Airline News

Despite the competitive airline posturing, long haul flights out of LaGuardia could be good for most.

Premium passengers may be fewer in number, but they make up a big chunk of most airlines' revenue. Even when the economy keeps leisure travellers at home, business travellers still have to fly. And the affluent can fly whenever and wherever they please.

A very tiny slap on the wrist. That $2.7 million is likely less than Delta collected in baggage fees at one airport last year.

The bigger challenge is to get airlines to get their collective heads around this concept, so one day passengers, and their knees, can enjoy cruelty-free flight on the Knee-Rescue seat.

We're still so very confused.

Safety regulations and the limited space available on aircraft make it challenging for airlines to improve at the same rate as airports in accommodating passengers with disabilities. But if some airlines have done it, so can others.

Here we have the secret of the Spirit ULCC formula for success: butts in seats. Butts in tight seats, even. You can build an entire industry around the 1%--and airline industry has--but the 99% are still going to want to fly.

Richard Branson made sure that his Virgin Atlantic oozed cool and shook the aviation industry out of a bland stupor. It's good to see that dynamic brand endure in an industry where many other iconic trailblazers have faded into memory.

IATA had a good idea, it just didn't implement it with any authority.

Perhaps Baldanza spends a lot of time practicing his candor and approachability, but it's working.