Airline News

Customers are sure to complain about these new fees, but if they want the low fares these companies offer, they have to play the game.

If the DOT wants to make an example of Southwest, a company that makes about $2.7 million per day, it's going to have to levy fines quite a bit heftier than this.

Barger is seeking to maintain JetBlue's middle ground between ultra low cost and network carriers, but investors' new love affair with Spirit Airlines and others of its type will keep the pressure on JetBlue management.

Anyone who boards a commercial airline sees that there are privileged and not-so privileged passengers in the eyes of the airline. United Mileage Plus reinforces and widens the great divide by providing more bang per mile for elite flyers on lucrative intercontinental routes.

What does matter to most travelers are the price, connections, and time the flight takes -- in that order. If you happen to get on a nice, new Airbus plane? Well that's just a bonus.

JetBlue passengers deserve to know that a cyber attack on JetBlue's computer network went undetected for more than three years. Even though the files allegedly accessed contained crew members' information only, it is still an incident that customers should be aware of.

Frontier is trying to become a Spirit-like airline, apparently without the wild advertising, as Frontier has recently begun charging passengers for soft drinks, online check-ins, and a bevy of other fees. It will, of course, be interesting to find out who the potential buyer is.

Southwest has no imminent change in policy in the works regarding fees, but that doesn't mean that it considers having no bag fees its religion. The airline is willing to mull policy changes if it determines that a big switch would be in its interests.

Now, if US Airways would pay a little more attention to their relatively low-paying passengers in coach, that would be something.

With U.S. airlines selling aisle, window and exit row seats for an extra fee throughout the aircraft, child-free zones could be a logistical nightmare even if it were a good idea.