A teen girl found an iPhone in an airplane bathroom. Her family says it was put there to record her
The family of a 14-year-old girl who allegedly discovered an iPhone taped to the back of a toilet seat on a recent flight from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Boston said they believe it was put there to record her by a member of the crew.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/SB3I5V5S3BGALMUVNWIREHUIGE.jpg)
Airport crowds, airline ticket sales show travel recovering
An American Airlines jet sits parked at a gate as light snow falls at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Arlington, Va. American Airlines says bookings are coming back they're nearly at pre-pandemic levels. Gasoline demand is up too, as more Americans travel by car. “I would just sort of reiterate the recommendations from CDC, saying please limit travel to essential travel for the time being.”New reported cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. have increased 18% in the past two weeks. However, deaths declined 29% over that same period, to an average of 1,363 per day to 970 per day by Sunday. White House officials said Monday that more than 50 million Americans — nearly one in five adults — are now fully vaccinated.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/SBCNKU6V3FAWBPNAHIWQXP4KTA.jpg)
US airlines adding jobs, extending rebound from October low
The Transportation Department said Tuesday, March 9, 2021, that the airline industry employed 713,949 people full-time or part-time in January. Cargo airlines have added jobs while passenger airlines have shed workers, mostly through incentives for workers to quit or take early retirement. The Transportation Department said Tuesday that 713,949 people held full-time or part-time jobs at airlines in mid-January, up from 694,638 in December and the low of 673,278 in October. American Airlines eliminated 8,700 jobs, or 8% of its workers, and Southwest shed more than 4,600 jobs, or 7.5%. FedEx's express-delivery division grew by about 24,000 jobs, or 9.8%, United Parcel Service added 183 jobs, or 2.9%, in its air-shipment business, and smaller cargo carriers such as Atlas Air also added jobs, according to the Transportation Department.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/XJRUYXKBTVFN3NYSV6O6FWERQU.jpg)
Airline stocks rally, American cites plan to pay off loan
FILE- This Dec. 19, 2017, file photo shows the American Airlines logo on top of the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Airline stocks rose Monday, March 8, 2021 spurred by signs that vaccine rollouts could set up a rebound in travel later this year. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth, File)FORT WORTH, Texas – Airline stocks rose Monday, spurred by signs that vaccine rollouts could set up a rebound in travel later this year. American Airlines, meanwhile, announced plans to raise $7.5 billion by borrowing against its frequent-flyer program and using the funds to pay off a federal loan that it received nearly a year ago, in the early days of the pandemic. Shares of American Airlines ended Monday up 5%.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/KEHZJKADIBEWNDM5NFZJEWNHQM.jpg)
Airlines close books on rotten 2020 and so far, 2021 is grim
An American Airlines Boeing 777 is framed by utility wires as it prepares to land at Miami International Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, in Miami. And now a halting rollout of vaccines threatens to further delay a recovery in travel and the travel industry. On Thursday, as airlines reported results, a new coronavirus variant identified in South Africa was found in the United States for the first time, with two cases diagnosed in South Carolina. “Travel restrictions on international have resulted in a reduction in demand,” American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said. Ad___JETBLUE AIRWAYSJetBlue reported a loss of $381 million, after reporting a profit in the fourth quarter of 2019.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/3G4NJQLJMFGBRBT4IEBKYLCK7Q.jpg)
American Airlines lost $8.9 billion in a year of pandemic
The airline said Thursday that it lost $2.2 billion in the fourth quarter, with revenue plunging by nearly two-thirds from a year earlier. And the airline lost $8.9 billion for the full year after earning nearly $1.7 billion in 2019. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)FORT WORTH, Texas – American Airlines lost $2.2 billion in the fourth quarter as people stayed put in the pandemic, sending the carrier's revenue plunging by nearly two-thirds from the same period a year ago. The results ended a dismal year in which American Airlines Group Inc. lost $8.9 billion after earning nearly $1.7 billion the year before. Quarterly revenue dropped more than 64%, to $4.03 billion in the fourth quarter, not quite as bad as Wall Street had expected.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/Q5ONH5VU6BA53PUF7XK3MKNACU.jpg)
American Airlines is grounding emotional-support animals
(AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)DALLAS – American Airlines is banning emotional-support animals in a move that will force most owners to pay extra if they want their pets to travel with them. The airline said Tuesday that it will allow animals in the cabin free of charge only if they are trained service dogs. The U.S. Transportation Department cleared the way for the crackdown against companion animals last month. Jessica Tyler, American’s president of cargo, said the rules will help passengers with service animals and protect employees on planes and in airports. The number of passengers flying with companion animals grew rapidly in recent years, with some saying the animals helped them overcome anxiety and other issues.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/RTKDIJ6HDBCBRFELMJAOP5Z3WQ.jpg)
Boeing Max returns to US skies with first passenger flight
The American Airlines flight is scheduled to land at New Yorks LaGuardia Airport with about 100 passengers aboard, according to an airline spokeswoman. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)American Airlines flew a Boeing 737 Max with paying passengers from Miami to New York on Tuesday, the plane’s first commercial flight in U.S. skies since it was grounded after two deadly crashes. American flight 718 carried 87 passengers on the 172-seat plane, and the return flight from LaGuardia Airport to Miami International Airport held 151 passengers, according to an airline spokeswoman. Brazil's Gol airlines operated the first passenger flight with a revamped Max on Dec. 9. Some relatives of people who died in the second crash, a Max operated by Ethiopian Airlines, contend that the plane is still unsafe.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/D5DHUWKNXJDVDA66YHBCH6O5MM.jpg)
Waiting for passengers, American puts Boeing Max in the air
An American Airlines Boeing 737 Max jet plane is prepared for to fly from Dallas Fort Worth airport in Grapevine, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. American Airlines took its long-grounded Boeing 737 Max jets out of storage, updating key flight-control software, and flying the planes in preparation for the first flights with paying passengers later this month. “I'm really disgusted by the whole thing and the fact that American Airlines would pay for that. It's not responsible for them to put you on this flight.”Chicago-based Boeing said Wednesday it has flown more than 1,400 test flights on updated Max planes. Regulators in Europe and Brazil have cleared a path for their airlines to resume Max flights in a few weeks.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/5KG4STAGVNC4JBL4TSKJ6MIVSA.jpg)
Asian stocks follow Wall Street lower on virus anxiety
BEIJING – Asian stocks followed Wall Street lower on Thursday as anxiety about the economic fallout from rising coronavirus infections in the United States and Europe clashed with optimism about a possible vaccine. On Wall Street, the benchmark S&P 500 index lost 1.2% on Wednesday, erasing early gains after Pfizer and BioNTech reported more promising vaccine data. Losses accelerated after New York City said it would close its public schools to in-person learning following a surge in infections there. The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.1% to 3,343.35 and the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo sank 0.4% to 25,620.28. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 was up as much as 0.3% on Wednesday after Pfizer and BioNTech reported data suggesting their potential COVID-19 vaccine may be 95% effective.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/YV5SFCJFGZGM5DZNOFSSPBGHOU.jpg)
US airlines still piling up losses but say demand is rising
Southwest Airlines on Thursday, Oct. 22, lost $1.16 billion in the normally strong third quarter, which includes most of the summer vacation season. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)DALLAS – Airlines are piling up billions of dollars in additional losses as the pandemic chokes off air travel, but a recent uptick in passengers, however modest, has provided some hope. However, air travel in October is still down 65% from a year ago. The Seattle company said that removing one-time gains and costs, the loss came to $3.23 per share, which was wider than the $2.86 per share loss predicted by analysts. Earlier this month, Delta Air Lines posted a $5.4 billion loss and United Airlines lost $1.8 billion for the third quarter.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/B3GTTLKLMFCFBMGHLPUYJJGIPA.jpg)
Democratic proposal for more airline aid stalls in Congress
Travellers check in at a United Airlines kiosk with help from a United employee in the main terminal of Denver International Airport Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, in Denver. Earlier in the day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged airlines to delay 32,000 furloughs that began this week while Congress considered DeFazio's bill. American Airlines and United Airlines held back, however, saying they would wait for Congress to approve the money before recalling furloughed workers. Congress approved $25 billion in payroll aid six months ago in hopes that the travel industry might be stronger by fall. On top of that, American is furloughing 19,000 workers, United is cutting 13,000, and Alaska furloughed about 500.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/ZASYHMYLF5AOLHPD3HITN7F6JA.jpg)
Airline furloughs begin as federal pandemic relief expires
U.S. airlines began furloughing more than 32,000 employees on Thursday after a federal prohibition on job cuts expired. American Airlines and United Airlines said that they could reverse the furloughs if Congress and the White House quickly agree to provide billions more in taxpayer help to the embattled airline industry. The White House included $20 billion for airlines in a $1.6 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal, moving closer to House Democrats' $2.2 trillion plan. Airlines and their unions are lobbying for money to keep workers on airline payrolls for six more months, through next March. They received $25 billion, mostly in cash, to pay employees through Sept. 30 in exchange for avoiding layoffs or furloughs.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/QMFZHCCPRNB6ZOBWQY2TH3BZOI.jpg)
American, United to furlough 32,000 as time runs out on aid
American Airlines and United Airlines say they will begin to furlough 32,000 employees after lawmakers and the White House failed to agree on a broad pandemic relief package that includes more federal aid for airlines. She said a bailout that keeps airline workers employed would be cheaper for the government than putting them on the unemployment line during a pandemic. Beyond American and United, smaller airlines have sent layoff warnings to several thousand employees. Late Tuesday, the Treasury Department said it completed loans to seven major airlines: American, United, Alaska, JetBlue, Frontier, Hawaiian and SkyWest. American now expects to borrow $5.5 billion from the Treasury, and United can get $5.17 billion.
:strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/PTQSQZMRURCD7E2BAEZSQLEBG4.jpg)
Asia shares mixed in thin holiday trading after Wall St gain
Journalists film an electronic stock board showing reopened Japan's Nikkei 225 index at Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo Friday, Oct. 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)TOKYO – Asian shares were mixed Friday in thin holiday trading, with markets in South Korea, Shanghai and Hong Kong closed. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin continued their talks on Thursday, but no breakthrough arrived before stock trading ended on Wall Street. United Airline's stock gained 1.2%, and American Airlines shares rose 2.4%, but only after a turbulent day of ups and downs. In other trading, U.S. benchmark crude lost 43 cents to $38.29 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.