American, U.S. merge to form biggest, crappiest airline

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000

U.S. Airways and American Airlines, two crappy airlines, are merging to form one mega airline -- the biggest in the world -- with a $11 billion deal agreed Thursday. According to the AP, the airline, which will keep the "American" title, expects to have $40 billion in annual revenue and offer more than 6,700 daily flights to 336 destinations in 56 countries.

"The deal also caps turbulent half-decade of bankruptcies and consolidation for the U.S. airline industry," the AP noted, and according to reports, it also ushers in a new era of higher fares and service glitches.

Charlie Leocha, director of the Consumer Travel Alliance, told The Dallas Morning News, “Consumer harm is the norm with recent mergers... While the airline management rakes in merger bonuses, consumers are the ones who bear the brunt of post-merger integration service problems. With prior mergers, these issues have created major problems for passengers.”

French court overturns Concorde crash conviction

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:30:00 +0000

VERSAILLES, France (AP) — A French appeals court overturns a manslaughter conviction against Continental Airlines for the July 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde that killed 113 people.

The crash led to the Concorde program, a synonym for luxury but a commercial failure despite its advanced technology, to be taken out of service in 2003. Air France and British Airways had jointly operated the program.

Thursday's ruling follows a 2010 case where a French court had convicted Continental Airlines Inc. and one of its mechanics for the crash and imposed about €2 million ($2.7 million) in damages and fines on the carrier.

In the 2000 accident, the jet slammed into a hotel near Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport soon after taking off, killing all 109 people aboard and four on the ground.

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American, U.S. merge to form biggest, crappiest airline

French court overturns Concorde crash conviction