Biggest Airline Stories of the Year

2008's Top Air Travel Stories

Wow, if nothing else, air travel's recent history has been full of fees. First inspired by fuel costs, then a world-wide economic slump, airlines started tacking on fees seemingly on everything. From luggage, to beverages, and fuel surcharges, there was a lot more to pay for.

Most airlines now charge for checking luggage for US domestic flights and transborder (US - Canada flights). Alaska Airlines let you check in your first for free, but of the scheduled airlines in the US and Canada, only Southwest Airlines lets you check in two pieces free, along with Canadian airlines Air Canada, Westjet and Porter Airlines.

There were several airline merger rumors in air travel, but only one big one happened in 2008. Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines merged to form the biggest airline in the world. The Delta Airlines name lives on, with Northwest being slowly phased out.

Much of the air travel woes of 2008 can be attributed to rising fuel costs which seem to spiral higher and higher, and after peaking at over $140 a barrel, slumped almost as quickly and is down nearly $100 a barrel. It's enough to make passengers wonder why so many of the fuel-inspired fees are still around.

Fuel and economic factors were most often cited in a year that saw the collapse of several airlines. One of the most prominent was Aloha Airlines in the spring, which had over 60 years of aviation history end in 2008. Leisure and low cost airlines also proved that they were not immune as Excel Airways (UK) and Skybus (US) also failed.

I thought it fitting to repost Aloha's final goodbye.

From carbon offsets and bio-fuel, to flying at higher altitudes and at slower speeds, airlines are getting in the business of trying to clean up the environment. More fuel efficient engines are coming, as are alternative fuels, and many airlines have carbon offset programs that give passengers the opportunity to pay back the environmental impact caused when they fly.

Many airlines are cutting back on routes. Reported drops of 5-10% in air travel have surfaced. And airlines are shrinking their workforces, with airline employment in the US alone now lower than post September 11, 2001 levels. A few airlines such as American Airlines are now operating with similar staff levels not seen since the late 1980s.

These are tough times in air travel, not only for passengers, but for airline workers.

2008 brought Open Skies for both the US and Canada with Europe. Several airlines in the United States used the new access to secure slots for London Heathrow Airport (Europe's busiest). Several airlines began to abandon the less popular London Gatwick to nab coveted slots at Heathrow.

Will fares drop with competition opened up to Europe even more? As with many things, time will tell.

You don't normally think of low cost airlines and business travelers, but in the new, recession-ridden economy, airlines are re-thinking how to thrive and survive. Southwest Airlines is targeting business travelers, and is beginning to leap into markets where business travelers are a-plenty.