It's hard for us to even type these words but we kinda wish we were flying on United Airlines today. That's because Westin Hotels is handing out pillows to doggies!
Just kidding. Sort of. Westin is handing out pillows and blankets to all United passengers passing through JFK today in an effort to publicize their recent partnership with the airline.]]>
While we've been at Sundance, the airline industry has been holding its breath for any news of a Delta merger. The carrier, which went into bankruptcy the same day as Northwest in 2005, has been courting just about everyone, it seems. And while everyone has an opinion on what's gonna happen, all we know for sure is that merger talks with NWA and United have been approved by the Delta board.
Getting together with either company would create the biggest airline in the United States, and would likely save the new behemoth tons of money on labor and fuel costs. A deal wouldn't devastate consumer choice--there are still lots of airlines out there--but it would probably lead to service cuts in weak markets. A round-up of the latest speculation, below.
Related Stories:
· Minnesota Governor Seeks Meeting with NWA, Delta CEOs [AP, via CNN]
· Delta May Include Air France-KLM in Talks... [AJC]
· ...and Air France Likes NWA over United [Bloomberg]
· Delta-United Deal Could Hurt Salt Lake City [SLC Tribune]
· Any Merger Could Kill Delta's Cincinnati Hub [Cincy Enquirer]
[Photo: Chief T_USNavy-Ret]]]>
JetBlue is hoping to rope in some folks interested in escaping the impending winter chill. The LCC will begin non-stop service between Buffalo and Fort Lauderdale and Richmond and Fort Lauderdale on November 1. But it's not all about snow birds for the airline: JetBlue is introducing a Burbank to Salt Lake City route on December 15 for ski bunnies who are searching out winter.
American Airlines is also ramping up cold-weather service to ski-centric destinations. From Chicago and Dallas, flights to Montrose, Vail, Gunnison and Steamboat Springs, Colorado start in December. If you really want some cold weather, flights to Montreal from LaGuardia start on December 13.
And though Oktoberfest is over, United is just now catching on. Starting December 15 fans of barley, hops and lederhosen can hop new non-stop flights from L.A. to Frankfurt. It's United's eighth daily flight to the German city; the airline already runs flights out of its other international gateways.
Related Stories:
· JetBlue coverage [Jaunted]
· American Airlines coverage [Jaunted]
· United Airlines coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: drewski2112]]]>