Enjoy foreign service on N. American flights – USA Today
I talk to USA Today’s Ben Mutzabaugh about some of the “fifth freedom” flights operating in the US, including my personal favorite – Air New Zealand from LAX to London.

Airlines Fill Seats with Ease in November, Southwest Leaps Ahead – BNET
Southwest boosted its loads by 13.3 points in November. Yeehaw, that’s a lot.

Airlines Charging More for That Sought-After Seat – The New York Times
I voice the somewhat unpopular sentiment that charging for better seats on the plane is a good thing.

United Airlines Fights Mesa Air Group Over Airplanes (Part I) – BNET
United is suing Mesa over the introduction of 10 regional jets into service. This is the story of how they got to this point.

United Splits Its Widebody Fleet Order Between Boeing and Airbus – BNET
Why did United split its fleet order? Blame the manufacturers.

United Airlines Sues Mesa Air Group Over Airplanes (Part II) – BNET
And now, part 2 of our saga. In short, it seems to me that United wants out and Mesa made a mistake.

Radio Interview on the Noon Business Hour – WBBM 780 Chicago
I spoke with WBBM on Boeing’s prospects after the United order. My segment begins at the 25 minute mark and goes for about 3 minutes.

Japan and the US Near Aviation Open Skies Agreement, American and Delta Salivate – BNET
The Japanese market is one of the most fascinating to watch right now. Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening.

US Airways’ Charlotte to Honolulu Flight Might Just Work
At first glance, the new US Airways flight from Charlotte to Honolulu seems pretty awful, but it may actually end up being smart.

Alaska Fills the Void in the Austin to San Jose Market
American pulls out and a couple days later, Alaska moves in. This might be smart.

Continental’s Biofuel Test Results are Good
Continental’s biofuel test results mirror those of Air New Zealand. They’re good.

Frontier to Become Subsidiary of Republic
Frontier announced yesterday that it plans to come out of bankruptcy as a full subsidiary of Republic.

What is Republic’s Strategy?
Now that Republic has stepped out in a big way with its Frontier purchase, what exactly is its strategy?

787 First Flight Delayed . . . Again
Did you hear that scream from airline exec offices around the world? The 787 is delayed once again.

United Pilots Prepare for Scope Battle
Pilot negotiations at United are heating up and Scope is about to take center stage.

Malev Orders Sukhoi Superjets
The Superjet got a big order, but is this the start of something big?

Alliance Panel at the Phoenix Aviation Symposium
The alliances discussion was one of the more interesting panels, I thought. The talk centered around why and even if alliances are worthwhile.

Modernizing the Fleet: Phoenix Aviation Symposium
So when is the right time to buy new airplanes? Credit is hard to come by and people are waiting for new technology. When will that happen?

Aircraft Manufacturers, Regulators Fight Over the Environment
A discussion on the environment turned heated as everyone tried to discuss the best way to make things better. Unsurprisingly, there was no consensus.

The Importance of American’s Wi-fi Announcement
American’s decision to expand wireless internet to most of its domestic fleet is a very important one for the US airline industry. And that’s good news for travelers.

JetBlue’s President and COO Russ Chew Talks About the Airline’s Transformation
I didn’t just sit down with JetBlue CEO Dave Barger last week. I also spoke with Russ Chew to talk about the airline’s internal transformation.

JetBlue Leaves Open Skies for Sabre
The Open Skies system may be simple, but it no longer provides what many low cost carriers need. That’s why it’s Sabre time.

Abandoned Airport Looks to Solar Energy
Palmdale Airport may not work as an actual airport, but a solar energy farm? Now we’re talking.

JetBlue Offers Refunds For Those Who Lose Their Jobs
JetBlue says not to worry about losing your job, because they’ll give your money back if you do . . . with several restrictions.

Aircraft Demand Continues to Drop
Drive by Marana or Mojave and you’re likely to see plenty more airplanes collecting dust than at this time last year. The trend isn’t changing either.

Delta Replaces Northwest from Los Angeles to Las Vegas
Northwest has flown Vegas to LA for years to feed people from Tokyo and other Asian cities, but that’s ending. Delta is taking it over and changing the times.

Large Aircraft Security Proposal Threatens to Strangle General Aviation
The TSA is at it again. This time, they’re trying to slap commercial aviation-style security on general aviation. Uh oh.

Sabre Allows Travel Agents to Sell United’s Economy Plus
It took them long off, but United and Sabre have finally teamed together to allow travel agents using Sabre to sell Economy Plus upgrades on United.

Alaska Gets Its Wireless Internet Test Up and Running
Alaska now has one plane test flying with onboard internet. When will one of these test airlines actually commit?

How Important is Aircraft Type?
Do people really care what type of plane they’re flying on? A report from Boeing says that they do, but I’m not entirely convinced on this one.

Air Canada’s Olympic Ads Work, United’s Don’t
United and Air Canada have both put out ads as official Olympic sponsors. While Air Canada’s work for me, United’s do not.

Northwest’s Smart WorldPerks Marketing
There are plenty of reasons not to like airline marketing, but I received an email from Northwest after my latest booking that was very smart on their part.

United and American Make Opposite Fleet Moves
United is likely to cancel its narrowbody commitments while American is ramping up. Why are the two airlines taking such different tacts?

American and British Airways Apply for Antitrust Immunity
Now that open skies between the US and Europe has opened up Heathrow, American and British Airways and looking to catch up to the other alliances.