British Airways launches business-class-only flights between London and New York

September 30th, 2009 Hudson 'Miracle' pilots reuniting for NY flightNEW YORK — The "Miracle on the Hudson" pilots are reuniting in the cockpit for the first time for a flight out of New York. Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and 1st Officer Jeffrey Skiles will pilot a flight on Thursday from LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, N.C.

August 31st, 2009 JetBlue, Lufthansa ink codeshare dealNEW YORK — JetBlue Airways and German air carrier Lufthansa have signed a codesharing agreement following the decision by Lufthansa's parent to buy a stake in JetBlue. Codesharing allows airlines to sell seats on each other's flights.

August 26th, 2009 US Airways raising checked bag feesNEW YORK — US Airways said Wednesday it is bumping up its fees for first and second checked bags by $5 each, and is tacking on an additional fee for a second checked bag on trans-Atlantic flights. The Tempe, Ariz.-based airline will charge $20 for the first checked bag and $30 for the second, when bags are checked online.

August 19th, 2009 JetBlue drops fees for those affected by hurricaneNEW YORK — JetBlue Airways said Wednesday it will waive ticket-change fees and fare differences to let customers booked for flights to or from Bermuda to postpone their trip due to the approach of Hurricane Bill. JetBlue operates daily flights to Bermuda from Boston and New York.

July 29th, 2009 British Airways cuts short haul free mealsLONDON — British Airways PLC is scrapping all free meals — except breakfast — on its short-haul flights as the airline continues to trim costs amid a recession-driven downturn in demand for travel. BA said Wednesday that the decision to cut meals on flights lasting less than two hours would save the airline around 22 million pounds ($36 million) each year.

July 24th, 2009 BA drops OpenSkies Amsterdam-NY routeLONDON — British Airways PLC's premium subsidiary OpenSkies said Friday it is ending its service between Amsterdam and New York after a significant drop in demand, leaving the loss-making carrier running just one route between Paris and New York. New York-based OpenSkies, which will stop services on the Amsterdam route from Aug.

July 11th, 2009 British Airways sends team to check evacuated 747PHOENIX — British Airways is flying a team of engineers from London to Phoenix to inspect a Boeing 747 that filled with smoke before takeoff, forcing hundreds of passengers to escape on the plane's emergency slides. Airline spokesman John Lampl says the 298 passengers who were on board Flight 288 as it prepared to take off late Friday were being rebooked onto Saturday flights to London from Phoenix, Los Angeles or Denver.

June 19th, 2009 Baggage fees at US airlinesA rundown of baggage fees at major U.S. airlines: —American Airlines, AirTran Airways, Continental Airlines: $15 for the first checked piece of luggage, $25 for the second.

June 18th, 2009 Pilots union backs pay cuts at British AirwaysLONDON — A pilots union on Friday called on members at British Airways to accept pay cuts and productivity concessions to save the troubled carrier 26 million pounds ($42.2 million) a year. In return, pilots would be offered shares of BA stock if the company achieves certain growth targets.

May 12th, 2009 AirTran Airways joins the Wi-Fi crowdORLANDO, Fla. — Discount carrier AirTran Airways, a unit of AirTran Holdings Inc., said Tuesday it will offer in-flight wireless Internet access on all 136 of its aircraft by midsummer.

May 11th, 2009 KOLKATA - South African Airways (SAA) will operate six additional flights between India and South Africa on account of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the company said Monday. 'These additional flights will be deployed on this route between May 18 and 26 to meet the rush for the semi finals and final IPL matches,' the company said.

May 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Leading private carrier Jet Airways Wednesday announced special return fares between Indian cities and London which would allow travellers to save around Rs.20,000 on their return economy class bookings. The return economy ticket, which normally costs over Rs.50,000, would now be available at Rs.30,000 under the new scheme, while the premier and first class tickets would cost around Rs.125,000 and Rs.200,000 respectively.

May 4th, 2009 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Several leading tour operators from Britain arrived here Monday for a four-day Kerala familiarisation trip. The group includes senior officials of top British tour companies Carlton Leisure, Crystal, Exodus, Explore, Allison Brothers and Kuoni and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Ethihad Airways.

March 29th, 2009 KOLKATA - British Airways suspended its direct service to London from here Sunday, with the last flight taking off at around 5 a.m., even as national carrier Air India resumed operations on the route the same day. British Airways, which operated three direct fights a week from the city to Heathrow Airport in London, decided to suspend operations as it found the route unprofitable.

March 29th, 2009 LONDON - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his ministers can take a lessons on cost cutting from Prince William, second in line to the British throne, who has directed his staff to book him in economy on scheduled flights whenever possible. "He is determined to get his traveling costs down.