Passenger Transportation Services

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Monday that the unions have backed down from their threat to strike at Long Island Rail Road later this week, which serves more than 300,000 daily passengers. At a press event, a group of unions announced that they had requested President Donald Trump appoint a board to act as a mediator after threatening to strike the commuter railroad in New York. This action does not mean that a strike will never happen. Gil Lang, the general chairman of BLET's LIRR Engineers, said that it is unlikely to happen in the near future....

Alaska Air said that it expects to earn a profit at the lower end of its forecast due to high fuel prices and operational challenges. Fuel prices have risen due to refinery shutdowns on the U.S. West Coast. Alaska expects to spend up to $2.55 a gallon, compared to its previous projections of around $2.45. Alaska also highlighted weather and air traffic management issues that are driving costs up, such as compensation for passengers and crew overtime expenses. Storms and an overstretched air traffic control system have led to costly disruptions in the U.S. aviation industry this year. Alaska also...

Southwest Airlines announced on Friday that it would require its passengers to remove the lithium batteries from their powered wheelchairs or scooters prior to boarding. The airline cited fire hazards as a reason. Southwest will introduce new lithium battery size limits in January. The new rules go into effect on September 25. The Federal Aviation Administration sent out a safety warning to airlines on Tuesday about the risks of lithium batteries inside aircraft passenger compartments. "Lithium battery fires and smoke incidents are becoming more common on airplanes." Southwest stated in an employee note that while these incidents are rare, visibility...

Via Transportation, a transit technology company, was valued at $3.5 Billion on Friday following its shares' 4.4% decline in their NYSE debut. The stock opened at $44, which is below the $46 offered price. Shareholders can be sold via the internet Sell 493 Million Dollars to raise $493 Million 10,7 millions shares priced above the range of $40-$44. Investors are reviving the U.S. IPO Market as easing tensions in trade and expectations of lower interest rates have boosted investor appetite. This has led to the busiest U.S. IPO week since 2021. Via, unlike traditional ride-hailing services, works in conjunction with...

Federal Aviation Administration proposed a fine of $3.1 million against Boeing on Friday for a number of safety violations. These included actions related to the mid-air Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 emergency in January 2024, as well as for interfering with the independence and integrity safety officials. The FAA found hundreds quality system violations in the Boeing 737 factories in Renton, Washington and Wichita Kansas, as well as Spirit AeroSystems, a Boeing subcontractor. Boeing also failed to comply with the rules of its quality system and presented two aircraft that were not airworthy to the FAA in order to obtain...

On Friday, the Trump administration announced that it would be launching a pilot program to accelerate the deployment of flying taxis. This is to help companies meet the regulatory hurdles in order to provide advanced air mobility. The Federal Aviation Administration announced that the program would include at least five public-private partnerships between state and local governments, private sector companies and the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure safe operation of electric vertical takeoff (eVTOL), aircraft. Joby Aviation has praised the program. "Aircraft in the program are able to begin operations in selected markets before full FAA certification. This is a...

Kyodo reported that two people were injured in a minor way after United Airlines Flight 32, which was headed to Cebu (Philippines), made an emergency landing in Osaka, a city in western Japan. NHK reported that a Boeing 737 from Narita Airport, near Tokyo, made an emergency landing after 7 p.m. (1000 GMT), after a cargo-fire indicator had activated over the Pacific Ocean. Kyodo reported that 142 passengers and crew members evacuated the aircraft by using emergency slides. The Kansai Airport, local police, fire departments, United Airlines and the Transport Ministry could not be reached by phone after normal business...

Via Transportation, a transit technology company and a few existing investors, raised $492.9 in an initial public offering in the United States on Thursday. This is the latest addition to a September rebound of IPO activity. Via, a New York-based firm, sold 10.7 million shares for $46 each. This was above the $40 to $44 range that it had advertised. Via's valuation is $3.65 billion. The U.S. IPO Market has recovered in the fall window of 2025. This is due to an ebullient market, rising expectations of rate reductions, and the strong debuts of several big names. Investor anxiety about...

JetBlue Airways announced on Thursday that it was confident in its transatlantic strategy, and is working to connect as many passengers as possible with Atlantic Gateways. The New York-based carrier has reorganized its network in order to focus on routes that are more profitable. The carrier will expand its service to Southern Florida, and also focus on transiting more U.S. premium travelers to gateway cities such as New York and Boston before continuing to Europe. JetBlue's President Marty St. George said at a Morgan Stanley Conference: "This balance of good sun market in the winter, and then European markets during...

Wall Street's major indexes closed at record highs on Thursday, thanks to gains by Tesla and Micron Technology. Meanwhile, U.S. data on inflation and unemployment fueled expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut this month. The U.S. consumer price index rose faster than expected in August, and the inflation rate was higher than it has been in the past seven months. Separately, the initial claims for unemployment benefits for the week ending September 6 reached 263,000. This is a four-year high. "Inflation is sticky. Whether you call it stagflation, or not, different people define it differently. Atsi Sheth is the...

Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan stated on Thursday that the company was looking into long-haul flights internationally and premium airport lounges to help it turn around. Jordan said that while the company would have to consider a wide body aircraft for international long-haul service, they could first choose a narrow-body to serve these routes. After the COVID-19 epidemic, the Dallas-based carrier has struggled to find its feet. It operates mostly domestic flights using a Boeing 737 fleet. The carrier's low earnings have increased pressure on it to change its business model. It now charges for checked baggage, ending the free...

According to Senate records, President Donald Trump has nominated an American Airlines captain and safety official for the National Transportation Safety Board. John DeLeeuw is the managing director for safety and efficiency at American Airlines, and a Boeing 777 captain. He has been appointed to replace Alvin Brown, a former appointee from the Biden administration, who was fired by the White House last May. The NTSB is responsible for investigating all major highway, rail, marine, and aviation accidents. The NTSB determines the probable causes of accidents and provides safety recommendations. If confirmed, John will be a great addition to the...

The net profit of the Portuguese flag carrier TAP in its second quarter fell by 42.5% compared to a year earlier, as costs increased much faster than revenues due to fierce competition on its main markets, and airport congestion at home. TAP, which has been partially privatised, posted a profit of 43.9 million dollars between April and June. This period included this year's busy Easter Week. TAP suffered a first-half loss of 70.7 millions euros, which is almost three times higher than the same period in last year. The airline's quarterly revenues grew 1.7%, to 1.13 billion Euros. Passengers carried...

On Wednesday, a French technology startup announced plans to work with JetZero, a clean-aircraft venture to explore the possibility of a hydrogen-powered version of its futuristic design. The SHZ Advanced Technologies' move is likely to reignite a debate about the possibility of zero-emission flights, six months after Europe’s Airbus halted plans to develop the first hydrogen-powered aircraft in the world. JetZero, a California-based company, aims to compete with the duopoly that is Airbus and Boeing. It has developed a blended wing-body plane which claims to be able reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions by half. JetZero, SHZ and NASA are...

Turkish Airlines still has a strong interest in purchasing a stake in Spanish carrier Air Europa, and is preparing a legally binding offer. A company executive stated this during a earnings call held on Wednesday. "We will be presenting a binding proposal very soon." We are not yet at that stage. "We will make public the decision and approval of the board as soon as it is made," said the executive. Turkish Airlines' investor relations and financial executives answered questions during the earnings call. The executive stated that the primary reason for interest in the Spanish carrier was that it...

A spokesperson for the German Group announced on Tuesday that Lufthansa had abandoned its plans to bid for an interest in the Spanish airline Air Europa. This comes only one week after Air France KLM also announced that it would be pulling out of the bidding process. Turkish Airlines is the only bidder known to exist. British Airways' owner IAG has a 20% stake but after years of discussions, failed to gain regulatory approval for the full takeover. After thorough analyses and intensive negotiations, at this point we have decided to refrain from further engagement in a capital contributions and...

Dutch postal company PostNL announced a surprise operating income for the second quarter on Monday and confirmed its full year guidance, citing progress made in strategic initiatives as well as benefits from targeted yield-measures. PostNL, a company that delivers letters and parcels across the Netherlands and Belgium, reported a normalised operating loss of 11 million euros (12.74 million dollars) for the third quarter. This is down from 18 million euros a year ago. Five analysts polled by the company had predicted a loss on average of 3 million euro. In a press release, CEO Pim Berendsen stated that "other measures...

In the past six months, European airline shares have surged despite geopolitical uncertainty and economic instability. Meanwhile, U.S. airline stocks have fallen amid a decline in travel spending. Since the beginning of this year, there has been a lot of volatility in the stock market as President Donald Trump’s trade war has shaken business and consumer confidence. Travel spending is a major discretionary expense for consumers and businesses. The prospects of a weak economy in the U.S. coupled with high inflation has impacted shares of Delta, United, and American Airlines. The two main European flag carriers, Lufthansa & Air France-KLM,...

IAG, the owner of British Airways, reported earnings for the second quarter that were better than expected on Friday. This was due to strong demand from transatlantic travelers despite concerns about possible knock-on effects caused by President Donald Trump’s tariff war. Air France-KLM, Lufthansa and other European airlines have largely avoided the turmoil caused by tariffs. Both companies reported strong second quarters this week and confirmed their annual forecasts. IAG posted an operating profit for the third quarter of 1,68 billion euro ($1.92 billion), compared to the average analyst forecast of 1.4 million euros, according to an LSEG survey. This...

A spokesperson for the Franco Dutch airline group announced on Thursday that Air France-KLM had pulled out of the deal to purchase a stake in the privately owned Spanish airline Air Europa. The spokesperson for Air France-KLM said that Globalia, the company that controls Air Europa and is controlled by Air France, could not come to an agreement. Globalia's spokesperson did not respond immediately to a comment request. German Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines and IAG-owned British Airways have made bids to Globalia for a 20% stake in Spanish airline IAG. Air Europa, a Spanish airline that connects Madrid to large Spanish...

Air India's Airbus A320 veered off of the runway during a landing at Mumbai International Airport in heavy rain on Monday. The runway was briefly closed and one engine's underside was damaged. Air India has confirmed that all passengers and crew have disembarked. However, it did not mention if anyone had been injured. Air India flight AI2744 flew from Kochi, in southern Kerala to Mumbai. Mumbai airport issued a statement saying that "minor damage" had been reported on the primary runway due to a "runway deviation". A secondary runway was activated in order to maintain operational continuity. Air India confirmed...

Industry officials say that poor infrastructure, regional conflict, and Israeli airstrikes have prevented more airlines from returning. This is hampering efforts to rebuild Syria's economy, which has been ravaged by 14 years of civil warfare. At least 11 foreign airlines will fly to Syria this month. This is up from only three a year earlier, as sanctions have been rolled back since the overthrow in December 2024 of Bashar al Assad, Syria's longtime leader. The world's largest airline, Emirates of Dubai, as well as the first two European Union airlines to fly into Syria in 2011 are Romania's Dan Air,...

Luis Montenegro, the Prime Minister of Portugal, said that Portugal expects to attract large airlines from both within the European Union as well as outside the bloc due to its untapped potential. Portugal has relaunched its long-delayed TAP privatisation on Thursday. The aim is to sell a stake of 44.9% to a company that can bring scale and global competitiveness to the airline, while also offering an additional 5% for TAP staff. In the last year, three major European airlines, Lufthansa and Air France-KLM as well as British Airways owner IAG have met with the government to discuss TAP. Air...

Norwegian Air, a budget airline, announced Friday that it had exceeded market expectations in the second quarter and would be paying a dividend. Norwegian reported an operating profit (EBIT), of 1.25 billion Norwegian Crowns ($123.84 millions) for the third quarter. This was higher than the company's consensus estimate of 1.04 billion Norwegian crowns. The airline said that it would also pay a dividend to shareholders of 0.90 crowns each for the first ever time. In a statement, CEO Geir Carlsen stated that "the operating profit and margin were the second highest ever in this quarter and the passenger number and...