Northwest Willing to Deal with Flight Attendants
Threat of Random Strikes Loom after Union Rejects Second Contract
Source: Reuters - Aug 2, 2006
MINNEAPOLIS - Northwest Airlines Corp. said on Tuesday it remains willing to negotiate with its flight attendants even after they rejected a labor deal approved by union leaders and the bankrupt airline.
Northwest voided the workers’ previous contract on Monday and imposed new terms unilaterally after members of the Association of Flight Attendants rejected a second tentative agreement containing pay and benefit cuts. The union immediately gave the airline 15 days’ notice of a possible strike. Click Here to continue.

A Web Site Devoted to Smarter Summer Fliers
Source: New York Times
This will come as no surprise to anyone who has been in an airport in the last week, but for those of you who haven’t, here is a news flash:
air travel is a mess. And I don’t mean merely your typical midsummer air travel mess. I am talking about the “got those stranded in the airport crying by the tote board blues” kind of mess. Click Here to continue.

Despite trend, there's room at many inns for smokers
By Gary Stoller, USA TODAY
Some hotels are beginning to buck the growing trend of going smoke-free. Marriott said two weeks ago that all its 2,300 North American hotels would be smoke-free in September. It follows Westin, which started the move in January when it banned smoking at hotels in the USA, Canada and the Caribbean. But more recently, at least four chains, including some industry giants, have said they'll continue to accommodate smokers. Click Here to continue.

US Air Fares Reach Record Levels
Source: TravelMole
US air fares took their biggest jump on record, according to the US Department of Transportation (DOT). Rates have now returned to pre-Sept. 11 levels for the first time. Rates have gone up 10% in the first three months of the year compared to the same period in 2005, said the DOT. The fare climb was the largest since the DOT set up its air travel price index more than ten years ago. And rates could continue to climb. Click Here to continue.

Northwest Eliminates 90-day Ticket Validity for International Nonrefundable Fares
Source: NWA
Effective August 1, 2006, Northwest Airlines will eliminate the 90-day ticket validity on all revenue tickets when reissuing international nonrefundable fares. Click Here to continue.

More Air Passengers Getting Bumped
By Marilyn Adams, USA TODAY
Airline passengers in the USA are getting bumped off flights more frequently than at any time in the last six years, the government reported.
TODAY IN THE SKY: Best and worst airlines for bumping
Some 16,300 passengers were bumped against their wishes in the April-June quarter, a rate of 1.12 passengers per 10,000. That rate is one-third higher than a year earlier. The airlines' rate of what the Department of Transportation calls "involuntary denied boardings" was the highest since the same quarter in 2000. Click Here to continue.