Airlines are waiving penalty charges for passengers who wish to change their flights to Boston following the Boston Marathon bombings.

Boston Logan International Airport is open, and flights are operating as normal, but British Airways, Delta and American have announced two or three days’ grace for passengers booked on flights to and from the city.

British Airways, which operates up to four flights a day to the city, is allowing both outbound and inbound passengers to change the date of their flight or use the money to buy another flight up to and including Thursday 18 April.

Delta Air Lines has also issued a waiver to allow passengers to adjust travel plans until 17 April, and to rebook flights no later than 20 April. American Airlines, which stopped flying from the UK to Boston a few weeks ago, is allowing passengers on internal flights within the US to change their booking to a later date (16-20 April) or receive a refund of American Airlines vouchers.

However, Virgin Atlantic said its normal £50 penalty charge will apply to passengers booked on its London-Boston flight today (16 April) who do not want to fly. Passengers affected by its Boston-London flight on 15 April, which was delayed by 24 hours, can claim a refund or rebook if they don’t want to travel out of Boston today. The airline said it has received no cancellation requests.

Tour operator DialAFlight, which sent 2,500 passengers to Boston in 2012, said it has contacted every client whose travel has been affected. “We are also going through every airline policy regarding refunds or alterations to their routes, and are actively contacting airlines who have yet to release a policy to find out what can be done for our clients.”

Hotels are also open as usual. Starwood Hotels has increased security measures at its hotels in Boston, New York and Washington. The group’s Westin Copley Place and Sheraton Boston hotels are near the finish line of the Boston Marathon but were not damaged by the explosions, contrary to early reports. In a statement Starwood said: “Both hotels are providing support to authorities as well as runners, area workers and others in addition to guests. With the marathon closed at mile 26, many runners were directed to the Sheraton nearby and the hotel was providing water, towels and other assistance.”

The Fairmont Copley Plaza, two blocks away from the Marathon finish line, is open but only allowing registered guests and staff into the hotel, and has heightened security checks.

In Boston, the area around Copley Square has been cordoned off, but the Massachusetts Office of Travel Tourism said: “Other than this area we expect the city to be open. We anticipate the city will be back to business as usual as soon as is possible.”

The Foreign Office is advising visitors to “exercise vigilance and caution, monitoring local media and following the advice of local authorities”. Additional information can be obtained through the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. The police have also set up an emergency hotline for friends and relatives: +1 617 635 4500.

American Airlines said its computer system glitch was repaired late Tuesday after a massive outage of more than four hours led it to ground its entire fleet, causing widespread cancellations and delays.

The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline said on Twitter Tuesday afternoon that its connection to the system that handles reservations, bookings and other key functions, was restored, but warned that it would be a while before its operations were back to normal.

Around 3:30 CDT, American said on its Facebook page that delays and cancellations would continue through the evening. Besides Chicago, the outage impacted flights in key cities from Miami to Los Angeles. Issues at these major airports can easily ripple throughout an airline’s worldwide network.

• Related
• Video: American Airlines grounds all planes
• 

  American reservation system down

• 

  2 men removed from United flight from Boston to Chicago

• Topics
• 
  
  Media Industry
  
• 
  
  Twitter, Inc.
  
• 
  
  Air Transportation Industry
  
• See more topics »
• Maps
• 4333 Amon Carter Boulevard, Fort Worth, TX 76155, USA

American and its regional sister airline American Eagle cancelled more than 750 flights as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.

American, operated by AMR Corp., is the nation’s third-largest after United and Delta, carrying an about 275,000 passengers on 3,400 flights a day.

Delays at O’Hare and other major airports where American has hubs stretched for more than two hours at midday.

Passengers took to Twitter to express frustration. Employees at American were responding personally to many of them. American first reported the outage around noon Central.

Reservation and bookings systems are an airline’s backbone and little can be done when they’re malfunctioning.

The airline recommends that if customers are already at the airport, they can rebook on another airline at a ticket counter of American or the alternate airline.

If customers must travel today but haven’t gone to the airport, they can rebook through American or another airline – American said it will honor the fare difference.

For customers that want to cancel or are willing to put flights off, American says it will offer refunds or make changes for free (instead of the usual $150.)

sbomkamp@tribune.com | Twitter: @SamWillTravel

Hawaiian Airlines was ranked No. 1 among the major airlines in February for on-time performance and fewest cancellations.

Hawaiian Airlines was tops for on-time performance in February, and the Honolulu-based airline was also No. 1 among airlines for the fewest number of flight cancellations.

Hawaiian, a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: HA), was No. 1 among the 16 major airlines with 91.8 percent of its flights arriving on time, according to the monthly report from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Alaska Airlines (NYSE: ALK) was No. 2 with 90.6 percent of its flights arriving on time. Virgin America, which plans to begin flights to Hawaii in 2015, was third with 88.5 percent of arrivals on time, followed by Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) with 86.2 percent of arrivals on time.

Hawaiian only had seven flight cancellations in February, ranking it tops among the airlines in that category. Alaska, Virgin America and Delta followed Hawaiian in the same order as the arrival rankings.

ellenm1 / Flickr

The 2013 Airline Quality Ratings (AQR) report — released on Monday, April 8 — shows that the U.S. Department of Transportation received a total of 11,445 complaints from disgruntled passengers in 2012, up from 9,414 in 2011.

Most of the common complaints concern what the report categorizes as “Flight Problems.” This includes issues such as flight cancellations and delays. The second highest number of complaints has to do with reservation, ticketing and boarding issues, while the third usually involves dissatisfaction with customer service.

Dr. Dean Headley, associate professor of marketing at Wichita State University and co-author of the AQR report, partially attributes the increase in complaint rate to the rising number of Americans traveling by air. Mindset plays a role, too: “The actual number of complaints is much higher because customers seem more willing to complain,” he said.

Headley speculates that the growing number of consumer complaints directly relates to the American airline industry’s economic growth. “Airlines have finally figured out supply and demand,” he said, acknowledging airlines’ efforts to reduce the number of available seats in order to improve their profit margin. “But it’s a Catch-22. It’s a good thing to have higher demand, but you’ll make more people upset.”

Other revenue-boosting efforts have also helped improve certain aspects of air travel. “Only after [airlines] started charging for bags did the baggage-handling service improve,” Headley noted. Customer complaints and mishandled baggage account for two of the four criteria used by Headley and his co-author, Dr. Brent Bowen, head of the Department of Aviation Technology at Purdue University, to calculate the airline quality ratings. The report also evaluates each airline’s on-time arrival performance and involuntary denied boarding rate (the number of times an airline “bumps” a passenger). Fourteen American carriers were assessed on these four criteria for the 2013 edition of the AQR report.

But whether or not the aviation industry will continue to grow their profits while satisfying flyer needs has yet to be seen. An unsteady economy and the possibility of sequester-related budget cuts to air traffic control services could threaten future progress. “Our system can only handle so much,” Headley said. “When there’s lower pressure on the system, everything works better. We’ve had a few good years — the key is to keep it there while satisfying demand.”

Despite Headley’s positive outlook, the 2013 AQR report shows that some airlines could stand to improve. The carriers listed below received this year’s lowest AQR scores, earning them a place on U.S. News Travel‘s annual list of America’s “meanest” airlines.

Note: The Airline Quality Ratings (AQR) report does not categorize airlines as major or regional carriers.

[In Pictures: Full list of America's Best and Worst Airlines 2013]

America’s Meanest Regional Carriers

3. American Eagle Airlines
AQR Score: -1.78

American Airlines’s regional carrier saw improvement across all four of the categories evaluated for the 2013 AQR report. American Eagle Airlines has managed to better its punctuality, with 81.6 percent of flights making it to the gate on time in 2012 compared to only 76.3 percent in 2011. The carrier’s denied boarding rate has also steadily declined. In 2010, American Eagle bumped 4.02 out of every 10,000 passengers; that number dropped to 1.07 in 2012. The airline has also reduced the number of bags mishandled per 1,000 passengers from 7.32 in 2011 to 5.8 in 2012; however, American Eagle still claims the highest mishandled luggage rate of all 14 major and regional airlines evaluated in the 2013 AQR Report.

2. SkyWest Airlines
AQR Score: -1.88

SkyWest (which works with such major airlines as United Airlines, US Airways and Delta) saw an increase in the number of consumer complaints per every 100,000 passengers — from 0.73 in 2011 to 0.88 in 2012. The uptick is understandable given the carrier’s rising mishandled baggage and involuntary denied boarding rates. The rate at which SkyWest bumps flyers jumped from 0.68 instances per every 10,000 passengers in 2011 to 2.32 in 2012. The airline improved its timeliness, with 2.3 percent more flights arriving on schedule in 2012 compared to 2011, but that doesn’t make up for the number of passengers who weren’t allowed to board their plane.

[See: Airlines with the Most Delicious Food]

1. ExpressJet
AQR Score: -1.95

The AQR report shows that this regional carrier — operating under American Airlines, Delta and United Airlines — has some work to do in terms of improving its customer care. The airline tied with American Airlines for the worst on-time arrival performance, with a whopping 23 percent of its flights failing to land on schedule. ExpressJet could also stand to better its track record with checked luggage. The airline reported 5.52 instances of mishandled baggage per every 1,000 passengers in 2012.

America’s Meanest Major Carriers

5. Frontier Airlines
AQR Score: -0.78

Frontier Airlines would benefit from better time-management practices. In 2012, the carrier’s on-time arrival percentage fell just below that of the industry, with roughly 22 percent of Frontier flights landing late. But while it may let punctuality slide, Frontier trumps several other airlines when it comes to effectively handling luggage (only 2.22 bags per 1,000 passengers were lost or damaged in 2012) and making sure that passengers are not bumped from their flights. The airline reported a denied boarding rate of 0.78 instances per every 10,000 passengers in 2012.

4. Southwest Airlines
AQR Score: -0.81

Very few flyers feel the need to gripe about Southwest Airlines. The bargain-rate carrier received fewer than 0.25 complaints per every 100,000 passengers in 2012. Compared to the rest of the industry, Southwest also performed above average in terms of timeliness and denied boarding rate. However, Headley’s theory that checked-luggage fees lead to better baggage handling is proven here. The airline allows passengers to check two bags per person, free of charge, roughly three bags per every 1,000 passengers were lost or damaged in 2012, placing the carrier’s mishandled baggage rate above that of the overall industry.

[See: Snakes on a Plane?]

3. US Airways
AQR Score: -0.87

US Airways has shown significant signs of improvement in its overall performance over the past couple of years. The carrier’s on-time arrival performance jumped to 85.9 percent in 2012 from 79.8 percent in 2011. US Airways also decreased its denied boarding rates from 0.94 per every 10,000 passengers in 2011 to 0.68 in 2012 (better than the industry average). But US Airways still received the third-lowest AQR score of the 11 major carriers included in the 2013 report, and chances are that the airline will see its progress taper over the next couple of years due to its recent merge with American Airlines.

2. American Airlines
AQR Score: -1.11

American Airlines has taken great strides to improve its reputation among flyers, bettering both its involuntary denied boarding rate and the number of bags lost or damaged in 2012. However, the 2013 AQR report shows a rising number of customer complaints and a slipping on-time performance average. In 2012, only 76.9 percent of American Airlines flights made it to the gate on time, down from 77.8 percent in 2011. As a result, the carrier received the second-lowest AQR score of the 11 major carriers evaluated in the 2013 AQR report. What’s more, Headley speculates that American Airlines will to see its overall AQR score drop in the coming years due to its recent merge with US Airways.

1. United Airlines
AQR Score: -2.18

United Airlines received the lowest AQR score out of all 14 major and regional airlines evaluated in the 2013 report, making it this year’s “meanest” airline. The carrier saw its number of customer complaints per 100,000 passengers nearly double from 2.21 in 2011 to 4.24 in 2012. The carrier’s increase in customer complains is likely the result of its merger with Continental Airlines (which was finalized in 2010). “This data year was the first data year following United’s total absorption of Continental,” Headley explained. “There are always kinks to work out, and these issues seem to be ones consumers feel are worth complaining about.” United saw its performance deteriorate across the board in 2012, with its on-time arrival percentage dropping and its denied boarding and mishandled baggage rates climbing.

[In Pictures: Full List of America's Best and Worst Airlines 2013]

–Miriam B. Weiner

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -

A senior official with the
Hawaii Tourism Authority will meet with United Airlines executives this week,
just as United is preparing to scale back its nonstop from Washington D.C.

Few state officials have more critical assignments than
David Uchiyama, vice president for brand management of the Hawaii Tourism
Authority, whose job includes regular meetings with airline executives to hear
their plans and concerns and to ask how Hawaii can help.

“We are very sensitive about keeping and improving
our connectivity not just for tourism but for our residents, as well as helping
develop other commerce,” Uchiyama said in an email from the road.

Hawaii air connections, the most in years, are
increasingly vulnerable to cutbacks if they don’t fly full enough, so Hawaii
officials are working with the airlines to help them prosper.

Uchiyama is flying to Chicago for a meeting Wednesday
with United Airlines executives, gving him a timely opportunity to make sure
United officials know that Hawaii tourism marketers, including private partners
like hoteliers and attractions, sometimes do targeted marketing with the
express intention of helping airlines improve yields on new routes. He was in
Atlanta Monday for meetings at Delta Air Lines headquarters.

HawaiiNewsNow reported Monday that United Airlines has
decided to cut back its daily D.C. nonstop to once a week at the end of the
summer. Airlines typically do not announce cutbacks. The information was simply
fed into the reservations computer network all the travel agents use.

The news came just days after Allegiant Travel decided to
call all but two of its new Hawaii routes “seasonal” and stop them at
the end of the summer. Only the Las Vegas and Bellingham, Wash., routes will
fly past then.

A source in the Hawaii Visitors Convention Bureau,
the private entity that holds the tourism authority contract for marketing
Hawaii to North America, said, “We are working with both these carriers to
reassess their deployment,” and pointed out that while the Washington D.C.
route proved to be highly seasonal, “the Washington area has a huge
population and they don’t all work inside the Beltway,” meaning, for the
federal government, which has curtailed business travel.

The daily nonstop from Washington Dulles, in the Virginia
suburbs of the nation’s capital, has been flying far from empty. Even in slack
periods it has usually been better than 70 percent full, and in peak periods it
has been profitable. But airlines operate on very tight margins nowadays, when
jet fuel bills often exceed payroll, and one or two full-price seats can make
the difference between profit and loss on a flight.

In evaluating new service like the UAL nonstop from D.C.
and the Hawaiian Airlines “Flight Five-0″ service to New York JFK,
both of which started last June, airline number crunchers have to consider not
merely the cost of fuel and the number of seats but also the fares charged.

“When they started they were charging about the same
to go to New York as to California,” noted Thom Nulty, former Executive
Vice President of Aloha Airlines, about the Hawaiian service to New York.
“Hawaii has the best product but there is the travel time and cost factor.
Selling East Coast people on Hawaii is a hard sell.”

Washington D.C. has traditionally been a good source of
Hawaii visitors, in part because more than 100,000 military personnel in
Washington have Hawaii ties after deployments in the islands. Despite its
reputation as the company town for the federal government, Washington is also a
large employment center for Internet backbone providers and biotech research
enterprises.

United Airlines flies more seats to Hawaii than most
carriers, and is developing Big Island tourism with its LAX flghts to Hilo, the
only direct West Coast flights to the volcano side of the Big Island by any
airline.

Copyright 2013 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved. 

Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. WorldNow and this Station make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you have any questions or comments about this page please contact pressreleases@worldnow.com.

SOURCE Zacks Investment Research, Inc.

CHICAGO, April 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL), United Continental Holdings (NYSE:UAL), Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV), JetBlue Airways Corp. (Nasdaq:JBLU) and The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE:HD).

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101027/ZIRLOGO)

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513

Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:

Delta, Virgin Approach DoT for ATI

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. submitted an antitrust immunity (ATI) application with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) for their proposed joint venture. The companies are seeking antitrust immunity for their flight routes between North America and the United Kingdom.

In Dec last year, Delta confirmed its plans to acquire a 49% stake in British carrier Virgin Atlantic that is currently with Singapore Airlines. Delta Air Lines will shell out £224 million or $360 million for the purchase and substantially gain more control over New York to London network – one of the hottest air itineraries across the globe.

Interestingly, the air travel network between the U.S. and United Kingdom, including the one between the two foresaid cities, is dominated by a joint venture of AMR Corp.’s American Airlines and British Airways with 60% of the slots at London Heathrow Airport under their control.

With this filing, Delta and Virgin Atlantic target to pose as strong competitors for the American Airlines-British Airways partnership by offering additional frequent quality travel options for trans-Atlantic flyers. The amalgamation of Virgin Atlantic’s hefty slots at the Heathrow airport and Delta’s commanding position over the U.S. airline network are expected to work in favor of passengers with extensive travel plans.

Per the joint venture agreement between Delta and Virgin Atlantic, both carriers will share the expenses and revenues of the flights. The two companies aim to operate 31 total daily flights both ways between the United Kingdom and North America during the peak season, with 23 flights to and from the Heathrow airport. This will hugely benefit customers with expanded and enhanced flight connectivity to key markets, better pricing and suitable booking options.

Both the companies have also applied for antitrust immunity for a five-way coordination between the United Kingdom and North America air network involving Delta, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, KLM, and Alitalia.

Further, with the approval of the antitrust immunity, Delta – the second-biggest U.S. airline by operating revenue following United Continental Holdings (NYSE:UAL) – intends to commence a new non-stop service from Seattle to London, which is a significant business market. This move will not only strengthen Delta’s foothold on one of the busiest commercial routes but will also broaden the international presence in Seattle.

Delta competes with the likes of Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV) and JetBlue Airways Corp. (Nasdaq:JBLU) within the U.S. airline industry and carries a Zacks Rank #3, implying a Hold rating. 

Home Depot Attains New 52-Week High

Boosted by the recent rebound in the U.S. housing market, shares of The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE:HD) hit a new 52-week high of $71.57 yesterday, before closing at $71.20. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) home improvement retailer beat its previous 52-week high of $71.45 and has generated a year-to-date return of approximately 12.8%.

Average volume of shares traded over the last 3 months came in at approximately 6,772K. Currently, the stock trades at a forward P/E of 20.3x, flat to its peer group.

Home Depot is a leading player in the highly-fragmented home improvement industry. The company has been revamping itself by concentrating on square footage growth and maximization of productivity from its existing store base.

In addition, the company has implemented significant changes to its store operations to make them simpler and more customer-friendly. We believe these initiatives will induce more traffic to its stores while boosting its top line.

Home depot has always maintained a disciplined capital allocation strategy, focused on making investments to develop its business, while using the excess cash to enhance shareholder returns via paying dividends and share buybacks. Since 1987, the company has increased its dividend from 0.06 cents to 39 cents. Additionally, the company targets to grow return on invested capital to 24% by the close of 2015.

The company also boasts of an impressive record of beating the quarterly earnings expectations and favorable outlook.

With respect to earnings surprise, Home Depot has beaten the Zacks Consensus Estimate 19 times in the last 20 quarters with an average surprise of 12.2%. In the last reported, i.e. for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, the company’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.7%.

The company’s adjusted earnings of 67 cents per share jumped approximately 34.0% from the year-ago quarter’s earnings of 50 cents and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 64 cents. The increased bottom line was aided by strong sales growth and improved operating performance.

Buoyed by better-than-expected results, Home Depot projected fiscal 2013 earnings to grow by nearly 12% to $3.37 per share and total sales to increase by 2.0% year over year, with comparable store sales expected to rise nearly 3.0%.

 Want more from Zacks Equity Research? Subscribe to the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5515.

About Zacks Equity Research

Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.

Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.

Zacks “Profit from the Pros” e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5517

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leon Zacks. As a PhD from MIT Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it’s your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5518.

Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacksresearch

Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts

Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.

Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
support@zacks.com
http://www.zacks.com

©2012 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved.

April 9, 2013


By: Newswire


Travel Agent

Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. have filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation seeking antitrust immunity for their new joint venture on flights between North America and the United Kingdom, the airlines report.

The application marks a significant milestone in the creation of the joint venture, the airlines said. The joint venture will allow Delta and Virgin to be more effective competitors on routes between North America and the U.K., particularly between the U.S. and London, by expanding the quantity and quality of travel options for customers of both airlines.

In their filing, Delta and Virgin Atlantic noted that nearly 60 percent of the slots at London Heathrow Airport are controlled by the American Airlines/British Airways joint venture which, as a result, dominates air travel between the U.S. and the U.K., including the New York-London market, which is the most important business market in the world. 

By combining Virgin’s Heathrow slots and U.K. brand strength with Delta’s powerful U.S. network, the joint venture will offer significant competition in the market and benefit consumers on both sides of the Atlantic, the carriers said.

“Our proposed joint venture will mean an expanded schedule with more frequencies and destinations for customers traveling between the key business markets in the U.S. and the U.K.,” said Delta President Ed Bastian. “Approval of antitrust immunity would allow travelers to take full advantage of all the aspects of the Delta-Virgin joint venture and enjoy the benefits of increased competition, particularly on flights to and from London Heathrow Airport.”

“Today’s filing for antitrust immunity marks the next step towards the full implementation of this joint venture between two great airline brands,” said Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive Craig Kreeger. “Consumers will reap the rewards of this joint venture on services between the U.K. and the United States, Canada and Mexico through a shared ethos in the highest standards of customer service and much more effective competition to and from Heathrow. We are confident that the DOT will recognize this consumer benefit.”

Under the proposed joint venture, Delta and Virgin Atlantic would coordinate schedules, network planning, pricing and revenue management functions, sales and other aspects of their services between North America and the U.K. 

Through the joint venture, the carriers would together offer a greatly expanded network at Heathrow despite slot constraints, which have limited the growth of both airlines in the U.K. – North America market.

The two carriers would operate a total of 31 peak-day round-trip flights between the U.K. and North America, 23 of which would operate at London-Heathrow. The enlarged network will benefit customers of both carriers by providing greater access to key markets, improved connectivity and convenient booking options. The airlines plan to implement codesharing, frequent flier program reciprocity and shared lounge access, the airlines said.

In addition, if antitrust immunity is approved, Delta said it plans to begin new nonstop service between Seattle and London-Heathrow, expanding competition on that important business market. The new service would complement Delta’s growing international gateway in Seattle.

Delta already operates a trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France KLM and Alitalia. In their filing, the airlines are also seeking antitrust immunity for five-way coordination on U.K. – North America traffic flows among Delta, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, KLM and Alitalia to facilitate the effective operation of the two joint ventures.

Last year, Delta and Virgin Atlantic announced an agreement under which Delta will acquire a 49 percent equity stake in Virgin Atlantic’s parent company.

Visit www.Delta.com

Related Links :

Delta Expands Los Angeles Service

Delta Air Lines to Launch Outdoor Airport Terraces

Delta Air Lines and Starwood Launch Joint Loyalty Partnership

Despite Superstorm Delta Reports 4th Quarter Profit

04/09/2013 [ACCESSWIRE]

NEW YORK, April 09, 2013 -Bestdarnpennystocks.com, one of the leaders in providing investment alerts on U.S. stocks are announcing Investment Highlights on Delta Air Lines, Vale SA, First Solar Inc.

Delta Air Lines, Inc.(NYSE:DAL) shares increased 1.61% to $15.17. The company, on April 9, announced that Robert S. Rivkin will be joining the airline May 6 as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel -
International and Regulatory Affairs, a critical position that reflects Delta’s growing global presence and the increasing importance to Delta of governmental regulation and oversight in the U.S. and abroad.

Is DAL a Solid Buy after the Solid Rally recently? Find Out Here http://bestdarnpennystocks.com/landing-new/home-aw2.php?code=DAL (OR Just copy and paste the link)

Additionally, the company, on April 4, has sued the Export-Import Bank of the United States over loan guarantees given to support purchases of Boeing Co’s widebody planes by certain foreign airlines, according to a court filing. The company said that Ex-Im bank’s subsidies to foreign airlines, including Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways and Korean Air Co Ltd, to help them buy Boeing planes would cause adverse economic effects on airlines
and their employees.

Vale SA (ADR)(NYSE:VALE) shares jumped 4.66% to $18.21. The company, on April 1, informs that its Executive Boardhas approved and will submit to the Board of Directors the proposal for payment of the first
installment of the minimum dividendof US$ 2.250 billion, as publicly announced on January 28, 2013, equal to US$ 0.436607084 per common or preferred share in circulation, as of February 28, 2013 (5,153,374,926).

How Should Investors Trade VALE After Today’s gap Up? Get Free Trend analysis Here http://bestdarnpennystocks.com/landing-new/home-aw2.php?code=VALE (OR Just copy and paste the link)

First Solar, Inc.(NASDAQ:FSLR) shares increased 8.36% to $29.27. The company, on April 9, announced it set a new world record for cadmium-telluride (CdTe) photovoltaic (PV) module conversion efficiency, achieving a record 16.1 percent total area module efficiency in tests confirmed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Has FSLR Reached The Bottom and Ready To Move higher? Find out Here http://bestdarnpennystocks.com/landing-new/home-aw2.php?code=FSLR (OR Just copy and paste the link)

Additionally, the company, on April 1, has acquired the 150-megawattAC (MW) Solar Gen 2 power project from an affiliate of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS), Energy Power Partners and a third equity partner for the project. Construction of the facility, which is located in Imperial County, Calif., near El Centro, is expected to start this year and be completed in 2014.

Moreover, the company’s Chief Executive Ron Johnson saw the value of his compensation plunge 96% last year, as he received little more than his straight salary after getting rich stock awards when he joined the retailer
in 2011.

About bestdarnpennystocks.com
bestdarnpennystocks.com’s team is engaged in providing stock newsletters on various hot penny stocks on a regular basis. Our instant stock news on Major Gainers, small cap penny stocks and various other stocks, guides investors in making the wise stock market investments decision. In order to get update to the markets, we would advise you sign up to our free newsletters. You can become leader in stock market by keeping track of the daily activity.

Disclaimer
The assembled information disseminated by bestdarnpennystocks.com is for information purposes only, and is neither a solicitation to buy nor an offer to sell securities. bestdarnpennystocks.com does expect that investors will buy and sell securities based on information assembled and presented in bestdarnpennystocks.com. PLEASE always do your own due diligence, and consult your financial advisor.
Contacts:
bestdarnpennystocks.com
1419 Westwood Blvd Los Angeles, CA
90024-4911
staff@bestdarnpennystocks.com
 

Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. WorldNow and this Station make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you have any questions or comments about this page please contact pressreleases@worldnow.com.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, April 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Alaska Airlines is offering Club 49 members double miles on all flights everywhere the carrier flies between May 17 and Sept. 3, 2013. Club 49 benefits are available to all Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members who are Alaska state residents. Residents can join the complimentary program by visiting www.alaskaair.com/club49.

“Membership in Club 49 is making travel more affordable. Last year the program saved Alaskans nearly $20 million in free checked bags and discounted travel, and double miles this summer will make earning miles for award travel even easier,” said Marilyn Romano, Alaska Airlines’ regional vice president of the state of Alaska. “This exclusive offer is one of the best promotions we’ve launched since the inception of Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan more than three decades ago and it’s fitting to make it available to our loyal Club 49 members.”

Romano said a Club 49 member flying roundtrip this summer between Anchorage and Chicago would earn enough miles with the double miles offer to qualify for a one-way intra-Alaska award ticket, which requires 7,500 miles.

Enrollment in Club 49 is the only registration required to participate in the offer. For complete rules and exceptions, visit www.alaskaair.com/club49.

Launched in 2011, Club 49™ offers Alaska residents special perks, including free checked baggage, last-minute travel discounts and exclusive emails featuring weekly fare sales.

Exclusive Club 49 member benefits include:
1. Two free checked bags. Club 49 members traveling to or from the state of Alaska entirely on Alaska Airlines flights can check two bags at no cost. This represents an $80 savings each way for a family of four checking one bag each. Customers traveling solely within the state of Alaska can continue to check three bags at no cost.

2. Two one-way “Travel Now” discounts. Club 49 members receive two one-way certificates every year valid for 30 percent off full flex Y base fares. The discounts can be used to purchase tickets on Alaska Airlines flights within four days before the day of departure for destinations to, from or within Alaska.

3. Weekly fare sales. Club 49 members receive exclusive weekly emails featuring new deals on flights within Alaska and to destinations Outside.

One-way award shopping made easier
“In addition to our double miles promotion for Club 49 members, all Mileage Plan members now have an easier time finding and booking award travel on Alaska Airlines and on our two largest travel partners thanks to our new one-way award calendar shopping,” said Romano.

Booking award travel on Alaska Airlines improved significantly last month when the carrier launched one-way award calendar shopping on Alaska Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Customers can now mix and match award shopping in a variety of ways including shopping for one-way or roundtrip award travel; shopping the award calendars for all three airlines; and combining airlines in one reservation using two types of awards. Alaska will expand one-way awards to include additional partner airlines this summer.

Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves 95 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines has ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers” in the J.D. Power and Associates North America Airline Satisfaction Study^SM for five consecutive years from 2008 to 2012. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

Terms and conditions for Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan double miles: To qualify for double miles, membership in Club 49 is required prior to the first qualifying flight. The double miles offer is valid on qualifying nonstop flights operated and marketed by Alaska Airlines. Miles must be credited to a valid Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan account in order to earn double miles. All travel must be completed between May 17 and Sept. 3, 2013. Offer is not valid for award travel and the miles do not count toward elite status. The offer cannot be combined with any other promotion. Allow four to six weeks for travel and bonus miles to be credited. Other rules and restrictions apply to double mile promotions. Visit www.alaskaair.com/club49 for complete details.

©2012 PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved.