Merger Talks Swirl Around Airlines
LAX Terminal Evacuated After “Suspicious Comment”
Drunk Passenger Thrown In Jail and Ordered to Pay
Sheraton and Four Seasons Join Trend, Go Smoke-Free
BA & Virgin to Compensate for Illegal Fuel Surcharges
MERGER TALKS WITH CONTINENTAL AND UNITED, AND OTHERS - Reuters
United Airlines and Continental Airlines have been talking more seriously about merging, but a deal rests on the outcome between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines Corp. Delta and Northwest are also getting closer to a deal, but a merger is not expected yet. Although pilots are reviewing a proposal of what the merged company would entail, a deal could be made before the pilots’ union approves the proposal. Even Continental has been talking to AMR Corp’s American Airlines, according to The Wall Street Journal. Analysts forecast that a merger with Delta and Northwest would trigger other consolidation possibilities with other large airlines.
Link: Reuters
LAX TERMINAL EVACUATED AFTER “SUSPICIOUS COMMENT” - MSNBC
A “suspicious comment” made by an airline passenger caused the FBI to take him into custody, and a terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) was evacuated for two hours. An LAX spokesperson said the man and his luggage were searched once he exited a Southwest Airlines flight from El Paso, Texas, but no weapons or explosives were found. The two-hour evacuation caused flights carrying a total of 1,800 passengers to be delayed. The FBI is investigating the situation.
Link: MSNBC
DRUNK PASSENGER THROWN IN JAIL AND ORDERED TO PAY - Consumerist
When Russell Petrie boarded a plane and yelled, “Let’s party and have some drinks!” it might have been a signal that he was too sloshed to fly. Petrie somehow finagled five vodka drinks and two glasses of wine from two different flight attendants before American flight attendants refused to serve him any more alcohol on his flight from Seattle to Miami. When he was denied more alcoholic beverages, he made suggestive comments to female flight attendants and said, “You don’t [deleted] decide how much vodka I can drink … I’ll meet you off the airplane.”
Link: Consumerist
SHERATON AND FOUR SEASONS JOIN TREND AND GO SMOKE-FREE – Upgrade Travel Better
Sheraton and Four Points, which are part of the Starwood group, have joined a growing trend and have banned smoking at all of their properties in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean. Although this choice could be interpreted as the company wanting to improve their guests’ longevity, it also will help the company cut costs, since cleaning a smoke-filled room is time-consuming and more expensive than cleaning a non-smoking room.
Link: Upgrade: Travel Better
BA, VIRGIN TO COMPENSATE FOR ILLEGAL FUEL SURCHARGES – Business Travel News Online
Both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic agreed on February 15 to a class action settlement, which claimed that United States and United Kingdom passengers “overpaid for their airline tickets because the airlines illegally agreed to increase the amount of the ‘fuel surcharge’ they added to the ticket price.” According to the law firm Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, eight million customers are entitled to cash settlements. British Airways and Virgin are offering a total of $59 million to U.S. passengers and £73.5 million for UK passengers.
Link: Business Travel News
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