London Heathrow is the third-busiest airport in the world, moving close to 70 million people down its two runways each year. It can feel a bit cramped there and anybody who has walked its floors might tell you that all 70 million of those folks were in the place the day they were there. 

The government has threatened to scuttle a proposed third runway, which has Heathrow operator BAA threatening to sue as it's eager to expand capacity. And from the "you can't please all the people all the time" dept., one group of Brits would love the 83-year-old airport to be leveled and converted into landscaped gardens, a residential area, and a university. Yet customer surveys indicate that over 70% of passengers at the airport rate their experience as 'Excellent' or 'Very Good.'

As it looks to become more efficient and truly "make every journey better" in order to bump those customer survey results even higher, Heathrow's retail partners and shoppers are certainly happy. According to an airport spokesperson, “Heathrow has the highest retail sales of any airport in the world ahead of Incheon airport in South Korea in second place.”Continue reading...

Australia's Qantas is expanding into Asia with a joint venture between budget carrier Jetstar and China Eastern airlines. The new regional discount airline, to be branded as Jetstar Hong Kong, will launch as HK's first low-cost carrier in mid-2013. Qantas also just announced it's launching Australia's first commercial flights using biofuels, with the first flight using SkyNRG's World Wildlife Fund-endorsed sustainable fuel scheduled for April 13th.

Everybody is looking for a deal. And Southwest Airlines would like to give them one. The airline has “launched an enhancement” to its Rapid Rewards loyalty program, expanding its roster of partners to allow the plan’s members to get a few extra points by purchasing from particular online retailers.

"Frequent-flier programs like all other loyalty programs are trying to figure out ways to drive more value for consumers," said Sarah Arvin, vice president of client services for Cartera Commerce, to Reuters. "Consumers are much more deal- and reward-conscious and they are trying to get more out of every dollar they spend."

Earlier this year, Southwest — in tandem with airlines including Continental/United — changed their frequent-flier plans so that the customers who were spending more money would get more points. This latest tweak is another way of providing incentive for fliers to stick with one airline rather than just ditching brand loyalty the way most folks are.

"We are trying to enhance the program in as many ways as we can," Jonathan Clarkson, director of Southwest Rapid Rewards, told Reuters. "As long as there is the proliferation of loyalty programs and enhancements to other airline loyalty programs, it's always going to be a challenge to maintain the loyalty of folks."

In another bid to make the brand more engaging, the airline also announced that it's shooting an original (and still untitled) series for TLC that will air next year.

Airbus got a big (and tall) endorsement for the A380 when retired Chinese professional basketball player Yao Ming tweeted his approval on Oct. 21st.

Following an online teaser campaign that included a 20-second trailer and Facebook outreach, British Airways today revealed its new global campaign, with ads that will begin appearing in the US on TV, in newspapers and online next week.

The main spot, above, showcases the airline’s heritage and highlights the characteristics that make the British Airways special, including dedication to flying and decades of flying know-how and innovation, along with thoughtful service and British style.

According to the Guardian, seven additional spots will feature 13 BA employees, while one of the print ads "features a baby in a BA jacket, to highlight the fact that staff are trained to deliver babies if necessary, while another features a human heart to show that the airline carries precious cargo such as donor organs."Continue reading...

Every plane American Airlines owns was made by Boeing, but that's all poised to change following an order for 460 “existing model and re-engined small airliners” that was just given to Boeing and rival Airbus.

"(N)o single manufacturer could provide the number and variety of aircraft we need to fulfill our vision for the future," American Airlines Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey was quoted in a report by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer

American President Tom Horton also downplayed the rivalry. "Some characterized this as a split deal,” he said. “I would characterize it as a 'both' deal. We decided that each deal was so compelling, and the replacement economics and flexibility for both was so compelling that we wanted to do both."Continue reading...

A few federal ticket taxes were suspended on July 22nd when U.S. Congress couldn’t find time to vote on them due to another pressing issue that you may have heard about: the debt ceiling.

A slew of consumers had bought plane tickets online or through travel agents and paid those taxes unnecessarily before the expiration date. Delta is the first major carrier to announce that it will refund those dollars to its consumers, according to USA Today.

“Senate Democrats said Monday they hoped to bring a bill to the Senate floor to temporarily reauthorize the FAA and end a partial shutdown that has caused the agency to furlough nearly 4,000 employees and halt airport modernization projects,” the paper reports.Continue reading...

Next time you need to get to Japan but don’t have too much cash in your pocket, you may be in luck.

AP reports that ANA (All Nippon Airways) and Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia are working together to launch a budget airline in 2012 that will serve Japanese domestic travelers as well as international travelers that are flying in and out of Japan.

ANA is Japan’s largest airline but “it has been seeking to strengthen its foothold in the low-cost market amid growing competition,” AP reports. The deal follows news last September that ANA planned to launch a new low-cost carrier in the region.Continue reading...