Cue the entrance music – Southwest Airlines has finally touched down at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport (as we first reported back in April). As of Sunday, New Yorkers can enjoy non-stop service to Chicago and Baltimore/Washington, D.C., as well as direct and connecting flights to over 45 domestic destinations that the low-cost carrier flies to.

To kick off the celebration with a unique twist on pre-flight announcements, check out rapping flight attendant David Holmes (above) spit out some rhymes to an amused audience.

Republic Airways Holdings – an airline holding company for regional carriers Chautauqua Airlines, Republic Airlines, and Shuttle America – made a splash in the aviation world this week after purchasing two struggling airlines in just two days. Denver-based Frontier Airlines was purchased for $108 million on June 22, while teetering Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines was acquired for $31 million on June 23.  Read the rest of this post »

Delta, US Airways, Continental, American, United, and even budget airline Southwest have all jumped on the fare-hike bandwagon over the course of the past several weeks, bringing about a $10 fare increase (each way) for their domestic routes. Delta has also announced a $10 to $40 rate increase (each way) for select international flights. While consumers had been enjoying significantly reduced fares compared to the highs seen in 2008, airlines’ battle with rising jet fuel prices and drops in business travel have led to this response.

What would you suggest airlines do to cut costs without raising fares?

Come November 1, Southwest will be touching down at Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport. The budget carrier has scheduled at least one flight daily between Milwaukee and Baltimore, Kansas City, Orlando, Las Vegas, Tampa, and Phoenix – intro fares will start from just $35 (sale ends June 26). Officials at Southwest and Mitchell alike hope that the new service will reinvigorate travel in and out of the Milwaukee area, bringing much needed income to the region, while also offsetting the plunge in revenue reported by Southwest in the first quarter of this year.

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Have you recently forgotten a close friend’s birthday? Never called Mom on Mother’s Day? Here’s your chance to redeem yourself by surprising them with a summer getaway to the white-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters of the Cayman Islands. The Caribbean-based airline Cayman Airways has just announced a limited-time offer: have a companion traveler fly free to the Cayman Islands when the first passenger purchases a round-trip ticket. Prices start at just $308 round-trip from Miami or Tampa, or $385 from New York. Although travel is valid through September 30, this offer ends June 26.

For more information, visit www.caymanairways.com.

JetBlue’s rapidly expanding Caribbean empire allows the airline to offer ultra-low prices to popular beach destinations. Just in time to welcome summer, the airline has launched its Life’s a Beach sale, making these already affordable flights reach rock-bottom rates. Fares start from just $29 each way to beach hot spots including Cancun, Nassau, Santo Domingo, San Juan, and more from cities like New York, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Boston, and many others. Although this new fare sale ends on June 26, travel is valid from July 14 through October 6. In addition to these stellar savings, when purchasing tickets passengers can take an extra $20 off each flight by using Jet Blue’s PayPal program.

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Following the huge net loss of airline companies in 2008, carriers around the globe are being forced to downsize or turn to increasingly creative and unlikely solutions in hopes of getting their numbers back into the black. The latest of these dubious measures is targeted towards their employees, with British Airways’ sounding a call earlier this week for workers to volunteer up to four weeks of unpaid labor in the name of salvaging company finances. US Airways is also looking for volunteers, 400 in total, to give up their livelihood for up to 16 months as a result of severe overstaffing. Do you think this is an acceptable way for airline companies to cut corners?

A 60-year-old Newark-based pilot, with 32 years of service to Continental Airlines under his belt, died mid-flight yesterday of apparent natural causes while operating Flight 61 from Brussels to Newark. Without disclosing details of the situation to passengers, the flight staff was able to discreetly request several physicians on board to approach the cockpit – however, attempts to revive the pilot with a defibrillator were unsuccesful. The two co-pilots took control of the plane and happily ensured a safe landing for all 247 passengers – most of which were blissfully unaware of the pilot’s death when touching down in Newark.

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In honor of Southwest’s 38th anniversary, the airline is offering low fares from just $38 each way. The catch? These bargain summer flights are only available until 9pm today through the airline’s free downloadable DING! desktop application. Sign up today to take advantage of this last-minute special offer and receive regular updates on affordable fares to popular U.S. locales.

Sample one-way fares, valid for travel July 7 through August 31, include:

•    New York LaGuardia to Baltimore/Washington: $38
•    Los Angeles to the Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose): $38
•    Philadelphia to Pittsburgh: $38

Continental Airlines is under scrutiny after placing two unaccompanied minors on wrong flights on back to back days earlier this week. On June 13, 8-year-old Taylor Williams was supposed to visit her father in Charlotte, N.C. from Houston – instead she landed in Fayetteville, Ark. The next day, Miriam Kamens, 10, wound up in Newark while her parents thought she was on a Boston-to-Cleveland flight to visit her grandparents. Read the rest of this post »