Spirit Airlines Strike Is On: Flights Cancelled, Travelers Stranded

On Saturday, Florida-based Spirit Airlines cancelled flights systemwide, leaving thousands of travelers stranded. The reason: A strike called by the airlines' pilots who have long argued their pay lags their competitors, such as JetBlue and Air Tran. On the company website, the airline announced they would offer refunds to all customers who had flights cancelled Saturday, and provide an additional $100 voucher valid for future travel. But this has been little help to some as the cost to repurchase a last minute ticket on a different airline is as much as 2 to 3 times more than the Spirit ticket - leaving some stranded.

No word yet whether flights will operate Sunday.

Spirit normally flies about 150 daily flights throughout the United States - mostly east coast, and throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. The airline briefly operated flights to/from San Francisco in 2006.

Libyan Plane Crash Kills 103, Dutch Boy Survives

One Dutch child reportedly survived a fiery plane crash at Tripoli airport in Libya early Wednesday morning. Initial reports put the death toll at 103 people, while one lone survivor, a 10-year old boy walking away with only fractures. The Libyan Afriqiyah Airways Airbus 330-200 enroute from Johannesburg, was full of Dutch tourists before crashing near the airport on final approach.

United and Continental Airlines Agree to Merge

United and Continental Airlines made it official today, announcing the two companies will merge and become the largest airline in the world based on total volume. In a statement to customers, United said the companies are expected to combine later this year, pending governmental approval. Until then, the companies remain independent and will continue to compete with each other. The airlines have set up a new website which discusses the combined airlines and shows off its livery; note the Continental globe with the United brand name is proposed in this illustration.

Happening Now: Volcanic Ash Shuts Down N. Europe Air Traffic

NY Times: The shutdown, among the most sweeping ever ordered in peacetime, forced the cancellation of thousands of flights and left airplanes stranded on the tarmac at some of the world's busiest airports as the rolling cloud - made of of minute particles of silicate that can severely damage airplane engines- spread over Britain and toward continental Europe. Read more from the New York Times.

Ethiopian Airliner Crashes Near Lebanon; 90 Aboard

Breaking News

An Ethiopian airliner carrying 83 passengers and 7 crew members crashed early Monday morning while enroute to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Abada. The plane disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff from Beirut around 2:30 a.m. local time Monday. Stormy weather was reported at time of takeoff. Officials are searching an area off the Lebanese coast where the plane was thought to have gone down.

Breaking News: Yemeni Airliner Carrying 150 Crashes Into Indian Ocean

A Yemeni airliner with 150 people on board has crashed in the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean, a government official said Tuesday. "We don't know if there are any survivors among the 150 people on the plane," the official told Reuters. Read the lastest from Reuters.

Hopes Fade for 228 Aboard Missing French Jet

All 228 people onboard an Air France plane are feared dead after encountering stormy weather late Sunday night over the Atlantic Ocean. AF Flight 447 was enroute to Paris from Rio de Janeiro when it encountered severe turbulence four hours into the flight. Shortly thereafter, a series of automatic messages were sent from the plane reporting electrical faults in the aircraft. No mayday or official communication came from the pilot, but a crew member from a nearby flight reported "bright spots" in the ocean approximately 800 miles from Fernando de Noronha archipelago, in South America.  Authorities are currently scouring the sea looking for the possible wreckage site. 

Turkish Airliner Crashes in Amsterdam, 9 dead

The Associated Press is reporting a Turkish Airliner with 135 people on board has crashed at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. The crash occurred on Wednesday as the plane was attempting to land. Early reports show nine death and 50 injuries. Officials on the ground say it was a miracle there were not more deaths. Read More from the AP.

Continental Jet Skids Off Runway, Dozens Hurt

A Houston-bound Continental Airlines flight skid skidded off a Denver runway Saturday evening, crashing into a nearby ravine. 38 injuries have been reported, none of which are considered critical according to Denver Airport officials. A small fire associated with the accident was quickly extinguished by airport services. Weather in Denver was cold, but not snowing at the time of the accident. Read more for MSNBC.

Russian Airliner Crashes, Killing 88

An Aeroflot plane crashed in the Russian city of Perm early Sunday, reportedly killing all 88 passengers and crew on board. Witnesses reported seeing the plane hit the ground sharply, perhaps at a 30 or 40 degree angle.

Investigators suspect technical failure was the cause of the crash, and reports from the ground indicate the plane's engines were on fire before the crash. One witness said it look like a burning comet racing toward the earth, followed by a massive explosion. Those killed include 21 foreigners, including one resident of the United States.

Eos Airlines Files Chapter 11, To Cease Operations Today

New York-based Eos Airlines announced Saturday they have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will cease operations by Sunday afternoon. Established in 2004, Eos is known for their all business class flights, operating daily departures from JFK to Europe. They had announced plans to expand their routes, including flights from Los Angeles.

Jack Williams, Eos' CEO said they were unable to secure additional financing to keep the airline and its unique business model flying. In a press release, Williams added, “there are times in business when even though you execute your business plan and even though your employees do their jobs beautifully, external forces prevent you from controlling your own destiny."

American Cancels 900 More Flights for 3rd Day Of Inspections

3rd day of cancellations has affected more than half the companies regularly scheduled flights across the United States. More than a quarter-million passengers directly impacted. American says it is reaccomodating stranded passengers and providing refunds to customers scheduled to travel this week on MD-80 aircraft. Meanwhile, the company is getting hammered by substantial financial losses as a result of the inspections and irregular operations.
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Oasis Hong Kong Ends Operations, Passengers Stranded

Low Cost Carrier Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, recently voted "World’s Leading New Airline" at the Annual World Travel Awards 2007, appears to have flown its last flight. Record high fuel prices and stiff competition triggered heavy losses to Oasis Hong Kong.

In its 17 months of operations, the airline flew International routes from its base in Hong Kong, including to Vancouver, BC. It was expected that Oasis Hong Kong was going to introduce flights into Oakland in the coming months.

American Cancels 1000 flights Wednesday

American Airlines cancelled 1000 flights Wednesday, more than one-third of its entire schedule. Wednesday's cancellations follow 500 flights axed on Tuesday, all as a result of aircraft inspections. Similar inspections and audits have forced several other carriers to ground aircraft over the past couple weeks. More from CNN

SkyBus Airlines Cancels Flights, Calls it Quits

Does this sound familiar? Last week it was Aloha and ATA, this week Skybus. All three airlines abruptly shut down, leaving passengers across the country scrambling looking for alternate flights.

After less than a year of operations, including flights out of Oakland, Skybus Airlines announced a halt to all passenger operations effective April 5th. The airline, which prided itself on offering seats from $10 each way, simply could not stand in the face of record high oil prices, taking a toll on the entire airline industry.

450 Skybus employees have been laid off, and passengers with confirmed reservations are on their own to find flight alternatives.

ATA Airlines Files for Bankruptcy, Cancels All Flights

Breaking News
Second airline this week to cease operations
Low-fare carrier ATA Airlines said it has filed for Bankruptcy Court protection and ordered the grounding all flights as it halted operations. The last scheduled flight landing early this morning. Nearly all of the airline's 2,230 employees were let go. Meanwhile, thousands of passengers were stranded at Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago-Midway, and other airports across the U.S.

Earlier this week, citing chronic financial problems, Aloha Airlines announced the immediate end to all passenger flights. This left passengers scrambling to find new flights.

ATA airlines, which operated several daily flights from the mainland U.S to Hawai'i, blames the loss of a key military charter contract. In addition to scheduled airline service, ATA also provided charter service for the Pentagon.

ATA said passengers should seek alternative travel arrangements on their own. This morning Northwest Airlines announced that for a $100 fee, passengers confirmed on an ATA flight can standby for a flight on their airline. Southwest Airlines, which codeshared flights with ATA said they too will assist affected ATA customers.

Aloha Airlines Ceases Operations

Breaking News
Aloha Airlines, which has served the people of Hawai'i and mainland U.S for over 60 years, will end operations Monday. The airline, which filed for bankruptcy March 20th said in a press release that time ran out to find a buyer or secure other financing to keep the airline flying.

Passengers with confirmed flights on Aloha Airlines should contact partner United Airlines to discuss possible re-accommodation or discounted airfares.

This is truly a sad time for the people of Hawai'i, the some 1900 Aloha employees, loyal passengers and airline industry as a whole.

American, Delta cancel hundreds of flights

Following yesterday's cancellation of over 200 flights, American canceled another 132 flights today, while Delta airlines expects to cancel 275 flights today and Friday. As mentioned in yesterdays post, the airlines are racing to check wiring bundles on their aircraft. Although no instance of immediate passenger danger was noted, the inspections resulted from audits from the airline and FAA. If you have flights scheduled this week, be sure to check your flight status with the airline regularly.

American cancels about 200 flights today

American Airlines cancelled about 200 flights Wednesday so its crews can inspect wiring aboard its MD-80 aircraft. According to the airline, the inspections resulted from an audit conducted jointly by the FAA and AA. The list of cancellations, approximately 10% of the airlines scheduled departures, includes flights to and from the Bay Area.

These cancellations follow the temporary removal of several Southwest flights amid FAA allegations the airline failed to complete necessary inspections of its aircraft.

For flight status information visit http://www.flightstats.com/

Security Breach At San Jose Airport

Breaking News - 9:30AM. A security breach at San Jose Mineta occurred this morning. According to officials, a bullet was found near a passengers seat onboard a United Airlines flight. This has triggered a re-screen of passengers.