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Knight-Swift Signals Truckload Recovery as Feds Target Cargo Theft Ring
The largest US truckload carrier said this week that freight markets are finally turning in its favor. Meanwhile, federal prosecutors laid bare how organized criminals are using hijacked carrier identities to steal millions of dollars in goods. Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of 83 cents a share on Wednesday. That was ahead of analysts’ estimates and well above its own guidance range of 71 to 77 cents. Revenue rose 14% to $2.
31 minutes ago2 min read
Fuel Bill Pushes American Into the Red as Southwest Trims Outlook
Two of the largest US airlines reported record revenue this week but warned that soaring jet fuel prices are eroding the gains. American Airlines Group Inc. now expects a loss for the year and plans to slow its growth. American said on Thursday that third-quarter revenue rose 19.3% to $16.3 billion, the highest for any third quarter in its history. Its fuel bill rose even faster. The carrier paid an average of 3.85 dollars a gallon, up from 2.37 dollars a year earlier, pushin
35 minutes ago2 min read
Union Pacific, CSX Ride Freight Rebound to Record Quarters
Two of the biggest US freight railroads posted record third-quarter results this week. Surging intermodal traffic and higher fuel surcharges more than offset a sharp rise in diesel costs. Union Pacific Corp. said on Thursday that revenue rose 15% to $7.2 billion, driven by a 6% increase in carloads and firmer pricing. Adjusted earnings climbed 15% to 3.53 dollars a share, and intermodal revenue jumped 27%. The railroad’s operating ratio, a key efficiency measure where lower i
22 hours ago2 min read
Russian Diesel Heads for US as Container Lines Return to Suez
The first cargo of Russian diesel bound for the US since 2022 was due to set sail on Thursday under a fuel deal struck between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, container lines are steering more ships back through the Suez Canal, a shift that could reshape freight costs on US trade lanes next year. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said a tanker carrying 40,000 metric tons of diesel, about 300,000 barrels, would leave port on Thursday. “More ba
22 hours ago2 min read
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Mayday for Isom? American's Pilots Seek a New Captain (and a Bigger Cut)
Pilots Turn on Isom Just as Their Contract Talks Begin The head of American Airlines’ pilot union has publicly questioned whether CEO Robert Isom is the right man to lead the carrier's turnaround, sharpening a dispute that has been building for the best part of a year. Capt. Nick Silva, president of the Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents American's roughly 16,000 pilots, said the pool of executives able to run an airline is small, but asked whether someone cou
Sep 253 min read
A High-Class Problem: Why America's Pilots Are Doing Just Fine
Jeff Barath retired from United Airlines last year at 65 with a problem most Americans would love to have. He has a partial pension, a brokerage account and a $3.5 million 401(k). Once his required minimum distributions kick in, his retirement income, including Social Security, will be well over $300,000 a year. That's more than he earned in most of his working years. "It's a high-class problem," according to Barath. He's right. And he's far from the only one. Four times the
Sep 223 min read
The Grey Areas of the Bargaining Table
When flight attendants at United voted on strike authorisation in August 2024, the result came back at 99.99 per cent in favour. The union announced it live from twenty informational picket lines at airports across the country, on the eve of the Labor Day travel weekend. And in the same announcement, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) reminded everyone reading that it holds a trademarked strike strategy called CHAOS, an acronym for Create Havoc Around Our System,
Sep 104 min read
American Airlines pilots didn't wait for the calendar. They tore it up.
Nearly a year before their contract was due to become amendable, the Allied Pilots Association formally opened negotiations for a new deal, invoking a rarely used clause buried in their 2023 agreement. The trigger? A blunt declaration from union president Nick Silva, in an August 7 letter to CEO Robert Isom, that the airline "cannot agree that implementation is sufficient." Translation: you didn't finish what you promised us last time, so we're coming back to the table now. T
Sep 33 min read
‘We owe it to the victims’ families and the American flying public’ | Interview with Rep. Sharice Davids on aviation safety reform after Flight 5342
Sharice Davids is the Democratic representative for Kansas’s 3rd District, covering much of the Kansas City metropolitan area. She sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and has played a leading role in Congress's response to the midair collision of American Eagle Flight 5342 with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on 29 January 2025, in which 67 people were killed. Davids helped lead the bipartisan ALERT Act, which passed the House last month by 396 votes
May 64 min read
'MH370 disappearance shows how ruthless democracy's enemies are' | Interview with aviation journalist Jeff Wise
Jeff Wise is a journalist specializing in aviation, technology, and psychology who has written for Businessweek, Psychology Today, and...
Aug 16, 20244 min read
A High Flying Career: Flight Attendant Kara Mulder on the Evolving Landscape of Aviation
Kara Mulder, an accomplished flight attendant and the creative force behind the popular Flight Attendant Life blog, has leveraged her...
Aug 17, 20234 min read
With Summer Travel Almost Here, the FAA Remains Leaderless
In another twist in the saga of complications and chaos that has been plaguing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), it has recently...
Apr 12, 20233 min read
A High-Class Problem: Why America's Pilots Are Doing Just Fine
Jeff Barath retired from United Airlines last year at 65 with a problem most Americans would love to have. He has a partial pension, a brokerage account and a $3.5 million 401(k). Once his required minimum distributions kick in, his retirement income, including Social Security, will be well over $300,000 a year. That's more than he earned in most of his working years. "It's a high-class problem," according to Barath. He's right. And he's far from the only one. Four times the
Sep 223 min read
The Grey Areas of the Bargaining Table
When flight attendants at United voted on strike authorisation in August 2024, the result came back at 99.99 per cent in favour. The union announced it live from twenty informational picket lines at airports across the country, on the eve of the Labor Day travel weekend. And in the same announcement, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) reminded everyone reading that it holds a trademarked strike strategy called CHAOS, an acronym for Create Havoc Around Our System,
Sep 104 min read
American Airlines pilots didn't wait for the calendar. They tore it up.
Nearly a year before their contract was due to become amendable, the Allied Pilots Association formally opened negotiations for a new deal, invoking a rarely used clause buried in their 2023 agreement. The trigger? A blunt declaration from union president Nick Silva, in an August 7 letter to CEO Robert Isom, that the airline "cannot agree that implementation is sufficient." Translation: you didn't finish what you promised us last time, so we're coming back to the table now. T
Sep 33 min read
Newark Airport Dispute Exposes Political Risk to US Aviation
One of America’s busiest international airports found itself at the centre of political confrontation. The Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin threatened on 28 May that the Trump administration could soon stop processing international travellers and cargo at Newark airport as local law enforcement in the Blue State of New Jersey refused to assist federal immigration officials. With fans gearing up for the FIFA World Cup this summer, questions over international
Jun 83 min read
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