Airlines Halt Premium Slide at Expense of Price Cuts
from Bloomberg
The decline in premium air travel slackened in June after carriers slashed prices to fill seats. First- and business-class traffic fell 21.3 percent from year-ago levels, compared with a 23.6 percent drop in May, the International Air Transport Association said. The decline was the least since March. More

Five Carriers Bid for Cape Girardeau Air Service
from The Southeast Missourian
The companies vying for Cape Girardeau's subsidized commercial passenger service believe there is a large untapped market there. The bids from five companies seeking a U.S. Department of Transportation contract to provide service in Cape Girardeau were unveiled. More

Do Small Cities Deserve Taxpayer Subsidies to Sustain Air Service?
from Businessweek
The lengths to which small cities are going to sustain air service—which include lobbying for federal subsidies to effectively bribe carriers into flying into their increasingly desolate airports. Are these subsidies good policy? I say no, but more on that in a minute. More

Parcel Shipping/Air Cargo: UPS Aircraft Mechanics Set Date for Strike Vote
from Logistics Management
Teamsters Local Union 2727, the designated bargaining representative of the aircraft mechanics of UPS, said it is calling for a strike vote by its members, with the vote expected on September 14. The Teamsters Local 2727 said it has been in negotiations with UPS for a new collective bargaining agreement over the last two-and-a-half years and remain at a standstill, with both parties at an impasse on the central issues. More

Alaska Airlines' Aircraft Technicians Ratify Two-year Contract Extension
from Trading Markets
Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, announced the ratification of a two-year contract extension that covers the carrier's 658 aircraft technicians. The extension was ratified by over 77 percent of the technicians who voted. The extended contract becomes amendable on Oct. 17, 2011. It provides technicians with a 1.5 percent pay scale increase on Oct. 17, this year and next. More

Royal Jet Sees Charter Bookings Rise 15 Percent
from CharterX
CharterX Professional member and Wyvern-Recommended operator Royal Jet has reported a 15 percent increase in charter bookings over the summer period compared to the same period last year, indicating that the private aviation industry could be witnessing the start of an economic upswing. More

NATA Offers Industry Tools to Combat Illegal Charters
from CharterX
In response to the recent NTSB hearing on an accident involving an aircraft that was being operated for-hire without proper certification, the National Air Transportation Association reminds the public and industry of several resources available to help combat illegal charter activity. During the investigation of the 2008 accident, it was discovered that the flight was sold to the passengers as a commercial operation, but the aircraft and crew were not legally authorized to conduct commercial flights. More

Defunct Airport Fast-Pass Company Banned From Selling Customer Biometrics
from Wired
Clear, the now-defunct airport security fast-pass company, was ordered by a federal court judge not to sell the biometric data it collected from hundreds of thousands of customers. They had each paid $200 a year for membership in a program to speed them through airport screening lines. More