Airlines

SETTLEMENT REACHED: AA, Orbitz sign deal

American Airlines and Orbitz have reached an agreement to resolve all litigation between them. The settlement requires review and approval by the court presiding over AMR Corporation's restructuring. At this time, neither company will have further comment. For more, go to http://www.aa.com or http://www.orbitz.com...

ETIHAD CEO: Alliances have outlived their usefulness

Legacy airline alliances have outlived their usefulness, according to Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways' president and chief executive officer, James Hogan, who delivered a keynote speech last week at the International Aviation Club in Washington, D.C. Hogan said Etihad Airways' unique business model, which is a combination of organic growth, codeshares and minority equity investments, was proving very effective in building passenger numbers, revenue and profit for all its partners. "The traditional airline alliances have evolved into slow-to-respond, bureaucratic organizations which struggle to...

TRANSAT: Set to internalize medium-haul operations

Transat A.T. Inc. will add Boeing B737 narrow-body jets to Air Transat's fleet, which currently comprises Airbus A310 and A330 wide-body aircraft, beginning in 2014. In doing so, the company will internalize its medium-haul operations outbound from Canada to sun destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean and Florida, for which it has relied on a third-party partner since 2003. Some of the new aircraft will be permanently attached to the fleet. In winter, when demand on sun destination routes is higher, additional aircraft will be introduced on a seasonal basis. Eventually, Transat plans to operate...

CONFIDENCE RISING: Passenger growth accelerates

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global passenger traffic results for February show that demand growth is accelerating on the back of stronger business confidence, particularly in emerging regions. Passenger demand rose 3.7% compared to February 2012. The 3.7% growth masks improvements in recent months. October 2012 appears to have been a turning point for air travel markets. Since October, passenger demand has been growing at an annualized rate of 9%. This is almost double the growth trend over the first 9 months of 2012. "February's performance was good news....

CATHAY PACIFIC: Bringing YVR-NYC closer together

Grand Central Station, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty are now within easy reach from Vancouver thanks to new and more affordable airfares from Cathay Pacific. Economy Class airfares starting from $589, including taxes and fees, are on sale through May 31. These lower airfares are available for travel from April 15-30 and From Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. For those wishing extra pampering, Cathay's new Premium Economy Class starts at $1,219, including taxes and fees, and are available for travel through Dec. 31....