travel

LIGHTNING strikes may not be something most plane passengers expect to experience when travelling, yet it turns out they happen far more frequently than you might expect – and your flight could have been hit without you ever knowing. A Virgin Atlantic engineer reveals all. Though aircraft crew brief passengers on safety protocols at the …

Hyatt Hotels said late Monday it would lay off 1,300 people globally as it tries to cope with the coronavirus crisis, which has virtually halted global travel by keeping people indoors. Hyatt said it had also cut pay for senior management, board members and all employees in corporate offices as part of a restructuring, adding …

General Electric said Monday it was planning to cut the global workforce of its aviation unit this year by as much as 25 percent, or up to 13,000 jobs, including both voluntary and involuntary layoffs, citing prolonged aircraft reduction schedules caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The job cuts are the latest mounting woes for the …

Boeing said on Wednesday it would cut its 160,000-person workforce by about 10 percent, further reduce 787 Dreamliner production and try to boost liquidity as it prepares for a years-long industry recovery from the coronavirus pandemic that drove its second consecutive quarterly loss. Planemakers, airlines and suppliers have been left reeling by the pandemic, which …

Australia will keep its borders closed to foreign visitors for at least three more months to prevent the introduction of coronavirus cases into the country. “The international situation at the moment is such that any relaxation of border measures would be very risky,” Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy told a government inquiry on the country’s …

Delta Air Lines, the biggest and most profitable US airline, lost $534 million in the first quarter, a setback that will appear trivial when the full force of the pandemic is revealed in the current quarter. Delta warned Wednesday that revenue during the April through June quarter, typically a period of harried travel, will plummet …

The European Union says its vaunted tourist industry is facing “staggering” figures of decline because of the coronavirus crisis and the bloc’s internal market commissioner wants the sector to be first in line when it comes to recovery funds. Thierry Breton mentioned figures that the tourism economy could slump up to 70 percent and will …

United Airlines said on Monday it expects to report a pre-tax loss of about $2.1 billion for the first quarter, after the coronavirus pandemic smothered its growth aspirations in Latin America and led the company to seek another $4.5 billion in government aid. Chicago-based United said first quarter revenues are seen at $8 billion, down …

RavnAir Group, the largest regional carrier in Alaska, filed for bankruptcy Sunday and grounded all of its 72 planes as it waits on a decision from US Treasury for government assistance. The Trump administration is weighing applications from numerous airlines as it considers how to disburse $25 billion in passenger airline grants, $4 billion for …

The US Transportation Department on Friday issued a notice to airlines reminding them they are obligated to refund tickets when they cancel a flight or make a significant flight schedule change that passengers opt not to accept, but will not take any immediate action against airlines. US and foreign airlines have canceled hundreds of thousands …