faces rising fuel costs and barriers to revenue. Delta Air Lines presented its investors some new strategies for the second part of the year that will trim its capacity growth plan—a plan that eventually could end with higher fare prices. According to Delta, it hopes to become “the first network carrier to return to positive unit revenue growth later this year.”

Airlines paying more for fuel because waistlines are expanding by: Anne Wright From: Herald Sun January 12, 2012 12:00AM PEOPLE weighing more than average should pay more for their airfares than slimmer passengers, a former Qantas executive says. Tony Webber said airlines were paying more for fuel because the average weight of the population had increased. The extra fuel needed cost about $472 a plane, he said, and additional weight of passengers affected airlines' profits. "It's just a fact, and the thing is airlines consider these things when deciding how much fuel to put on the plane," said Mr Webber,...

As the summer travel season approaches, airline industry experts predict that soaring fuel prices and a sharp pickup in passenger demand will push airfares up 15% over a year earlier — to levels not seen since before the economic downturn. Fare hikes have already begun, with six of the nation's largest airlines each raising rates at least five times since Jan. 1 for nearly all routes. By the time the peak summer travel season rolls around, travel industry experts predict, domestic airfares may reach an average of nearly $390, up from a low of $302 two years ago.

I'm reading about 'Good airline fees? Some are worth the money' on   Fluent News. Here is the link: http://fluentnews.com/s/23644037

Air fares could rise by 40 per cent because of the soaring cost of oil, industry experts warned yesterday. The increase threatens to put holidays abroad out of reach for thousands of families. It comes on top of fuel surcharges which have already added up to £872 to the cost of a long-haul flight for a family of four.

ATLANTA (AP) -- Delta Air Lines' plan to cut its most expensive fares and ax a Saturday-night stay-over rule for cheaper tickets could be a boon to business travelers. But some rivals balked at the idea and analysts warned the move could reduce the already struggling industry's revenues as much as $3 billion a year if every carrier followed suit.Shares of airline stocks slumped after the announcement.Several other airlines were reviewing Delta's plan. None immediately matched it nationwide. And two discount carriers, Southwest and AirTran, said they already offer lower fares than Delta's new model.One thing is for sure from...

Budget airline Ryanair today pledged to "destroy the airline business as we know it" as it reported a surge in profits for last year.The low-cost carrier made an after-tax profit of 239.4m euros (£172m) in 2002-03, for the year ending March 2003. This was a 59% rise on the 2001-02 figure of 150.4m euros (around £108m).As the company unveiled strong profits, Michael O'Leary, its combative chief executive, said that he intended to keep the pressure on competitors by aggressive fare-cutting. Mr O'Leary added that Ryanair expected to become Europe's biggest internationally scheduled carrier, beating Lufthansa and British Airways, within three...