Continental

(Dive Travel Business - March 2, 2011) --  The airlines new motto might be “let no fee go unnoticed. “ The latest: Continental Airlines offers an option to hold a reservation and lock-in the ticket price for 72 hours or seven days. This sounds reasonable except that there's a fee attached, beginning at US$5 for a 72-hour hold and $9 for a seven-day hold. And it's not just for domestic flights:  Overseas routes and International carriers are also starting to adopt similar fees.

The fees can vary according to routes and other factors, and can quickly add up because they are applicable for each traveler. Ever-growing airline fees continue to come under attack on many fronts, particularly since they are often not clear for consumers.  The International Air Transport Association, which represents 230 airlines in more than 115 countries, says baggage rules "are becoming increasingly complex and confusing,” and airlines "must improve transparency so travelers know what to expect." read more »

(Dive Travel Business News - May 6, 2010 ) -- On Thursday April 29, 2010, new US Transportation Department legislation was put into effect that requires all U.S. airlines to deplane passengers after 3 hours or face potential fines of up to $27,500 per passenger. International airlines are not subject to the 3-hour delay rule, even if they land or takeoff from U.S. airports. The rule applies only to domestic flights and will not affect international flights. 

It all started last August when a Continental Express jet with 47 passengers was diverted from Minneapolis due to bad weather and was stranded overnight in the plane Rochester, Minn. some 50 yards from the terminal gate:   The horror stories emminating from that incident - airline passengers young and old, stranded on the tarmac for hours without food or water, without access to their medications or sanitary bathroom conditions - prompted  the Transportation Department to draw up the new 3-hour tarmac delay rules, which were approved in December 2009 and are now in effect.

Here's is a Summary of the 3-Hour Rule: read more »

(Dive Travel Business News - May 3, 2010) -- More airline mergers in the news this week with the announcement that United Airlines and Continental Airlines will become the world's largest air carrier. The two airlines have agreed a $3.2 billion merger and save the airlines more than $1 billion a year.  The combined group will adopt the United Airlines name with Continental CEO Jeff Smisek heading the company.

Both airlines were once part of the same company in the 1920's and '30's. The move will reconnect corporate bloodlines that have been separated for almost a century.  The deal, which is subject to regulatory reviews, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. By the first half of 2012, the new airline should be operating as United Airlines. read more »