FAA Warns on Exploding Cellphones

Remember those exploding hoverboards , the once-popular self-balancing scooters that most airlines banned late last year due to their proven combustibility? The problem with the hoverboards was pinned on their lithium ion batteries, which were also the culprits in a series of onboard fires that bedeviled early models of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. In yet another

The World’s Largest Airport Will Cost $36 Billion

When a planned $32 billion expansion is completed, Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) will be the world’s largest. The airport, named for the emirate’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will eventually handle more than 200 million passengers a year, and be capable of accommodating 100 double-decker Airbus A380s at a time. For

Auf Wiedersehen: Air Berlin Files for Bankruptcy

German low-cost carrier Air Berlin filed for bankruptcy earlier this week, after one of it’s largest investors, Etihad Airlines, declined to finance a business-saving bailout. Air Berlin carries more than two million passengers per year, but struggled amidst intense competition from rival carriers in the Europe market. The airline has European hubs in the eponymous

JetBlue to Sell Semi-Private Plane Fares with JetSuiteX

JetBlue’s announcement of a new codesharing deal with semi-private plane carrier JetSuiteX highlights the behind-the-scenes growth of a new class of airline—corporate travel. JetSuiteX offers scheduled flights on a handful of routes from Burbank, California to nearby Concord, Las Vegas, Oakland, San Jose, and (seasonally) Mammoth. The big difference from your standard airline is that

Delta Ends Empty Middle Seats Policy

For the last few months, Delta has been the lone U.S. airline holding out and leaving middle seats empty, but that’s about to change. Delta CEO Ed Bastian just announced that the airline will be unblocking the middle seat and booking flights to full capacity starting May 1. Bastian cited an increase in COVID-19 vaccination

Airlines Set to Pull in Record $39 Billion in Profit This Year

Yep, that’s “billion” with a ‘b’. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade group for the world’s airlines, estimates that global profit for 2016 will be $39.4 billion this year, a nine percent increase over 2015. “It seems that we are living in extraordinary financial times,” said IATA director-general Alexandre de Juniac. He also noted that

La Compagnie to Shut Down Business-Class Flights to London

Google “La Compagnie” and the top non-sponsored result describes the airline thusly: “Discover Paris and London with La Compagnie, the unique French all-business-class airline, at an affordable price.” That descriptor is accurate today, but won’t be from September 25, when La Compagnie suspends its service between the U.S. and London. The company linked its withdrawal

Amazon Is Offering Nine Free Kindle Downloads for World Book Day

Amazon is helping us celebrate World Book Day (Thursday, April 23) in quarantine with nine free Kindle downloads. Take a look at the free books you can download … we’re especially excited because many of the downloads are travel related. Related: 9 Secret Amazon Kindle Tips You Probably Don’t Know About Check out the other

United Airlines Is Changing Its Boarding Process

Flyers covet the window seat for many reasons, and now you can add another to the list: getting to board first on United Airlines. Starting October 26, the carrier will change its boarding process to allow window-seat passengers in economy class to board before passengers in the middle and aisle seats, according to an internal