US Airways Jumps 12 percent to Lead Airline Sector Higher

US Airways Group (LCC 8.50, +0.69, +8.84%) shares jumped almost 12% to $8.73 in early trading on Wednesday to lead a broad advance in the airline sector after J.P Morgan Chase & Co. upgraded the stock. The NYSE Arca Airline Index rose 4.7% to 37.39 points and has now gained 11% since the beginning of the year. All 13 components in the benchmark were in positive territory, with AMR Corp. (AMR 7.54, +0.40, +5.53%) gaining 9% and Continental Airlines (CAL 21.18, +1.26, +6.33%) up more than 7%.

U.S. Air Passenger Growth Slows in Sluggish Economy

U.S. airline passenger numbers will reach 1 billion in 2023, two years later than projected, because of slow economic growth, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The revision in the agency’s annual forecast follows an “unprecedented” drop in operations last year, when take-offs and landings fell 10.4 percent, said Nan Shellabarger, the agency’s director of aviation policy and plans.
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Light At End Of The Tunnel For Canadian Airlines

After suffering through one of its most grueling years in its history, there might finally be some light at the end of the tunnel for Canadian airlines.

Analysts were quick to react to better-than-expected traffic results for the month of August from Canadian carriers Thursday, saying they may indicate that the third quarter could prove to be the bottom not only to their declines in demand but also to the softness in pricing.
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US Airways Sees Brighter Travel Picture

Airlines reporting August passenger traffic so far are lining up in two camps: low-cost carriers like US Airways Group (LCC) say the picture is improving, but major international carriers, including British Airways, are still hurting from a downturn in business travel, their best source of revenue.
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Federal Air Travel Tender To Hit Qantas

Qantas’s stranglehold on the $500 million Federal Government annual travel budget is under threat, after the Commonwealth put up for tender yesterday its entire domestic and international air travel needs.
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US Airways is `Mixing Things Up` with Expanded In-Flight Marketplace

US Airways continues to enhance its customers` in-flight experience with the introduction of several new restaurant-quality cocktails and premium beverages for sale on flights starting today. The new beverage options complement the popular premium snacks US Airways began offering earlier this summer, all under a new in-flight menu called US Airways MarketPlace.
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Airlines Industry in Asia Pacific ‘Remains In Intensive Care’

Airlines in Asia Pacific are “experiencing the extremes of this recession,” according to new figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). A 7.6 per cent year on year fall in air passenger demand across Asia Pacific in July was the largest decline of any region worldwide.
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Chinese Airlines Turn Backs On Foreign Banks

Chinese airlines are looking to domestic banks, awash with liquidity on the back of the government stimulus package, to finance aircraft deliveries.

Chinese airlines are turning their backs on foreign banks as they look to domestic institutions, awash with liquidity following the government stimulus package, to finance aircraft deliveries.
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Air Arabia Increases Profits By 10 percent

Air Arabia lifted its second-quarter profit by 10 per cent as it expanded its route network and attracted passengers seeking lower fares.

The budget carrier reported net profit of Dh90 million (US$24.5m), compared with Dh82m a year earlier. It launched a Moroccan subsidiary and added two new routes from its hub in Sharjah.
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China Southern 2008 Traffic Growth Slows Sharply

China Southern Airlines’ passenger volume growth in 2008 slowed to single digits for the first time in five years as a slowing economy curbed demand.
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