Travel News - Aviation.com

After Northwest's announcement this week that it will be jumping on the bandwagon to charge people for their first checked bags, it seems as if increased luggage fees are here to stay. So finally, after all these years of reading about shipping your luggage in advance (and shrugging it off as too involved and possibly too expensive), you may be ready to play.

People who never before considered travel insurance might look back on this turbulent summer as the one that pushed them over the edge.

A NASA competition asking college students to design a next-generation equivalent of the famed Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft has generated a strong international response and a standard of entries high enough to impress senior NASA scientists. Altogether, 61 students from 14 colleges and universities around the globe submitted design concepts for the next generation of small airliners and cargo planes. Entries came from 14 teams and two individual students. ...

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has announced a commitment for up to 95 Boeing widebody jets and up to 110 Airbus aircraft in what is being billed as the largest airliner purchase in history in terms of its potential cost. Etihad used the occasion of the first day of the 2008 Farnborough Air Show to announce firm orders for 45 Boeing aircraft - 35 787-9s and 10 777-300ERs - and 55 Airbus jets. The Airbus deal involves both widebody and narrowbody jetliners: 10 A380 superjumbos, 25 A350 XWBs, and 20 Airbus A320s. ...

Pilot associations, air traffic controller unions and other industry groups are concerned about what they perceive to be an increasing trend toward criminalizing the actions of aviation professionals following major accidents.

If you take a side trip to your nearby general aviation (GA) airport, you are likely to see little if any visual evidence of the security precautions so palpable at the big airports from which most of us travel.

With new frequent-flyer fees, cash-back cards make more sense than ever for most consumers.

Boeing is partnering with Calgary, Alberta-based SkyHook International Inc. to develop a new kind of vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) rotorcraft able to carry loads twice as heavy as those that can be carried by the world's largest in-service helicopter.

We've all heard the horror stories about well-intended watchlists designed to keep terrorists from boarding airplanes: How Senator Ted Kennedy's name showed up on a watchlist a few years ago; how young children with names similar to those of known terrorists are prevented from boarding; how even federal air marshals have been barred from taking flights they are assigned to protect.

The first jet aircraft to be built by leading light-aircraft manufacturer Cirrus Design Corporation has made its first flight.

The last of the transatlantic all-premium-class airlines could soon vanish, but not because of bankruptcy - and it's not necessarily bad news for transatlantic high-fare fliers.

With fares and fees skyrocketing lately, you're excused for feeling that someone's picking your pocket every time you fly. But every year thousands of airline passengers have items stolen from security check points, overhead bins, and bags both checked and unchecked. Some even have entire bags swiped. And some do indeed get their pockets picked, if not by the airline, then by the guy sitting next to them.

Millions of Americans will venture forth on vacation this Fourth of July holiday, and holidays, as we know, present special challenges - especially with packed planes and the nation's airports stretched to the limit by cascading flight delays and heightened security.

While you're buckled comfortably in your airplane seat, the public address system unexpectedly crackles to life. "From the flight deck, passengers please return to your seats and fasten your seat belts." No great surprise, it's thunderstorm season. But when the announcement is followed by "And we'd like the cabin attendants to take their seats as well," that means there is bumpy or even downright rough weather ahead.

Every now and then, airlines throw passengers a bone. They'll credit you if you cancel before takeoff, refund you if the fare goes down after purchase or make it up to you when you get bumped from a flight.

We've become familiar with Chapter 11 in recent years, as airline after airline has gone into bankruptcy protection to reorganize its operations. Soon, we may become familiar with an even darker chapter in the airline story: Chapter 7.

Airbus Military has rolled out the first A400M military transport aircraft from the final assembly line for the new airlifter in Seville, Spain.

As concerns about global warming intensify throughout the world, aviation is receiving a disproportionate level of scrutiny for its contribution to total global production of greenhouse gases.

For more than four decades, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has investigated aircraft accidents and recommended changes that have saved the lives of countless air travelers.

Metropolitan New York City now has access to air taxi services operated by very light jets.

It was a time-honored tradition among experienced travelers: Never check luggage, even if you're over the carry-on bag limit.

You've selected a flight school, arranged your schedule and finances so that you have enough time and money available to learn to fly, and now you've booked your first flying lesson. At last the big day arrives. The weather god has ordained a clear, calm day. You're excited and a little scared: It's show time.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As the flag carrier of a largely unspoiled nation which has firmly embraced ecological preservation as a key part of its economy, Air New Zealand intends to stay at the forefront of the civil aviation industry's movement towards total environmental sustainability.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Pressed on all sides by soaring fuel prices, economic slowdown and poor public perception regarding their environmental performance, airlines in North America are stepping up their environmental sustainability efforts dramatically.