Wis. pension agency changes policy to discourage expensive business-class flights

Wis. pension agency clamps down on pricey flights

Continental Airlines 3Q loss narrows from a year ago, business travel still weak

DALLAS — Continental Airlines Inc. lost money in the third quarter as business travelers stayed home, causing a nosedive in airline revenue.

Shares of most US airlines rise as broader market falls

ATLANTA — Shares of most major U.S. carriers rose Tuesday as the broader stock market and oil prices fell.

United Airlines parent lost $57 million in 3Q, but revenue fell less than in 2Q

United Airlines said on Tuesday that it’s seeing early signs of a recovery in business travel as it reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss.

United Airlines parent lost $57 million in 3Q but revenue fell less than analysts expected

United Airlines parent UAL Corp. reported a money-losing third quarter on Tuesday but said it is beginning to see signs that business travel could pick up soon.

Southwest Airlines reports a 3Q loss on special items, as revenue falls 7.8 pct

Southwest Airlines lost $16 million during the third quarter, and its CEO said there’s no sign that business travel is on the verge of picking up.

Plenty of airfare sales around, but it may not pay to wait for a lower price

The great airline sale of 2009 may be ending.

8 tips for a comfortable air travel experience that probably weren’t on your radar

ATLANTA — Ever get thirsty during your flight and wished you didn’t have to wait an hour or so for the beverage cart to come down the aisle?

Airline ticket buyers will get a new way to spend a little more, for charity

MINNEAPOLIS — Travelers who buy airline tickets already wrestle with add-ons like cars, hotels, or planting a tree to make up for the jet fuel planes burn. Soon, they may be able to donate to fight AIDS in developing countries, too.

AP INVESTIGATION: SC Gov. Sanford’s charter jet use in Europe cost state more than $63,000

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, already facing scrutiny for expensive taxpayer-funded flights, relied on charter jet services costing more than $63,000 when traveling in Europe on two state business trips, an Associated Press investigation has found.

Number of flights will fall with autumn leaves as carriers see fewer passenger bookings

DALLAS — The U.S. airline industry is shrinking to a size not seen since the months after the 2001 terror attacks.

Airline traffic continued to drop during summer vacation season as seat supply also fell

DALLAS — Summer has come and gone without giving much lift to the nation’s airlines.

Psychologists on how to help distressed colleagues; Airfare rates drop as employees fly coach

PREVENTING TRAGEDIES: The stresses of hard times can overwhelm someone without a support system of family and friends, psychologists say, sometimes even leading to tragedies at a work site.

SC gov defends using state plane for personal trips, says flights similar to predecessors

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford on Tuesday justified his use of state planes for personal trips in which he often brought along his wife and four sons, saying his taxpayer-funded travel was no different than that of his predecessors.

British Airways leads the way on stripping out services as demand for premium travel falls

LONDON — As demand for premium class air travel is steadily whittled away by the global recession, British Airways PLC is leading moves among European flagship carriers to strip out costly services like onboard meals that had previously distinguished them from budget airlines.

Delta Air Lines giving extra benefits to elite fliers, could help lure business travelers

ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines Inc. is taking a page from the cell phone industry and will be allowing elite frequent fliers to roll over miles earned above their qualification status in a given year so they have an easier time maintaining that status or improving to a higher one the next year.

Southwest, United parent report 2Q profit, Continental has loss and more jobs take off

DALLAS — Southwest Airlines and the parent of United made money in the second quarter, but the profits were overshadowed Tuesday by more job cuts and pessimism over the severe slump in travel and rising fuel costs.

Meltdown 101: Airlines resort to capacity cuts to adjust to rough economic times

Like most businesses, airlines want to grow. But during these difficult economic times, their survival depends on their ability to shrink, as they try to match how much they fly with the number of travelers willing to pay for a ticket.

New hotels in Jersey City, Hoboken, hope to lure NYC leisure, business travelers and locals

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Jersey City and Hoboken offer great views of Manhattan from across the Hudson River. But New Yorkers and tourists don’t generally consider the two New Jersey cities destinations worth leaving the Big Apple for — unless they’re touring locations connected to “The Sopranos.”

SC senator calling for hearings into governor’s spending on visits with Argentine ’soul mate’

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina lawmaker says he plans to hold hearings into whether Gov. Mark Sanford spent state money during trysts with his Argentine mistress.

AP INVESTIGATION: No coach seats for SC governor; Sanford flew up front on key state travel

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford shed his fiscal conservatism on several taxpayer-funded international trips, including a South American jaunt that included time with his mistress, choosing expensive first-class or business-class seats while his aides sat in coach.

AMR expected to post second-quarter loss on drop in traffic from last year

DALLAS — American Airlines parent AMR Corp. reports second-quarter earnings on Wednesday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.

A by-the-numbers look at business travel and its impact on the airlines and hotels

DOMESTIC TRAVEL PIE:

$641 billion in 2007 spending by U.S. residents.

Hotels, airlines offer more deals & rewards to win piece of shrinking business travel budgets

NEW YORK — Airfare wars and room-rate promotions are usually aimed at vacationers, but airlines and hotels are resorting to similar tactics to regain their traditional cash cow — the business traveler.

As government tags passports, licenses, critics fear privacy is ‘chipped’ away

Climbing into his Volvo, outfitted with a Matrics antenna and a Motorola reader he’d bought on eBay for $190, Chris Paget cruised the streets of San Francisco with this objective: To read the identity cards of strangers, wirelessly, without ever leaving his car.

Shanghai aims for luxury travelers _ a tough sell in hard times

SHANGHAI — Global travel may be ailing, but China’s biggest city of Shanghai is pursuing luxury travelers with a vengeance, bent on restoring a reputation for opulence and elegance that once made it the Paris of the Orient.

Southwest Airlines flies into the crowded skies of New York in search of business travelers

DALLAS — LaGuardia Airport is the smallest of the three major airports in the New York area, with just two main runways. Planes often sit in long lines on the tarmac, waiting their turn to take off.

Tips for getting off to your destination on-time when you travel _ hassle free

ATLANTA — You’ve got to drop your kids off at school, stop by the bank and pick up your dry cleaning. That’s a lot to do and still make it to the airport two hours before your 11 a.m. flight.

Meltdown 101: Will airlines follow US automakers into bankruptcy protection?

DALLAS — Auto companies and airlines are both getting hammered by the recession, but while two of the nation’s major carmakers went into bankruptcy court protection, the leading U.S. carriers are flying above the carnage — for now.

Continental Airlines CEO says business travelers hold key to airline industry recovery

DALLAS — Continental Airlines Inc. is pressing its corporate customers to step up their travel because business traffic holds the key to recovery in the slumping airline industry, Chief Executive Larry Kellner said Thursday.