Delta - The Salt Lake Tribune

Airlines ride record year for baggage fees to profits

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:01:34 MDT

Airlines ride record year for baggage fees to profits

by Scott Mayerowitz The Associated Press

Published May 15, 2013 10:01AM MDT

New York • U.S. airlines collected more than $6 billion in baggage and reservation change fees from passengers last year — the highest amount since the fees became common five years ago. Passengers shouldn’t expect a break anytime soon. Those fees — along with extra charges for boarding early or picking prime seats — have helped return the industry to profitability. Airlines started charging for a first checked suitcase in 2008 and the fees have climbed since. Airlines typically charge $25 each...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Delta will pay a dividend, buy back shares

Wed, 08 May 2013 08:46:11 MDT

Delta will pay a dividend, buy back shares

by Joshua Freed The Associated Press

Published May 8, 2013 08:46AM MDT

Delta Air Lines will start paying a quarterly dividend and buy back some of its shares — investor-friendly moves that are common in other industries but rare for airlines. Delta, which operates a hub at Salt Lake City International Airport, said on Wednesday that it will pay a quarterly dividend of 6 cents per share starting Sept. 10 for people who own the stock as of Aug. 9. A quarterly dividend of that size would yield 1.3 percent per year, compared with Tuesday’s closing stock price. The airl...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Airline merger could divide labor union ranks

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:07:02 MDT

Airline merger could divide labor union ranks

by David Koenig The Associated Press

Published Apr 29, 2013 06:07PM MDT

Dallas • The president of the AFL-CIO is worried that the merger of American Airlines and US Airways will trigger a costly fight between two unions over representation of airline ground workers. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says that instead of fighting over workers who already belong to a union, the two unions should call a truce and share representation of the airline employees. That way, he says, they could focus on organizing workers who aren’t union members. The major U.S. airlines are...

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Japan approves return to air of Boeing 787

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:41:03 MDT

Japan approves return to air of Boeing 787

combined News Services

Published Apr 26, 2013 06:41PM MDT

Tokyo • Japan’s transport minister said Friday the government will allow Japanese airlines to resume flying grounded Boeing 787s once they complete installation of systems to reduce fire risk in problematic lithium ion batteries. The Japanese authorities formally approved Boeing’s fixes to the batteries on its 787 Dreamliner jets, clearing the path for its biggest operators to begin flying the planes again following a grounding that began in January. U.S. and European regulators have already ap...

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Higher fares help Southwest Airlines’ profit

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:46:02 MDT

Higher fares help Southwest Airlines’ profit

the Associated Press

Published Apr 25, 2013 06:46PM MDT

Dallas • Higher fares helped Southwest Airlines Co. make more money than Wall Street expected in the first quarter, but the company said Thursday that automatic federal spending cuts could hurt revenue in April. The average passenger fare on Southwest is now more than $150 one-way, 4 percent higher than a year ago. The airline also gave details on a new policy for no-shows, and it outlined changes for its operation in Atlanta, where it competes with Delta Air Lines Inc. Southwest didn’t fly to ...

Delta manages Q1 profit amid slowdown March, April

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:52:03 MDT

Delta manages Q1 profit amid slowdown March, April

by Kelly Yamanouchi Cox Newspapers

Published Apr 23, 2013 06:52PM MDT

Delta Air Lines eked out a $7 million profit in the first quarter of the year, saying last-minute bookings declined in late March and leisure travel has slowed, while its revenue from travel in the defense sector is down amid federal budget cuts. The across-the-board cuts known as sequestration, which led the Federal Aviation Administration to reduce air traffic controller staffing this week, are also leading to cancellations of flights on smaller regional planes. Delta said it canceled about 90...